Sewing For Dummies E-Book

Jan Saunders Maresh

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Seitenzahl: 495

Beschreibung

Do you love to sew--or want to learn how? Then this book will have you in stitches in no time. There's nothing like the feeling of completing a project using beautiful fabrics and great timesaving tools and then sharing it with your family and friends. Plus, learning to sew will save you money too! Before long, you'll be stitching your own hems, repairing split seams, sewing on buttons, and much, much more. Sewing For Dummies is a book for both absolute beginners and experienced sewers. If you're a stone-cold beginner, you'll find everything you need to know to sew beginning-level projects--and the book doesn't assume that you've ever even picked up a needle and thread before. If you've had some experience with sewing, you'll find tips and tricks that it took author Janice Saunders Maresh, a nationally known sewing and serging instructor, years to pick up! You'll discover how to: * Master hand and machine stitches * Read a sewing pattern * Hem a variety of fabrics * Negotiate sleeves and pockets * Install zippers, buttons, and other fasteners * Shape garments with tucks and pleats * Adjust projects for better fit and function This updated edition features a fresh 8-page color insert of all the new home decorating projects, including new patterns and instructions for a traditional living room with slipcovered couches and throws; a French country dining room with drapes and slipcovered chairs; and a bedroom with shams, duvets, dustruffles, and window treatments, as well as: * a bathroom with a shower curtain and towels * hip and funky tote bags * the perfect little black dress Complete with lists of quick fix-it tools, sewing fundamentals, and sewing resources, Sewing For Dummies, 2nd Edition, is the fun and easy way¯® to get the basics and stitch up a storm in no time!

Leseprobe

by Jan Saunders Maresh

Sewing For Dummies®, 2nd Edition

Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2004 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2004110093

ISBN: 978-0-7645-6847-3

Manufactured in the United States of America

15 14 13 12

2B/TR/RR/QY/IN

About the Author

Jan Saunders Maresh is a nationally known sewing and serging journalist and home economist. After graduating from Adrian College in Michigan, she became the education director of one of the largest sewing machine companies in the country, and then the director of consumer education for the largest fabric chain in the country. Both professional experiences give her a solid foundation in the home sewing industry, which she continues to serve with her many writing, marketing, and industry consulting projects.

In addition to writing for several home sewing publications, she is a best-selling author for several publishers, with 14 books to her credit. Many of her titles have been chosen as main selections for the Crafters’ Choice Collection, a division of the Book-of-the-Month Club.

To promote her projects, Jan has been a frequent guest on several PBS television shows. Jan also makes regular appearances on the Home Shopping Network and the Home & Garden Network. One of her segments has been the most popular with viewers since the series started in 1995. When she’s not writing (or running kids to soccer practice), serving as founder and president of her own direct sales company keeps her busy teaching and motivating consumers by helping them to create beautiful homes using her do-it-yourself home decor products.

Jan currently resides in Camas, Washington (just outside Portland, Oregon), with her husband, son, dog, and a collection of books, sewing equipment, fabric, and crafting products stashed in every available corner of her home.

Author’s Acknowledgments

At age 7, I learned to sew under the watchful eye of my grandmother. When I had finished hand-stitching the set-in sleeves of a doll jacket, I cried and cried because it didn’t look right. Grandma gently grabbed the jacket from me and turned the sleeves “inside out.” It was a miracle — the jacket looked just like the one in the store. From that moment on, I was hooked on sewing. It’s been an intimate part of who I am ever since. Thank you, Grandma, for being my first teacher.

A big-time thank you also goes to my parents, Ray and Bernice Saunders. Although I grew up on a strict budget, there was always money for fabric and plenty of praise for my handmade creations.

Thanks also to my most understanding and tolerant husband, Ted Maresh, who hardly mentions the dozens of boxes, packed closets, and my home office overflowing with fabric and sewing paraphernalia. Yes, I will start cooking again, now that the book is done. And a big thank you to my wonderfully patient son, Todd Moser, who has given up a lot of time with me so I could work on this book.

