Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Make Sure You Address A Good Seam Guide

By Eloise Hewitt


Sewing is a fun and creative way to keep you entertained and relaxed. Sewing has great benefits that go from making and mending your own clothes to helping cloth the kids' dolls. This is a very cost effective exercise as clothes are becoming ever more expensive. When sewing you want a straight line, the way to achieve that is with a seam guide.

Your seam is very important when sewing; this will determine whether or not you can get your hand in your pocket or even your leg right through those pants you just made. With a seam that isn't straight not only will the item look a little off, it really won't function the way you want it to.

The seam is ever so important in making clothing. If you r pants seam was not straight they would sit funny, you probably wouldn't be able to get your leg trough them. Your pockets would be off and wouldn't be of any use either. The seams are an important thing!

As mentioned, if your sewing machine does not have one you can make one by measuring from the tip of the needle out to the left or right, depending on the side you will be working on. You can use some craft tape to make the mark, unless you want a permanent one, make sure the tape you use is not super sticky!

The function of the guide is to keep the seam straight. You do this by running your material on the edge of the chosen measurement or line. This will ensure a consistent straight seam of the same measurement all the way. If your machine is lacking a guide then you can make one yourself with a ruler, marking pen and tape.

Now that you have your marking in place you are ready to get sewing. Line up your material on the chosen measurement and start sewing. Remember to keep an eye on the material and the guide to make sure you do not go off line. Go at a speed that you feel comfortable with, just remember that too fast and too slow is also a problem, you will learn as you practice.

If you are really struggling and you just cannot keep that line straight there are multiple attachments that can help you. You may consider purchasing a more rigid one. One that is not flush with the sewing machine bed, instead a raised edge as to form more of a lip that the material can run against. These come in different forms, from plastic to steel each with its own benefits and durability.

This goes without saying, that even with a guide you need to be careful with what you are doing. You need to always pay attention. The last thing you want is to sew your fingers by accident, because you weren't paying attention. Accidents happen quickly, so make use of yours, and remember to be alert.




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