Needles, threads, pins

When you get past the beginner stages of using a sewing machine
(see my post on first steps in using a sewing machine),
you will want to use the best needle, thread, pins for the task.
Here are useful links full of information about the possibilities.

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Use quality needles and thread

A sewing machine needle has grooves and indents which are part of how it works. Make sure the needle is the right way round, and fully into the holder.
A surprisingly complex device, which needs to match the thread being used (as well as the fabric and technique, see below).
Here’s a diagram of a needle with some explanations of the parts.

It really does give easier sewing and better results to use quality needles and thread. It’s a poor economy to use cheap bargains unless you really have to.

I once bought a box of sewing machine needles from a named though modest manufacturer. Only about 1 in 10 was usable, the rest were either blunt or bent. They caused all sorts of problems, which magically disappeared when I put in a Schmetz needle instead. Even if it’s not that dramatically wrong, a poor quality or worn-out needle can cause skipped stitches and problems with tension.

I’ve also had all sorts of thread nest and tension problems when using old thread (thought I could use it up for making some technique samples, but definitely no).

Cheap thread breaks easily, can cause sewing problems, and clogs up the machine with fluff.
If you’re interested in such details, here’s an article on thread quality.

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Needles and thread for beyond-beginner sewers

For an idea of the variety of choices available, here are guides to what is available from some well-known manufacturers :

Schmetz sewing machine needles
John James hand sewing needles

Gutermann sewing threads
Madeira decorative threads

Here’s a chart on machine needle selection, from Sewing Parts Online.
See also Sandra Betzina’s book More Fabric Savvy for much useful information.
Test your choice of needle size and type, thread size and type, stitch length, by sewing samples on your fabric.

And here’s a piece from Sewing Mastery with many links to information about sewing machine needles.

[Hmm, sewing machine needle sizes have larger numbers for larger sizes, hand sewing needles have larger numbers for smaller sizes – aargh.
Threads have larger numbers for thinner threads. That’s because thread is measured by the length you get for a given weight – thinner thread, longer length.]

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Pins

Pins are used to hold fabric or patterns in place. To hold something stable they need to be pushed down through the fabric, and back up out of it again.
Here’s a piece from Threads magazine on using pins for many purposes.

There’s a big choice of types and sizes of pin. Here’s a Threads magazine article on types of pins.

People have different preferences. Personally I like long thin easy-to-grab pins, so I choose Clover flower head pins. Not cheap, and they’re not heat-proof, but they give me pleasure to use. I also have some ‘appliqué’ pins, about 1/2″ long and useful for doll clothes.

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All these alternatives can be a bit overwhelming to start with. Then when you get more experienced it’s a pleasure to find exactly the right tool for the task in hand. Using a sewing machine to its full potential is definitely not a trivial skill.
Enjoy the process !

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Originally written January 2014, links revised June 2019

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Pressing a plain/ open seam

For high quality final results, press after every sewing step.

First sew. Then finish the seam allowances if need be.
Here are my posts on sewing an open seam and getting a good zigzag finish to the seam allowances.
Then press.

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Press the seam flat as sewn

I haven’t found a video or written tutorial which shows clearly all the steps I want to mention.

The first pressing step is to press the fabric flat as sewn. This minimises any fabric distortion caused by the stitching.

Here’s a photo from about.com (see the pink stitching).

The video from Threads magazine on sewing an open seam shows this sort of pressing briefly, at about time 5 minutes.

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Press the seam open

Here’s a video tutorial from Deborah Moebes of Whipstitch.

Deborah’s video shows :
– pressing the seam to one side – used in quilting to stop the wadding from leaking out,
– pressing the seam open – used in dressmaking to make less bulk.
She doesn’t show the first pressing step in garment sewing, pressing the seam flat as sewn.

You may need to take special care so the seam allowances don’t mark the ‘right’ side of the sewing. Two solutions :
– use a seam roll. When the seam is pressed along the top of the roll, the curve of the roll means the seam allowances aren’t in contact with the main fabric.
– use strips of heavy paper between the seam allowance and the main fabric.

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So in review, the steps are :
– press the seam flat as sewn, to ‘set the stitches’.
– ‘finger press’ the seam open before using the iron. This may seem unnecessary hassle, but it helps to make sure you don’t press a pleat along the seam, as they’re difficult to get rid of.
– press the seam open with your iron.
– press the seam again but from the right side.

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Pressing in general

Here are a couple of general tutorials on pressing.

written tutorial from Tilly and the Buttons.

video tutorial from FashionSewingBlog.

For a quality result, it’s best to press each sewing step as it’s done. If you wait to do your pressing until all the sewing is completed, you’ll find most of it is difficult to get at.

If the surface of your fabric could be altered by direct contact with your iron, you need to use a pressing cloth.
Do find some silk organza to use as a pressing cloth. It really is a lovely tool.

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Many people who make video sewing tutorials don’t show the pressing steps, as it requires another camera set-up. This is sad as it makes pressing seem unimportant and trivially easy.

Some people say you should spend more time pressing than sewing !
Pressing is one of the most important steps for making sure your clothes don’t look ‘home made’.

