Sewing/stitching/tailor for Beginners

[RAHEN]

Assalam aleikum,
Some minutes ago i felt the need to start this thread...and work on it with my fellow members namely tulip.
You can also take the start with me by giving in some guidance related to the beginners...

[RAHEN]

Measurement Type

I think measurement holds a great place when we think of sewing...
There are two kinds of measurement British measurement which holds inch and foot measurement...and second Metric type measurement which holds mm, cm and meter...there is a difference between these two calculations as you can notice...

BRITISH MEASUREMENT
1 inch has 8 parts i.e 1/8, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 5/8, 3/4, 7/8, 1
1 inch--> 8 parts
1 foot = 12 inches
3 foot = 36 inches

METRIC MEASUREMENT
1 cm has 10 parts or 10 mm

10mm = 1 cm
100 cm= 1 m (meter)


Lets now consider the convertion of british measurement to metric style of measurement...

1 inch = 2.5 cm
1 foot = 30.5 cm

Conversion of metric measurement to british measurement
1 cm = 0.4 inch
1 m = 1.1 foot


for example you have 45 inches length of maxi and if you wish to convert it to cm...how will that be?

solution:
if 1 inch = 2.5 (then)
45 inch = 45 x 2.5 = 114 cm...

hence 45 inch = 114 cm

hope you understood this one...

i m a beginner so plz ask me related to what i write..because that is what i understand :shutup:

[RAHEN]

1) There are some sewing lessons for beginner..that i found is great to start with...i m giving this link as i think it is useless to keep writing things that are already been written by some one else in a great manner...
Link is as follow:

sewing lesson 1-11

After going through this site i m sure you will be able to know the basics...

[RAHEN]

Anatomy of needle

2) Choosing your needles is the most important thing as that affects your sewing..

Anatomy of a needle:


Anatomy of a needle

The key features of a standard machine needle are called out below. Their configuration varies from needle type to type.

Shank
Top of needle that inserts into machine; most often has round front and flat back, which seats needle in right position.

Shaft
Body of needle below shank. Shaft thickness determines needle size.

Front groove
Slit above needle eye, should be large enough to "cradle" thread for smooth stitches.

Point
Needle tip that penetrates fabric to pass thread to bobbin-hook and form stitch. Shape of point varies among needle types.

Scarf
Indentation at back of needle. A long scarf helps eliminate skipped stitches by allowing bobbin hook to loop thread more easily. A shorter scarf requires a more perfectly timed machine.

Eye
Hole in end of needle through which thread passes. Needle size and type determine size and shape of eye.



How a stitch is formed


The formation of a stitch begins when the needle penetrates the fabric and descends to its lowest point.

The bobbin hook then slides by the needle's scarf, catching the upper thread, and carries it around the bobbin and bobbin thread.

The thread is then pulled up into the fabric, completing the stitch.



The information is taken from threadsmagazine.com

[RAHEN]

Sewing Machine Needles - An overview

This source is again taken from threads magazine...and no doubt it is the best source i found uptil now...for needles..as it tells us how to troubleshoot and for what material cloth it is uses on ...




Standard needles

The configuration of these needles is based on the particular fabric to be sewn.

Universal needle
Uses: Safest needle choice for most fabrics.
Configuration: Has slightly rounded point and elongated scarf to enable almost foolproof meeting of needle and bobbin hook.
Troubleshooting: When fabric is not medium-weight woven, consider needle specifically suited to fabric. For example, size 18 universal needle works on heavy denim, but size 18 jeans needle works better.

Ballpoint and stretch needles
Uses: Ballpoint needle for heavier, looser sweater knits; stretch needle for highly elastic fabrics, like
Spandex, or Lycra.
Configuration: Both have rounded points that penetrate between fabric threads rather than pierce them. (Stretch-needle point is slightly less rounded than ballpoint.)
Troubleshooting: Test-stitch knits with ballpoint, stretch, and universal needles to see which doesn't cut yarn and yields best results. If ballpoint skips stitches, try stretch needle.

Microtex and sharp needles
Uses: Sewing microfiber, silk, synthetic leather; precisely stitching edges; and heirloom sewing.
Configuration: Has an acute point.
Troubleshooting: Essentially trouble-free, but fabric may require a Teflon, roller, or even/dual-feed presser foot.

Leather needle
Uses: Excellent for sewing natural leather.
Configuration: Has slight cutting point (almost like an arrowhead).
Troubleshooting: On synthetic leather, unless it's very heavy synthetic, cuts rather than pierces stitch hole and can tear leather. Most synthetic leathers require Microtex or sharp needle.

Denim (jeans) needle
Uses: For heavyweight denim, duck, canvas, upholstery fabrics, artificial leather, and vinyl.
Configuration: Has deeper scarf, acute point, and modified shaft to sew without pushing fabric down into needle-plate hole. Goes through fabric and meets bobbin hook better on dense woven fabrics.
Troubleshooting: If stitches skip when sewing very heavy fabrics, try larger needle and sew more slowly or walk needle through fabric (by turning hand crank).

Handicap/self-threading needle
Uses: Enables easier threading for sewers with vision problems.
Configuration: Universal needle with slip-in threading slot at the eye.
Troubleshooting: Always pull sewn piece back away from needle before cutting thread so needle doesn't unthread. Needle works well on woven fabrics, but may occasionally snag knits, so test-sew to check for fabric and needle compatibility.




Decorative needles

The configuration is designed to wed thread to fabric for surface embellishment.

Topstitching needle
Uses: Topstitching.
Configuration: Has extra-acute point, extra-large eye, and large groove for heavy thread.
Troubleshooting: Use smallest size needle that accommodates your thread to avoid punching large holes in fabric.

