Speed Sewing Tips & Tricks

My favorite cutting tools are a cutting mat, & a rotary cutter.  There are a variety of sizes, I have 2, & while I have scissors & shears, I do not use them for cutting out entire patterns anymore, just because the rotary cutters are so much easier to use, & much more accurate. If you have trouble cutting fabric pieces the correct size, due to jagged edges when you cut out the pattern pieces, try the rotary cutters with the mat, they are expensive to start with, but absolutely worth every penny!


Cleaning & rejuvenating your cutting mat-
http://www.patchworkquiltpattern.com/2017/05/Tips-olfa-mat-cutter.html

If you are going to sew a LOT, where you are trying to produce many identical items, you may need to consider an industrial rotary cutter, to save an enormous amount of time & effort, making it possible to produce far more product, in a much shorter time. Be sure you choose one for the type of electrical system you have, whether it is 110 home type of electrical outlets, or 220 industrial electrical system. It is important to follow safety guidelines, & wearing a glove made of stainless steel chain, helps protect your free hand from being cut accidentally, by this rapidly rotating super sharp rotary blade, like this one I found on eBay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Portable-Electric-Fabric-Cutter-2-Knife-Rotary-Cutting-Machin-BLADE-50mm-Taiwan-/232152314156?hash=item360d5b312c:g:sT0AAOSw-vlVmNOu

Factories & professional sewing workers use mechanical folders & binders, & other special accessories, which they attach to the sewing machine bed, or even on industrial sergers & coverstitch machines, to complete 2 or 3 sewing tasks in 1 step, instead of several steps.

 

Sewing Workbooks are an excellent way to learn how to use your sewing machine to it's maximum potential. Most sewing machine shops also sell workbooks, & sometimes even include free classes, in the price of the sewing machine. Step by step instructions, photos, & a chance to sew them in a class, under the tutelage of an expert, is a great way to learn specialty features, & how to make your sewing look professional.

Babylock Imagine Wave, has automatic tension, you just turn a lever to the stitch you want, & this incredible, "self threading" serger sews the right stitch, without you having to make multiple adjustments like most sergers. I overedged this washrag that was falling apart, in just a minute or two!

Babylock Imagine & Eclipse sergers use the same presser feet, this set of 5 feet includes piping feet, in 2 sizes, elasticator foot, blind hemmer foot, ruffler foot, & one more, but I can't remember if it was a beading foot, or what. Regardless, they make many sewing tasks much faster & easier. One of my favorite is the ruffler, it allows you to both ruffle the fabric, & stitch it to the smooth fabric, all in one quick step!

Babylock 838D 4/3/2 serger with differential feed, this one even had a knee bar, for raising & lowering the presser foot, hands free! Notice the metal bar lying on the table to the left of the serger accessory manual, it looks like it has a blue handle, that is the knee bar.

Babylock 838D with knee bar shows accessory door open, & stitch samples, as well as the instruction manual. The knee bar is installed in this photo, note it is attached on the right side of the machine, & bends over the front of the sewing table (I used a sofa table back then) to make raising & lowering the presser foot, hands free.

Babylock Imagine Wave showing 2 samples of the Wave stitch on satin & denim.

Babylock Imagine Wave showing more examples of the wave stitch, this time on cotton.

 One of my favorite speed sewing tools, is having a serger! While home sergers are not as fast as industrial sergers, they do sew much faster than most people operate their home sewing machines, & the serger will trip the edge of the fabric, before sewing the seam & finishing the edge of the fabric, all in 1 step! Most sergers offer a variety of stitch types, & by using different tension settings, or using 1, or 2 needles, you can sew an enormous variety of seams & gorgeous decorative finishes, ruffles, puffing, flatlocking, & if you have a new enough, machine, you may even have the coverstitch capability! Some sergers offer a chainstitch & an overlock stitch, which means they are a true serger, but many home machines, are actually only an overlock machine, particularly if they are only a 3 thread, or 3/4 thread sewing machine, but an overlock stitch is actually more secure than a true serged seam, so don't worry about whether your machine sews a "true serger stitch", or is just an overlock machine. Most people don't actually know the correct definition of a serger, so most people will use the terms overlock & serger interchangeably, but regardless of which of these types your machine is, it can make completing sewing projects much faster, easier, neater, & can actually make your home sewing look professional!