You can buy special stiletto type awls to aid in sewing. Most of these metal awls will also punch leather or fabric (for eyelets.)
I've also seen bamboo awls, and plastic awls in conjunction with a hera marker. But I like the humble shish-ka-bob.
I have used both the long and the short (6") skewers in my sewing. Perhaps the short ones are candy sticks...I bought them so long ago that I don't remember! They are cheap and come in packages of maybe a hundred. So you can place them in various places around your workspace and never have to interrupt your sewing to search one out. I have them by the serger, sewing machine, and cutting table.
You could also use knitting double pointed needles. A package of 5 is usually around $7. Choose from plastic, bamboo, metal, or hardwood.
A benefit of wooden awls is that they're less likely to do real damage if you hit them with the machine needle. You can get right up close to the stitching without fear. They also won't scratch the presser foot, needle plate, or feed dogs.
Use awls to aid fabric feeding, keeping it even as it goes under the foot. Use an awl to ease the top layer of fabric, much as a walking foot would but in front of the foot rather than behind. Use them to slide pins out of the work when you need to sew right up to each pin as might be the case with velvet or plaid. Use one to keep the point of a placket in place as you sew by it at a thread's width. Use the longer sticks to turn small tubes. I also use the small sticks to apply glue and seam sealant in a controlled way. The glue ruins them but since they are so cheap (and natural), I don't feel too bad about tossing them after.
I also use shish-ka-bob awls frequently at the serger. I use it to scoot threads from under the presser foot, freeing the needle threads from the loopers before stitching when necessary. And, I use an awl to free the needle threads for cutting and removal when ending a coverstitch. (Thank you Debbie, for this amazingly useful set of tutorials!!)
If you've never sewn with an awl I highly recommend it. There are myriad uses for it. And it truly becomes like an extension of your fingers.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Sewing with a Shish-ka-bob
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4 comments:
These are great tips! I'll have to find some of these...
I have never used awls before, I didn't know what to use them for so this is very enlightening,, thanks
May I add another use? When sewing on buttons by machine, I sew over an awl to allow movement in the button. I think a small wood candy stick would work well for this application.
Of course, Elaray! Yes, that's a great application,especially since you should have your shish-ka-bobs all over the studio! A toothpick also works for buttons, and I've used those in the past...but I think that the small shish-ka-bob would be easier to "hold on" while stitching, (now that I think about it, it could be taped on above and below the button) so I'll try that next time.
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