Today’s tip is no surprise — September is National Sewing Month, and we’d like to encourage all of you to dig into your sewing supplies and get started on sewing something special.  You could also take it upon yourself to teach someone to sew.  In this economy teaching someone, old or young, to sew could make all the difference in whether that person or their family could get some new clothes, toys or home decor items this year!

Many cities and towns don’t have fabric stores and I know that some of you have to travel quite a distance just to get to a fabric store.  We know the feeling because in our town (which is not small, by any means), all the fabric stores except one have closed within the past few years.

Our suggestion to you is to check out the online fabric stores, such as Jo Anns, or Fabric.com — these are the two that we purchase fabric from on a regular basis and have always been very satisfied with the fabrics.  You can also get a variety of fabrics from an assortment of vendors at ebay.

Are you looking to purchase a new sewing machine or serger?  Again, the online store we’d recommend is AllBrands, which carry a wide variety of sewing machines, sergers, notions, etc.

If you already have a sewing machine and/or serger and would like to learn how to repair your sewing machine, or at least keep it running smoothly so it doesn’t “die” in the middle of your sewing project, we’d recommend you check out the book, Sewing Machine Repair For The Home Sewer.

Good luck on your sewing projects!  And remember, we’re looking for some great tips from our readers – you could be first!

So, HOW do you promote your website or blog to get more traffic, which in turn makes more sales?  And now the next question is how do you promote your website or blog without going into debt or having to pay every bit of your profit back into promotions?

One of the quickest ways to get the word out about your website or blog is to make some 2″x4″ label type flyers.  We made flyers giving information about what’s on our website and list the URL.  These flyers can be made very quickly using Microsoft Office Publisher, or a similar program that you may have on your computer.  Once you’ve made the small flyer, print a few sheets of Avery 2×4 labels AND print some of the sheets on plain white paper.   The plain paper ones I cut apart and stick one into every bill or envelope that we mail out.  The labels we stick on every package that we mail out.  You’ll be surprised at how many postal employees between your house and the package destination will be seeing the label, and perhaps making a mental note of the website address.

A very important method of getting word out about your website/blog is to make it part of your email “signature”.  When it’s part of your email signature every time you send an email the recipient will see the link and may even click on it to see what your site is all about.

You will also be able to build links back to your site whenever you visit other sites that are similar to yours and perhaps make appropriate comments on posts within that blog.

You can of course do the advertising with online website directories.  Some of the online website directories may be free, but of course they’re also in business to make money, so there may be strings attached to their offers.  Check them out carefully to see what the final cost would be.

The main thing to remember about promoting your website or blog is that the success will NOT happen overnight.  You must have patience and you must be willing to constantly be doing “something” to promote the website.  Don’t just do ONE thing, such as email signature, and figure that is enough.  We are constantly  promoting our blogs and websites in one way or another, and you should make up your mind that you will stick with the website promotions as long as you have those sites or blogs.

“Today my granddaughter called me from OK.  She was crying.  She said that they had gone school shopping and there wasn’t anything except one pair of women’s size 6 pants that she could wear.  She said “Grandma, I have nothing!”  I talked to her mom and she told me that her daughter’s measurements are chest 38; waist 38; hips 38; pant length from the hip to the hem is 38.    Tonight I scoured the net looking for patterns that were something a 12 year old would like in a size that I could adapt to fit her.  It is now after 10 pm…I couldn’t find anything that met that criteria and would go together quickly so I could get some clothes to her by the time school starts….then I found your site.  God Bless You for understanding that plus sized children want to look good, too.  This grandma has tears in her eyes.  Thank you, thank you!” Grandma in Montana.

That story is just soooooo sad, and unfortunately is too commonplace.  If you have extra time in your sewing business, why don’t you consider doing some sewing for these very hard to fit plus size children.  At PlusSizeChildren.com we have both pattern making classes where you can make patterns according to the specific measurements of the child, OR you can choose from a selection of ready made patterns that were designed specifically for plus size children’s measurements.  These children need all the help they can get for great fitting clothes.

          The armholes on most sleeveless garments are cut to comfortably encircle the arm with the upper edge resting at the shoulder point.  However, there are variations.  Garments sometimes have wider than usual shoulder widths that drop over the shoulders to create a little cap.  Others are styled with narrower shoulder widths that result in a larger and more angled armhole.

           Set in sleeves are the most widely used type.  Variations of the set in sleeve are numerous – the top edge or cap, can be slightly rounded or fully gathered; the length of the sleeve long or short; the bottom tapered, flared or gathered.

            To achieve success with any garment, it is wise to observe several principles -  (1) check the garment and sleeve fit (see diagram and instructions that follow).   (2) carefully and accurately transfer all sleeve and armhole markings to the fabric, (3) use proper pressing techniques during construction, and (4) whenever possible, finish the lower edge of the sleeve before attaching it to the garment. 

          Next week we’ll cover the subject “How To Get a Proper Sleeve Fit”.

          These “how to” tutorials are an excerpt from our book “Basic Clothing Construction”.   This book is a handy addition to have in your sewing room, so you can refer to the various sewing tips and tutorials at any time 

          There are certain steps to follow when making darts, regardless of where the darts are on the garment, as outlined below.

