Many of you find me online and are looking to learn how to sew or rediscover a lost skill. Now that is not true for everyone, since I do teach experience seamstresses, too. But, even if you have been sewing for a long time, you may not know how a machine works. We drive around town unaware of the mechanics of a car and we use computers while being technologically ignorant. And, that’s OK, because those machines are meant to be user friendly to those of use who don’t care to know how they work. As long as I can turn the key and go, I’m happy.

I do find that knowing how a machine works can be very helpful for understanding problems and overcoming them. Here is a website that you may find interesting for many items. This link will bring you to the sewing machine page. “How stuff works” is a great site for explaining and showing animated illustrations of how different mechanical items function. Make sure that you scroll down on this page so that you can see the animations.

When I sit down with a new student, whether they have experience or not, I try to show them how a sewing machine functions. And I explain how every standard household sewing machine is threaded in the same order. It may look different on different machines, but the function is the same. The first workable sewing machine was invented in the mid-1800’s. It is a fascinating history, for people like me who love to sew, and you can learn more by following this link to About.com Another history of the sewing machine is written on the Singer website.

The household sewing machine we use today is called a lockstitch machine. It is the one that has a thread on the top and one down below called a bobbin, which looks like a mini spool of thread. Each machine has a bobbin winding mechanism on it so that you can wind your own bobbins from the spool of thread which will be feeding from the top of your machine.

In the How Stuff Works illustrations, the first one is for a looping stitch, or chain stitch. That is done with one thread fed from the top. Your home sewing machine doesn’t do this stitch. But, this kind of stitching is like a chain stitch in crochet. It is a loop pulled through a loop and if broken, can come undone easily. Have you ever bought a paper bag of potatoes? There is a line of stitching at the top. It you cut the right end, you can just pull and all of the chain comes out.

There are other machine, used with fabrics, that produce a chain stitch. A Serger has multiple cones of thread and all of the stitches formed are made by the threads looping around each other. If pulled just right, they can come off. Of course, most people who use sergers, know how to secure the threads at each end so that this is unlikely to happen. If you look inside your clothing, you will find that the seams are all covered with thread, this is made by a serger, or overlock machine. If you want to see what one looks like click here The image you see is the model of serger/coverstitch machine I own. I wasn’t sure which one to input and there are so many brands. Just because I bought this one, it isn’t the only one I would recommend. If you want to read about the functionality, read here.

There is a series of videos I came across in my web search. It has thorough instructions on its use and how to thread and run it. The website is called Expert Village. This link leads you to the first video in a series about the serger. So, if you have a serger and need some help, visit this site to see if the video explains what you need to know. If you do not have a serger, but are curious about it, you can glean something from this, too.

If you have taken your clothes to be hemmed at the cleaners, especially dress slacks, the stitching will not show on the outside. This is because the tailor is using a blindhem machine. Often done in invisible thread, you will be hard pressed to see any stitches on the outside of the garment. These machine may also be used with curtains and other items. You may also find that it you catch your heel on the thread inside the hem, one too many times, that once the thread breaks, all the stitching comes out. The blindhem machine uses a loop stitch, and once it is no longer secured, it unravels.

So, the home sewing machine, is a lockstitch machine. 2 threads, one on top, the other below, are intertwined so that they are locked together and will not give way like a chainstitch will.

About.com has a page of interesting sewing links. I will link it here so you can go exploring, too.

If you have an old Singer, you can find out when and where it was made, by visiting the Singer website. All you need is the serial number off of the machine. They even show you how to find it. So, if you want to know when Grandma’s machine was made, visit Singer here. Or, there is one link off the About page you can explore, which will tell you the history of the brand of machine you own, or for which you are interested. It is called the International Sewing Machine Collector’s Society I have this linked to the Singer information page on About/ISMCS, but the left hand column sports links for all the old brands of machines. Some of the companies are still in business. And, some you may never have heard of. And, some of the current brands are not listed. But, it can be fun to jump around to learn what you can.

I have many sewing machines. Some are very old. My grandmother left me her old treadle machine, but it is in Minnesota, so I am not sure when I will be able to retrieve it. I have some early, electric, portable machines; my first sewing machine from the 50’s, plus some from later than that to modern computerized machines. Also, I have some industrial machines for my accessories business.

