SAVVY SEWING TIPS TO MAKE THE WORK GO FASTER

A smattering of tips from an experienced sewer. These tips are not in any particular order - just as they come to me that they are things I do to make sewing faster and more pleasant for me.

1. Good lighting- always. Position your light or yourself so no shadows fall across your work. It is very tiring otherwise

On large projects like quilts when sewing by hand, thread up a half dozen or so needles ahead of time. This will allow you to keep on sewing without having to stop, put down the work and thread a needle to get going again. Usually when I have used up the thread on 6 needles I find it is time for a short break. During that break I thread another 6.

Be realistic about your abilities as a sewer. If you have only been sewing for a couple of months, this is not the time to try making a wedding dress with full veil and lace overlays, fabric roses, covered buttons. It is too advanced. Pick something simpler, like an A line day dress. It will give you practice on cheaper material.

This also applies to the size of the project. Many sewers (myself included) will tell you of our UFOs - unfinished projects - taking up space in our sewing rooms.

If just starting out in a particular technique, such as quilting, try making just one block. This will give you an idea of the complexity of the pattern and will also clue you in to whether this is an item you want to repeat and repeat until you have enough blocks for a quilt.

Just as you would make sure you have everything you need to make a cake, make sure you have all items you need for your sewing project. If you leave buying the buttons until later for example, you may never get around to getting them.

Rotary cutters are fabulous for  cutting jobs that require the same size strips of material.

To make accurate seams, put a piece of masking tape on the plate of the machine. Measure from where the needle will go into the material outward. Whatever width you want - 1/4 inch, 5/8 inch etc. Mark it on the tape.

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