I remember when I started sewing, the amount my fabric would move was shocking (even with pins)! It's lovely when you start getting to the end of seams and having both pieces of fabric still in the same place :-)
Just have to say how cute you look today. I really like your new hairdo. I'm a sewist who is just coming back to sewing.... I actually made my sister's wedding dress (and it was really nice), but then I dropped out of the garment sewing and started quilting. Now almost 40 years later my shape is, ahem.... you might say dropping and resembling more and more a potato, and today's fashions are increasingly unattractive, and I'm trying to relearn lost skills. Your channel is just what I need. I already admired Australia's women for their excellent hand-stitching skills (embroidery, etc.... I'm a crazy quilter), and now I'm finding you.... Thank you so much for stepping up just when I needed you.
I have gone from using a lot of pins as a newbie, evolving to using just a few as I became experienced, then devolving to using a lot again over the last decade due to arthritic fingers making themselves felt. For a while I tacked/basted before sewing on tricky sections - like gathered sleeve caps, but that took longer and made extra work for complaining fingers. Now, I use a lot of pins and only sew in bursts of half an hour or so, then do something else to "rest" my fingers - I call it "pacing" myself. It also helps to get some housework out of the way in "dribs and drabs" instead of going all out in one fell swoop at the end of the day.
Ok...hooray for me! I press double turn hems exactly as you demonstrated. I press everything "crisply" and it serves me well. I am one of those weirdos who LOVES to iron/ press.
Ironing Rocks! I love it all the smell, them steam, the sound of them steam, the crispness of a perfectly pressed item. Nothing weird about it. (Big fan of laundry too.😊)
I like to iron as well. I love the smell and the steam. However, I'm not a big fan of doing the laundry. I will, but don't care for it too much. I know, go figure. Mending is a must in my house. My husband keeps me busy there.
In the Before Times, I was head of the pant line for a Savile Row tailor. We did not use pins at all. Firstly, stitching over pins can potentially cause a machine to malfunction (which risks it being out of action until it can be fixed) and when you are working with fabric that costs up to £4,000 per metre (yeah, it's bonkers, right?) where pins can leave scars in fabric or potentially rip a hole in it. I can make a pair of trousers without using a single pin. The only time I still use pins is before hand basting a collar, cuffs or sleeves in place before stitching. It is definitely a skill worth practicing and mastering. Evelyn - you use your whole arm, like me :)
As I became more experienced, I needed fewer pins in general. When I became still more experienced, I found that if I needed lots of pins for a particular task, it was a good situation for hand basting. It became clear that, where pinning is concerned, there is a point of diminishing returns. My junior high school home economics teacher would be so proud to know that I have finally come to appreciate the virtues of hand basting. It’s initially time consuming, but it saves so much time in the long run. ❤️
I wish my jr high home ec teacher had actually taught us that. I remember clipping edges, and step-layering when you've got a seam with many many layers. Everything else I either already knew from my attempts on my mom's old Kenmore or learned later while wrestling with my grandmother's old Singer. Or am learning now from youtube :)
@@bunhelsingslegacy3549 Oh my goodness, my home ec teacher made us hand baste everything! She never allowed us to go to the machine with pins in our project. It took me so long to realize that hand basting was so useful in many situations, because she made me hate it so much. I recommend it for tricky or tight spots that require extra precision, or any spots that need to be held in place for stitching, but where pins would end up poking you at the machine. And there are some situations where machine basting is just not feasible.
I started sewing when I was 4 years old on my grandma's treadle machine. I really miss that thing. My sewing skills were pretty refined by the time I hit Middle School and back in the sixties in middle school home economics and sewing classes were mandatory. I was quite an accomplished seamstress by the time I reached those classes and through the three years of having to take them, all of my teachers would ask for my advice! It really made me feel good. By the time I was 15 I was working in a local sewing room making down jackets and leather dusters. Now after sewing on industrial machines most of my life I find it very challenging to try and sew on a home machine. If I'm using an industrial machine I don't need pins but for some reason if I use just a small home machine I have to use a lot of them. I think because the industrial machines go so much faster your fabric doesn't have as much time to shift. Thank you so much for your video I have subscribed and will definitely be following you with my notifications on. You have a blessed holiday season!
Oh my goodness, you are right, we began to do things automatically once we get better and forget to show what we are doing. I learn from you every time I watch your videos. I believe my sewing is getting better with all the little details you pin(hahaha) point.
about notches: my grandmother (who taught me to sew) made wedding gowns, and never used notches because people might be taking them out and in to custom fit granny's wedding down in the future and if there's a notch there... some future seamstress might be cursing her. So, she'd put a small safety pin wherever there was a notch on a pattern.
I never make notches. Instead I hand sew a quick pig tail. Pig tails are more precise than the notches. Notches can get lost if the fabric frays a lot. Safety pins are a good idea, except you would have to stop sewing to remove each one as you were going.
My mom taught me to use thread-marking at the notches for the same reason. We still called them "notches" though. Pretty sure thread-marking notch-points was the only reason my mom kept embroidery thread in the house. It was bigger and more colorful.
That's a wonderful idea with safety pins! I would say these are still notches, its just you can mark them in many ways, and this is a very suitable and cleaver one for the end use of the garment!
I have a sewing stiletto but it’s the same idea. Much more control than using a pin. With it being longer your hand is out of the view of the little fiddley bits
I’m a beginner and am learning so much from your videos and VSS! I’m actually going out today to purchase my first sewing pattern and fabric for a skirt. Wish me luck!
Good luck. Don't expect perfection on the first try. When you get done, make another and another. When I began sewing I make 20 traditional men's button up shirts. The first few came out sew-sew. I think I reached factory quality after making at least 10. All are good enough to wear in public.
I am excited to see your finished sewing room! I have gotten proficient enough that I don't use too many pins unless the fabric calls for it. But honestly, I think half the game is knowing when to use more pins or when basting. Pressing and basting take time but make things absolutely beautiful. I also think they help one to enjoy sewing more because it's not so frustrating because things really do turn out infinitely better.
Absolutely brilliant! We are always told not to pull but now I realise tensioning is not the same as pulling, my next quillow will be much better and easier, thank you Evelyn
I use a lot of pins, but I am not a really experienced sewer and inevitably, many end up on the floor as I remove them. Slows me down a lot. Your sewing machine looks like a dream machine.