Embroidery needle
Uses: Machine embroidering or embellishing with decorative thread.
Configuration: Has light point (neither sharp nor ballpoint) and enlarged eye to keep decorative threads from shredding or breaking, and prevent skipped stitches.
Troubleshooting: If thread still shreds on dense or heavily stitched design, use larger size needle or Metallica needle.

Metallic (Metafil and Metallica) needle
Uses: Sewing with decorative metallic threads.
Configuration: Has universal or standard point; large, elongated eye; and large groove to allow fragile metallic and synthetic filament threads to flow smoothly.
Troubleshooting: Metallic threads are very sensitive to problems in machine: Tiniest burr on thread path or needle can cause problems.

Quilting (stippling) needle
Uses: Piecing, quilting, and stippling.
Configuration: Has special tapered shaft to prevent damaging fabrics when stitching multiple layers.
Troubleshooting: Move fabric smoothly without pulling on needle when free-motion stitching to prevent breaking needle.



Special-purpose needles

These needles are used only with front-to-back threading machines with zigzag features. Make sure your throat-plate needle hole is wide enough to accommodate needle's width, and zigzag width function is set at zero to prevent sideways movement.

Hemstitch (wing) needle
Uses: Hemstitching or heirloom embroidery on linen and batiste.
Configuration: Has fins on sides of shank to create holes as you sew.
Troubleshooting: Stitch is more effective when needle returns to same needle hole more than once. If needle pushes fabric into needle hole, put stabilizer under fabric.

Twin (double) needle
Uses: Topstitching, pin tucking, and decorative stitching.
Configuration: Two needles on single shaft produce two rows of stitches. Measurement between needles ranges from 1.6mm to 6mm, and needles come with universal, stretch, embroidery, denim, and Metallica points.
Troubleshooting: Be sure throat plate allows for distance between needles.

Triple needle
Uses: Same uses as for double needle.
Configuration: Cross bar on single shaft connects three needles to sew three stitching rows. Comes with universal point in 2.5mm and 3mm widths.
Troubleshooting: Same as for double needle.

Spring needle
Uses: Free-motion stitching with dropped feed dogs.
Configuration: Has wire spring above point to prevent fabrics from riding up onto needle, eliminating need for presser foot.
Troubleshooting: Before using, practice free-motion stitching with heavy regular needle, paper, and dropped feed dogs. Don't pull paper/fabric; instead gently guide it through stitching. Wear safety glasses for free-motion work, since needles often break.

[RAHEN]

How to insert your needle in sewing machine

needles ki aik flat side or aik thin side hoti hai...flat side k upar aik daira bhi bana hota hai..aur yeh machine k andar jati hai...aur thin side se kapre silte hain...
isko dalne ka tareeqa yeh hai k yeh gol daira machine k andar aise fix ho jaye k woh na nikle aur na he shake ho...aur phir ussay right hand par aik thumb screw hoga..usse tight kar dena hai...for more help look into your machine manual or ask tailors or at home..pk mein tau kafi hongi batane wali...
neeche de gayi attachment se aap ko ziada ilm ho sake ga...

Tips for preventing needle problems

• 
  
  needle istemal karne se pehle usse kisi waise he fabric par try karein aap ko andaza ho jayega..k yeh needle is kapre k liye theek hai ya nahi...hamesha needle sharp hone chahiye...loose needle hone se bhi kafi farq parta hai...
  

Bobbin

bobbin ya phirki daalne ka tareeka bhi aap k manual mein hoga...just have a look in that..iska tareeqa yeh hai k bobbin mein dhaage daal kar atleast 5 inch dhaaga bahar rehne dein...aur phir isse machine k androni hisse mein daalein...neeche attachment dekh kar aap ko kuch andaza ho jayega.



Note: For english reader...there is a detailed print in wiki...the link is as follow:
How to Use a Sewing Machine (with video) - wikiHow

[RAHEN]

Now lets start stitching...

For those who havenot ever used the sewing machine...
for them i will suggest to simply sew on a cloth right left round and square...and keep doing it for atleast 1 hr...then use reverse stitching for atleast 10 min...then use your inch tape to mark the borders and the chalk to mark the Alphabets like A, B, C, D, E, F and then stitch on these...you will love it...you can also sew on a drawn flower, fish and etc...when you believe you have done awesome work...then lets go to another step...

The next step
we will go for this simple thing to make...i.e bean bag...
we will make a bag and fill it with beans and then stich over it...this way it will be one sack...we need to make atlest 3 sack of bean bag...the question is how to...

first look into the materials that are needed...

2 pieces of 6 x 4 inch material (use inch tape to calculate and cut. if necessary you can use the chalk to mark the lines...before cutting)
beans or rice


How to:
Place two pieces of cloth in such a way that the wrong side is up and down...OR
place a cloth with right side up on a floor and then place another piece of cloth on top of it with wrong side up...you always have to do this way to sew...so that when you turn it after sewing you have a finished look in right side...

then start sewing the three sides of the bag cloth with 0.5 mm left at the end..this distance will protect the thread from coming out...

later fill the bag with rice or bean and then hand stich ( will guide ya with many types of stitches- if any question related to simple stich...you can ask) on top of it.

hence we have made our first project bean bag...

[RAHEN]

we have something a bit different but almost alike...i.e...sleeping bag...i would want all the learners to watch this video made by craftygemini...the way she explained and showed to make...its awesome...

[youtube]R0p9iQrH2uQ[/youtube]

[youtube]eQEgh4rY2OQ[/youtube]

[youtube]7P8VcD8jlIU[/youtube]

[Tulip]

wow great effort Rahen =)

[RAHEN]

thanks...but did you understand whatever we have covered...