I have the most wonderful network of friends who have influenced what I’ve done in my life and career. You provide inspiration, knowledge, encouragement, and expertise, and I thank each of you from the bottom of my heart. Without you, this book would have been written by someone else. Thank you, Robbie Fanning, for teaching me so much about writing, sewing, and keeping life in perspective. Thank you, Jackie Dodson, for your incredible sense of humor, for your sewing help on a tight deadline, your creative genius, and friendship. Thank you, Gail Brown, for your constant encouragement and market savvy. Thank you, Karyl Garbow, for being a kindred spirit for almost 30 years. Thank you, Sue Hausmann, for your dedication to sewing education in our industry and for always sharing your wisdom with me no matter the time of day. Thank you, Judy Raymond and Maureen Dudley at Simplicity Pattern Company, for your help and support of this project and for publishing and promoting the Sewing For Dummies sewing patterns. Many more people have the courage to try sewing for the first time because of your efforts.

Thank you, Kate Singh, for the beautiful photographs and the kind treatment of the projects in this book. Thank you, Ally Geller, for the lovely home accessories that dressed up our room settings for those photographs. Thank you, Lisa Reed, for your tremendously talented hand and critical eye in illustrating the additional art included in this second edition. And thank you Natasha Graf, Traci Cumbay, Laurie Baker, and the team of incredible editors at Wiley Publishing that helped my words sound brilliant and encouraged my sense of humor about this craft I love so much. You are all truly amazing at what you do and how you do it.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to the memory of Chris Hansen, the wonderful illustrator of this book. Chris’s incredible talent and extraordinary hand added clarity to my words about sewing (and those of many other writers in this industry) for over 30 years. He illustrated with a terrific sense of humor and an incredible knowledge of sewing, which made all of us better at our craft. The sewing community is much richer because of Chris and we all miss him.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/.

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development

Project Editor: Traci Cumbay

Acquisitions Editor: Natasha Graf

Copy Editors: Josh Dials, Laura K. Miller, Chad Sievers

Technical Editor: Laurie Baker

Senior Permissions Editor: Carmen Krikorian

Editorial Manager: Jennifer Ehrlich

Media Development Manager: Laura VanWinkle

Editorial Assistants: Courtney Allen, Melissa Bennett

Cover Photo: © F. Schussler/PhotoLink/ Photodisc/ PictureQuest

Cartoons: Rich Tennant, www.the5thwave.com

Composition

Project Coordinator: Adrienne Martinez

Layout and Graphics: Denny Hager, Joyce Haughey, Heather Ryan, Brent Savage

Illustrations: Chris Hansen, Lisa Reed

Proofreaders: Andy Hollandbeck, Charles Spencer, Aptara

Indexer: Aptara

Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies

Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies

Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies

Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies

Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel

Brice Gosnell, Associate Publisher, Travel

Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel

Publishing for Technology Dummies

Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User

Composition Services

Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services

Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

Contents

Title

Introduction

About This Book

What’s New in This Edition

Conventions Used in This Book

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book Is Organized

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I : Hardware and “Softwear” for Sewing

Chapter 1: Assembling Your Sewing Kit

Making Sure Your Sewing Measures Up

Cutting Up (Without Cracking Up)

Making Your Mark

Pinning Down Your Projects

Pressing Issues

Needing the Right Needles

Working with a Sewing Machine

Chapter 2: Selecting Fabric, Findings, and Interfacing

Choosing the Right Fabric for Your Project

Getting Notions about Findings

Investigating Interfacing

Preshrinking Your Fabric

Chapter 3: Closing In on Threads and Other Closers

Selecting the Thread for Your Project

Focusing on Fast and Fabulous Fasteners

Making a Low-Sew Greeting Card

Sewing Fast with Place Mats

Chapter 4: Working with Patterns

Shopping for Patterns

Sizing Things Up for Fashion Sewing

The Pattern and All Its Parts

Laying Out the Pattern

Pinning and Cutting Out the Pieces

On Your Mark!

Part II : Sewers! Start Your Engines!

Chapter 5: Sewing 101

Threading the Needle

Tying the Knot

Straight Talk on Hand Stitches

Making Machine Stitches Work for You

Starting and Stopping

Basting: The Key to a Better Fit

Sewing on Buttons

Pressing Matters

Chapter 6: Sewing Sensational Seams

Finish the Edges First!

