Sewing For Dummies
- Description
- Product Details
- About the Author
- Read an Excerpt
- Table of Contents
People are always looking for ways to cut expenses and be creative and stylish at the same time. Learning to sew is a great way to arm yourself with the skills to repair and create clothing and furnishings for yourself and your family for little to no cost. But learning how to sew and how to choose the tools and supplies to begin sewing can be confusing.
Now, you can turn to this hands-on, friendly guide for the most up-to-date information, the best techniques, and fun projects for learning (or brushing up on) the art of sewing.
- Easy-to-follow instructions and step-by-step illustrations make it easier to learn
- Fresh new patterns, projects, stitches, and techniques for fashion and the home
- Budget-conscious tips for breathing new life into existing garments
Complete with a section on common sewing mistakes and how to avoid them, Sewing For Dummies, 3rd edition gives you the confidence and know-how to sew like a pro.
ISBN-13: 9780470623206
Media Type: Paperback
Publisher: Wiley
Publication Date: 08-31-2010
Pages: 424
Product Dimensions: 7.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)
Series: For Dummies Books
Jan Saunders Maresh is a nationally known sewing journalist and educator as well as a bestselling author of 15 books, including Home Staging For Dummies. She has worked as the Director of Consumer Education for White Sewing Machine Company and JoAnn Fabrics and is also an interior re-designer, color specialist, and Certified Staging Professional. Look for her Web-TV show at www.nakedroomsolutions.tv.
Read an Excerpt
About This Book 1 Conventions Used in This Book 2 Foolish Assumptions 2 How This Book Is Organized 2 Part I: Getting Ready to Sew 2 Part II: Mastering Basic Sewing Skills 3 Part III: Fashion Sewing Fun-damentals 3 Part IV: Sewing for Your Home 3 Part V: Making Alterations and Quick Fixes for a Sustainable Wardrobe 3 Part VI: The Part of Tens 3 Icons Used in This Book 4 Where to Go from Here 4 Part I: Getting Ready to Sew 5 Chapter 1: The World of Sewing 7 Figuring Out What Comes First: The Idea or the Tools? 8 The pleasure of using good tools 8 Understanding fabrics and fibers 9 Getting the sewing notion 10 Pondering the pattern 10 Sizing Up the Sewing Process 11 Preshrinking fabric 11 Finding the right pattern pieces 12 Laying out the pattern on the fabric 12 Pinning and cutting 12 Marking 12 Interfacing 12 Pressing for the best shape 13 Moving On to the Needle and Thread 13 Finishing the edges first 13 Shaping 13 Seaming 14 Closing 14 Hemming 14 Adding Fashion Detail with Sleeves and Pockets 15 Sewing for the Home Is Where the Saving Is 15 Doing Your Part for the Planet with a Sustainable Wardrobe 16 Chapter 2: Assembling Your Sewing Kit 17 Making Sure Your Sewing Measures Up 18 Cutting Up (Without Cracking Up) 20 Making Your Mark 22 Pinning Down Your Projects 23 Getting to the Point with the Right Needles, Thimbles, and Seam Rippers 23 Selecting needles for hand sewing 23 Selecting needles for sewing machines 24 Fortify your fingertips with thimbles 24 As ye sew, so shall ye rip 25 Selecting Thread for Your Project 25 Pressing Issues 26 Real Machines: Sewing Machines and Sergers 28 Working with a sewing machine 29 Finding your way around a serger 35 Chapter 3: Selecting Fabric, Findings, and Interfacing 37 Choosing the Right Fabric for Your Project 37 Figuring out fiber 38 Getting to know common fabric types 39 Taking fabric nap into consideration 43 Considering fabric width and yardage needed 45 Reading labels and bolt ends 45 Getting Notions about Findings 46 Bias tape basics 46 Bonkers for braid 47 Getting elastic 47 Loving lace 48 Piping up for piping and cording 49 Running with ribbons 50 Refreshing with rickrack and twill tape 50 Getting the lowdown on drapery headers 51 Adding zip with zippers 51 Investigating Interfacing 52 Preshrinking Your Fabric 53 Chapter 4: Working with Patterns 55 Shopping for Patterns 55 Sizing Things Up for Fashion Sewing 56 Deciphering the Pattern and Its Parts 58 Checking out the front of the pattern envelope 59 Reading the back of the pattern envelope 59 It’s what’s inside that counts 60 Decoding the pattern pieces 60 Laying Out the Pattern 63 Getting to know your fabric 63 Preparing the fabric 64 Knowing right from wrong 64 Placing the pattern pieces on-grain 64 Laying out plaids, stripes, and one-way designs 66 Pinning and