Sewing Steps Blog

Many of the clothes people buy these days do not fit the consumer well? How often are the legs too long or the crutch just a bit too tight?  What most people do is that they buy the clothes and then pay a reasonably hefty fee to get them altered at a shop.  They do this because they do not have the skills to do the sewing alterations themselves or because they just do not have the time.

So the demand is there to start a business in clothing alterations from home. It has the potential to work very well if you have the required space, equipment (such as a sewing machine, needles and thread), the time and sewing skills. So learn how to sew and go make some money. 

eBooks About Crafts is a prime source of good information about crafts of all kinds – knitters, needle artists, metal sculptors, furniture makers and woodworkers will all find relevant and useful information about their craft. This is the ebookstore with all the answers about crafts. This is also the one internet store that can fill hours with the excitement of discovering new and interesting things to do with your spare time. If crafts are an interest then just go to eBooks About Crafts (www.ebooksaboutcrafts.com) and find the book that fills that empty spot in the day.

Pasadena, CA (PRWEB) June 26, 2007 — eBooks About Crafts (www.ebooksaboutcrafts.com) announces the opening of a new store designed to offer the best books about crafts available anywhere. Traditional crafters like knitters, quilters and pottery makers will find a treasure trove of pattern and instruction. It’s easy. Just click to find out how to weave a basket, and even more important, how to have fun doing it.

eBooks About Crafts offers the best selection of books with information about crafts available anywhere in the world. Sewing and Fashion are covered along with projects for children. No matter where in the world anyone might be, with just a click of the mouse or a poke of the stylus they can enter this store. Information about how to use crafts for fun and profit anywhere in the world will be revealed to the person entering this store.

As an eBooks About Everything store (www.ebooksabouteverything.com), eBooks About Crafts offers customers reward points for registering, writing an online review or telling a friend. These points can add up to huge savings anywhere in the large and growing list of eBooks About Everything bookstores.

B. Case, book critic says, “The eBooks about Crafts store has as wide a range of eBooks that teach you how to do things as any bookstore on earth. Find the books that will address the way to fill your day. Browsing away the hours while waiting to discover the skill of your dreams is a treat in this bookstore. Just click once, books that offer the best advice about how crafts can improve your life will be revealed. (www.ebooksaboutcrafts.com) is a most interesting bookstore.”

It’s extremely easy to find the perfect book. Craft Masters will never give up their secrets so easily as in this store.

   Think It –   eBooksaboutcrafts.com
   Click It –   From Basket Weaving to Sewing
   Read It –   Find the book you need and buy it.

eBooks About Crafts (www.eBooksAboutCrafts.com) is one of the eBooks About Everything family of stores. eBooks about Everything (www.ebooksabouteverything.com) has books for everybody, everywhere — everytime (24/7/365). eBooks About Everything: Think it; Click it; Read it.

Sometimes when sewing by hand it can be difficult to get the needle to go through fabric. What you can do is rub the needle through your hair, close to the scalp, and then it should go through the fabric much easier. The natural lubricant in your hair certainly can help at times. Happy sewing.  

Over the years sewing has become a lost art form. Cheaper clothing means that many people just throw their clothes away and buy new ones. However, sewing can be fun by making household accessories such as cushion covers, pincushions, toys, bags and many other things. Making your own clothes can be fun too. There is nothing better than using your very own sewing made products. We believe that more children should be encouraged to learn how to sew.

The British company Jerry Fried, which sells Necchi sewing machines, opened sewing machine sale booths in the Kringlan mall in Reykjavík yesterday, which will last until Monday. People fought to get their hands on a machine.

“These are fine sewing machines at a great price,” a young woman told Fréttabladid, who had two machines in her shopping cart.

The sale was advertised on pamphlets that were distributed to homes in the capital region. Judging from the crowd that showed up; sewing machines are the latest hit in Iceland.

According to Fréttabladid, people pushed their way forward to the magazines on display, tried a few seams and then ran to the end of the line to secure themselves a machine.

The Jerry Fried delivery boy was sweaty stacking boxes and trying to keep up with demand. People of all ages could be spotted in Kringlan holding a sewing machine.

Source Iceland Review

On April 27, 41 women from 15 rural villages, relatively strangers, met for the first time at the Y.W.C.A. in Belize City for 60 hours of skills training to improve their lives and circumstance; in short make them independent.

The Belize Rural Development sponsored programme, administered by the Y.W.C.A. introduced the ladies to four areas of training: Food Preparation and Hospitality, Cosmetology and Sewing.

Most of the women chose areas in which they had some prior knowledge but not Edelene Smith, who has five children.