Securing Your Seams

Seaming Fabrics

Let ’Er Rip

Shaping Up Those Curved Seams

Chapter 7: Hems and A-Ha’s

Marking a Hem

Deciding on the Hem Allowance

Finishing the Raw Edges of the Hem

Hemming Things Up

Hemming Pegged or Straight Hems

Hemming Knits

Part III : Fashion Fundamentals

Chapter 8: Shaping Things Up

Darting Around

Gathering No Moss

Tackling Tucks

You Can’t Beat Pleats

Getting Elastic

Chapter 9: Zippers and Company

Yes, Virginia, There Are Easy Ways to Put in Zippers

Buttonhole Basics

Chapter 10: Sleeves: The Long and the Short of It

Sleeveless Armhole Facings and Bindings

Rarin’ to Sew Raglan Sleeves

Big News about Set-In Sleeves and Armholes

Chapter 11: A Pocket Full of Ideas

A Little Pocket Primer

Stitching All-in-One Inseam Pockets

Putting Together Patch Pockets

Using the Pocket Patterns

Making a Cool Pocket Collage Shirt

Moving a Pocket and Making a Stain-Covering Appliqué

Chapter 12: Making the Little Black Dress

Selecting the Pattern, Fabric, and Notions

Laying Out, Cutting, and Marking Your Fabric

Putting Your Dress Together

Inserting the Zipper and Sewing the Seams

Facing the Neckline

Setting In the Sleeves

Hemming Your Dress

Part IV : Sewing for the Home

Chapter 13: Home Decor Sewing: The Cure for Decoraphobia

Conquering Decoraphobia

Tackling Trim

Attaching Piping, Cording, and Fringe

Making a Pillow with Moss Edge or Bullion Fringe

Attaching Tassels

Making a Reversible Table Runner

Chapter 14: Quick-Change Table Toppers

Selecting Your Fabric for Table Toppers

Making Napkins

Turning Out a Tablecloth

Romancing the Table (with Bows)

Chapter 15: Praiseworthy Pillows

Selecting Materials for Pillows

Don’t Toss That! Stitching a Pillow with an Old Shirt

Making a Cover to Fit a Pillow Form

No Sham Job Here: Crafting Your Own Flanged Pillow Sham

Sewing a One-Piece Fringed Envelope Pillow

Making a Trim and Border Pillow

Making a Box-Edged Pillow

Chapter 16: Wowing Up Your Windows

Wandering through the Wide World of Window Treatments

Calculating Cut Fabric Length and Width

Constructing a Window Cornice

Sewing the Easiest Shower Curtain Ever

Creating Simple Reversible Curtains and Draperies to Fit Any Window

Whipping Up a Shirred and Flipped Panel Window Treatment

Chapter 17: Making Ho-hum Linens Luxurious

Creating a Fleece Throw

Trimming Sheets and Towels

Making a Dust Ruffle

Creating a Custom Duvet Cover

Making a Bow-Tie Neck Roll

Chapter 18: Give Your Furnishings a Face-lift with Slipcovers

Creating a Double-duty Hamper Liner

Covering a Chair Back with a Bow-Back Cover

Dressing Up Any Old Chair with a Fit-to-be-tied Cover

Part V : Alterations and Quick Fixes

Chapter 19: Too Short, Long, Tight, or Loose? 12 Ways to Fix It Quick

When It’s Too Short

When It’s Too Long

When Pants Don’t Fit Well in the Rise

When It’s Too Tight

When It’s Too Loose

Chapter 20: Making Repairs on the Run

Repairing a Seam

Patching Holes and Rips

Mending Tears on Woven Fabric

Replacing Zippers (It’s Easier Than You Think)