I have been sewing a long time and use the least pins I can but I have been guilty of sometimes not keeping the drag off and having to rip lol. Always good to be reminded.
I do exactly as you did! Its actually “ all hands on deck” when sewing a seam. I even sort of use my arm as well to keep the fabric going through as it should. It might surprise newbies as you said, to learn that sewing isn’t just running the fabric through the machine. There’s a knack to it, a skill that you learn over time. I had a machine needle go through my finger once while quilting so I’m still slightly a little scared of getting too close.
I’ve had quite a problem with puckering while sewing, and assumed that the pressure of the presser foot was too heavy, so I’ve loosened it, which causes uneven stitch length. After watching your video, I’m going to try the whole hand pressure and pulling taught. Fingers crossed!
As I've grown older n my eyesight has gotten worse I seem to use more pins...mostly so that I can see where I'm going...I need surgery, but that has to wait until covid cases lessen...until then...I use alot of pins...n the little clamps...love them..
What a difference basting stitches make, I was happy to learn about that technique before my first project. I never thought of using my whole arm to keep the fabric flat...I've only used my hand and would sew in small increments lol.
Moderate number of pins, depending on what I am sewing. Quilting - lots of pins, drapes, only a few pins. Of course, ironing plays a major role in each case.
Thanks, that's a nice confirmation of something I'd already started doing without being told. With the hand that provides tautness in front of the machine, I like to pinch all the layers of fabric from above, rather than hooking my thumb underneath. I start by holding the fabric down against the table top with my index finger, and then pinch the fabric up behind it with my thumb, so as not to disturb the alignment of the layers. This way, my index finger is pointing in the direction of movement, which I like.
Zips, I always have a bit of a problem with zips that I put in bags. This is because there is two layers of fabric, one either side of the zip so I have found that basting stitch is the only way to keep everything in place, besides that I still pin everything. I even made my own wrist pin cushion to help with all my pins.
I hem garments a lot without issue. I like to iron and use temporary iron hem tape on most items. I just hemmed lightweight slippery curtains yesterday and I was afraid to get the iron hot enough because the tag said, "cool iron". I used pins to hold the hem, but should have used bouble sided no iron Wonder Tape on the entire hem. The fabric wanted to shift even with pins. I got through it ok. but it was a learning experience. Fabric type matters a lot in choosing how to secure during sewing process.
Hello Evelyn, I am a beginner in sewing and I have both the pins and the clips to hold my material and is using this the technique new users start off with, but look to be using less pins/clips as I improve my technique. I have learned some from you and others I have viewed your videos and believe your information will help me in the long term.
There is also something nobody tells you, which is to always check how the rest on your fabric lays besides the machine, so it doesn't pull or twist the part you're actually sewing!
Anyone who watches my videos knows I barely use pins. It damages fabric and often shifts pieces rather than holding them in place as desired. If I am working on something large or curvy or requiring a great deal of precision (eg zipper), I rely on a basting stitch instead.
My mother was a dressmaker. She basted everything. It seemed to be called ‘tacking’ back in the day. She insisted that it was a vital step for accuracy. She also was fastidious about understitching. In my early days of sewing, I used to cut corners for speed. Not a good idea. I now tack and understitch like a thing possessed. Always listen to the voice of experience.
If you stop sewing with the needle down you can then lift the presser foot to release that drag. Definitely press before sewing without pins! But in really slippery fabric, or stretchy, or bias, or fussy joins, it can be easier and faster and far more certain to baste with thread first. Pinning used to be called "pin basting" after all.
Slippery fabric can also cause the layers to shift out of place. Shifting fabric can be a problem even while using pins. Also the pins will pucker the fabric. I agree. On fussy joins baste with thread. I always baste when attaching a collar to a bodice. I rarely ever use pins.
Few pins. I always seem to fight puckers or have my seams/hems go awry and fail to match if I have too many pins in the mix. I like the ability to finesse my top layer to match by the end of the stitch. I only step up the pins when I'm using a stabilizing media on stretchy fabrics, or multiple heavy layers where the bulk is just too much to manhandle.
I love this. Pins have always seemed to make it too difficult for my fabric to "move" at the sewing machine during construction so I use as few as possible. I taught myself the habit of using my left hand under the fabric to guide the bulk along as I seam. I also cheat and use hem clips (sparingly) for slippery fabrics. I am a prep person, so neatening my cuts and pressing are key for me.
I’m of the baste or bust school. It’s better to take the time to get the sewing line marked and sometimes thread mark that if you don’t take time to properly prepare your fabric before you go to the machine you are working against yourself. Prewash if possible, press before pinning your pattern down or use your pattern weights to keep things in place. Mark your seaming lines, notches, and, darts. I baste inside the seam allowance for delicate fabric. I might make things more complicated to most people’s minds but my sleeves being basted are so much easier to deal with.
I can go without pins to do a straight seam on a well-behaved non-stretch fabric, but honestly as soon as there's any stretch or curve, pins, pins, pins! Or basting! I'm surprised you didn't mention basting, it helps a lot where pins would get in the way, or if you intend to take your project to hand sew somewhere out of your sewing room and don't want to risk losing pins everywhere (or setting traps for unsuspecting feet).
It definitely depends on what I’m sewing. If I’m working on anything with a curve I definitely feel like I use a lot of pins cause it usually means easing in something that doesn’t really just fit right out the gate. I’m still very much a beginner but its interesting to think what I use pins on and what I don’t really
Oh as a newbie it can be so frustrating for one layer pulling east and another going west. I going to definitely practice these methods. I also find I have better control of my fabric if I sew with the open arm. I loop my fabric under the open space and put the part I’m sewing up under needle and sewing space. I also find putting a stay stitch in helps quite a bit & in the long run saves time. I did get frustrated with thread coming out of needle but another RUclips person showed how to thread needle so thread won’t come out. Instead of one strand of thread through eye of needle put 2 strands of thread through the eye. It can be done 2 ways. Pull a long strand of thread and loop it at top and pull loop between your thumb and finger until loop is real tiny (about size of flea). Then slip eye of needle over the tiny loop of thread. This sounds hard but it’s actually easier then trying to take one strand and get it through the eye of needle. You can also use a needle threader. Now keep the needle threaded and pull loop up some and don’t let needle come off the 2 strands. Pull the needle up the top & back of loop and pull thread around eye of needle. The thread will not form a knot but will just wrap around eye of needle. Do this and use some thread conditioner and no more thread coming out of needle or thread getting tangled. The needle & thread go through fabric with no problems whatsoever. It’s been real game changer with my hand sewing & hemming. I also use school house washable glue sticks to hold those ornery seams in place. Place my 2 pieces of fabric together with the glue and let it dry for about 10 minutes and then sew with no pins or clips. I let glue dry so I won’t gunk up machine. I do wipe needle with damp cloth and the glue washes out of fabric. I read where quilters use this method to align seams.