           Before removing the paper pattern (A), transfer the markings to the wrong side of the fabric.  Tailors tacks are shown above, but other methods can be used as well.

           Working from the wrong side of the fabric (B), fold the dart through the center, matching the dots or marking threads and pin in place.  You can then hand baste the dart or immediately sew it on the sewing machine (C).  When machine stitching, always start from the wide end of the dart and stitch towards the point, taking the last few stitches parallel to and a thread’s width from the fold.  Cut the thread leaving about 4” ends so you can make the knot as shown in figure (D) below

As you are making the knot at the point of the dart (D), don’t pull the threads too tight or it will pull the fabric at the dart point.  The easiest way to ensure you get the knot right at the point is to place a pin at the dart point as indicated above, then tighten the knot letting the pin guide it to the dart point.

          After sewing, always press the darts for a smooth look on the garment.  Press toward the point (E), being careful not to go beyond the point as it could crease the garment.  Finally, place the dart, wrong side up, over a tailor’s ham and press it according to the direction it will take in the finished garment (F), being careful not to crease the rest of the garment.  The pattern instructions will tell you the direction the darts should be made, such as “pressing the bust darts down”, etc.

           As you are making the knot at the point of the dart (D), don’t pull the threads too tight or it will pull the fabric at the dart point.  The easiest way to ensure you get the knot right at the point is to place a pin at the dart point as indicated above, then tighten the knot letting the pin guide it to the dart point. 

          After sewing, always press the darts for a smooth look on the garment.  Press toward the point (E), being careful not to go beyond the point as it could crease the garment.  Finally, place the dart, wrong side up, over a tailor’s ham and press it according to the direction it will take in the finished garment (F), being careful not to crease the rest of the garment.  The pattern instructions will tell you the direction the darts should be made, such as “pressing the bust darts down”, etc.

           The illustrations shown above show the opened dart as it has been marked on the fabric (A), then the wrong side of the fabric showing the sewn dart (B), and finally, the right side of the dress with the darts in their proper position (C).

           After stitching, the darts should be pressed in a particular direction.  The general rule is to press vertical darts toward the center front or center back, and horizontal darts downward.  A finished dart should point toward the fullest part of the body contour to which it is conforming.

           These “how to” tutorials are an excerpt from our book “Basic Clothing Construction”.   This book is a handy addition to have in your sewing room, so you can refer to the various sewing tips and tutorials at any time 

“Attitude” is probably the greatest motivation BUILDER or motivation KILLER.  It is absolutely essential that you keep a positive attitude about yourself and about your business.  Don’t dwell on the many negatives that abound in our current economy; instead get a mindset that the current economy can HELP you build your business.  Do you have a “niche” that can build and grow  even with the economy?  Think about what you can do to increase your business in spite of the economy.

I think probably the best example I know of to demonstrate this is my daughter’s family.  When layoff’s from work completely jeopardized their ability to even put food on the table for their 5 children under the age of 5, she didn’t cry, moan and groan – her immediate thought was what can she, a pattern designer and writer hobbyist, could do to make a living from the hobby.  She started using grocery and drug store coupons to get discounts on food for the family, then came up with the idea for the coupon clutch, as a way to carry the coupons and look like she had a designer tote.  I can assure you that if she’d chosen to have an “attitude” and carry a “poor me” attitude, her brain and mindset would never have been open to something new to try.

“Excuses” are right up there close to the top for motivation killers.  If a day doesn’t go as you’d planned, please don’t try to think up a dozen excuses why you didn’t get anything done.  “It was raining so hard I couldn’t get out to get the supplies I needed to get certain projects done”.  “It has been so hot I can hardly breathe, let alone work”!  Oh, my!  What kind of perfect day does it take for you to just get busy and get SOMETHING accomplished?  Remember, just the smallest accomplishment will do wonders for your “attitude”, and keep you pushing toward your goal.

“Nothing is working out for me today” so why even try anything else?  My answer to that issue is – please don’t just give up and throw in the towel!  Why aren’t things working out for you?  Is it poor planning on getting prepared for the job you intended to do?  Are you looking for one of those excuses to quit for the day so you can go do something else?  Are you letting those motivation killers creep in?  Stand back and take a second look at what you’re doing and usually you can spot an area or two that could be the problem and are preventing you from getting the project done.

Never forget – this is YOUR business, and it will be what YOU make it.  I found a quote years ago that I really like and I’d like to see it up on your wall beside your work area – “If it’s to be, it’s up to me”.  Nobody else cares if your business succeeds;  it is after all, YOUR business, so give it your all and don’t let those motivation killers creep in!

I’ve found that when our 4 year old quadruplet grandbabies and their big 5 year old brother are here, I usually try to sneak in a little sewing while they’re taking an afternoon nap, or early in the morning before they wake up.

I do firmly believe, however, that the more you allow the small children to “help” with your sewing or craft projects the more they will want to do sewing or crafts when they get a little older.  And, because children LOVE to be helping, you can give them a head start in polishing their sewing or crafting abilities when they’re very young.

