Sewing School // Sew a Flat Fell Seam

A flat fell seam you say? What on earth is one of those? Well luckily for you I am about to tell you.

Are you wearing jeans? Well look at the inner leg seam, you can see two lines of stitching right and a sort of bump all the way along the seam. This is a flat fell seam and you find it on most jeans here because its a super strong seam that works well for the heavy denim fabric. Also its particularly good on the inner leg where the jeans take a lot of wear and tear. So without further ado, let's sew a flat fell seam:

Step 1

First off place your fabric pieces with the wrong sides together, this is the opposite way to normal, so that the good sides are facing out. Then sew your seam using your usual seam allowance.

Step 2

Using your dressmaking scissors trim 1 (but only 1) of your seam allowances down to half the width, you'll end up with one wide one and one narrow one.

Step 3

Now press your seam open from the wrong side of your fabric. Then turn it over. Then fold and press the wider seam underneath the narrow one.

Step 4

Finally top stitch along the folded edge of the wider seam to secure it down. Then give it one final press and hey presto, a flat fell seam.

If you are making yourself a pair of trousers then this is a great technique to have under your belt before you start. Be careful though, you won't be able to use this type of seam on both the inner and outer leg seam because of the way it is constructed. Make sure you sew the inner leg seam first if you want to use this technique. I learnt this the hard way and had to unpick my outer leg seam when I first tried it. Luckily you can learn from my mistakes. Have fun. Zoe x

Sewing School // Tips for Sewing With Denim

I don't know about you, but I wear loads of denim. More often than not my outfit for the day has some denim in. Mostly so far this denim has not been handmade. I wear jeans and have never made myself some. So recently I decided this needed to change and I should try and make myself a pari. This project is well under way but long before I even cut my fabric I had to work out how to sew with denim. So today I am sharing these tips with you.

What is denim?
I am sure you all would know denim when you saw it, but could you describe what it is? Maybe but possibly not. Denim is simply a woven fabric, made from cotton, where the threads in one direction are blue and the threads in the other direction are white. At least in true form this is what denim is. You can find other denim-like fabrics out there that don't fill this requirement but they often call it denim any way. Chambray is one kind of denim but is just must lighter weight. The denim I am going to be talking about today is the heavy weight stuff that your jeans are made from. Some times it's stretchy (mine has 5% lycra) and sometimes it isn't (100% cotton).

Get the Right Equipment
When working with denim it's a good idea to use a thick cotton thread in your machine. Usually we match the material of the fabric with the thread, hence cotton, and thick because your fabric is heavyweight. Also you'll need a needle that is designed for heavy weight fabrics. A size 100-110 for european sizes or 16-18 in american sizes will work well. If you have had your fabric scissors for a while or someone 'accidentally' used them on paper you probably are going to need to get some new ones too, the denim needs an extra sharp blade.

Prepare
When you have your fabric make sure you prewash it, especially if it's a stretchy one because its quite prone to shrinkage. (If your anything like me your jeans are tricky to do up after a wash and almost falling down by the end of the day, I think I should invest in a belt.) Also prewashing will help the fabric soften making it slightly easier to cut and sew with.

Prevent Fraying with Strong Seams
Sadly denim is also pretty prone to fraying. To help avoid this you can try using flat fell seams (come back next week for a tutorial for this) which is extra strong and keeps the raw edge inside. If you take a look at your jeans the inside leg seams are usually flat fell seams. On other seams make sure you finish the edge of the fabric with some zigzag stitching or pinking sheers (unless of course you have a Serger, no? Me neither). Also don't be afraid to use a really high heat when you press your seams, the denim can take it and the seams need it.

So there you go, my whistle stop tour of sewing with denim. It's much easier than it sounds so don't be too scared. If you pair your denim with a simple project (like this bag?) then it should be much easier than sewing some button-fly high waisted skinny jeans, which crazy person would try and do that?!? Oh yes, that would be me. I'll show you when I am done. Zoe x

Make A Circle Skirt // Buy Your Fabric

It's time to start the second of my 'step-by-step' beginner sewing projects. The first were these cushions but I know many would-be sewists would really prefer to make their own clothes than their own decor. This project is great for beginners because

1. It doesn't have a Zip or Buttons
2. It's very easy to wear
3. There are different options for what shape and length so you can adapt it to your own style
4. There is a handy 'circle skirt app' to work out how much fabric you need and how to cut it up

PLUS there are loads of stretchy fabrics out there that would work well for this skirt. This first step is instructions for which sort of fabrics will work well, and which will be easier to work with for beginners. Working with stretchy fabrics can be very easy but only if you buy the right kind of fabric. So without further ado let's see what you need to look for.