I am a "many-pinned person. I also hand baste seams first. I still battle to get all this right. I am going to watch this video and again (and again) and try and emulate you. NB - I aspire to slow sewing - I don't understand the "I must get this finished asap".
I've been using pins as I've only just started sewing, but I still find myself instinctively working with the fabric as you show here, pulling hands apart to tighten the fabric and moving it with both hands to keep it from moving further down (which can still happen with pins, maybe I'm using them wrong...). I'll need to get an iron now, I guess.
I started sewing about a week ago. I often forget the pins are in there and jab myself. I did my last couple placemats (all I've been brave enough to try so far) without pins. I tried wonder clips and not sure about those yet. I appreciate all the tips, you're a talented sewist
@@406xstitch Also if you haven't already, you might want to try the pins with the brightly coloured balls on the ends rather than the little dressmaker pins, easier to remember not to grab the pointy bits when you can see the heads (but alas, I still stab myself because I am a klutz). Also experiment with which direction to have your sharp ends pointing, sometimes you want them parallel to your stitch line, sometimes perpendicular, and sometimes you want the pointy ends away from you and sometimes towards you. Just think of every jab as a learning experience :D
I use clips. Also, I sew with a 1907 hand crank machine. I find that fabric doesn't move under it as much as it does the faster machines. It's slower. But it's absolutely perfection! The stitches it makes are so tiny and tight, you can't seam rip them. But there's never a need to. Things always come out right even with only 1 hand to guide the fabric and im disabled.
That's nice to hear, I'm soon going to start a project on a 1914 hand crank machine, I'm hoping having more direct control over the speed will help me not make as big a mess as I usually make with my 80s Singer (which has been an obnoxious pain in the patoot since I got it in the 90s) or 70s Kenmore (which admittedly needs servicing because its factory lubrication has gunked up after sitting idle for 40 years). I've mostly been hand sewing everything because I zen out doing it instead of swearing at myself or my machines :)
@@bunhelsingslegacy3549 you will very much enjoy the hard crank then. It's so much more peaceful, and precise! Mine does forward and reverse with adjustable stitch length for both. It's from the Netherlands. A Seidell and Naumann machine. So mostly exactly like a singer, but the reverse too. It's a vibrating shuttle machine. Sewing with it is so peaceful. I just do better with a slower machine. It's way more relaxing, and I enjoy being able to take it anywhere I want.
@@bunhelsingslegacy3549 the machines past the 60's really aren't great. They started having plastic gears and parts and they don't hold up over time. Try and find you some that are older than those. You'll be way more satisfied with them.
@@penelope-oe2vr Mine's a Jones vibrating shuttle that was rebadged "Victoria" (becuase every single sewing machine company made one called Victoria, took an entire evening of two of us googling it to figure out what it actually was), I don't know if it has a reverse, I need to re-read the manual. My mom had it in her basement, given to her by family friend whose kids used to babysit me, I think it was her grandmother's brought over from England. Its first project is going to be a half-corset!
@@penelope-oe2vr I learned on mom's 70s Kenmore and it was awesome, that thing would punch through anything, this Kenmore I have just hasn't been used in a long time and has some internally sticky parts, it was literally used for one project then put back in its original box for decades. The Singer was always a piece of crap with attitude. A friend has found me a Japanese brand machine from the 60s that's got some fun options and she's getting it serviced for me, says it handles nicely and might be a good fit too. And I've also got some kind of treadle machine in the basement I really need to dig out and try, once I replace the belt. I also discovered that I really just enjoy hand sewing...
When would you tack instead? I was always taught to tack by hand before taking a item to the machine (and feel vaguely guilty that mostly I don't) to avoid having pins under the machine at all.
I think you have more control with tacking/basting. I consider myself a lazy sewer, but anything I have to use a lot of pins for (setting in sleeve heads, for example), I will tack/baste everything in place, beforehand. Whereas, I'm comfortable handling straight seams or hems with just an iron. No pins and no tacking.
Learned so much, thank you. What is the difference between placing pins on your fabric and tacking Evelyn? I recall at sewing class at school tacking was a must - appreciate things change but I never see anyone tack hems / edges / joins anymore.
Had to think about maneuvering fabric under the sewing machine as I was serging edges together on a curved neckband. Definitely no pens involved there as they will ruin the cutting blades. Additionally one has to be careful they're not trimming off more than they need to so you're often looking and maneuvering the layers underneath. Additionally another fabric manipulation while sewing is attaching a ring of elastic to your panties waist or leg openings.
No pins. Been at no pins for a very long time, and yet, even now, you do need one or two (or if you're pleating, every pin you own) to get the job done.
Sewing is like driving in a lot of ways. We all learn to drive for the weather conditions. Just as you learn to sew with the different fabric conditions. Small straight seams are very different than curve seams just as cotton is different from Lycra. It depends on the fabric and what you’re making whether you pin or bast and your comfort level! I bast zippers while cursing I can do them but they are so annoying and fiddling. If I can get away with it I change it to a button placket! And yes I know I’m weird!! lol
Haha, historically the only time I've ever done a perfect straight seam on a machine was while doing zippers!!! Without a zipper foot!!! We all have our weirdnesses, it's just a matter of figuring them out and working with or around them :)
I’ve been a serious pinner, a moderate pinner, a one pinner and even a no pinner. I’ve swung back and forth over the years. There was a time when i HAD to sew with no pins as fast as possible, just to try to prove i was as good as everyone else (spoiler alert! I wasn’t!) Then i got a grip, now i assess what I’m specifically doing and decide seam by seam. Tricky bits or slippery fabrics? Lots of pins and slow down. Straight seams, eh, no pins, or just a pin to mark a particular spot. I don’t think i’ve gotten particularly better at sewing. I’ve just gotten smarter.
