5 Ways to Better Your Sewing

• Sit in front of the needle, not the machine "controls." There should be a straight line from the needle, through the seam line of the work you're sewing, to your nose.

• Use the right needle. There are many types of needles and using one appropriate to your fabric and job really contribute to successful sewing. For example, use a microtex needle when sewing closely woven microfibers or silk. Use a heavy denim needle for hemming jeans. For knits, use a jersey needle. And for athletic wear with spandex, use a stretch needle.

• When you will have to negotiate a tight curve or an angle with your sewing, draw the seam lines onto the wrong side of the fabric with a fine-line chalk marker. When sewing a curve, using a smaller than usual stitch length will make navigation smoother. When sewing a corner, stop sewing with needle down at point, raise the presser foot, pivot fabric, lower foot and resume sewing. In either case, sew slowly.

• Use pins perpendicular to the seam line at each end of the seam, the center, and reference points such as dots and notches. Use pins parallel to the seam line in between those. Having pins in both directions keeps your fabric from shifting either up and down OR left to right.

• If you are having a sewing problem, 99% of the time re-threading the machine will fix it. Either the top thread or the bobbin thread needs to be re-done b/c it is (most likely) out of the tension disks. Even if you have threaded properly the first time, sometimes the threads will jump" out of tension while you're sewing.
  

The machine in the picture was given to me by my aunt. It's a Necchi Supernova. It's the fastest domestic machine I've ever sewn on! At full speed the entire table shakes. Fortunately there is a "slow" setting too. I've never used an industrial machine but I can't imagine one going much faster.

The Necchi makes a beautifully reliable straight stitch and zigzag or satin. It does have a series of cams for decorative stitches that no longer work but I decided that for the few times I use decorative stitches I might as well use my modern pfaff. The Necchi's talent is that beautiful straight stitch...probably right through steel if I had need to stitch, say, window screens or cookie tins.