Knits
As I mentioned before when I wrote about fabrics there are two ways that a fabric can be stretchy. The first option is 'knitted' fabrics. These fabrics are formed with non-stretch threads that are then combined together in a way that makes the finished fabrics stretchy. This can be an excellent option for beginners because they tend not to be too stretchy. Look out for terms like 'double knit' if you want something thick and heavier or 'single knit' for something on the lighter side. They should be made from 100% cotton (or other non stretchy material). My skirt is made from a double knit. I have been able to wear it through the summer but it's warm enough for autumn and winter too when I wear it with tights.

Stretch
The other kind of stretch fabric is made from stretchy materials. They are usually made up from a combination of cotton and lycra (the brand name we commonly use for elastine or spandex). When starting out you will need to find something with a small percentage of lycra, 3-5%. This will give you enough stretch to pull the skirt up over your waist but small enough that it won't fall down again. Plus small stretch means its easier to sew with. Be careful though that you don't confuse the percentage of lycra with the 'stretch percentage'. The stretch percentage of a fabric is how much bigger it can be stretched to and then go back to its original size. Also try not to get something too thin as this also makes the sewing more difficult, not to mention you'd be able to see your knickers through your skirt, oo-la-la!

How Much
The only question left remaining is how much fabric to buy? You will need to decide on what kind of skirt you want to make, 1/4, half or full circle (my red one is a full circle) and what length you want it to be. Then when you have decided head over to the By Hand London Circle Skirt App and pop in your details. All you need to know is you waist measurement and then pick your options. They will tell you the radius of your waist (write this down for later) and the length of your skirt (write this down too). Then buy your fabric and when you have it home WASH IT!

I know there is no need to shout, but seriously wash it as soon as you get it. Stretch fabric is particularly prone to shrinking so you really must prewash it and the sooner you do it the sooner you'll be ready to start cutting and sewing.

Exciting stuff. Come back next week and we can sew it together (It's so quick you'll be done before yo know it). This is what you can expect:

1. Cut Your Fabric and Sew The Side Seams
2. Sew on a waistband and hem your skirt

Thats all there is too it. See you then. Zoe x

Sewing School // 3 Tips for Sewing with Stretch Fabric

If I am honest I avoided projects that require knit (or stretchy) fabric for quite a long time. I was nervous about it. I didn't want to add an extra complication into my projects. I was a pretty competent sewer before I braved them at all and then totally messed it up (I didn't then know the 3 things I am about to tell you). But recently I have made a few things from stretchy fabric and I have had much more success. I found them so easy I don't know what all the fuss was about before. In fact I now love these items most out of all the clothes I have made for myself so far. I want to share with you the few tips of sewing with stretch fabric, because really there is nothing to worry about.

Number 1 // Use A Ballpoint Needle
If you want to have any success sewing with some stretch fabric, you will need to invest in a ball point needle for your sewing machine. These inexpensive, less pointy needles are designed so that they will push through the spaces in the threads of your fabric rather than making a new hole, this prevents your fabric from having little holes all the way along the seams, something you definitely won't want.

Number 2 // Sew With a Zigzag Stitch
On a normal sewing machine, a straight line of stitching won't stretch. If you do this on a stretchy fabric then you are fighting a losing battle, the fabric will stretch but the seams won't. To overcome this you can simply sew with a Zigzag stitch instead. This way your seams have the same flexibility as your fabric. There are other stitches that work too but a Zigzag stitch is the simplest.

Number 3 // Don't Stretch the Fabric as you Sew
When you feed your fabric into a sewing machine, the fabric will be pulled through automatically. When you are sewing with stretchy fabric this can mean it stretches on its way in unintentionally. This results in a really uneven edge- bummer. To avoid this try and hold your fabric up level with the needle and feed it in with you hands. It is actually pretty easy to do this once you have had a little bit of practice, so just test it out on a sample bit first.

