Sewing with Powder!
Saturday, August 22nd, 2015
Invisible fabric repairs? Sounds too good to be true.
I’d seen this Prym Repair Powder at the wholesaler a few months back and it pricked my curiosity. So I ordered some and, in the spirit of ’never-sell-anything-you-don’t-understand’ I thought I’d best learn how to use it.
The idea is simple, you actually glue a small piece of fabric to the front of the damaged garment which stops the tear or hole getting any bigger.
The instructions on the packet are apparently written for either birds of prey or employees of a magnifying glass factory. Even my most sooper-dooper spectacles failed to focus on a font size measured in microns, not millimetres.
Anyhoo with lots of squinting and cursing I finally got it and set about testing said powder on a piece of scrap fabric which I deliberately put a hole in.
First off, measure the tear or hole that needs repairing. Mine was a thin tear, 6cm long. Then decide what size of patch you’re going to need to cover it – you probably want it to be 1.5cm longer and wider than your tear. I decided my patch was going to be rectangle, but it could be round too – all depends on what you’re working with really. Cut a piece of fabric the size and shape you need for the patch.
Now get a piece of card or paper and draw round your fabric onto it – in the middle. Cut out this shape only, keeping the rest of the card intact. This creates a template the same size as your patch.
Put the template over the repair – on the right side. Shake a decent amount of powder over the hole in the template – so effectively onto the fabric. Now remove the template carefully, put your patch on to the powder and iron, using an ironing cloth or greaseproof paper to protect your iron. And that’s it – your tear is literally glued together and won’t get any worse.
Is it any good? I’d say yes, it could be very useful and I’ll definitely be using it again, but here are some points to think about when you use it for the first time:
- Because the patch is on the front, you need to choose carefully what fabric you’re going to repair with it. I was using a plain fabric and the patch very clearly shows. I think it the fabric was patterned it wouldn’t have been so obvious.
- You need quite a bit of powder but be careful to brush away any that is showing before you put the iron on. I had some overhanging my patch a bit and when I ironed it, it turned to glue, which I couldn’t get off. If this had been a proper garment it would have shown very clearly. You can see this in the photo below. Next time I’ll be much more careful at this stage.
- Don’t make your patch too big – mine was far too wide. This will help it be slightly more invisible.
- This is a good technique for repairing linings or crotches or other places less visible.
- Your patch will need pattern matching. My plain fabric has a very feint line in it that I had to match to help with the invisibility thing.
Repair powder is £3.45 and is available at all good sewing shops, including Sassy Sewing
Below is how it looked when I’d finished ironing – can you see how I’ve used far too much powder, which is now showing as glue. If I’d not made this mistake, the whole thing would be pretty good.
And this is the wrong side, showing the tear, which is clearly glued together firmly.
How to change a sewing machine needle
Saturday, August 1st, 2015
Changing a sewing machine needle can be a little fiddly, but with a bit of practice will soon become second nature.
1 Put a scrap of fabric underneath your presser foot – if you don’t do this you’re risking dropping a needle into your machine – never a good idea! Using the screwdriver in your tool kit, and with the presser foot lowered, loosen the screw holding the needle in – it’s usually found to the right and above the needle Unscrew just enough for the needle to drop out.
2 Decide what type and size of needle you’re going to use and insert as far as possible into the hole. Needles have a flat shank on one side – this is to help you insert the needle in the right way. On most machines the flat shank faces the back of the machine, but check your manual to ensure this is the same on yours.
3 Holding the needle in place, tighten the screw by hand initially then finish using the screwdriver, making sure it’s snug. It needs to be tight to avoid it wobbling about when you’re sewing, which could result in a broken needle or a damaged throat plate.
4 One reason for needle breakage is a needle that’s too small so swap for a larger one. If the needle leaves obvious holes or there are skipped stitches then it could be too large, so a smaller one may be better.
Sewing liners for a good cause
Monday, July 20th, 2015
Warning, the following post is unsuitable for anyone still eating supper or likely to leave the seat up! You might remember that Sassy Sewing’s latest recruit, Judi and I are having a challenge this year to not buy any clothes and make everything we wear.
So far it’s going well, but I fear that Jude has just played an ace that I can’t quite match.
When she told me last week over lunch that she was making a reusable cloth panty liner I was initially relieved that I’d chosen the toastie and not the pitta bread.
Really? Have I slept too long and woken up in the 1850s? Apparently (and thankfully), Judi’s efforts are all for a very good cause. To provide the means for third world ladies to enjoy better lady-hygiene. As a sewing challenge it’s certainly interesting. Flicking through our pattern books revealed all manner of shirts, tops, skirts, dog carriers (yes, really, a dog coat with handles so you can lift Fido over tall fences), but nothing resembling Judi’s efforts. .