Part VI : The Part of Tens

Chapter 21: Ten Tips for Mixing Prints

Stick with One Base

Run a Background Check

Go Solid and Save Money

Mix ‘n’ Match Manufacturers

Stare Down Your Prints

Weigh the Scales Before Mixing Your Prints

Try Before You Buy

Rely on a Collection

Buy More, Use Less

Consult a Pro

Chapter 22: Ten Mistakes Beginners Often Make

Attempting a Project beyond Your Skill Level

Choosing Difficult Fabrics to Work With

Choosing an Unflattering Style

Using the Wrong Fabric for the Pattern

Laying Out the Fabric Incorrectly

Neglecting to Use Interfacing

Failing to Press as You Sew

Using an Old, Beat-Up Sewing Machine

Neglecting to Use a New Needle on Every Project

Refusing to Cut Yourself Some Slack

Chapter 23: Ten Sewing Fundamentals to Remember

Buy the Best Fabric You Can Afford

Know Your Fabric Terminology

Know the Difference between Right and Wrong

Place Right Sides Together

Put Your Foot Down before Sewing

Stop and Start Sewing the Right Way

Righty, Tighty; Lefty, Loosey

Test-Stitch First

Sew from the Bottom Up and from the Center Out

Press Seams Flat and Together — and Open or to One Side

Clip with Your Scissors’ Tips

Appendix: Sewing Resources

: Color Insert

Introduction

I love to sew. Period. First, there’s the immediate gratification of completing a project using beautiful fabrics and great timesaving tools. Then there’s the personal recognition — I get to admire my work and hear praise from my family and friends. On top of that, I save money sewing. Wow, what a hobby!

I’m betting that, after you have a couple of projects under your belt, you’ll love to sew as much as I do.

About This Book

Sewing For Dummies, 2nd Edition, is a book for both absolute beginners and experienced sewers. If you’re a stone-cold beginner, you may appreciate that I explain everything necessary to sew beginning-level projects and that I don’t assume that you’ve ever even picked up a needle and thread before. If you’ve had some experience with sewing, Sewing For Dummies, 2nd Edition, still has something to offer — I give you tips and tricks that it took me years to pick up. All sewers can enjoy the projects in this book, no matter what their level of experience.

If you’re new to sewing, I suggest that you start by reading the chapters in Parts I and II. You can find some fundamental information on sewing in those parts. After that, you can skip around from chapter to chapter in the book, reading about the types of sewing and the projects that interest you.

What’s New in This Edition

With the home decorating craze in full swing, anyone who wants to beautify his or her home touches a piece of fabric. But then what? Never fear, Sewing For Dummies, 2nd Edition, is here.This time around, I tell you the best ways to put those creative juices into your home decor projects with tips, tricks, secrets, and fun projects I’ve used successfully in my own home, as well as in the homes of my family, friends, and neighbors. In this edition, you also find new illustrations that ensure your sewing success, an updated list of the most popular fabrics and how to use them, and even more innovative sewing shortcuts and techniques.

Conventions Used in This Book

As you sew, you’re going to rely heavily on the tools in your Sewing Survival Kit, which I describe in Chapter 1. Keep it handy and well-stocked. You need it for just about every project listed in this book, and I wrote this book assuming that you have and use these tools.

You also see instructions throughout the book that can be completed by using a sewing machine or a serger. A serger is a specialized machine that saves a lot of sewing time; it sews the seam, overcasts the edge, and then cuts off the excess fabric from a seam allowance — all at the same time. I think of a serger like the microwave oven of sewing — you wouldn’t want make an entire project on a serger, but it sure speeds up the process.

Foolish Assumptions

As I wrote this book, I made some assumptions about you and your needs:

You don’t yet know how to sew or are looking for a refresher course.

You want to master the fundamentals of sewing.

You’re looking for tips and tricks to make your sewing and home decorating projects easier and more fun.

You want to start sewing as soon as possible.

If this sounds like you, you’ve come to the right book!

How This Book Is Organized

I organized this book into six parts so that it’s easy for you to find exactly the information you need.

Part I: Hardware and “Softwear” for Sewing

In this part, I tell you about the hard and the soft tools you need for sewing and how to work with them, including your sewing machine, fabric, thread, and patterns.

Part II: Sewers! Start Your Engines!

Read the chapters in this part to find out how to do some things fundamental to sewing, including threading a needle, tying a knot, sewing on a button, sewing a seam, and hemming.