The majority of your sewing is a simple straight stitch. All of my machines from before 1960, have only a straight stitch function. In fact, I started on a “New Home” that my mother used, and it did a zigzag. Then she bought me a Viking which only did a straight stitch. At first I was upset, because I was ready to make buttonholes on a shirt I was finishing, and this machine couldn’t do it. But, it came with a buttonhole machine which had cams of various sizes and shapes of buttonholes. It makes the nicest buttonhole you have ever seen. I used that machine for several decades for all of my clothing and quilting. It was only a few years ago that I started using a more modern machine for those projects. And, it was only because I was wanting to be able to blind hem or overcast without changing machines.

I plan to put up another post about what I like in sewing machines. What to watch out for and what features are really helpful to have. I will also talk about Sewing Machine Dealers vs. big chain stores vs. online purchasing, including auction sites. Also, I am looking into posting some video instructions for “How to thread your sewing machine;” “How to wind a bobbin;” and other helpful items. I hope to have you be able to visit my site and get answers to questions you can’t find elsewhere. Or in a format that makes it easily understandable for you.

So, keep in touch and check back with me. If all else, just come to class and have me show you what you want to learn.

I spent very little time talking about the value of using a dress form. I guess I lost myself in the excitement of how simple and inexpensive making a custom one could be. So, I thought I would talk about what is so helpful about a dress form, especially one that reflects your body shape exactly.

Most of the time, you may imagine dress forms as being only for designers, or tailors, bridal shops, costumers and SERIOUS clothing makers. And, sometimes the price seems prohibitive, or you just don’t know what to do with it!

Dress forms are a great way to fit clothing, check the drape of the fabric, and try design ideas or alterations of someone else’s design. If you want to make the effort of sewing your own clothing worthwhile, time and energy need to be spent in checking the fit several times during the construction process. A knowledgeable sewing friend is necessary to truly help you fit the garment well to your body. They can pin the fabric to fit better, hang better, flatter your figure better.

Most of us are sewing at all times of the day or night. We may not have that friend available at 1:30am when it’s time to check the fit in the seat. We can contort ourselves trying to pinch and pin and adjust, but it is very hard to do on ourselves.

What if, you had a clone of yourself to stand there for hours, never complaining, never needing to take a bathroom break, willing to be there until all hours of the night? What if they always agreed on your choice of music? Let you stick pins in them? Too good to be true? Not anymore.

The idea of a custom dress form is nothing new. From what I have read, paper tape dress forms have been around since the 1930’s. I’m talking about ones made out of layers of paper packaging/mailing tape, which are done in a similar way to the duct tape forms that I am referring to below. That was a time when most women knew how to sew. Machines would be tucked inside a sewing cabinet which looked like a table. When I say that women knew how to sew, I mean, they really knew how to sew. The styles and details and difficult tailoring were commonplace. Think back to some to the styles and how well fit they were to the body. I love looking at designs in movies from the 1940’s. Back then, it wouldn’t be so hard to find someone to help you with your fitting, because so many of your friends shared the same skills and interests. Now, it may not be so easy.

I love how some item that was designed for one use is used in a completely different way that it was designed for. When I worked at a Sail Loft on Lake Superior, I had this boss named Rich Smith. He wasn’t one to talk a lot or shower one with compliments. Glowing praise from him might be “Good job, LW.” He never used my first name. It would always be Wirkkala or LW. But, I always felt my work was appreciated and that he understood when a job was “yucky” or a pain. (this is becoming a shaggy dog story….) Repairing sails is hard work. The floor becomes your work table. The sails are huge, you crawl around a lot, sometimes they are smelly from being wet or moldy. The sewing machine was built into the floor, actually, it was suspended from the ceiling of the boat shop downstairs. Rich said that he didn’t think I wanted to see what held me and the machine into the floor. The machine was in the floor so that the weight of the sail didn’t pull it away from the machine while sewing. I would have to sit sideways on a stool, to keep out of the way of the sail as it fed through the machine. Sometimes, another person would have to pull the sail while I was sewing so that it would run through the machine straight and steady. The machine was very powerful and would go through very thick material, as much as 1/2-3/4 inch thick. The needle would get so hot from the speed and friction that it would smoke. If the area was really thick, we would spray it with silicone, to make the needle slide through the layers better. Rich had a great sense of humor. He would tell us stories about sailboat racing. Often the funniest were of times when things didn’t go well.

