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How To Sew A Straight Edge Without Difficulty

By Robert Turner


Sewing can be very fun, but for a beginner, it requires a lot of patience. It also takes practice to master. For anyone now learning to master the technique of keeping their hands steady when using a machine, here are some tips on how to sew a straight edge.

A guideline is something that even professionals use. Indeed, after enough time and practice, most people will learn to gauge measurements and distances that they use frequently, such as seam allowances. However, it always helps a little extra to have some sort of guideline to determine how accurate the measurement is.

Marking the line on the fabric to be sewn is just one of many techniques that can help with sewing a straight line. Tailor's chalk is useful for making such marks, as it stays visible on the fabric until it is wiped off, and does not cause any damage or permanent marks. The chalk comes in several colors so that it is visible on various fabrics, but people do also use the chalk on the wrong fabric side just in case any is left behind. The chalk markings can then be lined up with the needle for a perfect stitch line.

There is also a type of paper that works similarly to chalk by placing it under the fabric and using a tracing wheel to draw out the pattern and transfer the markings directly onto the fabric. Both this and tailor's chalk can be a risk for some fabrics. As such, many professionals choose to trace the sewing lines with thread. Even though this particular technique is definitely more time consuming, it is without a doubt one of the most accurate methods.

Tracing with thread requires stitching, by hand, long running stitches along the pattern lines. This way, the thread won't budge until it's time to pull it out after stitching by machine. This is also a good way to work for anyone who may have difficulty seeing the stitch lines, because they can use any color thread to differentiate, without causing any damage to the fabric.

You can make a running stitch hand through just one fabric layer or through two. Stitching through two layers or multiple layers is basically stitching the garment together loosely. This is a method called basting, which professionals use to sew together garments for fitting purposes before they are run under the machine. It's a good way for you to check and correct any pattern or fit mistakes early, saving the trouble of unpicking tight machine stitches later.

There are ways to sew straight edges without marking the fabric at all. These ways are quick and easy to implement and also long-lasting. A magnetic guide can be placed at the desired spot on an industrial sewing machine, which serves as a straight edge to follow when stitching.

It is difficult to go wrong with a magnetic guide, but for those who don't like having the bulk of the magnet in the way or for home machines that have plastic parts, placing a long piece of tape vertically across the machine bed where necessary acts as a perfect guideline for stitching. Follow a perfectly straight line by lining the fabric edge up to the tape edge while stitching.




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