She knew absolutely nothing about the parts of a machine, let alone sewing 101, but after six weeks, who knew.

“I chose sewing and today I can make a dress for my daughter who is graduating. I feel I can now open a business and make my own money,” Smith asserts.

On Friday last, June 15, members of the European Union, providers of the funding, along with Belize Rural Development Programme B.R.D.P., the executing agency, toured the project onsite and presented utensils and tools the women will use in their new found professions.

While on tour, the group found ladies peeling mangoes for preserves, icing cakes, styling hair and sewing.

The ladies were busy putting their newly acquired skills to the test. Felice Zaccheo, Head of the B.R.D.P./E.U. delegation sure was impressed adding that the European Union’s aim is to alleviate poverty in Belize, especially in the rural communities.

“Since 1999 the EU has contributed banana support programmes and spent some $62 million in Belize alone and has more to spend,” he says.

President of the Y.W.C.A. Dame Elaine Middleton, in welcoming the ladies and guests gave an overview of the project. Participant of the cake decorating class Brenda Herrera, gave the vote of thanks but took the opportunity to say the project has already had tremendous impact on her life as she feel empowered.

Following the brief ceremony it was time to distribute the tools and kits, all $10,000 worth to the 41 women.

In the area of cosmetology, 11 ladies received stove holder kits and three manicurists receive nail care kits.

Five are enrolled in the sewing class and they received brand new sewing machines, a motor and notions.

All the donated tools carry impressive brand names and are new. And that’s not all, the ladies received that day; they were assisted by representatives of B.R.D.P. to apply for seed money in the form of small grants as start up capital.

However, they decide to hone their craft they will be monitored to ensure they train one other woman to start up her own little business too.

The Y.W.C.A., the non-profit organisation through which the project is being realised originally planned for 24 women but the demand forced the Y, the 51-year-old organisation to accept 41 ladies.

The project supervisor is Gordon Holder, Ph.D., while Technical Director of B.R.D.P. Marcelino Avila deserves much needed praises to see the project through.

On Saturday, June 23, closing exercises will be held at 10:00A.M. at the Y.W.C.A. for all 41 ladies who are now ready to make a mark in their own lives, their children’s and by extension their communities.

Guest Speaker for the occasion is scheduled to be Women’s Department Director, Carol Fonseca.

Source The Reporter

THE lives of 1,000 school children at a West African community centre have been transformed thanks to an appeal by the Waterloo Partnership.

The charity brings together the people of Waterloo, Merseyside, with the people of Waterloo, Sierra Leone, after civil war plunged much of the country into poverty.

Many people there do not have access to clean water, electricity or free health care and the life expectancy is just 40 years.

In May 2005, charity members journeyed to the country and visited the Rural Education Community (REC) Home Economics Centre in Waterloo.

While there they saw first hand how, due to the inadequate resources, progress was severely hindered at the centre, which had two bundles of yellow and blue wool, two dozen needles and six spools of cotton for 1,000 pupils for the whole year.

On returning to Merseyside, the charity launched the Thousand Hearts Appeal, asking for donations of £1 a month, to go directly towards education and health projects in the town.

And now, thanks to the generosity of people responding to the appeal, the partnership has been able to send over a range of resources, including fabric, weighing scales, sewing machines, ironing boards, an electric cooker, a refrigerator and kitchen utensils, and the centre has been transformed.

In an open letter to the partnership, Fannyaun Doherty, who works at the REC, said: “We extend our sincere thanks to whoever or whatever group or institutions have made this wonderful gesture to us.

“We hope that the partnership will continue to grow from strength to strength.”

David Moorhead, vice chairman of the charity, visited the centre in February, and he said: “It was a joy to see the children busy sewing and weaving.

“The teachers were very grateful and sent a thank you letter back with me.

“The whole atmosphere was really positive – indeed, it reminded me of a classroom in England.

“We also sent over some mattresses and this allowed sick children to be looked after during the school day.

“The contribution has truly made a big difference to the loves of the people of Waterloo, Sierra Leone.”

Source Nick Moreton, Crosby Herald 

1. Buy about five yards of fabric, preferably linen cloth and a solid color.

2. Get out your best scissors and cut the material in the shape of a semi-circle.

3. Make an additional cut — about ¹₄” to ¹₃” — into the top center of semi-circle.

4. Go grab a sandwich.

5. If you’re into sewing, go ahead and hem the ends of the fabric. Although this step is optional, especially if you’re in a hurry.

6. Hold a section of the semi-circle to the waist on the right side of the body and use a safety pin to attach a corner to the fabric on the left side of the body.