Cutting Out the Pieces 70 Making Your Mark 71 Marking what matters 71 Using the right tool at the right time 72 Part II: Mastering Basic Sewing Skills 75 Chapter 5: Kicking Off Your Sewing Adventure 77 Threading the Needle 77 Hand needles 78 Machine needles 79 Tying a Sewing Knot 80 Choosing and Using the Right Hand Stitches 82 The securing stitch 83 The hand-basting stitch 83 The running stitch 84 The even backstitch 84 The blind hemming stitch 85 The slant hemming or whip stitch 85 The hemming slipstitch 86 The even slipstitch 86 Working with Machine Stitches 87 Examining the basic machine stitches 87 Selecting a stitch type 89 Choosing the length of the stitch 89 Setting the stitch width 90 Stitching in the ditch 90 Topstitching 91 Starting and Stopping 92 …with your sewing machine 92 …with your serger 93 Basting Projects for a Better Fit 94 Pressing Matters 96 Why press and iron as you sew? 96 When and where to press 96 Pressing napped fabrics 97 Repurposed Shirt Pillow 98 Chapter 6: Securing Sensational Seams 103 Finishing the Edges First 103 Pinking your edges 104 Using your sewing machine or serger 104 Securing Your Seams 105 Backstitching or not 106 Tying off threads 106 Fleece Throw with Colorful Fringe 107 Seaming Fabrics 111 Sewing straight seams 111 Turning corners 113 Sewing 1⁄4-inch seams 114 Serging 1⁄4-inch seams 115 Ripping into Seam Mistakes 116 Shaping Up the Seams 118 Starting by stitching the seam on your sewing machine 118 Clipping the curve with your scissors 122 Chapter 7: Fast and Easy Hems by Hand and Machine 125 Marking the Hem’s Placement 126 If you’re the hem-ee 126 If you’re the hemmer 126 Deciding on the Hem Allowance 127 Finishing the Raw Edges of the Hem 128 Using a straight stitch 128 Using a three-step zigzag or overlock stitch 130 Using a serger 130 Securing the Hem 131 No-sew hemming 132 Pinning up the hem for hand or machine hemming 133 Hand blind hemming 133 Machine blind hemming 134 Sewing Tapered Hems 135 Hemming Knits with Twin Needles 136 Part III: Fashion Sewing Fun-damentals 139 Chapter 8: Shaping Things Up 141 Darting Around 141 Sewing the straight dart 142 Sewing the contour dart 144 Finishing the dart 145 Gathering Fabric from One Piece into Another 145 Gathering with two threads 146 Gathering over a cord 147 Ruffled Apron 148 Cutting out the apron parts 149 Finishing the apron side seams 150 Gathering and attaching the ruffle strip 151 Tying up the apron strings 152 Completing Pleats 154 Defining the types of pleats 154 Making a pleat 155 Adding Stretch and Comfort with Elastic 156 Inserting elastic in a casing 157 Attaching elastic on an edge 160 Cuffed Pajama Pants 163 Laying and cutting out your pj’s 164 Sewing your pj’s together 166 Sewing elastic at the waist 167 Cuffing each leg 168 Chapter 9: Zippers, Buttons, and Other Closure Company 171 Welcoming Easy Ways to Put in Zippers 171 Putting in a centered zipper 172 Putting in an invisible zipper 176 Mastering Buttonhole Basics 180 Sizing buttonholes 181 Marking buttonholes 182 Sewing beautiful buttonholes 183 Cutting open buttonholes 183 Figuring out button placement 185 Attaching buttons 186 Checking Out Other Fasteners 191 Fold-Over Clutch with Button Closure 192 Choosing the materials 193 Sewing the clutch 194 Chapter 10: Sleeves: The Long and the Short of It 197 Finishing Sleeveless Armholes 197 Facing sleeveless armholes 198 Binding sleeveless armholes 201 Rarin’ to Sew Raglan Sleeves 203 Taking On Set-In Sleeves 206 Using easestitch-plus to prepare traditional set-in sleeves 207 Setting sleeves in flat 209 Setting sleeves in the round 210 Protective Laptop Sleeve 212 Chapter 11: Pockets Full of Ideas 215 Putting Together Patch Pockets 215 Making unlined patch pockets with square corners 216 Making unlined patch pockets with curved corners 218 Attaching patch pockets 221 Using Your Own Pocket Patterns 222 Coordinating Pocket-Collage Shirt 224 Part IV: Sewing for Your Home 225 Chapter 12: Do-It-Yourself Decorating: Home Décor Sewing 227 Overcoming Décoraphobia 227 Understanding color 228 Unmasking your home’s complexion 228 Determining your color odds 229 Homing In on Home Decor Fabric 230 Tackling Trim 231 Braving braid basics 231 Conquering cord 232 Figuring out fringe 233 Dealing with decorator trims 234 Attaching Piping, Cording, and Fringe 235 Making your own piping 236 Cutting bias strips for covering cable cord 237 Sewing on piping and fringe 240 Attaching and joining cord-edge trim 244 