Equipment & Materials Needed

Equipment

• Domestic Sewing Machines

• Cutting Mats

• Rotary Cutters

• Fabric Scissors

• Seam Ripper

• Cutting Ruler / Guide

• Pins

• Iron

• Ironing Board

Materials (per student)

• 1 Spool of Thread

• 1 Bobbin

• 1 domestic sewing needle

• Fabric - 1 yard / student

Safety Considerations

Recommended:

• Remove dangling jewelry

• Tie back long hair 

Lesson Sequence

Basic Sewing Terms

Baste

Basting is a method to make quick, temporary stitching that is indeed to be removed. It is used to hold a seam in place until it can be permanently sewn, usually with a long running stitch.

Bobbin

A bobbin is the part of a sewing machine on which the lower thread is wound. The machine makes a stitch by catching the bottom thread, from the bobbin, with the top thread, from the needle.

Face - Right Side vs. Wrong Side

Fabrics always have a right side and a wrong side. 

Right side: When instructions mention the "right side" of fabric, they are talking about the "printed" surface of the fabric. You usually sew things with right sides together so the stitching will be on the inside of the finished project. 

Wrong side: The other side is the "wrong" side of the fabric. The print is usually not as bright or the texture of the fabric may be different.

Interfacing

Interfacing is a type of textile sewn or glued on the inner side of a garment to make that part stiffer.

Lining

Lining is an inner layer of fabric, fur, or other material inserted into clothing, hats, luggage, curtains, handbags and similar items. Linings provide a neat inside finish and conceal interfacing, padding, the raw edges of seams, and other construction details.

Notions

Small objects or accessories, including items that are sewn or otherwise attached to a finished article, such as buttons, snaps, zippers, etc.. Notions also include the small tools used in sewing, such as needles, thread, pins, marking pens, elastic, and seam rippers. 

Seam Allowance

The area between the fold or the edge of the fabric and the stitching line done to create the seam.

Selvage

A selvage is the end of a fabric that doesn’t need to be seamed. It keeps the fabric from unraveling, like a ready-made seam.

Serging

The closing or binding off of an edge of a cloth or fabric. Most hems on garments have serged edges.

Topstitching

Topstitching is a sewing technique where the line of stitching is designed to be seen from the outside of the garment, either decorative or functional. 

Topstitching is used most often on garment edges such as necklines and hems, where it helps facings to stay in place and gives a crisp edge.  

2. Machine Orientation

• How to thread and load a bobbin

• How to thread the machine

• How to insert and remove a sewing machine needle.

Choosing the right sewing needle

The sewing needle size is determined by weight. The larger the needle, the larger the hole it makes. European needles range in size from 60 to 120, which refers to the diameter taken on the shaft right above the eye. American needles are sized from 8 to 19 in an arbitrary numbering system, and paired with corresponding European sizes

• 60/8 needle for lightweight fabrics similar to georgette or organdy

• 70/10 or 80/12 needle for medium-weight cotton, jersey, Lycra, linen

• 90/14 and 100/16 for heavy fabrics like jeans, vinyl, upholstery or canvas

• 110/18 or 120/19 for very heavy fabrics

What is tension and how do I adjust it on the machine?

Tension is  the amount of thread that can pass through the machine to create a stitch. All machines have four tension devices: thread guides, tension discs, tension regulator for upper thread, and bobbin-case spring for bobbin thread. These ensure that the same amount of thread flows simultaneously from the needle and the bobbin, producing a symmetrical stitch. Generally, we only adjust the upper thread tension dial to adjust the tension.  It is usually set in the middle range, around 4 or 5. Different thread sizes and types on top and in the bobbin can throw off basic tension settings. A needle that’s too large or small for the thread can also unbalance your stitches, because the size of the hole adds to or reduces the total top tension.

If you notice your tension is uneven, do not touch the tension dial. There are a few other things to check first.

• Make sure the machine is threaded correctly

• Make sure the bobbin is loaded correctly

• Make sure the machine is not dirty (ie. lint trapped in the bobbin case)

• Make sure the machine is not damaged (ie. bent needles, broken bobbins)

If all of the above appear to be fine, then try and adjust the tension dial.

Stitch length and how it’s determined

Stitch length is how long each stitch is sewn by your sewing machine. The numbers on the dial indicate the stitch length in millimeters.

Changing the stitch length adjusts the feed dogs, which controls how much fabric is pulled through with each stitch. For a shorter stitch length, less fabric is pulled through. For a longer stitch, more fabric is pulled through.

In general, thick threads need a longer stitch and finer threads need a shorter stitch. A shorter stitch results in a stronger seam, but a shorter stitch can also shred some fabrics. 

General Guidelines:

• 2mm is the short stitch length that should be used for lightweight fabrics, for satin stitching, and decorative stitching. 

• 2.5 - 3mm is the average stitch length range that should be used for medium weight fabrics. 

• 4 - 5mm is the long stitch length range that should be used for basting and topstitching or heavier weight fabrics.

3. Basic Sewing Stitches

Straight Stitches

This is what you would set the machine to by default to sew a straight line.  You can change the length of the straight stitch, but the width is always at 0.

Zig Zag Stitches

This is the most common decorative stitch. It can be used just to add interest to your project, for appliques, to reinforce seams and to finish seam allowances when a serger is not available. On zigzag stitches, you can adjust both the stitch length and width to change the overall appearance.

Backstitching

Backstitching is generally how you start and end a sewing project.  First sew a few centimeters going forward, then switch the machine into reverse and sew overtop of the same stitches. Then continue forward again over the same stitches, and this will secure your stitches and prevent them from unravelling later on.

4. Press & Cut Fabric

For this project, we will use  different types of fabric.

Fabric Colour A

This is for the bottom of the bucket on the exterior of the bag, and for the straps for the bag.

Bucket - 2 pieces - 8” x 16”

Straps - 2 pieces - 4” x 30”

Fabric Colour B

This is for the top of the bucket on the exterior of the bag.

2 pieces - 11” x 16”

Press fabric and cut all pieces using the rotary cutter, ruler, and cutting mat.

5. Sewing the Bag

• Top stitch about a quarter inch down from the top edge.

• Stitch Xs across 1” pieces of straps on the inside to reinforce them.

• Admire your fabulous bag!

Fees

• TextileLab Drop-In Rate: $30/day (12pm to 9pm)