Number 10: Prewash your fabric
Seriously, before you do anything with your fabric, and I mean ANYTHING, wash it. Not only with this essentially give you a clean slate before you begin your project, but it will also shrink your fabric if it hasn't been preshrunk. And even if it says it's been preshrunk, wash it anyways so you don't end up with any nasty surprises. Nothing sucks more than pulling a project that you worked really hard on out of the washer only to find it no longer fits the same because the fabric shrunk. Trust me, I've been there. Also on that note...
Number 9: Remember washing instructions
Sometimes you'll work with fabrics that have special washing instructions. It seems like common sense, but sometimes it can be hard to remember if you're also sewing with a normal wash fabric in the same project. I accidentally did this once with a kimono I made for a school dance. I had chosen a beautiful red cotton with large black koi fish on the front, but when I went to wash it I had forgotten that the liner was made from muslin, which shrinks in hot water. Well, the muslin shrunk, so while I can still wear wear it, it looks a little funny around the edges and it puckered in places. And I can't make it again because they no longer make the red cotton I love so much. Something I plan on doing in the future to help me prevent this is to make a small tag for the clothing with the washing instructions written on it. It'll be easy to do as I'm sewing the project, and it'll keep me from making stupid mistakes again.
Number 8: Don't use cheap fabrics
If the fabric you use is cheap, then your project will end up looking cheap no matter how well you sew it up together. Now, when I say cheap I don't mean price wise for you, I mean price wise for the maker. If your fabric looks shoddy and cheaply made, for the sake of whatever it is you're working on, please don't touch it with ten foot pole . (Wal-mart I'm looking at half your fabrics here...) I stick to working with cotton fabrics, so I haven't encountered any bad fabrics personally. That doesn't mean I haven't been taught by my mother and grandmother how to spot bad fabrics (plus it doesn't hurt that I've worked in a fabric store for the last 10 months). Here's how I usually evaluate fabric I'm unfamiliar with:
- First: Look at the fabric, examine it with your eyes. Looking is sometimes the easiest way to tell right off the bat the quality of the fabric. Like some bad fabrics will have a sheen to them, indicating they were made with cheap materials. This is an easy identifier if the fabric is suppose to be a "cotton", but can be difficult if you're looking at, say, an organza. This is when you move on to step two.
- Second: Feel the fabric. Rub it between your fingertips. Bad fabrics will just feel wrong. This one is rather hard for me to describe, all I can say is that it will feel off to your fingers. Maybe the fabric will feel to thick for the material you're wanting to work with, or just feel... plasticy. Try to find one that's appealing to the touch and has a natural feel. This is also where you wanna feel for fabric stiffener, sometimes companies put fabric stiffener in their product it make it seem like a better quality when it's not.
- Third: "Test" the fabric. Put your hand underneath a layer of the fabric to see how thin it is. Some fabric are meant to be thinner than others (like some cottons and knits) but if you can make out the wrinkles on the back of your hand, it may be time to move onto a different fabric. However, if the fabric only slightly thin you can just make a lining to go in your project if you plan on wearing it.NOTE: This step does not apply to sheers.
- Fourth: If all else fails and you still can't tell, read the fiber content on the edge of the board. If it's made to look like cotton for a dress or shirt but is made of 100% polyester, but it back and walk away. Cotton/Poly blends are a good fabric though, often used for shirts and scrubs, so don't let that scare you away from a fabric you like.
As I feel I'm not that good at explaining this as well as I wish I could, here are some links for telling fabric quality.
http://www.secondcherry.com/quality-1.html This one isn't aimed at people sewing their own clothes, but near the bottom it does have a nice little section on testing fabrics for quality.
This also applies to ribbon and other trims. And remember, you don't have to empty your wallet to buy a good quality fabric. I usually spend between $2.50 - $5 per yard on my fabric. (Keep this in mind for number 4)
Number 7: Know your machine (You can skip this if you hand sew)
Before you go to work on any major projects with your new sewing machine, practice with it on a couple of little things to get a feel for it. You don't want your dream skirt to be dashed to pieces when your machine starts doing strange wuji-wuji on you and essentially ruins your project. Make a couple of hair bows or something small like that just to familiarize yourself with it. Also, make sure you read the owner's manual, even if you just flip through it. It's pages may contain a few tips and tricks within to help you wrangle and tame your beast. Also make sure you know the basic settings, stitches, and how tensions work for your machine.
Got it second hand and don't have the owner's manual for it? Look it up online, that's how I got ahold of mine. Or if you can't tell what line your machine is, either ask the person you got it from or take it to a sewing machine repair store to find out. If you can't find a repair store, either call and ask your local fabric store, or maybe even just take it there and ask the ladies (or gents) if they know anything about it. A lot of the people who work there really know their stuff and might even be able to help you find some accessories for your machine, like compatable feet and needles. Just don't expect them to give you a private lesson on how to work it. As someone who works at a fabric store, we don't appreciate people who expect us to know everything and tell it all to them.
Number 6: Always buy a little extra fabric
You never know just how straight the cut is going to be. And even if the person cutting your fabric gets a pretty straight cut themselves, the person cutting before them may not have been so straight on the other edge. Or both people made crooked cuts. This may go in your favor by giving you a couple extra inches at the top, or it may cut you short by a couple of inches. This is why I always buy a little extra fabric. And since I'm a wary person, I usually get a 1/4 yard (or 9 inches) extra. But you could probably get away with an extra 1/8 (or 4.5 inches.)
Number 5: Don't be afraid to speak up
Don't ever be afraid to speak up to the person cutting your fabric. We don't bite, I promise! (We have scissors for a reason) All joking aside though, if you notice the beginning edge is crooked as they're unrolling the bolt, don't be afraid to ask them to straighten it up for you. Same goes for if you notice a flaw in the fabric, don't be afraid to point it out and ask to get you desired amount after the flaw. They might even discount the damaged section of the fabric for you if it's livable. But only the damaged section; they most likely aren't going to discount the whole 5 yards for a 4 inch glitch in the fabric.
