101 ESSENTIAL TIPS
Sewing
Breaks down the subject into 101 easy-to-grasp tips
101 ESSENTIAL TIPS
Sewing
101 ESSENTIAL TIPS
Sewing
Produced for Dorling Kindersley by Sands Publishing Solutions 4 Jenner Way, Eccles, Aylesford, Kent ME20 7SQ Editorial Partners David & Sylvia Tombesi-Walton Design Partner Simon Murrell Project Editor Project Art Editor US Editor US Senior Editor Managing Editor Jacket Designer Senior Pre-production Producer Senior Producer Art Director Publisher
Chauney Dunford Clare Marshall Jill Hamilton Shannon Beatty Penny Warren Kathryn Wilding Tony Phipps Ché Creasey Jane Bull Mary Ling
Consultant Hilary Mandleberg US Consultant Martha Smith First American edition 2015 Published in the United States by DK Publishing 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014 A Penguin Random House Company 15 16 17 18 19 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 001-274500-May/2015 Copyright © 2015 Dorling Kindersley Limited All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited. A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. ISBN 978-1-4654-3359-6 DK books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk for sales promotions, premiums, fund-raising, or educational use. For details, contact: DK Publishing Special Markets, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014 or SpecialSales@dk.com. Printed and bound in China by South China Printing Co. Ltd.
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101 ESSENTIAL TIPS
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Pages 8 to 15
Pages 16 to 22
TOOLS, FABRICS & THREADS
GETTING STARTED
............................Tools for cutting .....Tools for measuring & marking ..........Pins & hand-sewing needles ..........................Tools for pressing ...........................Sewing machines .................Needles, bobbins & feet ...............................Natural fabrics ......................................Synthetics ................................Special fabrics ..........................................Threads
11 12 13
........Two ways to thread a needle .........................Securing a thread ....................Using a backstitch to
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
................................Basting stitch .....................................Slip stitch ....................................Hemstitch ................................Flat fell stitch .......................Herringbone stitch ............Securing machine stitches .......................Using a seam guide ................................Top-stitching ............................Sewing a zigzag ..................Sewing stretch fabrics ............................Seam neatening
secure a thread
25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36
Pages 23 to 28
Pages 32 to 36
WORKING WITH PATTERNS
SEWING SEAMS, CORNERS & CURVES
.........How to choose a pattern size ............Taking vital measurements ...........Reading a pattern envelope .....Dealing with multisize patterns ...........................Pattern markings ............................Seam allowances .........................Fabric grain & nap ................How to lay out a pattern ....................................Cutting out ..................................Tailor’s tacks .......Tracing wheel & tracing paper .................................Trace tacking
Pages 29 to 31
IRONING & PRESSING 37 38 39 40 41 42
.................Testing the temperature ..............................Press as you go ....................Pressing a plain seam ...............................Pressing a dart ............Pressing the cap of a sleeve ..............................Pressing a hem
43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
.....................Sewing a plain seam ..................Sewing a French seam .............................Grading a seam .........................Stitching a corner ..............Stitching an inner corner ..................Sewing a curved seam ..............Notching an inside curve .............Clipping an outside curve
Pages 37 to 41
BIAS STRIPS, INTERFACING & FACINGS 51 52 53 54 55 56 57
.........................Cutting bias strips .........................Joining bias strips ..................................Interfacings ...................Applying interfacings .........................What are facings? ......Neatening the edge of a facing ...................How to attach facings
Pages 42 to 45
SHAPING WITH DARTS & GATHERS 58 59 60
..............................Types of darts .....................Making a plain dart .....................How to make a dart
83 ...........Finishing curved hemlines
on thick fabric
61 62 63 64
turn hem
........................Making a fish dart ...........................Making gathers .............................Fitting gathers ...................How to press gathers
Pages 46 to 59
DETAILS & FINISHES 65 ..How to make a basic waistband 66 .......Machine-finished waistband 67 ............Types of neckline finishes 68 ..................Making a neck facing 69 ...........................Bound neckline 70 ...................................Flat collars 71 ............How to make a flat collar 72 ............How to attach a flat collar 73 ...............Inserting a set-in sleeve 74 ...................Types of sleeve finishes 75 ......................Making a self-hem 76 ..........Making an elasticized hem 77 ..............Making a turn-back cuff 78 ................Making a patch pocket 79 ......................Marking a hemline 80 ........................Turning up a hem 81 ............Hand finishing zigzagged
by hand
84 .........Machine stitching a double-
Pages 60 to 64
FASTENINGS 85 .........Machine-made buttonholes 86 ..................Stages of a buttonhole 87 ................Sewing on a flat button 88 ........Sewing on a shanked button 89 ...................Adding a hook & eye 90 ...............................Adding snaps 91 ................Adding a lapped zipper 92 .............Adding a centered zipper
Pages 65 to 69
MAKE DO & MEND 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101
....................Clothes mending kit ..........................Replacing elastic ............Repairing a broken zipper ..........Mending a split inner seam ...............Adding a patch by hand ................Adding a no-sew patch .............................Darning a hole ...............How to fix a buttonhole ..........Repairing beneath a button
hem edges
82
................Hand finishing pinked hem edges
Index 70 Acknowledgments 72
Tools, Fabrics & Threads
TOOLS, FABRICS & THREADS TOOLS FOR CUTTING To avoid damaging your fabrics, it is important to use sharp cutting tools made of high-grade steel. You will need: trimming scissors for dealing with seams and facings; cutting shears for use on large pieces of fabric; embroidery scissors for getting into corners, as well as for embroidery; pinking shears for neatening fabrics that are prone to fraying; and a seam ripper, for quick, efficient removal of stitches. Small blades for cutting away surplus fabric
Large blades for removing big pieces of fabric
Tailor’s point scissors
Cutting shears
Zigzag blade helps finish edges Sharp, pointed blades are ideal for needlework
Pinking shears Blade cuts through stitches easily
Embroidery scissors Seam ripper Flat sharp edge for creating buttonholes
Buttonhole chisel
8