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Rip out stitches more then sew... how is that even possible?
Valerie Jo Advanced Beginner MO USA Member since 8/2/09 Posts: 615	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 10/16/12 7:38 AM I know better then to let something go (ignore something I don't like). I feel like I rip out stitches more then I actually sew. How is that possible? I carefully pin, etc. It's so frustrating. I'm making a simple purse/bag and the pocket is fairly straight on one side (maybe off by 1/16" at the bottom) but off by 3/8" on the other side. I need to tweak it somehow. It is on contrasting fabric so it is noticeable. I cannot just adjust the one side to turn it under because it has fused fleece interfacing and is lined. I can just take it off and start all over but that seems a bit extreme. So, I know I will try to fake the bottom part somehow to look better. This is why I am so slow completing projects. Sometimes I take the project in to my sewing friends (where I shop) and ask them how to fix or their opinions. Sometimes just setting it down for awhile helps me think of a way to fix it. Does anyone else have the same issue?
NottaWadder   Advanced Beginner Member since 6/17/12 Posts: 377	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 10/16/12 8:43 AM YES! My goal is to try to make something and not have to rip out a single stitch. I have come nowhere close to that goal yet. But I have learned that putting something down and coming back later can be to a great advantage. Sometimes I even wake up in the middle of the night with a solution to the problem. It often still involves ripping out some stitches though, lol. ------ My Singer crew: Sergei - Serger 14T968DC (set up as coverstitch) Stella - Serger Stylist II 14J250 (set up as main overlock) Quincy - Quantum 9960 (my main SM) Newest addition: Stevie, my very first Featherweight! (221 Centennial)
Doris W. in TN   Intermediate TN USA Member since 2/9/04 Posts: 6744	Login to reply to this post In reply to Valerie Jo << Like this post Date: 10/16/12 8:54 AM Quote: Valerie Jo I carefully pin, etc. It's so frustrating. I'm making a simple purse/bag and the pocket is fairly straight on one side (maybe off by 1/16" at the bottom) but off by 3/8" on the other side. I need to tweak it somehow. I have a feeling the problem is in the actual sewing, perhaps? My first question is whether the pattern, itself, is off by those numbers, or the pocket after it is sewn. If the pattern is okay, but things like the pocket are going wonky while being sewn, the sewing process itself needs to be changed. Do you have, or can you buy a walking/even feed foot for your machine? Have you decreased the amount of presser foot pressure? Thick items, and layered items, all need something to help the layers move at the same speed. Sometimes careful, copious pinning is not enough (ask me how I know...).
Julkane   Intermediate PA USA Member since 9/14/07 Posts: 442	Login to reply to this post 1 member likes this. Date: 10/16/12 9:47 AM Well join my club - I am not sure I have ever made anything, clothing, quilts, purse, etc. without using a seam ripper. Usually it is user error but it has taught me great patience and given my hubby alot of laughs. I spend many evening hours in my sewing room - hubby feels neglected - so in his sitting room I have a chair and great lamp where I sit to rip out. This allows me to spend 'quality time' with my hubby. Seriously I think the suggestion of the walking foot is valid. When doing an item with many layers I always use my dual feed and it does come out more precise. ------ Elna Excellence 740, Pfaff Quilt expression 4.0, Janome 300E, Brother 8500D, Janome 900CPX CoverPro, Brother 5234 Project Runway Serger, Singer Treadle http://juliannasjourney.blogspot.com/
Annie- oh Intermediate CO USA Member since 2/7/04 Posts: 1169	Login to reply to this post 1 member likes this. Date: 10/16/12 10:21 AM IMHO purse patterns are often not quite as clear as bridge blueprints, so it is probably not you, Valerie Jo. Someone here on PR says: "As ye sew, so shall ye reap." A fact of life. ------ I try all things. I achieve what I can. "Moby Dick" We stand here confronted by insurmountable opportinities. Pogo
AdaH   Intermediate IA USA Member since 11/21/09 Posts: 2135	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 10/16/12 10:58 AM I have been sewing for a very long time and there have been few items that I have not had to rip a seam out and do over. My problem is that I am not as careful as I should be and I go to fast. One thing that has helped me is putting one hand behind the foot and one hand in front of the foot and then gently pull the fabric. The feed dogs will pull the under layer of the fabric faster then the top layer so the gentle pressure of your hands pulling the fabric keeps the layers going under the pressure foot at the same rate. That is what the walking foot does, keeps both layers moving at the same rate. ------ Ada
petro   Intermediate FRANCE Member since 6/24/07 Posts: 2204	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 10/16/12 1:42 PM OK. The answer is hand tacking. Not a popular response, sorry. I don't follow this advice of mine myself very often, but often think, well, it would have been quicker to tack. (nb tacking is British English for basting) ------ so many patterns, clamouring to be sewn http://patternpandemonium.wordpress.com/
PattiAnnJ   Advanced OH USA Member since 12/3/06 Posts: 4982	Login to reply to this post 1 member likes this. Date: 10/16/12 3:04 PM I just read this Chinese proverb in Marti Michell's Successful Machine Quilting and it can apply to just about everything. I hear and I forget; I see and I remember; I do and I understand. My take: I watch sewing and quilting on TV and the Internet; I see what they are doing, but can not always remember the tips and techniques (old age?); If I apply it (tips and techniques) often enough and I don't forget. That is how I see reading patterns, underscoring what applies, taking my time and having a successful outcome. I guess it is one of those "haste makes waste" things?? -- Edited on 10/16/12 3:08 PM --
Immelu   Intermediate KS USA Member since 5/6/06 Posts: 232	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 10/16/12 10:21 PM Double sided, wash away sticky tape...that's what you need. I use it on EVERY pocket I'm trying to put on....and a lot of other things as well. Joanns and Hancocks carry it.. I find it often with the quilting notions.
Doris W. in TN   Intermediate TN USA Member since 2/9/04 Posts: 6744	Login to reply to this post In reply to Immelu << Like this post Date: 10/17/12 9:14 AM Quote: Immelu Double sided, wash away sticky tape...that's what you need. I use it on EVERY pocket I'm trying to put on....and a lot of other things as well. Have you tried Steam-A-Seam? It's fusible and does not get stiff, nor does it stick to everything while trying to get it in place.

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