5 Hints for Sewing Like You Care

Last weekend I made 14 hour pants.  Like, I spent 14 hours sewing.  Everyone I told this to was like "Oh that's so great!"  No, it's not.  My back now hurts from sitting on my fake wood floor cutting and pinning, and now I never want to sew again.

The pants in action with one of my dedicated readers

In hour 10, I started to get philosophical (or so I thought) about sewing, so I've made some general guidelines for sewing like you care.  I admit it.  Until recently I was a lazy sewer.  I breezed through directions, rarely touched the seam ripper, barely used my iron.  But those days are over!


Now that we are in the days of Buzzfeed, I've accumulated my philosophical thoughts into a list.  This recent change in the way the youngsters present information doesn't bother me; I've always been a lister.  One of my friends noted that this is usually how I express all of my stress, and with the opening of the med school application coming up, I'm sure my listing is about to increase.

5 Hints for Sewing Like You Care

1. Press open seams.  I put this as #1 because it's the #1 thing I hate doing.  First of all, I have a $10 Walmart iron.  Never buy a $10 Walmart iron.  It's going to function about as good as a $10 Walmart iron, if not worse.  Half the time it acts like it's possessed and spurts water everywhere.  Anyway, pressing open your seams gives whatever you are making a professional look.  Not only that, it generally makes your garment easier to sew with.  You might think "Ugh, I'll just press this later."  Get up lazy.  Press it now.  Later you might make another seam, making it much harder, if not impossible, to press that seam.  Together, we will fight laziness.

That black piece of fabric isn't decorative.  I accidentally ironed interfacing onto my ironing board.

2. Seam rip that crappy seam you just made.  Yes.  That jagged seam on the front of your skirt will make a difference, and you will later hate yourself for not fixing it.  You know what is cool about sewing?  People not knowing you made your own clothes because you didn't have an eye-sore of a seam in the middle of your garment.

3. Basting is actually a good idea.  For all those who don't know what basting is, it is when you set your machine to make a really wide stitch and make a seam you plan on later taking out.  It might function to hold two things together temporarily when pins won't do, or you might be trying to find out the best location for a seam.  It's not hard to take out a basting seam, but it's just another step.  I've been avoiding basting until a couple of months ago (all those who didn't need the explanation of basting can now gasp), and it has really changed my sewing.

4. Wash your fabric before using it.  I learned this the hard way, so none of you have to.  I bought the fabric for my 14 hour pants a while ago and figured I had washed it when I got it.  That was not so.  I wore them to work and found out in the middle of the day my legs were now stained black.  What a fun challenge that was trying to get that out in the shower.  If you're totally game for turning yourself fun colors accidentally, also keep in mind your fabric might shrink after you wash it.  Then that awesome pencil skirt you made yourself might turn into a gross 90's tube top.  I warned you.

Black dye on my sewing machine from my 14 hour pants >:(

5. Read the pattern.  No really.  Take it out.  Look at words.  Read.  Possibly have a dictionary handy if it's been a while.  Pre-MCAT Alissa was the first person to blow through the directions on the pattern and subsequently sew a sleeve to a skirt, but now with all my MCAT-verbal-reasoning knowledge, I now understand the merits of reading.  Listen, it's not my fault.  I grew up with the internet, where if there is anything blinking, you shouldn't look at it.  If there are long paragraphs that start with "Terms and Conditions", ignore them.  If your English teacher assigns you a book to read, go find SparkNotes and half read that.  (To be honest, I read every English book assigned to me ever.  I'm sure I'm the first person in the Texas Public School System to ever have done that, and I can't say it gave me any edge whatsoever.  I only blame myself.  Reading comprehension was never my thing.)  But really, if you are dedicated to making something that you will be proud of, you will take at least a half an hour to pre-read the pattern directions and follow along as you sew.

Taken from Google Images.  I know you all watched this.  Make Geordi La Forge proud.

Sorry if anyone is offended by the extra sass today.  I recently read Bossy Pants, so Tina Fey is my new spirit animal.  And also Olivia Munn.  Such sass.

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