New sewing machine newb

[dog812]

Hey I got a sewing machine and am interested in making a quilt / sleeping bag.
I don't know the first thing about sewing. I have been flipping through pages on here. But wondering if there is a good beginner place to start? How did some of you guys learn?

 

[gudspelr]

The Internet is your friend on this one . I started off with some zipper pullouts and there was a great tutorial from someone on this site. I practiced on some material my mother in law gave me. Also, I'd read that Walmart sometimes carries ripstop nylon and to look for it in the clearance section. I got some blue stuff-I think it was 4 or so yards and I paid $3.50? It's nice to help practice on lightweight materials like you will be for making a quilt, etc. A synthetic quilt is basically like a big pillow-you could do some YouTube searches on how to sew a pillow and adapt that. Sew three sides of the quilt (stack the two layers of material, the insulation on top of that) and then turn it inside out at the open bottom. Then you have a number of choices on how to finish the last seam.

I'd start with some small stuff to get some practice with just using the machine and figuring out how to do different stitches (straight, zig-zag). I ended up finding a local sewing machine repair shop (they also sell machines) that I took mine to for some help on how the old model worked. They have been a TON of help and even showed me how to do different stitches, how to thread it (each machine seems to be different), and a number of other things. If you can find a shop with folks like these, it's well worth your time to go see them. Do you know anyone who sews around you? Just having someone on hand to help you with the basics really gets you a firm footing.


Jeremy

 

[AGPank]

I took home economics when I was a kid. I understand the basics. I should take a class to better understand the right machine, thread, needle, and bobbin combinations for the right material.

 

[gudspelr]

The nice thing is, bobbins seem to be pretty standard. Each machine has it's own way of winding the bobbin. I have two machines, an old 1950's Good Housekeeper that was made in Japan and is really heavy, all metal, and a cool machine. The other is a newer Bernina and it has arrows on the machine housing that shows where to put the thread so it's in the right place and is really pretty straightforward to operate. For needles, I've been told to get a size that's big enough to have the thread easily go through the hole. To judge it, I was told to take the needle (not installed in the machine) and put the thread through the eye. Hold onto the thread and if the needle easily slides down the hanging thread, that's what you want. I've been using 100 percent polyester (Gutterman brand) Mara 50 thread (I'm pretty sure that's right-it's the thinner thread between the 50 and 70). I used it on my quilts and on a silpoly tarp. I've been using a decent size needle, can't remember off hand what number it is, though. The thread is really nice and tough and won't soak up water.


Jeremy

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

Colonel00 did a tutorial on making pull outs on here. It's a good place to start and gain skill.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Brendan]

Can't help you - but I just bought a heavy duty Singer myself. Probably haven't used a sewing machine in 25 years. First project for me might have to be reinforcing a stove jack I installed in my Kodiak Canvas, as well as some gear / zipper repairs. I have one softshell that's getting tossed unless I can fix the zippers, so figure that's a decent place to start...

 

[dog812]

Well hopefully my grandparents old machine will do everything I need..

 

[ROJO23]

Start with a cheap piece of material and play with each stitch. change the width and length and see what works best.

I followed a youtube video on zipper top bags (pull outs). I bought a couple of yards of ripstop nylon and some zipper. After about 3 I had figured out what changes I needed to make. After that I have made a few belt pouches, I screwed up 2 of them, but then I had a good pattern.
I was using my Mom's sewing machine, and I have recently ordered one. My wife is now asking me to make some curtains. Good luck

 

[gudspelr]

Cool looking old machine, right there. ROJO23 gives good advice on getting some material and trying the different stitches. It's really cool to just go at it and see what the different settings do to the stitches. It's also helpful to get used to where the needle sits normally for your straight stitch (left, center, or right) so you know where to run the edge of the material under the presser foot and how close you want your stitches to the edge.


Jeremy

 

[5shot]

Make sure you oil it up real good before you get going, and that thing will last forever. Buy 5 yards of ripstop at the local fabric store and start making drawstring stuff sacks or similar. When you get to the end of the first couple yards you'll have learned just about everything you need to know.

 

[dog812]

It looks brand new, 1969! *dog howl!!*