Choosing The Best Value In Fabric is one fabulous hobby.
Rising out of necessity, the modern creative hobby enjoys almost endless possibilities.
The convenience features of advanced computerized sewing machines have opened up vast possibilities. Before you start any project, it is important to make sure your sewing machine is working properly and get sewing machine repair as needed.
This hobby finds expression in embellishment, home dcor, heirloom, clothing, crafts, quilting, and embroidery. The ease and creative potential, make sewing a highly satisfying hobby.
Sewing is also blessed by the rich array of sewing threads, notions, and fabrics. Colors and textures are available today that could not even have been dreamed about when the sewing machine was first invented.
One of the challenges creative sewing hobbyists faced, is choosing the right combination of fabrics, colors, and textures. The options are so great, that sorting through the choices is often very difficult. As a result, the following list of tips is provided.
Tip One: Consider the advice available to you. Too often we try to make our own choices without considering what the experts say. You can save loads of frustration by asking experts, teachers, and trusted friends for their advice. Reading the backs of patterns can shortcut the decision making process. While all advice is not equal, you are still in control. Use your own common sense, after getting all the suggestions you need.
Tip Two: Consider Quality. If you think about your project, and how much time and effort you put into it; ask yourself what quality materials do you need? Rest assured there are differences in quality. Three bolts of fabric may look just alike, one may be junk, another may be good quality, and the third may be top quality. Durability, finished appearance, and ease of sewing can vary greatly based on the quality of the fabric.
Tip Three: Understand grades of fabric. Fabrics are produced by first producing greygoods or the base fabric. If this greygood piece is woven, you may have one fabric made of 20 count, another of 60 count, and another of 200 count. By count we refer to the number of threads per inch. Obviously, the more threads in the greygoods, the better the fabric will be. The same print, coloring, or finish can be applied to each of these varying qualities of fabric. If you sew a project with low end goods, it will not wear as well or retain its quality as long as better quality materials.
Tip Four: Learn how to identify quality in fabrics. Read books on fabrics. Take classes. Ask sewing educator about identifying quality. It is important to understand that even the finest sewing machine may have difficulty producing quality finished projects with poor quality fabrics. If you take your sewing machine to your technician and have him repair sewing machines, it may not give you the result you want. So, look for quality fabrics.
Tip Five: Price is not the only indicator. Generally, poorer quality goods will cost less, but prices do still vary. The key is identifying the real value of the fabric.
Tip Six: To examine the quality of fabric use your senses. Touch it, look at it up to the light, examine the weave, stretch it to see if it retains its shape, and scrunch up the fabric to see if it tends to wrinkle or not.
Tip Seven: Check out the labels on the end of the bolt. Check out fabric content and washing directions.
Tip Eight: Cotton fabrics are very popular because of their easy of use and the wide variety of colors and prints available. It is recommended that you pre-wash cottons to set the fabric and prevent shrinkage problems later. Sewing your project and then shrinking it can be frustrating.
Tip Nine: Watch for blends. Due to the great qualities of cotton fabrics, you will often find other fibers blended with cotton. Polyester is essentially plastic, but polyester cotton blends are great. They add durability, reduce shrinkage issues, and generally eliminate problems with wrinkling.
Learn to sew on a variety of different fabrics and master those special techniques on specialty fabrics that come from understanding how to sew on them.
It is important to check the fabric label for the percentage of fiber content. If there is a high polyester content, the character of the fabric will be more like polyester than cotton.
A shirt with 70% cotton and 30% polyester, is going to give the cotton the good features of the polyester, but maintain the good features of the cotton. The result is a shirt that wears wrinkle free with high durability that still breathes. Reverse the percentages, and the increased plastic features appear resulting in a very hot shirt. You will also find blends with other fibers. Examine the labels and consider the characteristics blended between the two fibers.
Creating is Exciting and relaxing when you know how to sew. Act now to learn to sew like a pro beginning with your free copy of Top Ten Sewing Answers available at www.SewingAnswers.com.
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