Hi, I just found your channel today :D. I'm a complete novice to sewing, but I've set myself the goal of learning to sew a simple men's blazer by the end of 2022. I really like your teaching style and would love to join your online school. I was wondering if the lessons you teach could be applicable to menswear as well ? Sorry if that is a completely rediculous question I still have so much to learn haa haa. :D
depends entirely on the fabric. woven cotton? who needs pins. woven satin polyester? give me a couple to mark the bends. anything stretchy? ALL OF THE PINS OMG I NEED MORE. I also have been testing (just today!) a walking foot, and it helps a lot in fixing the "unease" (i.e. uneven eases). all I have left now is to be able to make actual straight lines. because, it may be (partly) my cheap machine, but... it almost looks like I got drunk before sewing.
ALL OF THE PINS. Attaching opposite direction curves on a princess seam? Nope. I'm pinning that sucker every half-cm. I'll fell seams by hand without pins (or ironing, for that matter, since I tend to use linen which I can press with my fingers, or flannel which won't press if you got a gods' blessing on the iron). And I generally have to pin to press. And I'll pin the crap out of it before I baste something together, I still use the pins, just not in front of the machine... Also I am terrible with machines. Or I have terrible machines, but I'm pretty sure it's me. I'm just accepting that I will either need pins or basting for pretty much anything I put through a machine. I'm also really bad for poking myself when I've got something stuck full of pins, so if I'm going to baste it anyway, I might as well just backstitch the thing and be done with it. I'm not great with hand sewing either, I've been known to baste my stitch lines so I know I am sewing where I'm supposed to and not wandering around... And when I run into problems with machine sewing despite all the pins I use, I find it easier to ease things around between the feed dogs and presser food with the end of my seam ripper, it's got a more comfortable handle than a pin and it's sharp enough of a point to catch the fabric but not sharp enough to do damage to most things :)
Hi Evelyn I'm a fairly new Subscriber and I want to work with Leather, and I have a Singer 15-91 and a Singer mod. 66 two gorges Sewing machines and a few attachments. I truly enjoy your channel! and the lessons you provide Thank You, ( question) I would like to put a hemm on a leather Patch that I would like to sew on a jacket is there a hemming foot that could do just that for a singer 15-91 sewing machine. the leather patch is about 1/16 in thickness, sorry I'm a machinist I don't know what weight that would be, thank you LUIGI (GINO) DELUCIA
I am not a very experienced sewer. I have made the poor choice of making a dress for my granddaughter out of velvet with a satin lining. Thank goodness she is a baby and will never notice the flaws. I am struggling so much with keeping this fabric from bunching and shifting. The amount of pins I have been using is shocking. I finally have a lined yoke after hours of frustrating work. It just dawned on me basting could be my friend in this project. But, I'm afraid of crushing the velvet. Is this a worry, and will it help?
Like you, I've taken up sewing to be able to sew for granddaughter. I hope Evelyn does a video on handling special fabrics like velvet, lace etc. Yes, I'm quite happy my granddaughter doesn't recognize "unprofessional" sewing. The outside looked good, so she was happy :)
I know its not really necessary, but have you had experience with a walking foot sewing machine to help solve this, and if so, have you found any downsides to having a walking foot sewing machine handle the more delicate fabrics you use for garments?
The one thing I would suggest is to make a sample seam with your walking foot. On some machines, you can adjust the amount of play in the layers of the fabric. I even have a differential feed on my serger. Doing a sample prevents you from having to rip everything apart.
@@1packatak yes!!! Samples are a must!! If it’s important enough to spend the time and money on it’s important enough to do it well!! Samples allow you to see how your fabric will behave with interfacings as well as check all tensions and balance the stitches. They save so much work in the long run!!!
hello very nice lady fantastic videos for all of us who would like to watch please kindly film how to thread and operate your beautiful juki industrial sewing machine please OK? please kindly let me know OK? thank you very much
Leave your best tips for sewing with less pins for us below! 😃 Lean to sew with me online at Vintage Sewing School www.vintagesewingschool.com/
I remember when I started sewing, the amount my fabric would move was shocking (even with pins)! It's lovely when you start getting to the end of seams and having both pieces of fabric still in the same place :-)
😂 I know right! But when you first start, you don't even notice how much the fabrics moves either!
Just have to say how cute you look today. I really like your new hairdo. I'm a sewist who is just coming back to sewing.... I actually made my sister's wedding dress (and it was really nice), but then I dropped out of the garment sewing and started quilting. Now almost 40 years later my shape is, ahem.... you might say dropping and resembling more and more a potato, and today's fashions are increasingly unattractive, and I'm trying to relearn lost skills. Your channel is just what I need. I already admired Australia's women for their excellent hand-stitching skills (embroidery, etc.... I'm a crazy quilter), and now I'm finding you.... Thank you so much for stepping up just when I needed you.
Thanks!
I have gone from using a lot of pins as a newbie, evolving to using just a few as I became experienced, then devolving to using a lot again over the last decade due to arthritic fingers making themselves felt. For a while I tacked/basted before sewing on tricky sections - like gathered sleeve caps, but that took longer and made extra work for complaining fingers. Now, I use a lot of pins and only sew in bursts of half an hour or so, then do something else to "rest" my fingers - I call it "pacing" myself. It also helps to get some housework out of the way in "dribs and drabs" instead of going all out in one fell swoop at the end of the day.
Excellent tips thank you so much ✍✍✍✍
Ok...hooray for me! I press double turn hems exactly as you demonstrated. I press everything "crisply" and it serves me well. I am one of those weirdos who LOVES to iron/ press.
Ironing Rocks! I love it all the smell, them steam, the sound of them steam, the crispness of a perfectly pressed item. Nothing weird about it. (Big fan of laundry too.😊)
I like to iron as well. I love the smell and the steam. However, I'm not a big fan of doing the laundry. I will, but don't care for it too much. I know, go figure. Mending is a must in my house. My husband keeps me busy there.
😆 I bet it serves you well! There's nothing better than a crispy well pressed garment!
Ironing makes sewing so much easier. I iron my fabric before I cut pattern pieces, and I press out seams and iron or press as I go along.
