7 Tips to Learning to Machine Sew

Sewing machines are really an wonderful invention. Imagine that clothing used to be made by hand sewing every stitch! A professional tailor could charge for high quality work, but many a home sewn garment was made only after hours and hours of hard work and finger pricking labor.

Knowing how to use a sewing machine is not as easy as learning to use the dishwasher, the microwave, or the blender. It's a bit more technical than those appliances, though not rocket science. With patience, the right learning material, and a will to sew, you can be on your way to finishing projects as soon as you like.

Here are 7 tips to get you on your way to learning to sew:

1. Read your sewing machine manual. It may sound dry and boring, but you'll save yourself lots of time and frustration if you read what the folks who made your machine advise you to do.
2. Practice threading your machine until you can do it in a few seconds. If the instructions aren't clear, get on the internet and look for images and videos to help you follow the instructions.
3. Practice winding your bobbin.Anyway it's nice to have a couple of bobbins all wound and ready to go.
4. Practice sewing in a straight line. Almost any seam can be seen as a series of straight lines, even if they're very, very short straight lines. Practice on scraps of cloth and even on paper.
5. Practice ripping seams. It's inevitable, and if you're good at ripping a seam without ripping apart the fabric, it will make your life easier and your garments more professional. You can use the scraps you sewed straight lines on for practice.
6. Practice finishing seams and pressing them open. Pressing your seams as you go makes a world of difference in how well your garment fits and looks. Make this a habit.
7. Start with easy projects. You'll feel more confident if you start with easy projects.

There are also free projects and tutorials online. Just start searching, and you'll find a wealth of information. Start slowly and have fun. Sewing is a great skill to have, and well worth the time you invest in learning it.

Robin Brown is a Singer sewing machine fan. She sews regularly for her family and for fun. She even uses her sewing machine to mend buttons.

Visit http://www.SewSing.com for video tutorials on using a mechanical Singer sewing machine.