If they do refuse to straighten it up for you or go past the glitch, ask to speak to a manager. But please remember to use your nice voice if this happens, even if it's your "nice" voice.
Number 4: Keep your wallet half full
I always grimace when I see someone pay full price for a cut of fabric (or anything really) when they could wait a few days for it to go on sale. As I stated earlier, I usually pay around $2.50 - $5 a yard when I go shopping. Always, always, always watch the sales and coupons to get the most bang for your buck. Also make sure to watch for thread and other sewing notions to go on sale as you will be using them along with your fabric. And don't turn your nose up at the clearance fabric either. They can not only still be good quality fabrics (they just didn't get sold enough), but they can also go on sale sometimes as well. I know Joann Fabrics with sometimes (about every couple of months) they put their clearance fabrics on sale for half off. This is where I get away with buying fabric for $2.50 a yard or even lower sometimes.
And if you're going to be an avid sewer, you should probably sign up for the mailers to receive coupons. Some store chains have multiple coupon delivering programs (such as mailers, emails, texts) that you can sign up for all of them and receive different coupons from each one. Meaning one weekend you might get 3 different 50% coupons you can use. Some programs even give you a special off your total coupon for signing up you can use that day. How awesome is that!
And if you're going to be an avid sewer, you should probably sign up for the mailers to receive coupons. Some store chains have multiple coupon delivering programs (such as mailers, emails, texts) that you can sign up for all of them and receive different coupons from each one. Meaning one weekend you might get 3 different 50% coupons you can use. Some programs even give you a special off your total coupon for signing up you can use that day. How awesome is that!
Number 3: Organize your supplies
You won't get very far if you can't find your measuring tape one minute and the next can't find your fabric because your supplies are kept all over the place. I recommend buying a storage tower [Example] and a wide drawer tower [Example] to start off with. It's what I did when my hoard got out of control and it's worked wonders for me. I keep my notions and other small crafty stuff in the storage tower, and my fabrics in my wide drawer tower with the top drawer reserved for patterns. You may find that another organizing approach works better for your brain, or that you need more of one type or none or one type. Do whatever works for you, just keep the heap at bay. You may also want to invest in a sewing box if you haven't already to keep the sewing notions you'll be using all the time in; like your scissors, pins and needles, measuring tape, pincushion, emergency snack, what ever. (But don't actually eat around your projects and sewing machine, that's a quick trip to Regret Lane via the Crumb Cab)
Number 2: Good Scissors make it or break it
I have a saying that I use about drawing.
"Drawing with a dull pencil is like fighting with a dull sword; it's not going to end up pretty."
The same goes for fabric scissors. If your scissors are cutting uneven and choppy, chances are they might screw you over at some point. Be sure to invest in a good pair of sewing scissors. Fiskars orange handled scissors are renowned as being some of the best for the best price, so they're a safe bet to buy. But I also love, and I mean LOVE, Gingher dressmakers shears. I tried my mother's pair and fell in love with them so much that I bought my own pair as soon as mine died. (On a side note: Don't cut wire ribbon with sewing scissors.) They cut like butter and so smoothly, they are definitely worth having. The only downside is the price; $49.99. YIKES! I was lucky enough to buy mine on a really good sale, but you may not be so luck, so keep an eye out for coupons that you can use on them to ease the total purchase heartattack. But no matter what sewing scissors you use, just remember not to use them to cut anything else besides fabric to keep the sharp edge (again, wire ribbon). And threaten anyone that tries to use them for something else, like paper or tape, with their life.
And finally....
Number 1: PATTERNS!
Never ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER buy patterns at full price. Seriously, DON'T. I always pity the poor schmucks that do, because even though you can't usually use coupons on them they go on such great sales. I don't know about other store, but at Joann Fabrics Simplicity brand patterns usually go on sale for 99 cents each about every month or two. 99 CENTS! And while McCalls can go that low, it's usually been 3 for 5 lately, which is still really good. It beats paying roughly $15 a pattern. I mean, why pay $15 dollars for a paper package with more paper inside?! It doesn't make sense. And if you don't have a store chain nearby that sells them at an amazing sale price, I highly recommend making a pilgrimage to the nearest Joanns when they do go on sale again. Just make sure you know which patterns you need to buy if you're going on a pilgrimage first, it'll make things easier for the trip.
So that's my tips, tricks, and common sense list. Let me know if you found them helpful or useful. If you have any of your own, tell me about them in the comments. I love to hear what others have to say.
Until next time, stay frilly my friends!
And finally....
Number 1: PATTERNS!
Never ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER buy patterns at full price. Seriously, DON'T. I always pity the poor schmucks that do, because even though you can't usually use coupons on them they go on such great sales. I don't know about other store, but at Joann Fabrics Simplicity brand patterns usually go on sale for 99 cents each about every month or two. 99 CENTS! And while McCalls can go that low, it's usually been 3 for 5 lately, which is still really good. It beats paying roughly $15 a pattern. I mean, why pay $15 dollars for a paper package with more paper inside?! It doesn't make sense. And if you don't have a store chain nearby that sells them at an amazing sale price, I highly recommend making a pilgrimage to the nearest Joanns when they do go on sale again. Just make sure you know which patterns you need to buy if you're going on a pilgrimage first, it'll make things easier for the trip.
So that's my tips, tricks, and common sense list. Let me know if you found them helpful or useful. If you have any of your own, tell me about them in the comments. I love to hear what others have to say.
Until next time, stay frilly my friends!
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