Here’s what happens early in the morning when I’m working on a sewing project and the little ones wake up (the two little boys generally are up first).  They set up their stools on each side of me in their “sewing office” and watch me sew.

There you go – Zachary is in charge of handing me the pieces to sew, and Brandon is in charge of putting the pins in the pin cushion when I’m finished with each piece.

Now, big brother Jacob (the 5 year old) lets us know that he’s old enough for his own workspace, so we set him up on his own sewing/working table so he can mark his pieces of fabric for cutting, drawing on and even glueing together.

Jacob is very good at measuring, as you can see by all the purple lines he’s drawn on the fabric pieces.

Even though the sewing / crafting process goes a little slower (or much slower) when the children are helping, it is well worth the extra effort to get them involved.  Who knows, one of these kids may be a professional garment designer when they grow up.  The best thing is that their brains are working on creativity which will be with them the rest of their lives.  The more you let them help you, the more you are setting the stage for a child who wants to do more than be a couch potato playing video games!

Are YOU letting your children and grandchildren learn the art of sewing and crafting by watching and helping you?

Trimming (1) means cutting away some of the seam allowance.  It is done when the full width of the seam allowance would interfere with the fit (as in an armhole).  Seams are first trimmed to half their width before grading.

Grading (2) (also called layering) is the cutting of seam allowances to different widths, as shown above, with the seam allowance that will fall nearest the garment side cut the widest. 

To trim a corner (3) of an enclosed seam, first trim the seam allowances across the point close to the stitching, then taper them on either side.  The more elongated the point, the farther back the seam allowance should be trimmed, so that when the point is turned, there is no danger of seam allowances over-lapping and causing bulk.  Care should be taken not to cut into the seams while trimming corners.

Clipping and notching are used on curved seams to allow them to lie smooth.  Clips (Fig A) are slits cut into the seam allowance of convex, or outward curves that permit the edges to spread.  Be careful to hold the scissor points just short of the seam line to avoid cutting past the stitching.  Notches (Fig B) are wedges cut from seam allowance of concave, or inward curves.  Space is opened by the removal of the fabric letting the edge draw in.  When clips and notches face one another, as in a princess seam, they should be staggered to avoid weakening the seam.  As stated previously, be careful when making the notches so you don’t cut through the stitching line.

These “how to” tutorials are an excerpt from our book “Basic Clothing Construction”.   This book is a handy addition to have in your sewing room, so you can refer to the various sewing tips and tutorials at any time

The suggestion was made that, instead of trying to “add an hour”, why not simply make a goal to get one item off the “to-do” list.

I’m probably the biggest list maker in the world, and if I didn’t have my list handy of things I’m working on, important things other than work related that really must be done and including items to do before company comes, etc, I’d be pretty lost.

While discussing the “add an extra hour each day” compared to “get one thing off the to-do list” theory, I’ll have to admit I really like the “cross an item off the to-do list” idea a LOT!  This means that those days when there seems to be not even five minutes to be found, perhaps one of those to-do list items might just fill the bill.  Many of my to-do list things can take only 10 minutes – it’s just finding those 10 minute time periods that’s the issue.

Lately I’ve been glancing over my to-do list for my “one item crossed off per day”, and I’ve been very surprised at the number of things that are being crossed off.  Some things may take half an hour, some maybe longer, but there are still some that don’t take very much time at all, and it’s very encouraging just to see some things getting marked off.  Actually, just getting to mark something off can get me started on “one more thing”, so some of my extra busy days I can even get a couple things done and crossed off.

Give the “cross one thing off my to-do list” each day a try and I’m willing to bet that you’ll also be encouraged to stick with this and be able to get more done this summer than you thought you would be able to do.  Let me know how this works for you!

          Cross Seams:  Seams that cross, such as at the waistline, shoulder or underarm, should be pressed and seam finished before joining.  To make sure that the seam lines of cross seams will align after they are joined and that all of the seam allowances will be caught flat in the stitching process, pin through both seam lines with a fine needle, then pin through both seam allowances on each side of the matched seam lines.  When the seam is stitched, trim the seam allowances diagonally as shown above, to reduce the bulkiness of the seam.

          Bias to Bias:  When joining two bias edges, first baste and then stitch, being careful not to stretch the fabric.  To reduce the risk of stitches breaking under the strain of normal wear, it is recommended that you use a shorter than usual stitch and a type of thread that has “give”.

          Bias to Straight:  When joining a bias edge to a straight edge, take special care not to stretch the edge that is bias, or the seam will not lie smooth.  Handle the bias edge gently and pin baste it to the straight edge, placing pins perpendicular to the seam  line at intervals of about every 3 to 4 inches, as indicated in the illustration above.  Stitch the seam with the bias edge on top, removing the pins as you stitch.  Remember that plaids cannot be matched if one fabric edge is bias and the other straight. 

          These “how to” tutorials are an excerpt from our book “Basic Clothing Construction”.   This book is a handy addition to have in your sewing room, so you can refer to the various sewing tips and tutorials at any time