In the Before Times, I was head of the pant line for a Savile Row tailor.
We did not use pins at all. Firstly, stitching over pins can potentially cause a machine to malfunction (which risks it being out of action until it can be fixed) and when you are working with fabric that costs up to £4,000 per metre (yeah, it's bonkers, right?) where pins can leave scars in fabric or potentially rip a hole in it. I can make a pair of trousers without using a single pin. The only time I still use pins is before hand basting a collar, cuffs or sleeves in place before stitching.
It is definitely a skill worth practicing and mastering.
Evelyn - you use your whole arm, like me :)
As I became more experienced, I needed fewer pins in general. When I became still more experienced, I found that if I needed lots of pins for a particular task, it was a good situation for hand basting. It became clear that, where pinning is concerned, there is a point of diminishing returns. My junior high school home economics teacher would be so proud to know that I have finally come to appreciate the virtues of hand basting. It’s initially time consuming, but it saves so much time in the long run. ❤️
I wish my jr high home ec teacher had actually taught us that. I remember clipping edges, and step-layering when you've got a seam with many many layers. Everything else I either already knew from my attempts on my mom's old Kenmore or learned later while wrestling with my grandmother's old Singer. Or am learning now from youtube :)
@@bunhelsingslegacy3549 Oh my goodness, my home ec teacher made us hand baste everything! She never allowed us to go to the machine with pins in our project. It took me so long to realize that hand basting was so useful in many situations, because she made me hate it so much. I recommend it for tricky or tight spots that require extra precision, or any spots that need to be held in place for stitching, but where pins would end up poking you at the machine. And there are some situations where machine basting is just not feasible.
I started sewing when I was 4 years old on my grandma's treadle machine. I really miss that thing. My sewing skills were pretty refined by the time I hit Middle School and back in the sixties in middle school home economics and sewing classes were mandatory. I was quite an accomplished seamstress by the time I reached those classes and through the three years of having to take them, all of my teachers would ask for my advice! It really made me feel good. By the time I was 15 I was working in a local sewing room making down jackets and leather dusters. Now after sewing on industrial machines most of my life I find it very challenging to try and sew on a home machine. If I'm using an industrial machine I don't need pins but for some reason if I use just a small home machine I have to use a lot of them. I think because the industrial machines go so much faster your fabric doesn't have as much time to shift. Thank you so much for your video I have subscribed and will definitely be following you with my notifications on. You have a blessed holiday season!
Oh my goodness, you are right, we began to do things automatically once we get better and forget to show what we are doing. I learn from you every time I watch your videos. I believe my sewing is getting better with all the little details you pin(hahaha) point.
I've been sewing for 40 years and still use all the pins:-) but will try your techniques. Thanks for posting!
about notches: my grandmother (who taught me to sew) made wedding gowns, and never used notches because people might be taking them out and in to custom fit granny's wedding down in the future and if there's a notch there... some future seamstress might be cursing her. So, she'd put a small safety pin wherever there was a notch on a pattern.
I never make notches. Instead I hand sew a quick pig tail. Pig tails are more precise than the notches. Notches can get lost if the fabric frays a lot. Safety pins are a good idea, except you would have to stop sewing to remove each one as you were going.
My mom taught me to use thread-marking at the notches for the same reason. We still called them "notches" though. Pretty sure thread-marking notch-points was the only reason my mom kept embroidery thread in the house. It was bigger and more colorful.
My mom taught me to use tailor’s chalk to mark my fabric.
That's a wonderful idea with safety pins! I would say these are still notches, its just you can mark them in many ways, and this is a very suitable and cleaver one for the end use of the garment!
I second the tailor's chalk to mark notches. I am inept at cutting little "V"s in fabric, ha ha.
Using a sewing awl can help you ease in fullness on top much better.
I have a sewing stiletto but it’s the same idea. Much more control than using a pin. With it being longer your hand is out of the view of the little fiddley bits
I’m a beginner and am learning so much from your videos and VSS! I’m actually going out today to purchase my first sewing pattern and fabric for a skirt. Wish me luck!
Good luck. Don't expect perfection on the first try. When you get done, make another and another. When I began sewing I make 20 traditional men's button up shirts. The first few came out sew-sew. I think I reached factory quality after making at least 10. All are good enough to wear in public.
You got this! Evelyn is an excellent teacher.
Yay Linda!! I'm so excited!! Everything you need to get you through it is in VSS, have fun with it! 😀
You’re absolutely right - you don’t know what you don’t know or what to ask. Your videos are always practical and helpful. Thank you.
I am an experienced sewist but learn so much from your videos. Thank you for doing them.
Yes. Mrs. French (my best High School sewing teacher) taught us that pinning can cause you to sew in mistakes. She was correct.
Oh that's a good one! She is totally right! 😀
I am excited to see your finished sewing room! I have gotten proficient enough that I don't use too many pins unless the fabric calls for it. But honestly, I think half the game is knowing when to use more pins or when basting. Pressing and basting take time but make things absolutely beautiful. I also think they help one to enjoy sewing more because it's not so frustrating because things really do turn out infinitely better.
Absolutely brilliant! We are always told not to pull but now I realise tensioning is not the same as pulling, my next quillow will be much better and easier, thank you Evelyn
I use a lot of pins, but I am not a really experienced sewer and inevitably, many end up on the floor as I remove them. Slows me down a lot. Your sewing machine looks like a dream machine.
I love your sewing videos. I'm an intermediate sewist, but there's always something new to learn! Thanks for all your helpful tips and advice. ❤
You are the master, Ms Evelyn! I always learn so much from you! 💗
I have been sewing a long time and use the least pins I can but I have been guilty of sometimes not keeping the drag off and having to rip lol. Always good to be reminded.
I do exactly as you did! Its actually “ all hands on deck” when sewing a seam. I even sort of use my arm as well to keep the fabric going through as it should. It might surprise newbies as you said, to learn that sewing isn’t just running the fabric through the machine. There’s a knack to it, a skill that you learn over time. I had a machine needle go through my finger once while quilting so I’m still slightly a little scared of getting too close.
It becomes instinctual after awhile and nothing more rewarding than a beautifully sewn item. Fabulous lesson. Thank you.
I agree, you just pick it up as you go along!