Reversible Table Runner 245 Chapter 13: Quick-Change Table Toppers 247 Selecting Fabric for Table Toppers 247 Making Easy Napkins 248 Figuring out fabric yardage 248 Sewing basic table napkins 249 Serging napkins with narrow rolled edges 251 Party-Ready Lapkins 253 Hip to Be Square Tablecloth 255 Chapter 14: Praiseworthy Pillows 257 Selecting Materials for Pillows 257 A Basic Cover Fit for a Pillow Form 258 Measuring your pillow form and cutting the pillow front and back 258 Sewing the seams 259 Wrapping the corners 260 Stitching the closure 261 The Easiest Reversible Pillow Cover Ever 262 15-Minute Flanged Pillow Cover 264 Plush Pet Bed 265 Making the bolster 266 Creating the fleece pillow cover 267 Putting the bed together 269 Box-Edged Pillow 270 Chapter 15: Adding Wow to Your Windows 273 The Wide World of Window Treatments 273 Dealing with draperies and curtains 274 Exploring the anatomy of windows and rods 276 Determining Window Treatment Dimensions 278 Measuring the finished width and length 279 Calculating cut fabric length and width 279 Custom Draperies 282 Determining how much fabric you need 283 Putting the drapery together 284 Heading off rips with the drapery header 286 Chapter 16: Giving Your Bed a Makeover 289 Saving Money by Crafting a Bedding Set 289 Pleated Bed Skirt 290 Measuring the box spring 291 Buying your fabric 292 Cutting the fabric 292 Double hemming the skirt and pleats 294 Attaching the skirt and pleats to the base fabric 296 Positioning the bed skirt on the box spring 297 Custom Duvet Cover 298 Cutting out the front of the duvet cover 299 Constructing the back of the duvet cover 299 Putting everything together 300 Part V: Making Alterations and Quick Fixes for a Sustainable Wardrobe 303 Chapter 17: When Clothes Are Too Short, Too Long, Too Tight, or Too Loose 305 When It’s Too Short 305 Cutting off pant legs and re-hemming them 306 Letting down and facing the hem 306 Adding ribbing into an opening 308 When It’s Too Long 310 Moving the button on a sleeve cuff 310 Removing the cuff to shorten the sleeve 311 Shortening jeans 313 When It’s Too Tight 315 Moving the buttons over on a jacket 315 Adding room to the waistband 315 When It’s Too Loose 317 Crossover Belt 318 Chapter 18: Making Repairs on the Run 321 Repairing a Split Seam 321 Repairing a seam on woven fabrics 321 Repairing a seam on knit fabrics 322 Patching Holes and Rips 323 Covering holes with patches 323 Patching with appliques 325 Mending Tears in Fabric 326 Replacing a Fly-Front Zipper 327 Chapter 19: Eco Fashion: Giving Existing Garments New Life 331 Felted Wool Hat 332 Sourcing and preparing the wool 332 Felting the wool 333 Laying out and cutting the hat pieces 333 Assembling the hat 335 (Almost) Instant Party Dress 339 Finding the perfect bra and fabric 339 Cutting out the skirt and straps 340 Making the skirt 340 Sewing the straps 343 Hemming the dress 344 Part VI: The Part of Tens 345 Chapter 20: Ten Tips for Mixing Prints 347 Stick with One Base 347 Run a Background Check 347 Go Solid and Save Money 348 Mix ’n’ Match Manufacturers 348 Stare Down Your Prints 348 Weigh the Scales 348 Try Before You Buy 349 Rely on a Collection 349 Buy More, Use Less 350 Consult a Pro 350 Chapter 21: Ten Rookie Sewing Mistakes to Avoid 351 Attempting a Project Beyond Your Skill Level 351 Choosing Difficult Fabrics to Work With 352 Choosing an Unflattering Style 352 Using the Wrong Fabric for the Pattern 352 Laying Out the Fabric Incorrectly 353 Neglecting to Use Interfacing 353 Failing to Press as You Sew 353 Using an Old, Beat-Up Sewing Machine 353 Neglecting to Use a New Needle on Every Project 354 Refusing to Cut Yourself Some Slack 354 Chapter 22: Ten Important Sewing Fundamentals 355 Buy the Best Fabric You Can Afford 355 Understand Your Fabric Terminology 356 Know the Difference between Right and Wrong 356 Put Your Foot Down before Sewing 357 Stop and Start Sewing the Right Way 357 Righty, Tighty; Lefty, Loosey 358 Test-Stitch First 358 Sew from the Bottom Up and from the Center Out 359 Press Seams Together and then Open or to One Side 359 Clip with the Tips of Your Scissors 360 Appendix: Sewing Resources 361 Sewing Organizations 361 Sewing Publications 361 Sewing Community Web Sites 362 Sewing Machine Manufacturers 362 Pattern Companies 363 National Fabric Stores 363 Regional Fabric Stores 364 Notion Companies 365 Fabric and Notion Mail-Order Companies 366 Thread Manufacturers 366 Index 367Table of Contents
Introduction 1