Patchwork sewing. Easy way to start right now! You can make soft toys, pillows, bags, bed covers, curtains, accessories and many other...

Hello! In my posts I'm going to tell you from simple to complex how to create original, practical and beautiful things, which will bring you not only joy and inspiration, but will also be an excellent gift for people who are dear to you.

Part 1. Basics.

Today's post is devoted to basic things: how to choose a sewing machine, sewing techniques, how to select fabrics and threads, etc.
So, let's start.

Choosing a sewing machine.

It's best to come to the store and test the machine yourself. The main criteria you should pay attention to is smooth and relatively silent work of the machine. The machine should not 'jolt' in the process of sewing, and the sound during its work should be muffled and smooth. If you are afraid of using a sewing machine in the store, ask the shop assistant to sew a few stitches on different machines so that you immediately see the difference and understand what I mean. For home use I prefer such manufacturers as Brother, Janome for they are simple, convenient to use and inexpensive to maintain.

The shop assistant will help you tune a sewing machine or you can try to follow the manual and do it yourself. But it's better to find a skilled expert who will adjust the machine correctly, teach you basic things and will be able to maintain it in the future: lubricate, clean and repair it if necessary. If you handle your machine correctly and carefully, then you will need services of an expert roughly once a year.

Fabrics.

Usually when I choose fabric, I prefer 100% cotton without any synthetics. It is easy to work with, nice to touch, it does not cause allergy and it’s not deformed while washing and by everyday use.

Threads.

I use threads for cotton, knitted fabric and other medium-density fabrics. The beauty, smoothness and strength of a seam depend on the quality of the threads and the correct tuning of the sewing machine. The manufacturer of threads is not important, but personally I prefer Gutermann (size 120-150).

Needles.

There are needles of different thickness and manufacturers: for very fine texture (chiffon, satin) and vice versa for very coarse (leather, tapestry). You can buy and use them when you need. The size of a needle is stamped on it with numbers (for example, for cotton you need 60-80, for jeans 80-100 and so on). The fabric type is also indicated on the needle in the form of color markings. Additionally, this information is indicated on the box itself, in which the needles are sold.

As a rule, a couple of good needles for cotton are always included in a sewing machine and one of them is already inserted into it. If the needle is missing, insert one yourself following the manual. After repeating this procedure several times, you will be able to insert the needles with your eyes closed (but they are sharp enough and it's better not to do it). The most popular needles in my set are:

• needles for cotton (they break rarely, but usually at the most unexpected moments, that's why you should always keep a spare couple)
• needle for denim fabrics
• needle for knitted fabric.

Finally, let’s proceed to the practical part: turn on the sewing machine, thread the upper and lower needles (in every modern machine this process is clearly depicted on step-by-step drawings on the machine). After that select a sewing program with a straight stitch (when the machine is turned on, it is set by default), set the line length to 2.8-3.5. The other criteria - the width of the stitch and the needle offset are not significant yet.

Take a small piece of cloth, place it under the needle, lower the foot, manually with the help of the caster on the right side gently lower the needle into the fabric and press the pedal slightly. If you do the above-mentioned actions abruptly, the lower thread can get tangled and it will be difficult for the machine to sew. If you continue, you will break the needle. Therefore, every movement is carried out smoothly and gradually.

If something still goes wrong and the machine does not sew smoothly and evenly - stop, carefully remove the cloth and repeat the actions described in the last two paragraphs.
When you sew the desired number of stitches, fix the seam by pressing the "reverse" button, then raise the needle, raise the foot, now remove the fabric and cut the thread with scissors, leaving a 5-7cm margin, otherwise the thread will pop out of the needle the next time it is sewn.

Actually, that's all. I hope this information was interesting and useful for you. I'm waiting for your questions and comments :)

In the next posts I will introduce you to the patchwork sewing, using which you can easily sew a cute cushion.