#sewadvice

As someone who works at a fabric store and spends about majority of her life sewing, there is one thing that I see a lot. Hems. They belong on every article of clothing you’ll ever make. There is no escaping them. Period. Pretty much any article of clothing that goes on your body has them.

So here’s an example. Today I’m working on an apron, which is totally nerdy but adorable, and requires a great deal of hems. The nice thing about patterns is it always tells you on the pattern piece...

See! How handy! And you’ll find that on most pattern instructions they don’t tell you the hem allowance. They just say hem to correct length and sew. That’s it. So keep the pattern pieces in a place you can reach them in case you forget. It’s always a good idea to keep your fabric pinned to the pattern piece until you get to that part of the project. And depending on the article of clothing, you might need to change the hem allowance. You might find the given hem allowance for a pair of pants might be too short for you and might have to make them longer. Or vice versa. It happens. So it also helps to try on before making the hem just to make sure that the hem given is correct or if you’ll need to change it. Having a buddy for this helps so they can make marks for you.

Now the best thing to do is take a fabric marker or fabric chalk (always good to have and aren’t terribly expensive) since they’ll wash out and mark the length of the hem you’ll need. I actually keep a ruler or measuring tape near me and check as I am pinning. Which is always helpful. Helps you know you’re going in a straight line.

So here is a hem that I’ve just finished pinning. Now one thing I hear most from people is that they hate hems. They hate how long it takes. They feel like they always mess them up. The list of reasons can go on for ages. The one thing you’ve got to remember about hems is that if you want to do it right it’ll take time. Sorry but that’s the way it is. The hem I just finished is on the ties for the apron and I’ve only done one of the three sides for one of the two ties. It took me about 15 to 20 minutes.

However, the end result of doing hems is always a great one. As much of it sucks, it gives your clothing pieces that nice finish it needs. After all we see these hems on the clothes we buy from the store. They’re unavoidable. It also keeps us from seeing the raw fabric edge. It also keeps fabric from possibly fraying

Since I made a tutorial on how to read the packages that the patterns come in, I decided my next tutorial would be to teach you how to read the directions. However if you’re just starting sewing, I recommend starting simple with simple sewing. It’ll keep you from finding big words on the patterns that you don’t understand.

So this is the pattern I’m using for the demonstration of talking it through. It’s one of the simplest patterns I own.

Now this pattern is a knits only pattern. It only works with knitted stretch fabrics. Sometimes knits can be tricky due to stretch but this pattern is very simple should you choose to use it.

Let’s begin!

So when you open up the instructions, you’ll find this folded up and there will be two pages both front and back. The first page has all the general info you’ll need and once you flip to the back it’ll start with the instructions. So let’s look at the front page.

So at the top left you’ll find the list of all the options of what you’re making. Then directly next to it will be a list of all the pattern pieces and what pieces go to which option of clothing you’re making. This helps you figure out which pieces you’ll need to cut out.

Then on the right you’ll find a section called General Directions. It’s basically exactly what it sounds like. It’s basically directions for the pattern. The cutting/Marking section is almost always the same. Just showing you how to make the appropriate marks. The Pattern section contains the symbols you’ll find on the pattern pieces themselves and explains exactly what they mean. You’ll also find that under the pattern and the sewing section that it tells you the stitch/seam allowance. You’ll want to always check that before you begin sewing.

The lower section of the first page goes into the best cutting layouts for what your making. They give one for every option. Since this pattern is a knit only, all knits come at about 58″ wide so they only show the layout for that width of fabric. You’ll find on patterns that have cottons, which come at around 44″ wide, that there will be options for both widths. Sometimes it helps to look at the layouts that are suggested. You might decide that you want a little extra just in case because typically i find that it can be a little tight.

Once you flip to the back, you’ll find a few more layouts then begins the sewing directions. At the top of the sewing instructions, there will be the diagram of what shading means what side of the fabric it is. Some patterns will give you little tips at the top, especially when they’re fabric specific.

Now I didn’t picture all of the instructions but basically from there you’ll follow the steps under the option of your choice. If you are starting simple like I suggested, it should be basic stitches. All basic and easy. However if you ever have questions on what a direction means, I’ll happily answer.

And for fun, here’s a picture of the finished product that I made for myself of one of those shirts. Apologize for the bathroom mess.

Hello all who may come across this lovely post! I will be working on new tutorials tonight. So if you’ve got any requests, please put them in now! My plans are to do one on measuring yourself so you can get the correct size for yourself. I also want to go into how to read pattern instructions. If you’ve got any requests for something different, let me know asap.