7. Fabric should hang to the knees.

8. Toss the rest of the fabric over your left shoulder.

9. Fasten it with a safety pin or brooch.

10. Bring the loose end of the toga to the waist and tie it with a safety pin or tuck it in. If the fabric is too long you might need to wrap it around your body several times. Lucky you.

11. If you understood these directions, then you’ll have a nice toga for the party. Otherwise, just grab a sheet and wrap it around you as best you can. You might need a belt.

12. Underwear? Up to you.

Source: eHow.com

You don’t have to be a seamstress or even very good at the sewing machine to mend clothing and household linens.

Darning socks, replacing elastic and buttons, re-sewing seams and creative patching can keep clothes going and going while saving money for more important things.

To begin a patch, trim away threads from the edge of the hole and cut out strangely shaped corners or areas that would be hard to sew into. A square hole is easier to patch than a ragged one. Snip a tiny piece at the center of each corner.

If the area is small, you may find enough material inside a hem or lining. If not, you will need to find material that matches or contrasts – just make it something you can live with.

There are two methods of patching:

 Behind the hole. When the hole is prepared and you have a piece of material, put the material behind the hole and baste it into place. Turn the edge of the material under and begin sewing it to the patching material with small stitches.

When you have it sewn down all the way around, turn the garment and turn the patch under on the wrong side and put a simple hem in it to keep it from raveling. Press and you are done.

 Over the hole. This works basically the same way, but you put the patch over the top of the hole and baste around it to keep it in place, then turn under the edge of the patch and sew it into place. When it is finished, turn the garment and finish the inside edges of the hole to keep it from raveling.

 Creative mending. It’s not hard to iron on creative patches or embroider a cover-up, or even learn to applique. You will find these patches in fabric stores or in the craft/notion department of big-box stores.

Put frogs, teddy bears, stars and flowers on the kids’ pants when the knees go out – or cover a stain on your favorite around-the-house shirt.

Before you give up on a piece of clothing, take a look at it creatively. Can you cover the bad part with something? Can you change the garment to do away with the problem altogether?

There are other ways to save clothes from the rag bag:

 Learn to turn the collar on any shirt if it is worn. Take it off carefully, turn it over and sew it back on. The worn part is now hidden underneath.

 Cut off long sleeves when the cuffs become worn or stained or the elbows wear out to make the shirts short-sleeved.

Use a shirt you already have to measure and add a couple of inches for the hem.

If the shirt sleeve is in bad shape, consider making a light- weight vest from the shirt. Take the sleeves off at the shoulder seam and re-hem the whole thing.

You might have to take a few stitches out at the underarm to get enough slack to hem the armhole. Remove the collar if you wish.

 Straight-line dresses can be made into tops by cutting off the skirt and hemming. Men’s, women’s and kid’s pants with worn knees can easily be made into shorts for summer wear.

 When you do discard clothing, save buttons, zippers, and trims to use elsewhere.

Some quick ideas:

 All zippers can be reused as long as they are working. Metal zippers are heavier and hardier than the nylon ones, so save them for heavy-duty use, such as with bags and jackets.

 Buttons can be used for fasteners (with a loop) for handbags, baskets and other containers. Save the unusual ones to jazz up a plain blouse or dress, or make earrings or lapel pins with them.

 Odd bits of netting or lace or scraps of silky facing material can be used to make very elegant doll clothes, hankies or trim for hand towels.

If you discard something with a ruffle, cut it off a couple of inches from the seam. That will keep the ruffle intact and, depending on how you’re using it, you may be able to sew the whole thing into another garment.

While being practical arts, sewing, knitting and crocheting can give many hours of fun and satisfaction. Keep an eye out for classes at your local fabric store or community college.

BY THE N.C. COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE

source  journalnow.com

Below is a disturbing piece of news found on ninemsn about docors finding 6 sewing needles in a baby boy.  

A one-year-old boy was found to have six sewing needles embedded throughout his body when his parents took him to hospital in China.

The child’s parents, from the Guangdong province in southwest China, claimed to have no idea how the needles ended up in their son — and said they took him to hospital because he was acting unusually fussy.

X-ray photos show one of the needles embedded in the top of the child’s head, three in his torso, and two in his scrotum.

“We have to perform the surgery as soon as possible, but we cannot promise that we can remove all the needles,” their doctor, Gu Yong, told the Beijing Youth Daily.

The parents said they took Xiao Yu to hospital on June 2 after he cried for three or four nights straight and was eating less than usual.

The parents said no strangers have come into contact with the boy.