So, to avoid further blushing we’ve renamed this project the ‘Designer Judi Jockstrap’…Expect to see all the Essex A-listers swapping their Vajazzles for one of these hanging out of their Armanis by next summer.
And if you want to take part in the good works visit www.ecofemme.org and for a tutorial on how to make these little gems, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLXnTbi0_7c
Into the darkness
Monday, July 6th, 2015
Dancing in the dark? Not quite, but when the lights went out in our patch of Lincolnshire on Saturday afternoon we certainly had a few new challenges. No radio actually meant a dance-free day (possibly a first for Lincolnshire’s only fabric shop where you can hear Motorhead and Northern Soul during the same piece of cake). No coffee was bad enough, no cash register slightly more challenging till we found the secret manual method to open it. Customers not being able to tell if those subtle shades on our lovely Dashwood designer fabrics were red, pink or dusky rose meant a stream of Sassy customers stood blinking in the sunlight, clutching a bolt or two of their about-to-be favourite cottons.
It could have been worse – the bistro next door had a fridge full of party food for a christening the following day. And at least the sun was shining. So thanks to all our customers for your patience and willingness to skip to the cashpoint over the road (no sparks means no card machine either). We hope all your fabric was the colour you needed it to be.
Mr Sassy is drawing up plans for a bicycle powered generator in case it happens again. That should just about power the radio if we’re lucky.
Taking photos in the dark with a camera phone isn’t easy – so sorry for the quality of these.
The Walkaway dress conquered
Monday, June 29th, 2015
The ‘Walkaway dress’ was one of the highlights of the 2015 Great British Sewing Bee. So called because apparently, you can start sewing this 1940s style wraparound number after breakfast and walk away in it by lunchtime, or so they say. Maybe lunchtime was a lot later back then. I made one just after the TV programme went out – it took about eight hours, although two or three of those were dog-interrupted, so maybe about five in total.
We’ve had so many people buying the pattern and talking about it since that we decided to run a workshop ahead of a local 1940s weekend, if only so we could help put right some of the issues we’ve found with the pattern.
Four intrepid sewers popped in at 10am, with the hope of walking away in a finished garment by mid-afternoon. That didn’t quite happen thanks to a little too much chatting, one or maybe two cups of tea and cake too many and because sociable sewing and timekeeping are not exactly good companions.
The two main modifications were to shorten the length of the bodice based on nape-to-waist measurements because on the original the waist tends to sit a little low making the dress not fit as well as it should. The other mod was to add some material around the arm holes, again to make it fit better and leave less of a gape (you could get a small dog in-between fabric and bust without it).
So…we might not have finished in the time allowed, but everyone got close enough and, we’ve learned before that workshops run best if you don’t let them go on for too long.
Nine top tips for terrific talented taping
Wednesday, June 24th, 2015
Perfect measuring starts here:
- Measure twice, cut once. The oldest one in the book, but also the most true. Without careful measuring you might as well get the pooch to sew it
- Think about the individual garment. Measure over the type of undies you are likely to wear with that particular item. Are you reading this Madonna?
- Fumble with a friend. It’s always easier to get accurate measurements of someone else, so don’t wrestle trying to manage on your own
- For length, stand against a wall in bare feet and measure from the floor to the top of your head
- For body length, measure from the nape of your neck to the waistline
- Keep the tape snug, but not tight – remember you have to breathe and eat
- Busted: Take the measure around the fullest part of the bust and across the back. Then measure from under the arms, straight across the back and above the bust.
- Waisted: Run some string around your waist and wiggle – like an imaginary hoola-hoop. Where the string settles along your waistline is where you take the measurement
- Hip hope: Ask your friend to find the fullest part of your body, then stomp off in a huff (they are obviously no friend of yours). Come back, quick hug and admit it. Top tip…if the break up is permanent your hips are usually 18 – 25 cm below the waist
All change
Friday, June 19th, 2015
On Sunday we ran our first up-cycling workshop. For those not familiar with the term up-cycling is taking an existing garment and modifying it or turning it into something new and fresh. Anything can be up-cycled and some of the results can be stunning and of course unique too.
Our five lateral thinkers were turning jackets and jeans into bags, a kilt into a beret and a skirt that no longer fitted into a real showstopper that did.
Teacher Kate Pinfold made some complex ideas sound easy and in just six hours everyone learned loads, completed their projects and only ate modest amounts of cake and Haribo.