Part III: Fashion Fundamentals

When you sew clothing, you usually start out with a pattern and a set of instructions for putting the project together. For a beginner, these pattern instructions can sometimes be a little intimidating. The instructions may tell you to do something (like sew a dart or apply a zipper) that you don’t know how to do. The chapters in this part help you decipher these sorts of techniques, which are essential to successful fashion sewing.

Part IV: Sewing for the Home

This part of the book lets you turn a little sewing knowledge into untold savings for your home. I show you how to sew pillows, duvet covers, dust ruffles, draperies and slipcovers, napkins, table runners, tablecloths, and more. Using the chapters in this part, you can create coordinated looks for almost every room in your home, quickly and inexpensively.

Part V: Alterations and Quick Fixes

Are you suffering from the “terrible too’s” — clothes that are too tight, too loose, too long, or too short? Then read the chapters in this part when you want creative solutions to fixing what ails your clothing. I also show you how to do some basic repairs on holes, rips, and other mishaps.

Part VI: The Part of Tens

In this part, I share with you tips for mixing fabrics without creating home decor havoc, ways to avoid common mistakes when you start sewing, and important guidelines for sewing smarter and faster. I also include an appendix of resources to help you find the materials you need.

Icons Used in This Book

Throughout this book, I guide you toward important points by using the following icons:

Some sewing tools are essential to sewing, and others aren’t essential but are still nice to have as you sew. Try out the tools mentioned next to this icon — you may find one that helps you quite a bit with the sort of projects you like to do.

Next to this icon, you find information that you should keep in the back of your mind as you sew. These points are key to creative and efficient sewing.

The information next to this icon tells you how to do something in the quickest and best way possible.

Make sure to read the text next to this icon. It can save you a lot of blood, sweat, and tears.

Where to Go from Here

I wrote this book to be your sewing companion. Instead of putting it on the bookshelf for future reference after you finish reading it and making the projects, use it actively each time you sew — whether at home or in one of the many sewing classes available at your local sewing machine dealer or fabric store. Keep it handy so that when pattern guide sheet instructions direct you to do something, you can check out this book to find the fastest, most efficient way to accomplish the task.

I’ve spent my professional lifetime amassing these sewing methods (and more), and they fuel my love affair with the craft every time I sit in front of the machine. My fervent hope is that after spending a little time with this book, a beautiful piece of fabric, and your beloved sewing machine, your own love affair with sewing will blossom. Enjoy!

Part I

Hardware and “Softwear” for Sewing

In this part . . .

To end up with a successful sewing project, you need to start out with good materials. These materials include your sewing machine, needles, thread, fabric, and pattern, among other things. I tell you about the very best tools for your sewing projects in this part. In addition, I tell you how to work with those tools after you have them, including how to navigate a sewing machine and how to lay out a pattern.

And just in case you’re thinking that I don’t give you anything fun to do in this part, you can think again. I include some low-sew projects guaranteed to impress your friends and family with how much you can do with your sewing machine.

Chapter 1

Assembling Your Sewing Kit

In This Chapter

Putting together the tools you need for sewing

Pressing tools and why they matter

Figuring out which sewing machine parts do what

L ike most hobbies, successful sewing projects begin with a few good tools and a little know-how. Sure, you can collect some of these tools from your household: Those old scissors from the garage, the ruler from your desk drawer, and pins scavenged from freshly opened dress shirts, but you’ll have a better sewing experience by using the tools intended for the job.

In this chapter, I list and explain the necessities — the tools I use just about every time I sew and that are essential for creating the projects in this book. I also give you some tips about additional tools that come in handy as your skills improve. So you can consider these tools your Sewing Survival Kit.

Keep your Sewing Survival Kit in a small fishing tackle box (other than your sewing machine and pressing tools, of course) or use one of the many sewing or craft organizers available through your local fabric store, craft store, or sewing machine dealer. Choose an organizer that has a handle and a secure latch so that you can easily carry it without dumping stuff all over the place.

Use the following as a checklist when you round up the tools for your Sewing Survival Kit; afterward, read the rest of this chapter to understand how each one works:

Tape measure

Dressmaker’s shears

Trimming scissors

Fabric markers for light and dark fabrics

Glass-head pins and pincushion (wrist or magnetic)

Hand needles

Sewing machine needles

Seam ripper

Invisible or removable transparent tape