To drum up business, we would go to the sailboat races locally and in Duluth, MN. One time, we went to Duluth for the Wednesday evening race. It’s light late in the summer, until 9:30pm. We arrived at Canal Park for the pre-race meeting. One of the things that happens at the meeting is that anyone who needs crew for their boat, puts out the call and people respond. Since there were 4 of us, we split up between boats. I was put with a small, 22 ft boat with a 3 man crew. Because I worked in a Sail Loft, the captain assumed that I knew how to sail. On the way to his boat, I confessed that I didn’t know anything about sailing except how to be movable ballast. He looked me up and down and said that he doubted that I would be much use in that case. (I was really skinny then and my weight moving from side to side wouldn’t be much help to the boat’s tilt in the water.) When a sail boat is tacking, it heels over, or leans to one side. Usually, in a brisk wind, the crew sits on the high side of the boat to help it not heel over too far and help increase the speed of the boat through the water. If the wind is really slow, the crew may sit on the low side for the same reason, different circumstance. Sometimes, the only job a crew member will have is “movable ballast,” meaning that all they do is switch sides of the boat as it tacks (turns.) Movable ballast is the job given to people who don’t know how to sail.

When we got to his boat and I discovered how small it was, I became nervous. There was barely enough room under the boom for me to crawl from one side of the boat to the other when we tacked, even less with a life jacket on. Yet, I wasn’t in a situation where I felt I could back out. I came to wish I had. There had been a storm on the lake the previous few days. So, even though it was clear, the waves had turned into rollers which were 8-10 feet high. Rollers don’t crest, they just go up and down. Any of you ocean-going people are probably laughing at me right now. I am a lake girl, and where we lived, the Apostle Islands broke up the fury of the lake to some extent, therefore, I had never encountered being on a boat in that condition.

As we exited the canal into the lake, I realized I was in trouble and wished that I had not agreed to be a crew on any of the boats. But, it was too late. The whole time we were out there, I had only 2 wishes. First, not to fall off the boat and secondly, not to throw up.

When we finally finished the race and reconnoitered in Rich’s Suburban, we all sat there, thankful for the lack of movement. Rich said, “you’re out there and you think, ‘If the boat would just stop moving for 10 seconds, I would feel better.” One of the girls with us had been feeling nauseous on their boat, so she got sent to the low side of the boat. That way if she got sick, no one else would have to suffer for it. (Think of spitting into the wind.) This was a brisk night and you can imagine how it must have felt to have been near the water on the low side of a boat, as it is racing across the lake.

So, back to the unintended use of products. When out on a boat and a sail rips, duct tape is often used to temporarily hold the rip together. It works in wet and dry circumstances. Rich used to say, “…..and on the 7th day, God created Duct tape!” So, here I am, over 20 years later, continuing my relationship with duct tape in another way.

Finally, to get back to the value of a dress form. You can save yourself many headaches and disappointments if you can fit your clothing on a form that matches your body. You learn how to change patterns to fit you. What needs to be done to flatter your figure. If any of you watch “What not to Wear,” you will hear them respond to a woman who talks about needing to lose weight, “we want you to dress for the body you have now.” So, if it fits you well, it will make you look good and feel good. You can save yourself money and headaches in the future. It can also help you create with success instead of guesswork. Why? Different fabrics react differently in the same pattern. I made a pattern of a linen shirt I love. I used quilting cottons for my new shirt. The shirt came out fine, but it didn’t fit the same because the linen has a flexibility that the cotton does not. It hangs in a different way. If I had a form, I could check that on it and make adjustments. I will take pictures of those shirts so that you can see a “knock-off.” That means a garment for which the pattern is taken off of another piece of clothing.

So, after all of this, here is what you need to bring with you when you come to the workshop:

• Long T-shirt or close-fitting turtleneck, this will become part of the dress form, so it has to be one that you are willing to sacrifice to the cause! If the shirt doesn’t go past the hipline, we can extend it

• Leggings or tights to wear while being taped

• Undergarments like you wear under most of your clothes, so that the form will be shaped (conformed, constricted, or left to hang) like your body is on a daily basis.

• Breath mints, just kidding!

If you have been to the shop, or see the pictures on the site, you know that there are large windows across the front and on the door. All shades and curtains will be pulled closed and the door will be locked so that we won’t have any surprise visitors while we are holding this workshop. If at any time you feel uncomfortable, we will stop and cut the form off immediately.

