THE HOMEMAKING ARTS: SEWING
Sewing Basics
There are many areas in which a keeper at home can use her creative talents. The home provides the perfect backdrop for her artistic creations. Food preparation and presentation, keeping photo albums and scrapbooks, home décor, painting, refinishing furniture: all of these add to the atmosphere of a home and provide the homemaker with creative outlets.
Sewing is also a creative art and can provide outlets for the homemaker’s creativity. You have endless options of fabric, thread, notions, and design changes. Sewing can save money and provide a way to clothe the family and decorate the home at a greatly reduced cost, particularly if fabrics and notions are bought on sale. Sewing is not particularly difficult and most people can teach themselves to sew using simple patterns and fabrics. As a reference, I would highly recommend purchasing a good basic sewing how-to book.
Any sewing machine will work for beginning seamstresses. I would recommend that a woman learn to sew and then practice the art for at least a year before buying a new machine. In that time, you will learn what types of sewing you want to do, what extras are truly needed in your situation, and you will also be better able to determine what sort of machine you need. In the meantime, a used machine can often be found at yard sales, re-sale shops (such as the Salvation Army), and even at sewing machine repair shops. Many times customers will trade in an older when they purchase a new machine. You can also check with family members. Sometimes they have old machines that are no longer being used and they might be willing to sell or give away the old machine. It is worth your time to check out all of these sources before you purchase a machine.
You will also need a good sharp pair of scissors for cutting your cloth. These scissors should never be used to cut paper. Mark them clearly as cloth scissors. Some thread, fabric, pins, bobbin cases, and a fabric marker are other needed supplies. For a beginning project, I would recommend all-purpose thread and cotton fabric.
In addition, if the patterns that you are going to use contain multiple sizes on the same sheet, you may also want to buy some tracing fabric. This fabric is thin, can be seen through, and often has inch grid markings on it. You lay the pattern piece under it, then trace off the size you want. Label all markings, size, and pattern piece and pattern number on each traced pattern piece. This enables you to save the original pattern. If you change sizes, you will still have the original pattern and can trace a larger (or smaller) size out. Many times the patterns are made out of tissue paper. Tissue paper patterns tear easily. Using the tracing fabric saves the tissue pattern and prevents it being ruined by tears and rips.
There are several products for beginning seamstresses that will provide opportunities to practice basic sewing skills and will be useful in the home. These include placemats and napkins, potholders, tablecloths, and curtains. Certain clothing, such as elastic waist skirts and simple jumpers, will offer the same benefits.
Next time we will begin with instructions for some simple beginning sewing projects. For now, gather all your supplies together, buy a good reference book, and locate a sewing machine.
