You're a tool dude. Anyone can install a carburetor on a car, but to get it to run right takes a tool guy, that understands a machine, and how to optimize it. A thread Injector is a sewing MACHINE. Look at it as if it were a Holley 750 and start tuning that sucker in, and you'll have it beat!
.... the Aardvark (earth pig)... a rather unremarkable creature whose sole claim to fame is that it is the first animal listed in the dictionary.
Rob
good point.Originally Posted by Aardvark
As I was pondering where I had went wrong it was not so much the machine as it was my inaccuracy in cutting. I thought "now I wouldn't cut a sheet of plywood on a table saw with out the guide rail, what was I thinking not using a straight edge to cut fabric." haha
Every thing begins in the preparation stage. The better the preparation, the better the product.
I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.
"Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn
We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series
Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies
Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint
I am smack in the middle of a sewing project right now. Taking a short break to read about sewing climashield.
As has been said, the first thing to remember is that the sewing machine is just that, a machine. Not as simple as it looks, but not overly complex either. It just takes time to master it. I won't say I have mastered it yet, but I am well on the way I think. When I first started using a MIG welder, it was a lot like my first sewing, not pretty Both are getting better with practice and experience.
One of the best things I did was to set aside a whole day just to watch sewing videos and learn. I had already tackled (and been frustrated by) a few sewing projects -- which I think is important. Until you have banged your head against the wall, you won't appreciate the little important things you need to know. I found whole videos on thread, others on needles -- it is all technology after all.
But all the "book learning" in the world doesn't substitute for experience, which is what you get from your first projects. What I find now that I have some experience under my belt is that things go faster now, there is less "I'm going to go jump off a bridge now" frustration, and things actually are looking better too. Saturday night I did a 2-3 hour sewing session doing an experimental single layer hammock from 1.2 PolyD and it was one of the first projects that went smoothly without any frustrating issues, and it came out nice.
My first projects have a variety of cosmetic issues. Not worth the time and trouble to tear the stitch out and start over. They work fine and have for years now.
So hang in there. We all gotta pay our dues, no shortcuts.
Last edited by Tucson Tom; 08-17-2015 at 18:41.
As for hemming ragged edges, you can just hide the ragged edge in the hem, but you can't reference off the ragged edge, you need a marked reference line where the fabric folds. All the junk the other side of the line goes in the hem. All kinds of ugly things can hide inside a roll hem.
I got one of those white tailors pencils (aka "dressmakers pencils") and use it all the time to mark fabric. It works well on everything but Climashield.
A 36 inch metal straightedge and a big carpenters square are essential layout tools for every project.
Last edited by Tucson Tom; 08-17-2015 at 18:55. Reason: Itchy fingers
I think it is also a point to note that you should take frequent breaks. If you allow 3 hours for a project, add an hour or 30 minutes and take 2- 30 min breaks or 2- 15 min. breaks just to stretch or get a snack. Take a few moments to look over your project before jumping back in.
This will keep you from pulling your hair or rushing thru a section "just to get it done". Go slow and take your time.
Enjoy and have fun with your family,before they have fun without you
Remember function is what you are after. Not sure how you feel about it but if I make something, I don't want it to looks like it came off an assembly line. I want it to have character, so what if seam's aren't perfect, they still hold. Who cares if you ran out of blue thread and finished up with green. All those unimportant things that don't hinder function make that project yours, and the right to say "I made this".
My ego said, SURE you can.
Half way in my body said OH NO YOU CAN'T
Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional.
My YouTube
A reference line would have made the difference. I will grab one of those pencils.As for hemming ragged edges, you can just hide the ragged edge in the hem, but you can't reference off the ragged edge, you need a marked reference line where the fabric folds. All the junk the other side of the line goes in the hem. All kinds of ugly things can hide inside a roll hem.
I got one of those white tailors pencils (aka "dressmakers pencils") and use it all the time to mark fabric. It works well on everything but Climashield.
A 36 inch metal straightedge and a big carpenters square are essential layout tools for every project.
Another place you can get into trouble here is that some of the edges on tarp doors are cut on the bias (think diagonal instead of horizontal or vertical). The bias edges stretch more than the others, both when handling and when sewing- thus, you could end up with different lengths when they were cut the same.
A flat piece of soap (like it gets when it's almost used up) will work, too.
Caminante, son tus huellas el camino y nada más... - Antonio Machado
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