Sewing machine lore: what my mother would have told you

When I was researching my estate sale sewing machine on the internet (Kenmore, from 1966-67) to figure out if I could fix the zigzag mechanism, I realized that many people out there trying to use a sewing machine for the first time are making basic mistakes. And the only reason I didn’t make them was that I had my mother telling me what (and what not) to do. 

Here are some things you should know, courtesy of my mom, which are often too “obvious” to be mentioned in a sewing machine manual or by people who already use one:

Do NOT:

• Do not start sewing before putting the foot down; put that foot down!
• Do not push fabric under the foot; let the machine feed in the fabric at its own pace
• Do not sew over pins; it can break your needle

Do:

• Load a bobbin and put it into place according to the manual
• Thread the upper thread according to the manual
• Turn on the machine’s light when sewing
• Manually rotate the needle to pick up the bobbin thread, then set both threads over to the right side
• Put the foot down before starting to sew
• Before pressing the pedal, manually rotate the wheel to insert the needle into the fabric while holding down the needle thread with your fingertip (so it doesn’t get pulled out of the needle on the first stitch)
• Assist in feeding the fabric smoothly under the foot - don’t allow fabric weight to drag on either side and don't shove it in
• When you need to rotate the fabric, sink the needle into the fabric first, before lifting the foot 
• To "lock" a line of straight stitching from coming loose, use the backwards stitch on your machine for a quarter-inch or so
• When you are stopping sewing, manually rotate the needle so that it is fully out of the fabric before pulling the fabric away
• When you are pausing your work, turn off the light
• When you are stopping work, make sure to set the foot down, preferably on a slip of fabric
• The sewing machine is a machine; follow the manual’s maintenance instructions for cleaning (and possibly oiling)

Thanks, Mom!

Sewing linen

Linen fabric

Linen is an authentic period material, plus it is reputed to breathe much better than cotton, which stays damp. 

Simona recommended Fabrics-Store as good for basic linen, and they have sales running all the time.

For a smock or shift, linen color should be white, not natural, and the 3.5oz weight. 

For my first dress/kirtle, I got a heavyweight linen in red from Fabrics-Store, 4C22 Crimson Softened. I was pleased that this is a deep cherry red (as orangey-red is not my color). Their online reviews can be helpful in getting an idea of a color’s darkness and tone.

Working with linen

I had never worked with linen fabric before. There are definitely some things to know ahead of time - here’s a good basic tutorial.

Here are my particular pointers:

• Linen produces a HUGE amount of lint the first time through the dryer - stop the dryer every 20 minutes and empty the lint trap each time!
• If you have a serger or a helpful person in your life who does, serge around all your pattern pieces as soon as you cut them out. Just handling them will start threads coming loose. For the serger-less like me, zigzag around all your pattern pieces.
• You can pull a thread to get a perfectly straight cut.
• Linen irons like a charm, really crisp. This was especially nice when sewing down a collar lining, and I pressed all the hems before sewing.