How do I sew straight? Learning to sew made easy with My Sewing Club on The Gold Coast.
Do you get disappointed with your ability to sew straight? Looks like it should be so easy, “right”. I find this can be tricky if you don’t go about, it the best way, you will improve over time, but who wants to wait. So, follow my simple tips and I know you will improve super-fast.
This is a common problem and can be easily fixed, with just a few changes you will improve Quickly. I see this in class, especially when I am teaching kids that have never used a sewing machine before. Once they know what they are trying to do, it’s fantastic to see them improve right in front of my eyes.
Use the plate on your machine–
- you will see helpful lines on the metal plate beside your needle. These often have measurements on them as well, so helpful. If your pattern has a 1.5 cm seam allowance simply place the edge of your fabric against the 15mm line. Then watch the edge of your fabric on this line, rather than the needle. This simple adjustment will go a long way, to helping you to stitch straight.
- When your Pattern has a 1 cm seam allowance, follow the 10mm line instead and so on. Simply choose the best line for your project.
- If your plate has no numbers simply lower your needle and using a small ruler, I use a sewing gauge, to measure from the needle to the line at 1.5 cm you can even use a sharpie to draw a line, so it’s easy for you to see the line you need and help you guide the fabric.
- You will find, when you are watching the needle, its already too late to try and fix things. By using the plate, you can see the line to follow way before you get to the needle. So that you can easily make any corrections to keep your seam nice and straight.
Another helpful tip– Add a rubber band to the throat of your machine. Again, line it up to the seam allowance line on the plate of your machine . This will give you a super clear line to follow and it’s also a physical line to place the edge of your fabric against. Bonus its super easy to change to a different seam allowance simply slide the rubber band along as needed.
You can also buy magnetic seam allowance these are best on mechanical sewing machines, but the rubber band can be great for computerised as well as mechanical machines. Some people use sticky tape, (Painter’s tape, coloured Insulation tape) stuck to the plate of their machine, although this can work it’s a bit messy to change and you may end up with sticky residue on your machine.
Try to move your hands back– How and where you hold the fabric can make a huge difference. Most new sewers tend to hold the fabric very close to the needle giving you little control. Simply move your hands back, at least 10 cm from the needle, this gives you so much more control. Much easier to straighten up and if you start to veer of track.
Give this a try, you will be amazed at how much easier it is to control the fabric and bonus it also keeps your fingers safe too.
How you pin can help too, Place your pins into the fabric at right angles from the edge rather than, the older method of parallel to the edge. This will save you heaps of time in having to switch your pins to the other side when you need to sew on the reverse side of the fabric. Plus it gives you so much more control, you can easily remove each pin as you sew up to it.
Always hold your fabric below the next pin, making sure you use up all the fabric in each section. This can really help with fabrics especially ones that slip and slide and stretch as you sew.
Final thoughts, Give these tips a try and see your sewing improve, and gain confidence in your skills. I love how sometimes it just takes small changes to make a task so much simpler.
Have fun sewing, and drop me a line if you would like to know more about my classes in Ashmore on Gold Coast
Cheers Fee, 0479111877
Join in the fun with, My Sewing Club, 42 Dominions Rd, Ashmore, Gold Coast