These three things are the only 'rules' for sewing with knits. But there is something else I would say if you are only just learning. Look out for something that is not too stretchy. This is kinda tricky if you are buying your fabric online. But next week when I start going through how to make a stretchy circle skirt I am going to talk about what kinds of fabric to look for for your first few stretchy sewing projects, why not have a go with me? Zoe x

Sewing School // Ideas For Beginner Sewing Projects

If you have been following along with Sewing School you are probably desperate by now to actually make something. Finally here is a list of ideas of things that you could make with the skills you have learnt over the last few weeks. At the time of writing most of these projects I didn't have Sewing School in mind so there may be gaps in the explanation, if there is anything you don't understand then feel free to ask your questions in the comments section below and I'll get back to you. But all these projects are suitable for a learner sewer so just choose the one you'd like to make the most and start sewing!

I'll start with the smallest and simplest projects and work up to a few bigger more ambitious ones. Even the bigger ones though will be suitable for a beginner so feel free to jump in at the deep end.

My first suggestion is to make yourself a simple infinity scarf. This is made from only 1 metre of fabric so isn't too expensive, but also it is incredibly easy. As long as you can sew in a straight line, you can make one of these.

Next week I will be going through a set of step-by-step tutorials for making some patchwork cushions, if you can wait just 7 more days then this will be a very easy place to start too.

If you are mad into coffee and can only tolerate the proper stuff then maybe you could make yourself a bunch of coffee bags. 

If you feel up to sewing a curve then you could try making one of these peg bags. Again it's very simple and only uses a small amount of fabric. Plus there is plenty of summer left to use it when you hang out your washing.

Or you could try sewing a tote bag. Its a little more fiddly than a peg bag but gives you more practice on your machine. There are lots of straight lines and corners to sew but no curves.

If you'd like to make a quilt then this star pin wheel baby quilt is really easy for beginners plus it makes a really lovely gift to someone who is expecting (yours doesn't have to be pink or course!). This project is mostly straight lines, it's just a little bigger than the others so far so will take a bit longer for you to finish it.

Or you could go all out and make yourself a double quilt like this octagons quilt. My first project was a double quilt so I know it's possible even for a beginner.

I am also going to be making a simple circle skirt soon with step-by-step instructions, but I have no picture yet to show you (it is finished but not photographed). It will be easy enough for a beginner and you'll have something you can actually wear afterwards. (There won't be a zip or buttons so I am sure you can do it!)

If you can't wait for my circle skirt walk through then maybe you could make a picnic blanket skirt following Tilly and the Buttons instructions. You'll learn to gather fabric and sew on buttons and button holes so if you are hoping to keep learning then this is a great project.

I hope you have been learning lots so far. Don't forget to come back to learn to make patchwork cushions and then a circle skirt. Zoe xx

Sewing School // What is a Pattern?

Even if you are just learning to sew you have probably heard of the phrase 'sewing pattern.' Before I learnt to sew clothes I certainly had, but I was pretty nervous about buying a pattern because I didn't know what they would be like or even what a pattern was. Well today I am going to explain all so that you don't have to feel nervous too.

What is a Sewing Pattern?
 A Sewing Pattern, called a pattern for short, is simply the shapes that you will need to cut out of your fabric. Drawn on these shapes are some markings that will help match the right parts up together, cut out pieces out in the right place on your fabric and all the information you need to sew it up. Often with the pattern you will also get some instructions for what you need to do and in which order. Sometimes though, especially with older patterns, the pattern maker will assume that you know how to sew it together already.

Sometimes the pattern will be instructions for the shapes that you need to cut out, for example you might need a rectangle that is 5cm by 25cm. Other times you will actually have the shape that you need to cut drawn onto some paper. You can then cut out the paper shape and draw around it onto your fabric.

What Kind of Patterns are Available?
You will be able to find a sewing pattern for just about anything that can be sewn together. Modern dressmaking patterns, such as this pattern for the Elisalex dress from By Hand London, will have the pattern printed on a very large piece of thin paper. Each size will be drawn on with a different line:

You need to measure yourself to work out which line is the best one to fit you. You can then trace this shape off, and cut it out before marking it on your fabric. The patterns also have markings like the little bold squares, you match these up to the markings on another pattern piece to make sure you are sewing it in the right place. I will write a post another day about all the different kind of patterns markings, let's just stick to the basics for now.

Some older patterns will only include one size rather than a range of sizes. Be careful if you buy one of these to check the measurements for the size. If you fit a size 10 now, that probably wasn't the same as a size 10 from 20 years ago.