Up-cycling is both harder and easier than it looks. The first cut is the hardest (wasn’t that a Northern Soul song?), but after that there’s not much left to lose. It’s always worth doodling a little sketch of what you are aiming to produce – it just helps to visualise it. However don’t be scared to change direction as you go along. Nothing’s more exciting than just being creative, going with the flow and seeing where it takes you.
Below are a collection of pics from the day. Watch the website for dates of our next up-cycling session.
Sassy’s simple sewing kit
Sunday, May 31st, 2015
Sewing is simple, but even when you’ve got the fanciest of fancy machines, you’ll still need a few extra tools to go with it. And a sewing box too.
Measuring
Traditionalists prefer a simple ribbon-tape, while modernists (and men, probably) love a retractable tech tape. A metre rule is also useful, especially if you have long, straight lines to draw. Another great tool is a simple seam gauge, especially when sewing hems as it helps you get an accurate measurement all the way round.
Marking
Blocks or pencils of tailor’s chalk are the simplest and the marks are easily removed by brushing.
Higher-tech options are available and include erasable pens/pencils, water soluble marker pens, iron erasable pens and dressmakers’ carbon paper with a tracing wheel.
Cutting
Five common cutting tools. Bent-handled shears have an angled lower blade that keeps fabric flat while being cut. Pinking shears have zigzag blades that form fray-resistant edges. Sewing scissors trim threads and a thread clipper has spring-action blades but no handles making it quicker to snip thread as you sew. Rotary cutters offer a clean, straight cut but aren’t quite so good for cutting fiddly shapes.
Pinning
Pins. Simple huh? They keep your patterns and fabric in close company, even if you’re sewing in space. And not all pins are the same. Standard multi-purpose pins will make do for most, but you’ll need finer pins for really delicate fabrics. Real sassy sewers buy pins with coloured plastic heads which are easier to see when you drop them on the floor meaning less time wasted watching Fido doing Hellraiser impressions.
You’ll need a pin cushion too to keep them under control. Go for a magnetic one and picking up fallen spikeys is as easy as waving at the carpet.
Sewing
Machine needles come in many sizes. Buy yourself a pack of different sizes suitable for all weights of fabric. Most packs of sewing machine needles contain both metric (size 65-110) and imperial (9-18) sizes. We don’t understand it either but are guessing that a committee might have been involved. The bigger the number, the thicker the needle. There are different needles for different jobs. For instance, quilting needles, needles to use on knits, twin needles.
A fine needle will break if used on heavy fabrics, while a thick needle will damage lighter ones. Blunt needles are bad news. They damage your fabric, and cause uneven stitching. Experts suggest changing the needle for every new project. Great advice and needles are relatively inexpensive – cheaper than fabric anyway. Back in the real world though, I’d usually use mine for two or maybe three projects if using mostly cottons or lighter fabrics. Of course it you’ve splashed out on expensive fabric, then it’s a new needle every time.
Fixing
A seam ripper is a small hook with a blade underneath. Push it through the fabric to open up seams and rip out stiches when things go wrong (which they will, at first, often.)
Got something to celebrate?
Tuesday, May 19th, 2015
New and we are so excited about it! Why not party on at Sassy Sewing and we’ll make sure it’s an occasion to remember. Hen party, birthday do, baby shower – whatever it is you’re toasting why not celebrate while you craft.
Make beautiful bunting for the bride, a keepsake quilt for a baby or a sash for the birthday girl – we can cater for just about anything and no previous experience is required.
Party food and drink can be included if required and we’ll make sure our lovely space looks as sparkly as it could possibly be.
For more information please call us on 01507 524566 or why not call in to the shop to discuss. We guarantee to make your day special.
The challenge hots up
Monday, May 11th, 2015
The 2015 challenge continues and my partner in crime Judi, fresh from moving back to the UK from Turkey has been getting busy with her new sewing machine. Regular readers will remember that for 2015 we are not buying any new clothes, instead we have to make them all. We are now five months in and both are a little behind but enjoying it all the same. I definitely need to sew faster before I run out of new things to wear (Mr Sassy would choke on his coffee if he heard me saying this as if course he thinks I’ve got more than enough clothes. When do us women ever have enough clothes!)
Here is Judi’s latest offering. It’s a lovely little ‘Jackie O’ jacket made from a pattern featured in Love Sewing magazine – it was an easy and quick make with nothing to catch you out.
She chose a black boiled wool fabric that’s as soft as butter and doesn’t need lining. A black gingham stretch ribbon around the front edges and neckline finishes the jacket off beautifully and adds a bit of interest to a gorgeous but plain fabric. She tells me the possibilities for embellishments on this jacket are endless and she’s looking forward to making another, much blingier version. Now where did I put those sunglasses!
A very useful sewing site
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