I will walk everyone through the process and demonstrate the taping techniques. We may need to do some prep of your shirt, etc. and we will do that, too. I will supervise every form made so that you will be happy with the one you take home with you. No swapping!

I think that teams of 3 work really well. One person being taped by 2 others. One in front and one in back. I think it will go better that way and faster.

There are ways to make stands and fill the forms. I will present them to you and you can decide what you want to do. You will need to buy fiberfill, (polyester fill for pillows and stuffed animals) to fill and support your form. I have seen various options, included packing peanuts. I have seen it recommended that the bust be filled with raglan shoulder pads. Let’s see how it goes and I will answer any questions you have about finishing them. If need be, we may have a short follow-up class.

The final thing is that I can teach you how to use your form through the classes you take for sewing. If your body does change, you will know how to make the form. With help from a good friend, you can remake the form in short order and very little monetary outlay.

I look forward to seeing you soon!

Though I have been taking the role of Sewing Teacher here, I do have a long history of knitting.
I learned from my Grandmother, Stella Karki. And, my skill was reinforced my an older lady, Emily Fouts, who attended our church. My grandmother used to make us mittens and hats. She would trace around our hands for the mittens, then make them and send them to us. She also made many slippers over the years. Doilies, wash cloths, afghans, etc. She dabbled in all sorts of crafts. I loved going to her house. I don’t remember ever being bored.

I am including a picture of some children’s sized slippers I found in some of Grandma’s things, my mother gave to me. Grandma had a Swedish background. She was born in the town of Biwabik, MN and lived there all her life. She called the slippers “tussu’s.” I don’t know how to spell it, but she pronounced it Tuh’ soo. She also used to tease us and say, “You better watch out or you’re going to get a full “tupin.” (two pin) When you are a kid, you just get what it means, so I never asked for its translation.

I knit many scarves, mittens, sweaters, shawls, bags, and I can’t remember all. Most of the items I made for other people.

But, I did keep this sweater. It is knit of Icelandic Lopi, which is a one ply, fat strand of wool yarn. If you are not careful with the way you knit, you can end up untwisting the yarn and having it break. It is very warm. This sweater is knit sideways. Most are knit from the bottom up, and some are made from the top down. But, this one was unusual in that it was knit from one cuff to the other. The sleeves are done circularly, so there is no seam. The front and back are knit flat and woven together at the side seams. The neck is picked up and knit and the front and bottom are crocheted.

I hope you come and enjoy the art of knitting with us. I am thinking of taking it up again in the evenings. I hope it can be a diet aid. Maybe if my hands are kept busy by the needles, I won’t be as tempted to munch after dinner. If it works, it would be a whole new method of weight loss!

Got Tape anyone?
I am very interested in custom-made dress forms of late. Most of my adult life, I would buy a pattern, add 5 inches to the pants length and 2 inches to the sleeves, and the clothing would fit fine. I have steadily been gaining weight over the last decade and can no longer do that. Who wants to make clothes that don’t fit? It’s a lot of work wasted if you do not take the time to do the fitting. But, to do this well, you need a good sewing friend to help you, or a dress form that fits your body.

So, I have been researching custom forms and experimenting with forms made of duct tape or paper packaging tape.

These are pictures of my daughter and her custom-made form of duct tape. I am hoping to schedule a class to share my findings with you, so that you can make a form that fits your body, too. The first date I am considering is coming up fast - Sunday, February 9, 2008 from 10am-4pm. (NOTE THE CHANGE OF DATE!)

I have spoken to my current students, and many of you would like to do this. So, I say, “Why wait?” I am thinking that we should limit the class to 10 students, working in pairs, or even better, trios. If there are more students than I can accommodate that day, I will set another date soon. I will post a small list of what you need to bring, shortly. By clicking on the links in the paragraph above the picture, you can get a preview of what we will be doing. In fact, if you do plan on taking the class, I encourage you to read up as much as you can so that you will be familiar with the process.

Threads Magazine has had articles over the years about dress forms. Click here to view the a summary of the 4 different ways they recommend to making your own forms. Their article also includes links to various websites which have more detailed instructions and pdf downloads.

The cost for the day is $90. We will have refreshments and lunch available. Duct tape is included. Plus most of the other materials needed. That way, you can eat when you are not being fit.