There are also many printable pdf patterns around now too. These are e-mailed to you for you to print at home and stick together before you cut out the right shape. These can be an excellent way to get your pattern straight away if you just can't wait any longer, but the sticking them together part can be quite time consuming so it isn't always better. Some great free patterns are available like this now too.

What Do I Need To Know Before I Start Cutting and Sewing?
If you have found a pattern you are interested in buying and sewing then there are a few things you should know before you start.

First of all sewing patterns usually include their seam allowance. They will state how wide the seam allowance should be, but the actual line you sew on won't be shown on the pattern. Therefore the line on the pattern is the line you need to cut along. You will need to sew the distance of the seam allowance away from this line for your pattern to fit together properly. Find out more about seam allowances here.

Secondly don't forget to have a look at the recommended fabrics for that pattern. Try to buy something as close as possible to the right weight of fabric or you'll find it doesn't turn out the way you would like.

Finally have a think about the things you know how to do before you buy a pattern. If you have seen a dress pattern that has a lapped zip, a rolled hem and is made from a very fine and lightweight fabric its probably not the best thing to try for your very first one. Wait a while and when you have sewn up a few other things then go back to that one later.

So this is a very brief introduction to what sewing patterns are. I will go into more detail about the different markings and instructions soon. On Tuesday next week I will be suggesting a few beginner sewing projects so don't forget to come back then. Zoe x

Sewing School // Hello Fabric

When it comes to choosing fabric for a sewing project the options are almost endless. This for me is the best part about being able to sew, I can choose exactly what I want my dress/quilt/'insert any other fabric made item here' to look like. I am not limited by what is currently available in my local shop or online. If I like a particular style that went out of fashion twenty years ago I can remake it today. But before you reach the stage of making anything you'd like from any fabric you can find you will need to know a little bit about what to look for.

What Kind of Fabric?
Most good patterns that you find will give you some suggestions of the type of fabric to buy. I would say, before you consider what print you'd like the fabric to be, you need to think about 3 main factors of your fabric.

1. How Thick Do I Need My Fabric To Be?
Fabric can vary from very thin (or lightweight) to very thick (or heavy). The lighter it is the more floaty your fabric will be. Aim to buy something as close as possible to the suggested fabrics on the list. For example, if you're hoping to make a summery vest top you'll probably need something quite lightweight, but you could probably get away with something a little thicker if you find something you love. But your top just won't look right if you try and make it form some upholstery cotton (which is very thick and heavy). In contrast if you want to re-upholster a chair then the lightweight organza you have fallen for probably isn't going to be hardwearing enough to cover your furniture.

2. What Is It Make From?
Most fabric you will find will probably be cotton based. Cotton is a good place to start when you are learning to sew, it's easy to work with, washes well and comes in every colour and pattern you can probably imagine. If you have a look in the labels in your clothes you will see some other options of what is available. When you get dressed over the next week or so check out each label and feel the fabric until you have an idea for what different fabrics feel like. I can't possibly list everything that is available here but your project pattern will probably have some suggestions and you can always ask in your local fabric shop, they'll be happy to explain it all to you.

3. Does is Stretch?
If your project says you need a stretch fabric then buying something that doesn't stretch simply won't work. Fabrics with no stretch (or at least very little) are much easier to sew with when you are just learning so look out for projects made from 'woven' fabrics. Woven simply means that the fabric won't be stretchy. When you have mastered this you can move on to the stretchy stuff. When it comes to stretchy there are two mains kinds. Firstly 'knit' fabrics which have non stretch cotton threads knitted together to give it some stretch. Or 'jersey' which are made from stretch threads.

Where Can I Buy Fabric?
When you first start out buying fabric it can be tough to find the right place that sells what you are looking for. Find out if you have any local shops that sell fabric. Some fabric shops may only sell a certain type of fabric though, for example we have a little shop near us that sells quilting fabrics and they're all quite traditional prints. I would come out an unhappy shopper if I went in there looking for something to sew up a party dress. But you might find something near you that sells exactly what you are looking for. Once you have looked locally have a browse online, there are now hundreds of places that you can order your fabric from and most are happy to send you a sample before you purchase a few metres. You can also have a look on eBay, you'll probably be surprised how many companies sell fabric via eBay. The fabric shown at the very top of this post is all vintage sheets collected from charity shops or car boot sales so don't rule these out as options for places to look.

