The Big Sewing Book
Basics & Techniques
Sewing is fun, and trendy too! With needles, thread and a sewing machine, making individual garments is easy so let your own creativity run free!
Use this book as a basis and you will quickly learn to sew, or even refresh previous knowledge. Let yourself be guided from the first seam to the finished garment as detailed instructions and step-by-step photos will provide all the information you need including:
• The right equipment: sewing machine, tools and accessories
• A quick guide to fabrics
• Getting the right measurements
• Patterns and cutting out
• Hand and machine stitches
• Seams and hems
• Edges and neatening
• Collars, necklines, sleeves and waistbands
• Darts, pleats, pockets and fastenings
• Small alterations and repairs
• Easy sewing projects for beginners
© Naumann & Göbel Verlagsgesellschaft mbH
a subsidiary of VEMAG Verlags- und Medien Aktiengesellschaft
Emil-Hoffmann-Straße 1, 50996 Cologne, Germany
www.vemag-medien.de
Text and realisation: Eva-Maria Heller
Cover picture: Inge Ofenstein
Translation: Rae Walter in association with First Edition Translations Ltd, Cambridge, UK
Overall production: Naumann & Göbel Verlagsgesellschaft mbH
All rights reserved
ISBN 978-3-8155-7660-1
Equipment and basics
The sewing machine
Accessories
Tools
Round the workplace
Fabrics
Lining and interfacing
Measuring made easy
Patterns and cutting out
Sewing techniques
Hand and machine stitches
Sewing project: place mat
Seams
Sewing project: embroidering jeans
Seams for special materials
Neatening edges
Hems
Sewing project: scarf
Collars and necklines
Sleeves
Waistbands
Darts and pleats
Pockets
Fastenings
Sewing project: cushion
The self-reliant woman
Alterations and repairs
Picture credits
Many people have already discovered the love of sewing for themselves, as well as the fun of experimenting and discovering their own creative streak. The interaction of needle, thread and sewing machine is all the rage. It requires not just basic knowledge and a certain amount of skill but most of all the desire to create something individual. Finally, when the work is finished, you will enjoy a great feeling of having completed something that is unique and unmistakably yours.
This sewing course is a wide-ranging programme for beginners and those who want to refresh their knowledge. Easy to understand and clearly explained in words and pictures, the book presents the most important techniques, as well as valuable tips on everything to do with sewing. There are also projects for beginners that will guarantee success and encourage the desire to experiment.
Anyone who wants to start off with something really fashionable should at first choose proprietary printed patterns that are straightforward to follow. Check the degree of difficulty indicated – levels 1 and 2 are suitable for beginners. Then all you need is a beautiful fabric, matching thread, a working sewing machine and any necessary accessories. After that nothing will stand in the way of your success. What is more, sewing is not just something to do at home. More and more women of all ages are now meeting up in sewing groups. Maybe there is a sewing group or a sewing café in your town. If not, ask your friends if they fancy getting together to discover the new love of sewing.
Have fun, and of course we wish you every possible success.
The Editorial Team
The first sewing machine was invented round the end of the 18th century and was revolutionary at the time. Luckily modern sewing machines have very little in common with the technology of that period. Today’s machines make sewing a real pleasure.
Nowadays the most widely available sewing machines are a combination of base plate and free arm. They are sold with carrying cases and need a relatively low work table as the base plate makes the work surface higher. The free arm makes it possible to sew parts that are awkward to get at, such as trouser legs and sleeves. Slightly less common are flat-bed machines that are built into sewing tables or cupboards. The machines are driven by electric motors, operated by a foot pedal. The foot pedal is also used to regulate the sewing speed.
If you are contemplating buying a new machine, it should definitely be equipped with various general-purpose stitches, such as straight stitch, zigzag, hem stitch, overlock stitch, various stretch stitches, a few decorative stitches and fully automatic buttonhole stitches. If your machine meets these requirements you can get started right away.