If you should have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

So, after all of this, here is what you need to bring with you when you come to the workshop:

• Long T-shirt or close-fitting turtleneck, this will become part of the dress form, so it has to be one that you are willing to sacrifice to the cause! If the shirt doesn’t go past the hipline, we can extend it

• Leggings or tights to wear while being taped

• Undergarments like you wear under most of your clothes, so that the form will be shaped (conformed, constricted, or left to hang) like your body is on a daily basis.

• Breath mints, just kidding!

If you have been to the shop, or see the pictures on the site, you know that there are large windows across the front and on the door. All shades and curtains will be pulled closed and the door will be locked so that we won’t have any surprise visitors while we are holding this workshop. If at any time you feel uncomfortable, we will stop and cut the form off immediately.

I will walk everyone through the process and demonstrate the taping techniques. We may need to do some prep of your shirt, etc. and we will do that, too. I will supervise every form made so that you will be happy with the one you take home with you. No swapping!

I think that teams of 3 work really well. One person being taped by 2 others. One in front and one in back. I think it will go better that way and faster.

There are ways to make stands and fill the forms. I will present them to you and you can decide what you want to do. You will need to buy fiberfill, (polyester fill for pillows and stuffed animals) to fill and support your form. I have seen various options, included packing peanuts. I have seen it recommended that the bust be filled with raglan shoulder pads. Let’s see how it goes and I will answer any questions you have about finishing them. If need be, we may have a short follow-up class.

The final thing is that I can teach you how to use your form through the classes you take for sewing. If your body does change, you will know how to make the form. With help from a good friend, you can remake the form in short order and very little monetary outlay.

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday, March 16th!

Learning new ways to produce historic garments

This past week, at my daughter’s school, they held a World Fest. It was a great opportunity to expose the students to other cultures. The students were encouraged to wear costumes during the day representing their national background.

Since our background in mainly Finnish, with a little Swedish thrown in, I did an online search for what a traditional costume for a girl would be in Finland. I found these two websites: Finnish National Costume and Kutri’s Korner.

I decided to make an outfit which would evoke the feel of the costume while making use of fabrics in my stash. I found a woven striped fabric I made into a simple dirndl skirt. It took me less than an hour, which lead me to believe that I could easily make a whole outfit in a day. The apron was one I made for a friend’s daughter for Colonial Days at her school (Brackett Elementary) last Spring. I borrowed that and she gave me a button-down, white shirt to use if I needed it.

I didn’t see any good vest patterns online. So, I pinned pieces of Swedish Tracing Paper to my daughter’s T-shirt. (I actually prefer Pattern Ease, but I used what I had.) I traced the lines I wanted for the vest and fit the paper to her shape. I made a pattern, adding seam allowances and truing seamlines. Even though it was for one day, I couldn’t bring myself to do anything other than make a fully lined and finish garment. I found some Logger’s Flannel which I had bought years ago from The Rain Shed. Finnish vests are made from wool, luckily, this heavy flannel looked a lot like wool. I lined it in black moire, interfacing the front with Knit Fuse interfacing. The front closures are some frog-like links we had bought from the Wright’s Ribbon Outlet in Sturbridge, MA. (If you have never been there, it is worth the trip!) I don’t know why we bought them, I think it was one of the items Amelia chose with the shopping allowance I gave her. Fortunate for us when it came to making this outfit. I was very tired when it was time to attach them to the vest, so I tacked them on with the machine, in matching thread.

The last item was a white blouse. I didn’t have time to make a whole new blouse, but I wasn’t happy with the look of a button-down shirt in it’s place. So, I compromised and removed the collar and cuffs. I added a gathered flounce collar to the neckline and trimmed it in lace. The lace was actually from a lace snowflake kit I bought at Wright’s outlet. Then, I released the pleat at the bottom of the sleeve, added fabric and sewed lace over the joining seam. I wove burgundy cording through the lace and tied it around the sleeve. It was almost 3 am by that time, so I packed it all up and went home to bed.

My daughter had some white tights and black shoes which completed the outfit. I knew that it wasn’t exactly what the girls wear in Finland, but was pleased later in the day when I ran into a friend who had spent time in Finland an exclaimed that the outfit looked just like what she saw girls wearing when she lived there. Amelia made the appropriate praises and gave me a nice number of hugs to have made the loss of sleep worthwhile.