How Much Should I Buy?
Fabric usually comes in 1 of two widths, either 45" or 60" across. Then you can buy whatever length you need of that width. Most patterns will tell you right at the start how much of each width you need. Sometimes a pattern will talk about Fat Quarters (or FQ's). To get a Fat Quarter the seller will cut 1 yard of their fabric, then cut in half and in half again. Thus they make 4 pieces, or 4 quarters of a metre; hence Fat 'Quarter'. Buying fabric by the fat quarter is really handy if you are making something that needs smaller pieces such as a quilt or a cushion cover. If you are making something larger like clothing and you don't have a particular project in mind yet then 2-2.5m of the fabric will be enough for most items of clothing. You can always buy it and look for what you want to make with it afterwards.

Finally, What Do I Do With It?
Having spent all that time and effort choosing the perfect fabric it can be quite nerve-wracking to cut into it. To help you out I will explain a few things about it.

1. The Selvedge Edge
All fabrics come with a selvedge edge. This is a couple of centimetres of the fabrics running all the way down the edge that is woven more tightly than the rest to stop the fabric from unravelling when it's on the roll. As above, on many fabrics the selvedge will be a different colour to the main fabric, it may have little colour dots (or rabbits heads apparently) that represent the different colours in the fabric. This can be handy if you are trying to find to fabrics that will coordinate. Its a good idea when cutting the pieces for your project to avoid the selvedge. You won't want this showing on your project. If you know they will only be in your seam allowance then you can include them but only do this if you are sure. On plain fabrics the selvedge will probably be the same colour as the main fabric, you will be able to find it though by feeling along the edges, the one that feels the thickest is your selvedge.

2. The Right and Wrong Side
Most Fabrics have a right and a wrong side. As you can see above the 'right side' has the vibrant colours on and the 'wrong side' will be paler. On plain fabrics you may not be able to see a difference between the sides. When you cut out pattern pieces from your fabric make sure you cut them all out from the same side or you may find they don't match up properly. Also remember that most of the time you need to sew the pieces with 'right sides together' so that the seam will be on the back.

3. The Grainline and the Bias
These two words are important when it comes to cutting up your fabric. They both refer to a direction along the fabric. The Grainline is the direction that is parallel to the selvedge. Many patterns will have markings on to show you which way the grain line should lie for each pattern piece. Try to put this line as close as possible to the grain line.

The Bias on the other hand runs diagonally across the fabric. If you cut your fabric on the bias it has more movement and becomes almost stretchy. It can be very important to cut your fabric on the bias. So when you start cutting it up pay close attention to which direction you need to cut.

So there you have it, this guide to fabric will set you off in the right direction as you learn to sew. I am adding an extra section in to 'Sewing School' before I give you some suggestions for beginner projects on understudying patterns. So come back on Friday to see this. Have fun. Zoe xx

Sewing School // Everything you ever need to know about seams

Now you know how to set up your machine and use it, it's time to start learning some of the basic sewing terms so you can begin to understand instruction in a sewing pattern. One of the most important term to learn is a 'seam'.

What is a Seam and Seam Allowance?

The seam is where two fabrics are sewn together along their edges. Most of the time when you sew, you are creating a seam. The seam allowance is the distance between the very edge of the fabric and the place where you need to sew. When you start a sewing project the seam allowance will be given to you, it may be different in different parts of the project but usually its the same all the way through. Conventionally in patchwork type project we use a seam allowance of 1/4 inch (6mm) while in dressmaking the usual seam allowance is 5/8 inch (18mm).

Sewing a Straight Seam

Most project include some straight seams, this is when the edge of your fabric pieces are straight with no corners or curves. To sew a Straight seam, first of all you need to put your two pieces of fabrics 'right sides together'. I will go into this in more detail when I talk about fabric on Tuesday but the side of your fabric you want showing on the outside of your project needs to be together:

Then you can pin your fabric piece together. Take your pins and push them through the fabric from the top to the bottom and then back up to the top again. The pointy end of the pin should be pointing into the fabric and away from your seam:

This makes it easier to take it out again before you sew that section. Put pins all the way along the edge you want to sew at regular intervals.