1 Use this dial to select a variable stitch length from 0 to 5 mm.
2 Stitch selection dial.
3 Turning the hand wheel by hand enables you to sew single stitches.
4 This is where the lower-thread bobbin is wound with the desired thread.
5 Here you can change the stitch width – e.g. for zigzag stitch.
6 The automatic needle threader makes it easy to insert the thread into the eye of the needle.
7 The extension table keeps sewing accessories handy. The bobbin is inserted behind it.
8 Upper thread tension dial.
9 Reverse feed button. As long as this is pressed in, the machine sews the selected stitch in the reverse direction for securing the beginnings and ends of lines of stitching.
a Place the spool of thread on the pin.
b Draw the thread towards the front through the snap-in thread guide.
c Draw the thread down from right to left through the thread tensioner.
d Draw the thread from right to left through the thread guide.
e Use the needle threader to insert the thread through the eye of the needle.
To wind the bobbin, place the bobbin on the pin. Draw the thread from the spool to the bobbin, wind it round the bobbin a few times and press the button to the left of the bobbin. Now press the foot pedal and the thread will wind automatically onto the bobbin. Place the bobbin in the bobbin case and click this into the body of the machine behind the extension table.
Correctly adjusting the tension for the upper and lower threads is important in order to get perfect-looking seams. Ideally the point where the upper and lower threads interlock should lie exactly in between the layers of fabric being sewn.
If the upper thread tension is too tight, the upper thread will lie flat on the surface and loops will form on top of the fabric.
If the upper thread tension is too loose, the lower thread will be stretched taut under the material and the upper thread will form loops under the work.
When buying a sewing machine, you will get various types of presser foot as basic equipment. There are additional presser feet available that make particular sewing techniques easier and/or offer more opportunities for creativity.
As a rule, many accessories are supplied with a sewing machine. They are specially designed to fit the machine and are constantly needed, some of them for maintenance.
For example, a small screwdriver is used to adjust the tension on the bobbin case, while a fine brush with artificial hair is used to remove fluff from the machine. Sewing machine oil is needed for servicing some machines, and this will be found in a small bottle. In the accessory box you will also find spare needles for the machine and a few empty bobbins.
Invisible zipper foot
This foot is perfect for sewing in zips that ‘disappear’ into the seam. The ribs on the foot press the zip apart, positioning the seam in exactly the right place on the zipper tape. This foot is obtainable as a universal foot to fit many different machines.
Invisible zipper foot
Embroidery and darning foot
When embroidering and darning the feed dog is lowered. As the stitch length is no longer set, you can determine the width of the stitches by the free movement of the fabric and the density of the stitches by the sewing speed. The open foot gives you an unimpaired view of the fabric below, absolutely ideal if you are darning a hole in a sock or want to fill in the hole and embroider a motif over it at the same time.
Embroidery and darning foot
Overlock foot
Perfect for neatening edges and to complement the various overlock stitches. A guide prevents the fabric edge from rolling up or wrinkling during sewing. The thread is distributed evenly over the edge and the stitching remains flat and even.
Overlock foot
Embroidery foot
Fancy and embroidery stitches are worked close together and need more room under the foot to prevent the stitching from jamming. This foot has a recess underneath so that seams and stitches remain even.
Embroidery foot
Cording foot
A cord of cotton or artificial fibre is threaded through the foot. The cord is carried along automatically round curves and corners. Sewing over it with thick zigzag stitch gives the decorative line of stitching an attractive and very striking three-dimensional look.
Cording foot
Gathering foot
This allows frills and flounces to be gathered and sewn in a single operation. The lower layer of fabric is fed through automatically during sewing. How tight the gathering is will vary, depending on how tightly the main fabric is stretched.
Gathering foot
Quilting and patchwork foot
The width of the patchwork foot enables you to keep exactly to the usual 6 mm (1/4 inch) seam allowance for patchwork. This universal presser foot is 5 mm wide, so the fabric pieces meet exactly at the corners, avoiding the effort of marking the seam width on them.
Quilting and patchwork foot
You should definitely put together a basic toolkit of accessories, as this makes the work easier. To keep everything at hand you can get hold of a sewing box or a plastic toolbox (for instance from a DIY store), in which you can keep everything neatly arranged.
Scissors are important, both for cutting out paper patterns and for cutting fabrics.