Mamma Never Taught Me To Sew by Rachel Sanfordlyn Shreckengast

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Some people call sewing a lost art, and they may have a point. It’s not being taught to as many people as it was in the past, whether by grandparents or parents. Ready-made clothing is cheaper than ever. Sewing machines are fairly expensive. Sewing accessories are often ridiculously priced as well. Two yards of fabric will often cost you as much as a clothing item found at a discount type store, and notions (buttons, closures, etc.) aren’t all that affordable either. So, what’s the point?

The point is that there are ways around the expenses of sewing. The point is that it is a useful skill to have, and that having the skill of sewing can save you money in the long-term. There are ways around every single issue I pointed out regarding the expense of sewing. Even a person with very little sewing experience can get around such issues and produce useful and practical items for their homes or bodies. You don’t even need a machine, but I will absolutely point out that it is preferable to not having a machine. A sewing machine will save you time and will also save you frustration. I recommend having a sewing machine, because hand stitching, while useful for sewing on buttons, is a time-consuming pain in the hand.

My first machine cost me $10.00. I knew nothing about sewing machines except that if you pressed the pedal, the needle would go up and down. My first machine was purchased at a yard sale and did not come with a book. Let me advise you to get one with the manufacturer’s booklet if you opt to purchase your sewing machine at a yard sale or thrift store. It would have saved me a lot of frustration if I had that little book. I would have known how to properly thread the machine, for one. I would have also known that adjusting the tension might have helped with some of the frustrations I had on the machine.

My first successful project on that machine was curtains made out of bed sheets. Essentially, you fold down an end of the sheet and sew a straight line. Which, is about as simple as you can get, provided that you have the booklet that comes with the machine. Thread breaking and such doesn’t help the issue. I bought two more machines before I got one with a booklet. One of them was $15.00 and one was $20.00. Both were purchased at yard sales. I was becoming comfortable with sewing straight lines and made many window coverings (eh…curtains) during our lean years. I branched out from sheets, even! I learned to use my clothing iron to iron four sides of a piece of fabric so that they would stay and I could sew all four sides to create curtains in fabrics I actually liked. I learned that if you sewed two seams on one end, you could create a ruffle at the top of your curtain. I also learned that I wasn’t all that great at making straight lines with an iron, but I was happy.

Considering that I had never been taught to use a sewing machine properly, I was proud of myself for my accomplishments in the world of sewing. I wasn’t doing a great job or anything, but I had certainly saved us a lot of money. Have you looked at the prices of curtains? It’s ridiculous! Of course, my machine/s weren’t anything special and I was on the lookout for a new machine. I was actually wanting to buy a NEW machine, silly me. At the time though, we really couldn’t afford it. Those were the lean years. So, I went along trying to get my machine (at the time) to work for me as best as I could. Shortly thereafter, we got the internet.

I adore the internet and have since the first moment we got it in 1993. I found friends that were frugal! I found people that were willing to teach me new skills! People liked it when I wrote! A fascinating exchange of information and sometimes, just plain silliness. My 14.4 modem was zipping (ahem) along whenever it got the chance, or at least, whenever I got a spare moment. A few years later (after Delphi, a free local BB focused on underwater diving and a small stint with CompuServe) we discovered AOL. By 1996, I had dropped AOL for a local service provider, had a webpage up and had taught myself basic HTML. My sewing suffered for it, at least for a while. I still watched and learned about a myriad of things, including sewing.

Around 1997, I had gleaned that most people thought vintage Singer machines were pretty good and that maybe I should focus my attention on finding one. Featherweights and their friends were definitely outside of the realm of my budget, so I started looking at other Singers of similar vintages. In 1998, I ending up catching an eBay auction where a vintage Singer 66-6 was being sold. Apparently, a few people are bothered by the number, so I was able to get it for $30.00 with a shipping charge of $50.00. $80.00 seemed quite expensive to me at the time, but considering how much we had already saved by using the earlier machines, I took the plunge.