Once sewn you can open out the fabrics, the seam allowance and the stitching will all be hidden around the back. You'll notice though that this won't lie flat yet. You'll need to press the seam with your iron. Plug your iron in and turn it up to the highest heat that your fabric can take without changing shape. On the seam side, or the back, of you fabric you will need to iron along the seam. There are a couple of options:

Either press both edges over to the same side, called 'pressing the seams to one side'. Or press the fabric edges in opposite directions called 'pressing the seam open'. It depends on the project that you a are doing on which way you will need to press the seam. For quilts its usually over to open side and for clothes its often open but can vary from project to project. 

Finishing the Raw Edges

When we cut our fabric it can start to fray, especially if we use a lightweight fabric or when we wash it. To minimilise this we 'finish the raw edge'. There are many ways to do this so I will just go through two of the simplest ones for now.

The top example shows zigzag stitching along the raw edge. To do this simply select the zigzag stitch on your sewing machine and sew all the way along the seam. You can do this with both pieces together as I have when your seams are pressed to one side or you can zigzag stitch along each edge if you have pressed your seam open. 

The bottom example shows an edge finished with pinking sheers. These are very sharp scissors than cut a zigzag line. You would need to invest in some pinyin sheers to do this method but its much quicker than zigzag stitching all your seams so its worth thinking about if you want to get your project finished quickly.

Stitching Corners

Some seams may require you to stitch a corner. This is actually much easier to achieve than you may think. Simply sew along one edge, when you get to near the corner turn your wheel in the top right hand corner of your machine until the needle is down:

Then flick up your presser foot lever:

Then turn your project around so you can start sewing along the other edge:

And flick your presser foot down again to start sewing. See easy peasy.

Stitch Curved Seams

Some project will require a curved seam. Usually the two curves that you need to sew together will be the same length but different shapes.

When you pin these together you need to 'hill' of the curve to be on top and the 'valley' to be underneath but still with right sides together. This will make it much easier to sew together. Pin as you did with the straight edge, pins all the way along the edge at regular intervals with the point going in towards the fabric from the seam. You need to curve the 'valley' seam around as you go.

Now when you take the seam to the sewing machine ready to stitch it will curve upwards, this makes it much easier to feed it into the machine. You pins will still be in the right direction for you to easily pull them out as you sew. Other than the pinning part, sewing a curved is exactly the same, start and end with a few reverse stitches and keep the edge in line with the right part of your needle plate.

Now you know everything you need to know about seams (well almost). Come back on Tuesday to find out about fabric. Zoe

Find out more about Sewing School here.

Sewing School // Have a Go At Sewing

So now its time to get sewing. You've got every thing you need and set up your machine ready so let's go for it. Take you fabric and pop it underneath the presser foot, you'll need to lowers the presser foot by pulling down the presser foot leaver:

For now it doesn't matter too much where a bouts you will start sewing, we just want to get a feel for the machine first of all. You will need to select a kind of stitch (start off with straight). Then you can lower the needle by turning your dial in the top right hand corner of your machine.

Now press down gently on your foot peddle and the machine with start to sew. Start with just a few stitches and then lift your foot off the peddle again.

Now you should press down on tho button (if you machine has one) and it will do a few stitches back in the opposite direction. This gives you a nice secure start for your sewing and is a good idea whenever you start a line of stitching. When you get back to where you started press down on the foot peddle again and sew a long line of stitches. Guide the fabric under the machine, it will be pulled through automatically but your job it to try and get a nice straight line.  Get a feel for the machine by pressing gently at first and then harder and see if you can start to control his fast you'd like it to go. Don't worry if your line isn't straight just yet, it does take a bit of practice.

You can draw some lines on your fabric with a dressmaking pen/dressmakers chalk and use these as a guide for sewing straight. I would recommend trying to keep the edge of your foot in line with the line (as above) rather than your actual line of stitching along your line. When we sew a real project we would usually stitch a certain distance away from the edge rather than along a particular line. So as you press down on the foot peddle keep your eyes on the line and try to keep it in line with the edge of the foot.

When you get to the end, use your little button (or your dial) to sew a few stitches in reverse to secure then end, then lift up the foot, pull our your fabric and snip the threads. Tada, your first line of stitches! Now have another practice until you start to be able to do all of that without having to read the instructions.

It is also good fun, and great practice to try and sew along some curved lines too. In the same way draw some curves on your fabric and have a go a sewing next to these, keeping the drawn line in line with the edge of the foot. Don't forget to sew a few reverse stitches at the beginning and the end.