Enjoyed your tutorial very much !!! I learned a lot about holding the material properly. Never had this explained to me!!! It's a game changer !!!
I’ve had quite a problem with puckering while sewing, and assumed that the pressure of the presser foot was too heavy, so I’ve loosened it, which causes uneven stitch length. After watching your video, I’m going to try the whole hand pressure and pulling taught. Fingers crossed!
As I've grown older n my eyesight has gotten worse I seem to use more pins...mostly so that I can see where I'm going...I need surgery, but that has to wait until covid cases lessen...until then...I use alot of pins...n the little clamps...love them..
What a difference basting stitches make, I was happy to learn about that technique before my first project.
I never thought of using my whole arm to keep the fabric flat...I've only used my hand and would sew in small increments lol.
THANK YOU for this video! I am self-taught and I could never figure out exactly what I am supposed to be doing when people say "managing fabric."
🤣🤣 I know right! It is very hard to explain also, so I hope I've done a good enough job to get you on your way!
You’re really helping me improve my sewing skills. Thank you.
Always baste before I see much better than pins easy to fit without tears .
Moderate number of pins, depending on what I am sewing. Quilting - lots of pins, drapes, only a few pins. Of course, ironing plays a major role in each case.
Thanks, that's a nice confirmation of something I'd already started doing without being told.
With the hand that provides tautness in front of the machine, I like to pinch all the layers of fabric from above, rather than hooking my thumb underneath. I start by holding the fabric down against the table top with my index finger, and then pinch the fabric up behind it with my thumb, so as not to disturb the alignment of the layers. This way, my index finger is pointing in the direction of movement, which I like.
Great tip! Thanks for sharing!
That’s it exactly. Margaret Islander was the first person I saw sewing without pins. Pinning is so ingrained in us.
I used to do it that way too but apparently badly :D new goal, sew a straight line on a mancine, any of my machines.
Zips, I always have a bit of a problem with zips that I put in bags. This is because there is two layers of fabric, one either side of the zip so I have found that basting stitch is the only way to keep everything in place, besides that I still pin everything. I even made my own wrist pin cushion to help with all my pins.
Basting is just a must sometimes to get the right result!
I hem garments a lot without issue. I like to iron and use temporary iron hem tape on most items. I just hemmed lightweight slippery curtains yesterday and I was afraid to get the iron hot enough because the tag said, "cool iron". I used pins to hold the hem, but should have used bouble sided no iron Wonder Tape on the entire hem. The fabric wanted to shift even with pins. I got through it ok. but it was a learning experience. Fabric type matters a lot in choosing how to secure during sewing process.
Hello Evelyn, I am a beginner in sewing and I have both the pins and the clips to hold my material and is using this the technique new users start off with, but look to be using less pins/clips as I improve my technique. I have learned some from you and others I have viewed your videos and believe your information will help me in the long term.
There is also something nobody tells you, which is to always check how the rest on your fabric lays besides the machine, so it doesn't pull or twist the part you're actually sewing!
Anyone who watches my videos knows I barely use pins. It damages fabric and often shifts pieces rather than holding them in place as desired. If I am working on something large or curvy or requiring a great deal of precision (eg zipper), I rely on a basting stitch instead.
My mother was a dressmaker. She basted everything. It seemed to be called ‘tacking’ back in the day. She insisted that it was a vital step for accuracy. She also was fastidious about understitching. In my early days of sewing, I used to cut corners for speed. Not a good idea. I now tack and understitch like a thing possessed. Always listen to the voice of experience.
If you stop sewing with the needle down you can then lift the presser foot to release that drag.
Definitely press before sewing without pins! But in really slippery fabric, or stretchy, or bias, or fussy joins, it can be easier and faster and far more certain to baste with thread first. Pinning used to be called "pin basting" after all.
Slippery fabric can also cause the layers to shift out of place. Shifting fabric can be a problem even while using pins. Also the pins will pucker the fabric. I agree. On fussy joins baste with thread. I always baste when attaching a collar to a bodice. I rarely ever use pins.
Few pins. I always seem to fight puckers or have my seams/hems go awry and fail to match if I have too many pins in the mix. I like the ability to finesse my top layer to match by the end of the stitch. I only step up the pins when I'm using a stabilizing media on stretchy fabrics, or multiple heavy layers where the bulk is just too much to manhandle.
I love this. Pins have always seemed to make it too difficult for my fabric to "move" at the sewing machine during construction so I use as few as possible. I taught myself the habit of using my left hand under the fabric to guide the bulk along as I seam. I also cheat and use hem clips (sparingly) for slippery fabrics. I am a prep person, so neatening my cuts and pressing are key for me.
I’m of the baste or bust school. It’s better to take the time to get the sewing line marked and sometimes thread mark that if you don’t take time to properly prepare your fabric before you go to the machine you are working against yourself. Prewash if possible, press before pinning your pattern down or use your pattern weights to keep things in place. Mark your seaming lines, notches, and, darts. I baste inside the seam allowance for delicate fabric. I might make things more complicated to most people’s minds but my sleeves being basted are so much easier to deal with.
I can go without pins to do a straight seam on a well-behaved non-stretch fabric, but honestly as soon as there's any stretch or curve, pins, pins, pins! Or basting! I'm surprised you didn't mention basting, it helps a lot where pins would get in the way, or if you intend to take your project to hand sew somewhere out of your sewing room and don't want to risk losing pins everywhere (or setting traps for unsuspecting feet).