The 66-6 lasted me until last year (2004), and was well worth the money I paid for it. The difference between this machine and the others, is that it came with the booklet. Which helped tremendously. I realized why my thread broke so often on the other machines. Not only did I know nothing of tension, but I had been threading the machines incorrectly as well. The booklet also contained little tips that helped (especially tips about tension). I made more curtains (of course!), but I also gained enough confidence to make pillows, hem clothing, make microwave-able rice heating packs, make grocery bag holders and I taught myself to quilt.

Essentially, quilting is the process of cutting up fabric and sewing it back together, using mainly straight lines. Quilting also taught me another important factor in sewing. Measuring is a good idea. I learned about ½” seams, and learned that your points/corners would only line up if you actually measured your seams. I also learned that cutting quilt pieces to the right size, and being fairly exact about it would make for a much nicer looking quilt. Of course, this meant that fairly dull scissors, used for everything from cutting paper to snipping off plastic tags, just would not do.

So, I needed at least one pair of good scissors used for nothing other than cutting fabric. My mother had mentioned this to me in passing, but never explained why. The reason is that sharp scissors cut more easily, and using the scissors for anything other than cutting fabrics, dulls them to the point that they catch on the fabric and snag the fabric, thereby ruining your nice cut. When the leans years weren’t so lean anymore (in other words, I was working from home and making decent money from my writing work), I invested in a self healing mat and a rotary cutter. Which made exact measurements of quilting pieces much easier. I also got a few accessories for quilting (such as my lip edge ruler). My 66-6 machine only did straight stitch, so I was still somewhat limited in what I could do with it.

I worked around a lot of the issues, and vowed that my next machine would allow me to do “fancy” things such as reverse stitch, zig-zag stitch and it would allow me to change the stitch length too. In 2003, the 66-6 was starting to wear down quite a bit. The motor was attached to the machine with a piece of ribbon (as it had fallen off it’s bolt) and it was having an issue with slowing down. A lot. In 2004, I was starting to wonder whether hand-stitching might actually be faster, so I started to research again. Again, there was no way I was going to spend the money on a featherweight, so I researched the “surrounding” models. As a result of quilting, I wanted something similar to the featherweight, but preferably cheaper.

In the meantime, I found a nice little White at a yard sale for $20.00. It’s not a great machine, but it was better than any of the machines (excepting the 66-6) I had in the past, and it was in good shape. By this point, I knew to test the machine before purchasing it and didn’t get stuck with a lemon of a machine. It has a few quirks, but it’s passably decent. After finally finding and purchasing a Singer 301A on eBay, I currently own the best machine I’ve ever had. I’m also branching out again.

After receiving my machine, I completed my first ever pattern. You know, an actual pattern. One from the store on half-price pattern day. I’ve also started to reconstruct my own clothing as well as clothing that I pick up cheaply from the thrift store. So far, it’s been completely successful. Tonight, I am re-working a suede skirt that I found at the thrift store for $2.50. It was too small for me, so I removed the waistband, cut some of the top off (it was also too long for my short frame) and used some of that to enlarge the waistband. I also sewed up the seams to fit it properly. It’s currently pinned and only the waistband needs sewn on.

Sewing suede would normally be difficult, except that I found the proper needles (vintage, no less!) at a yard sale. The needles were originally from a sewing factory that sewed overalls and are much better quality than any needle I’ve bought in the store. They were fifty cents a box and contained anywhere from 50 to 150 sewing machine needles per box. I have about 10 or so boxes of needles, so I’ll be using them for years to come. About that skirt, it was (in it’s previous life) a skirt that likely cost hundreds (if not more) of dollars, because it had a (big name) designer tag in it. I supposed I could have sold it on eBay and gotten my $300.00 that I spent on my Singer 301A back, but instead with $3.00 - $4.00 worth of supplies I can turn it into something I can wear and will have in my closet as a basic forever. Being the ornery sort that I am, I cut out the designer’s name tag out and it will go into my closet tagless.

Speaking of my closet, it now is starting to reflect my personal style even more. I’ve taken two (or more) shirts and combined them. I’ve added beading to a tank top (hand-sewn in that case). I’ve turned shirts with funky sleeves into tank tops. I’ve turned round necks into v-necks and have made clothing that I loved fit me better (or even just fit me, in some cases). None of this clothing cost me a lot in the first place. Most of it was purchased at thrift shops or yard sales. The only thing I paid retail for was thread, snaps or hooks and eyes. Everything else can be had on the cheap.