Many beginner projects won't have any curves in them so don't worry if you can't get this right yet. If you come back on Friday I will be going through what a seam is and how to follow it. Zoe x

To Find out more about Sewing School click here.

Sewing School // Hello Sewing Machine

Now that you have everything you need to learn to sew it is time to start using it. First of all you need to set up your sewing machine. If you have borrowed one from someone they might have given you a whistle stop tour which will be helpful but I will break it down for you today so you can begin to understand what they were on about. If you have your own sewing machine and your manual to hand, thats good because every sewing machine make is slightly different so you may need to look some things up.

My sewing machine is a Singer Confidence which was a birthday present for my 21st. Whatever brand you have the basics are the same. Before you can start sewing you need to set your machine up. The very first step is 'winding the bobbin'. So plug your sewing machine in and turn it on. You will also need to connect up the foot peddle. Once you are all plugged in, make sure you can sit on a chair with your sewing machine in front of you an can comfortably reach the peddle with you foot. Don't press on the peddle yet though!

Wind the Bobbin
To wind up the bobbin you need to put some thread on your machine. You may have one or two places to put your thread on. My machine (as indicated by the arrows) has two. The larger arrow points to a horizontal post, if you have one of these it is a better option for where to put your thread reel, just slide your thread reel on an then put on a little stopper to prevent the reel from coming off. The smaller arrow points to a little hole where a similar post can go but is vertical. You may only have this vertical post on your machine but pop your thread reel on in the same way. I am using my vertical thread post this time because my reel is too large for the horizontal one.

Then you need to pop a bobbin on to your bobbin winder as above.

Take the end of your thread from the reel and pull it under the guides. First under the metal guide at the back and then around the round winder guide as shown.

Finally there is a little hole in your bobbin which your thread needs to go through from the inside to the out. You may find it easier to take the bobbin off to do this but I prefer to do it while it is on. Then push your bobbin over to the right until it is up close the the bobbin stopper.

Now hold onto the end of the thread and press down on your foot peddle. This will start the winder turning around and will wind up thread onto your bobbin. Once the bobbin has enough thread on it should stop winding up, thanks to the winder stopper. It should look like this:

Now snip your thread and you can take the bobbin off the machine.

Attach the presser foot
If you haven't already got a 'foot' on your sewing machine this will be the next thing you need to do. Choose the foot that looks like the one above and rest it under the place where your needle is. The pull down the 'presser foot lever'. The foot should snap onto the foot holder but if it doesn't work first time wiggle it around and try again. The next thing to do is to thread the reel.

Thread the Reel
Your thread reel should still be on the top of your machine in the right place. Take your newly cut end (after winding the bobbin) and pull it behind the thread guide as you did when winding the bobbin. This time instead of taking it to the right and into the bobbin you need to pull it down the right hand slot in the front of the machine (as above).

When you reach the bottom of the slot, pull it back up the left hand slot and around the metal lever, then back down the same slot. When you reach the bottom of this slot, take the thread behind the thin metal hooks that are at the top of the needle and finally push the end of the thread through the sewing machine needle from front to back.You may find you need to snip the end of the thread to get rid of any frayed ends to make it easier to pass it though the needle.

Next up you need to put the bobbin under the needle plate ready for sewing, we call this threading the bobbin.

Thread the Bobbin
Again this varies from machine to machine but I will go through how to load your bobbin on a top loading machine. There will be a little plastic cover just underneath where the needle is, you will need to take this off. Then pop your bobbin inside the little round space, making sure the thread end is coming off in an anti-clockwise direction. My machine has a handy little diagram to show you how, but don't worry if yours doesn't, you'll get used to doing this quickly enough.  Pull the end of your thread out and underneath a little metal groove near the front of the bobbin.

Finally you need to bring the thread from the bobbin up so you can start sewing. The end of your thread from the bobbin needs to be up near the needle plate. Using your left hand hold on to the end of the thread from the reel, then with your right hand turn the hand wheel, on the top right of your machine, around. Turn it until the needle has gone down and up again and it will pick up the thread.  Then use some small scissors to scoop the thread out of your machine. Now pop your plastic cover back on.

And thats it, you have set up your machine ready to have a go a sewing. Come back on Tuesday to learn how to do so. Zoe xx

For more about Sewing School have a look here.