Thanks for the video. I use few pins except for sleeves. I pin those to death. 😆
Good choice! 😄
I do not always use pins, but I wish to use the less I can. Thank you for the infos 🥰😊
It definitely depends on what I’m sewing. If I’m working on anything with a curve I definitely feel like I use a lot of pins cause it usually means easing in something that doesn’t really just fit right out the gate. I’m still very much a beginner but its interesting to think what I use pins on and what I don’t really
I realized with my first ever princess seams that I needed WAY MORE pins than I usually use :)
Oh as a newbie it can be so frustrating for one layer pulling east and another going west. I going to definitely practice these methods. I also find I have better control of my fabric if I sew with the open arm. I loop my fabric under the open space and put the part I’m sewing up under needle and sewing space. I also find putting a stay stitch in helps quite a bit & in the long run saves time. I did get frustrated with thread coming out of needle but another RUclips person showed how to thread needle so thread won’t come out. Instead of one strand of thread through eye of needle put 2 strands of thread through the eye. It can be done 2 ways. Pull a long strand of thread and loop it at top and pull loop between your thumb and finger until loop is real tiny (about size of flea). Then slip eye of needle over the tiny loop of thread. This sounds hard but it’s actually easier then trying to take one strand and get it through the eye of needle. You can also use a needle threader. Now keep the needle threaded and pull loop up some and don’t let needle come off the 2 strands. Pull the needle up the top & back of loop and pull thread around eye of needle. The thread will not form a knot but will just wrap around eye of needle. Do this and use some thread conditioner and no more thread coming out of needle or thread getting tangled. The needle & thread go through fabric with no problems whatsoever. It’s been real game changer with my hand sewing & hemming. I also use school house washable glue sticks to hold those ornery seams in place. Place my 2 pieces of fabric together with the glue and let it dry for about 10 minutes and then sew with no pins or clips. I let glue dry so I won’t gunk up machine. I do wipe needle with damp cloth and the glue washes out of fabric. I read where quilters use this method to align seams.
it's so good to see your Juki again!
I am a "many-pinned person. I also hand baste seams first. I still battle to get all this right. I am going to watch this video and again (and again) and try and emulate you. NB - I aspire to slow sewing - I don't understand the "I must get this finished asap".
I've been using pins as I've only just started sewing, but I still find myself instinctively working with the fabric as you show here, pulling hands apart to tighten the fabric and moving it with both hands to keep it from moving further down (which can still happen with pins, maybe I'm using them wrong...).
I'll need to get an iron now, I guess.
I started sewing about a week ago. I often forget the pins are in there and jab myself. I did my last couple placemats (all I've been brave enough to try so far) without pins. I tried wonder clips and not sure about those yet. I appreciate all the tips, you're a talented sewist
...I've been sewing for decades and I still don't consider a garment finished until it's bled me :P
@@bunhelsingslegacy3549 valuable feedback! 😂
@@406xstitch Also if you haven't already, you might want to try the pins with the brightly coloured balls on the ends rather than the little dressmaker pins, easier to remember not to grab the pointy bits when you can see the heads (but alas, I still stab myself because I am a klutz). Also experiment with which direction to have your sharp ends pointing, sometimes you want them parallel to your stitch line, sometimes perpendicular, and sometimes you want the pointy ends away from you and sometimes towards you. Just think of every jab as a learning experience :D
@@bunhelsingslegacy3549 great tips! Thank you :)
I use clips. Also, I sew with a 1907 hand crank machine. I find that fabric doesn't move under it as much as it does the faster machines. It's slower. But it's absolutely perfection! The stitches it makes are so tiny and tight, you can't seam rip them. But there's never a need to. Things always come out right even with only 1 hand to guide the fabric and im disabled.
That's nice to hear, I'm soon going to start a project on a 1914 hand crank machine, I'm hoping having more direct control over the speed will help me not make as big a mess as I usually make with my 80s Singer (which has been an obnoxious pain in the patoot since I got it in the 90s) or 70s Kenmore (which admittedly needs servicing because its factory lubrication has gunked up after sitting idle for 40 years). I've mostly been hand sewing everything because I zen out doing it instead of swearing at myself or my machines :)
@@bunhelsingslegacy3549 you will very much enjoy the hard crank then. It's so much more peaceful, and precise! Mine does forward and reverse with adjustable stitch length for both. It's from the Netherlands. A Seidell and Naumann machine. So mostly exactly like a singer, but the reverse too. It's a vibrating shuttle machine. Sewing with it is so peaceful. I just do better with a slower machine. It's way more relaxing, and I enjoy being able to take it anywhere I want.
@@bunhelsingslegacy3549 the machines past the 60's really aren't great. They started having plastic gears and parts and they don't hold up over time. Try and find you some that are older than those. You'll be way more satisfied with them.
@@penelope-oe2vr Mine's a Jones vibrating shuttle that was rebadged "Victoria" (becuase every single sewing machine company made one called Victoria, took an entire evening of two of us googling it to figure out what it actually was), I don't know if it has a reverse, I need to re-read the manual. My mom had it in her basement, given to her by family friend whose kids used to babysit me, I think it was her grandmother's brought over from England. Its first project is going to be a half-corset!
@@penelope-oe2vr I learned on mom's 70s Kenmore and it was awesome, that thing would punch through anything, this Kenmore I have just hasn't been used in a long time and has some internally sticky parts, it was literally used for one project then put back in its original box for decades. The Singer was always a piece of crap with attitude. A friend has found me a Japanese brand machine from the 60s that's got some fun options and she's getting it serviced for me, says it handles nicely and might be a good fit too. And I've also got some kind of treadle machine in the basement I really need to dig out and try, once I replace the belt. I also discovered that I really just enjoy hand sewing...
Great tips today!! Ty for sharing them with us!!
I love all the tips . I use some pins.
Will be giving this a try!
Love this idea
When would you tack instead? I was always taught to tack by hand before taking a item to the machine (and feel vaguely guilty that mostly I don't) to avoid having pins under the machine at all.
I think you have more control with tacking/basting. I consider myself a lazy sewer, but anything I have to use a lot of pins for (setting in sleeve heads, for example), I will tack/baste everything in place, beforehand. Whereas, I'm comfortable handling straight seams or hems with just an iron. No pins and no tacking.
I have a really nice basting stitch on my machine that I can adjust in length. I find myself using that more than I thought I would.
If you having trouble with it, tacking or basting is the next step!
Learned so much, thank you. What is the difference between placing pins on your fabric and tacking Evelyn? I recall at sewing class at school tacking was a must - appreciate things change but I never see anyone tack hems / edges / joins anymore.
Thanks for watching! Tracing is usually meant as hand tacking, or basting. Temporary hand stitches to hold in place..
Had to think about maneuvering fabric under the sewing machine as I was serging edges together on a curved neckband. Definitely no pens involved there as they will ruin the cutting blades. Additionally one has to be careful they're not trimming off more than they need to so you're often looking and maneuvering the layers underneath. Additionally another fabric manipulation while sewing is attaching a ring of elastic to your panties waist or leg openings.