If I need new fabric for some reason, I buy it from the clearance section. I never pay more than $2 a yard for it. A sleeveless shirt is 1 ½ yards or less with most patterns, which means it costs me $3.00 plus thread to make a sleeveless shirt. Which IS cheaper than you can buy it new in most cases. If I don’t need new fabric, I hit yard sales and thrift stores. I still have the 20 feedsacks (and about 20 yards of other fabric in the same box) that I paid $3.00 for a couple of summers ago. Someday, they’ll make it into a quilt. Buttons and trim can be taken off of clothing that is no longer useable (such as a shirt that gets a big hole in it or a huge stain). Lace can be had by taking apart clothing (especially that made originally for little girls). You can also use fabric from old clothing. A sweatshirt can be made into a different style of shirt, such as a halter top or tank top. A pair of pants can be made into a pair of shorts. Curtains, bedspreads and sheets can be used for fabric for patterns. You can make patterns out of your old clothing or you can buy patterns at yard sales. In my area, patterns are often 10 cents each at yard sales or you’ll get an offer to “take the whole box for 2 bucks”. You can ask furniture stores if they’ll let you buy or have their fabric swatch books, which often contain very expensive upholstery fabrics that can be used for trim or to dress up an otherwise drab piece of clothing. Machine sewing is an excellent skill to have. It will save you money in the long run, if you are a bit creative with where you purchase your supplies.

Although I am nothing near an expert at sewing, I have saved well over the cost of all of my machines put together. Our dining room has curtains made out of four brocade patterned tablecloths, which cost us a total of $10.00 at a liquidator type store. Look up the price of brocade patterned curtains, they’re outrageous. Until recently (we just bought new chairs at a yard sale), we had chairs in the dining/kitchen area that were recovered three times with different fabrics I had on hand. The total for all 4 chairs was never more than a dollar each time. One time it was vintage fabric, twice upholstery fabric - all of the fabric I used was from boxes of fabric I bought at yard sales. Those chairs lasted us from 1991 to 2004 as a result, despite the fact that they were fairly cheap chairs to begin with. The door in our dining room had a curtain made from a scrap of fabric I had left over from the chairs (each time). Our front room has curtains from a very heavy brocade upholstery fabric that cost me $3 a yard (I broke my $2 a yard rule - it‘s the only time I have) but was over $20 a yard retail. My office room has fabric from the clearance section that was $1 a yard. Most of the other curtains in our house were given to us. The quilt in my daughter’s room cost me under $15.00 to make, the batting being the most expensive item. As for clothing, I haven’t had to have any of my pants tailored (i.e. - shortened) as I can do it myself. The same is true of all four kids. My husband doesn’t have that problem, but if he needs something repaired, we can do it quickly and easily. This is merely the tip of the iceberg.

I’ve made sewn gifts (quilts, stuffed critters, etc), adjusted clothing to fit better (such as taking in waists, etc) and made practical objects (a sewing roll, a grocery bag holder, rice heating pads, etc). Let me reiterate that I am not a super sewer. I mainly know how to sew straight lines, though my newest machine allows me to sew curved lines as well. I do not even know how to sew on sleeves yet. I have only made a few items from patterns. I have not yet learned to use the nifty attachments and feet that came with my various machines, nor have I learned to use the cams. Nobody taught me to sew, I learned through trial and error. When I started out, I couldn’t afford to take sewing classes. Nor did I know much about machines or using them.

My momma never taught me to sew. If your momma didn’t teach you to sew either, don’t let it stop you from learning yourself. Or from asking someone else to teach you. Or from learning by trial and error like I did. In fact, if your momma didn’t teach you to do something else, don’t let it stop you from doing that either. It can be done, sometimes you just have to do it. Just go out there and take the plunge. The worst thing that can happen is that you learn a useful skill.

Related Do It Yourself Sewing Links

Best Wishes,
Rachel Sanfordlyn Shreckengast
041605