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Links available January 2014

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Getting a better zigzag seam finish

Open seam allowances need to be finished in some way, so they don’t fray.
Seam finishing may seem to be a hassle extra step, but it’s essential to do this if you want the garment to last.
Some people dislike doing this so much they only sew fabrics which don’t fray, like fleece and knits !

It’s easiest to finish the fabric edges when the fabric is flat, before sewing the seams. But this is only possible if you know you aren’t going to make any fitting alterations.

Many people use a serger/ overlocker to do the seam finishing.
But not to worry if you haven’t got one.
The easiest way of finishing seam edges using a conventional sewing machine is to use a zigzag stitch. Available on domestic sewing machines from about the mid-20c.

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Zigzag stitch

One thing I had difficulty getting my head round is that the ‘length’ of a zigzag stitch is :
– the length of one zig, not the length of the whole zigzag, and
– the distance the fabric moves, not the length of the diagonal stitch.

Can be confusing – on my new machine, with some stitches you control the length of a zig-zag, with some you control the length of a zig. . .

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Zigzag stitch seam finish

There are many on-line tutorials on finishing seams using a zig-zag stitch.
Here’s a written photo tutorial from Tilly and the Buttons.
And here’s a video tutorial from Awl-Nighter.

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Getting a good result

The trouble with many zigzag tutorials is they don’t mention that it often doesn’t work very well – the fabric ‘tunnels’/ curls up inside the zigzag stitching. Especially with light fabrics (demos often cheat by using stiff fabric so the result looks good).
On my machine the zigzag works well on doubled fabric, but not on a single layer of lighter fabric.

Several possible solutions to this. Best to make samples until you find a method that works well for your fabric.

1. Loosen the top thread tension.

2. Use a narrower (and/or shorter) stitch.
A good zigzag option is 2mm long and 3mm wide. The largest your machine can do will probably ‘tunnel’ the stitching.

3. Use an overcast-overedge presser foot.

These have some sort of prong or flange which holds the thread so it can’t pull taught while the stitch is being made.

Most machines have some sort of foot like this. Here’s one from Singer.

Check by stitching slowly ‘by hand’ (turning the wheel manually) that the stitch-foot combination work together without the needle hitting the foot.

4. Use a 3-step zigzag stitch instead.

Available on most machines which have stitches beyond straight and zigzag. Pulls less because the stitches are shorter. Again, on most machines, stitch length is the length of 1 stitch, not the length of the complete zigzag.
On my machine a (0.5 length, 3.5 width) 3-step zigzag gives the least crumpled result I can get on one layer of lighter fabric.

Here’s a video tutorial from Sew In Brighton about using a 3-step zigzag.

5. Explore other stitches on your machine.
Many machines have several stitches specifically for overcasting.

Here’s a video of one of these Pfaff stitches (they do make life easy for themselves in the demo by sewing on a stiff fabric !).

The stitch that I like for edge finishing on wovens is actually supposed to be used for blind hemming on knit fabrics. I made a sampler of all the possible edge finishing stitches, and this gives the prettiest and flattest result.

Not as quick as using a serger/ overlocker, but just as effective.

6. Stitch away from the edge
Most demos show the machine stitching so one side of the zigzag goes over the edge of the fabric. But you may only be able to get a good result if you stitch down the middle of the seam allowance. Then trim off the spare seam-allowance outside the zigzag, taking care not to cut off any of the zigzag points.

(source Grainline Studio seam finishes)
(You may be able to spot that the example cheats (like many) by stitching the sample on a tough fabric which it’s unlikely anything could distort.)

This takes more time, but the stitching is flatter. It doesn’t entirely prevent the edge from unravelling, but it does prevent much loosening of threads.

As a last resort (this solution is much more work but may be needed on light fabric) :
7. Add stabiliser under the zigzag stitching area
(washable fabric) Use a 1 inch/ 2 cm wide strip of water soluble embroidery stabiliser between the fabric and the feed dogs. If you really need to control things, you could put stabiliser on both sides of the fabric.

(dry cleaned fabric) Use a strip of tear-away embroidery stabiliser. Sew to the wrong side of the fabric, so what is left in the stitches after cutting away the stabiliser should be hidden by the seam allowance.

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Other open seam finishes

There are several more techniques for finishing open seams. Bulkier than zigzag, but look very good if anyone will see your seams (such as when you take off an unlined jacket or coat).

Turned and stitched
Here’s a tutorial from Tasia at Sewaholic.

Bias binding, Hong Kong finish
Hong-kong finish and bias bound seams, from Closet Core Files.

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Enclosed seams
This post has been about finishing open seams.
There are also many seam types which enclose the seam allowances, so there’s no need to worry about the edges fraying.

The easiest enclosed seam is the french seam. Here’s my post on the french seam and mock french seam.
This is especially valuable on fabrics that fray very easily, and on see-through fabrics. Also for delicate fabrics which you can’t manage to get any of your overlocking stitches to give a good seam finish result on. On my machine these can be a much quicker way of finishing a seam than using an overlocking stitch.

No shortage of techniques which give desirable seam finishes in special situations 😀

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First published January 2014, links checked October 2021

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