No pins. Been at no pins for a very long time, and yet, even now, you do need one or two (or if you're pleating, every pin you own) to get the job done.
Sewing is like driving in a lot of ways. We all learn to drive for the weather conditions. Just as you learn to sew with the different fabric conditions. Small straight seams are very different than curve seams just as cotton is different from Lycra. It depends on the fabric and what you’re making whether you pin or bast and your comfort level! I bast zippers while cursing I can do them but they are so annoying and fiddling. If I can get away with it I change it to a button placket! And yes I know I’m weird!! lol
Haha, historically the only time I've ever done a perfect straight seam on a machine was while doing zippers!!! Without a zipper foot!!! We all have our weirdnesses, it's just a matter of figuring them out and working with or around them :)
Depends on the fabric & what I'm making with it. Sometimes lots of pins, sometimes hardly any.
I agree. Depends on the type of fabric if you'll need lots of pins. I sometimes feel I pin to death everything I sew.
I think the garment can dictate pinning. Curves can be a pain without pinning or tacking.
You are so lovely thanking you for all your information a uk fan
So helpful!!
Great work…
I’ve been a serious pinner, a moderate pinner, a one pinner and even a no pinner. I’ve swung back and forth over the years. There was a time when i HAD to sew with no pins as fast as possible, just to try to prove i was as good as everyone else (spoiler alert! I wasn’t!) Then i got a grip, now i assess what I’m specifically doing and decide seam by seam. Tricky bits or slippery fabrics? Lots of pins and slow down. Straight seams, eh, no pins, or just a pin to mark a particular spot. I don’t think i’ve gotten particularly better at sewing. I’ve just gotten smarter.
I am still a "gal with a thousand pins"... but I can set goals!
Hi, I just found your channel today :D. I'm a complete novice to sewing, but I've set myself the goal of learning to sew a simple men's blazer by the end of 2022. I really like your teaching style and would love to join your online school. I was wondering if the lessons you teach could be applicable to menswear as well ? Sorry if that is a completely rediculous question I still have so much to learn haa haa. :D
depends entirely on the fabric. woven cotton? who needs pins. woven satin polyester? give me a couple to mark the bends. anything stretchy? ALL OF THE PINS OMG I NEED MORE.
I also have been testing (just today!) a walking foot, and it helps a lot in fixing the "unease" (i.e. uneven eases). all I have left now is to be able to make actual straight lines. because, it may be (partly) my cheap machine, but... it almost looks like I got drunk before sewing.
I like a lot of pins, even if it slows me down🤣
I’m really advance in my sewing , only use 1……..box of pins 😂
I still pin quite a bit. (By "still" I mean I made my first dress in 1965)
ALL OF THE PINS. Attaching opposite direction curves on a princess seam? Nope. I'm pinning that sucker every half-cm. I'll fell seams by hand without pins (or ironing, for that matter, since I tend to use linen which I can press with my fingers, or flannel which won't press if you got a gods' blessing on the iron). And I generally have to pin to press. And I'll pin the crap out of it before I baste something together, I still use the pins, just not in front of the machine...
Also I am terrible with machines. Or I have terrible machines, but I'm pretty sure it's me. I'm just accepting that I will either need pins or basting for pretty much anything I put through a machine. I'm also really bad for poking myself when I've got something stuck full of pins, so if I'm going to baste it anyway, I might as well just backstitch the thing and be done with it. I'm not great with hand sewing either, I've been known to baste my stitch lines so I know I am sewing where I'm supposed to and not wandering around...
And when I run into problems with machine sewing despite all the pins I use, I find it easier to ease things around between the feed dogs and presser food with the end of my seam ripper, it's got a more comfortable handle than a pin and it's sharp enough of a point to catch the fabric but not sharp enough to do damage to most things :)
Evelyn, wondering if the curtain that you're hemming is to cover your haberdashery shelf?
Oh, I MUST have that magnetic light! Can you give the info, please?
I got it with my industrial machine 😀
I love your top! Is it self made?
Is basting stitch a good alternative for pins ?
I use the iron a lot instead of lots of pins
Hi Evelyn I'm a fairly new Subscriber and I want to work with Leather, and I have a Singer 15-91 and a Singer mod. 66 two gorges Sewing machines and a few attachments. I truly enjoy your channel! and the lessons you provide Thank You, ( question) I would like to put a hemm on a leather Patch that I would like to sew on a jacket is there a hemming foot that could do just that for a singer 15-91 sewing machine. the leather patch is about 1/16 in thickness, sorry I'm a machinist
I don't know what weight that would be, thank you LUIGI (GINO) DELUCIA
Ahhh, to pin or not to pin. I'm a big chicken 🐔 so I pin everything cuz I hate to rip out seams.
I use pins when I must keep points together. Otherwise, no pins.
I am not a very experienced sewer. I have made the poor choice of making a dress for my granddaughter out of velvet with a satin lining. Thank goodness she is a baby and will never notice the flaws. I am struggling so much with keeping this fabric from bunching and shifting. The amount of pins I have been using is shocking. I finally have a lined yoke after hours of frustrating work. It just dawned on me basting could be my friend in this project. But, I'm afraid of crushing the velvet. Is this a worry, and will it help?
Like you, I've taken up sewing to be able to sew for granddaughter. I hope Evelyn does a video on handling special fabrics like velvet, lace etc. Yes, I'm quite happy my granddaughter doesn't recognize "unprofessional" sewing. The outside looked good, so she was happy :)
I know its not really necessary, but have you had experience with a walking foot sewing machine to help solve this, and if so, have you found any downsides to having a walking foot sewing machine handle the more delicate fabrics you use for garments?
The one thing I would suggest is to make a sample seam with your walking foot. On some machines, you can adjust the amount of play in the layers of the fabric. I even have a differential feed on my serger. Doing a sample prevents you from having to rip everything apart.
@@1packatak yes!!! Samples are a must!! If it’s important enough to spend the time and money on it’s important enough to do it well!! Samples allow you to see how your fabric will behave with interfacings as well as check all tensions and balance the stitches. They save so much work in the long run!!!
👌👌👌👌👍👍👍
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You're so amazing. Bye
hello very nice lady fantastic videos for all of us who would like to watch please kindly film how to thread and operate your beautiful juki industrial sewing machine please OK? please kindly let me know OK? thank you very much