Sewing Class: Important Steps in Learning to Sew

SEWING MACHINE MAINTENANCE

If your sewing machine isn't taken care of, your frustrations will lead to quitting. There is nothing worse than sitting down to sew and your machine won't work properly!
Here are two things you need to do to keep your machine in shape and ready:

1. All threads produce lint. Thankfully the kind we are all going to use, now, doesn't produce as much as the inexpensive kind! However, you still MUST clean the lint out of your machine. Lint builds up in the tension mechanisms and in the bobbin case. When cleaning always use the lint brush that came with your machine. If you don't have one, use a small paint brush.

You will read, or be told, that you can use canned air to clean the lint out. And you WILL be tempted to blow out some of the lint with your mouth. However, the man that services my machines, who I trust, said that this can cause more damage by pushing the lint up into areas of the machine that are difficult to clean. Makes sense to me. So I only brush the lint out.

2. Make sure you oil your machine regularly. If you don't have oil specifically for your machine, buy it from a fabric store or a sewing machine dealer. Oiling is VERY important. The purpose is to lubricate the moving parts to reduce wear and tear. Your manual should specify what parts to oil. **One exception: Do not oil computerized sewing machines, it is not necessary (thank you for the warning, Carolyn). After oiling, use a scrap piece of fabric and sew several stitches to allow any excess oil out.

Get into the habit of doing these two things after every two projects. This is a great habit to instill in your kids, and not only are they capable of doing it at any age, they seem to enjoy it! Just make sure your younger kids only place a drop of oil, instead of showering the machine with oil! If you haven't cleaned and oiled your machine yet, you better get it ready for our next project!!

Kristi learned to sew right along with her daughters. The girls were age 3 and 6, at the time! Because it was such an enjoyable experience she wants to encourage others to pursue this endeavor. Kristi experienced the woes of feeling very ignorant just trying to read a pattern and was discouraged from trying to teach her girls on her own. After receiving a new sewing machine from her husband for her birthday, she became bound and determined to fulfill her desire to learn to sew.

Kristi's plan was to learn everything before she tried to teach her kids. But as she was learning, her girls caught her enthusiasm and in amazement she watched them flourish in learning to sew right along with her. Kristi says that, "quite honestly, because we knew nothing I experienced a real freedom in my own education".

At age 8 yrs. old, her younger daughter could sew her own dresses, and her older daughter, at 11 yrs. old, had a passion for sewing, and was a better seamstress than Kristi.

What Kristi wants to do, is share her journey in sewing; to help others know (with hindsight being 20/20) that the best way to learn is by doing. She has shared with friends and family their way of learning to sew, as well as, the projects and patterns that built their skills. She has seen it not only work for others, but truly bring a delight into the sewing experience.

To learn MORE, from the "9 Secrets to Successfully Teach Your Child to Sew", through free articles full of tips, encouragement, suggestions, and projects with step by step directions with lots of photographs, go to http://www.sewingwithkids.com