Sewing Projects-Needed Supplies and Prep Work

I will be doing a number of tutorials on sewing basic children's garments. I'll say this right away-don't plan to sew your children's clothing to save money. The time, money and effort involved is much more than buying your kid's clothing at Wal-Mart. However, it does give you some fun options with how you dress your kids.

Basic Sewing Supplies-
If you are going to sew, you need to do it right. For the occasional sewer, inexpensive equiptment will work fine. If you plan to sew constantly, research your machines and buy good equiptment.

Sewing Machine-a starter machine will run you around $100. You can also find some good deals at second hand shops, sewing shops that sell refurb machines, and garage sales. I recommend finding a brand that can be serviced locally.

Serger-some people may disagree with me, but I say that if you are serious about sewing you need a serger. They are harder to thread and use than a sewing machine, but worth the time to learn. A starter machine runs between $150 and $200, but again check for refurb machines and garage sales.

Scissors-get a good pair of scissors, and keep them away from everyone else. One pair of sharp scissors is worth a hundred pair of dull scissors.

Thread-many people don't know it, but you can use the same thread cones for sewing machines as you do for sergers. The only difference is you may need a cone spool thread holder, which runs only a few bucks for a plastic one. Some sewing machines have something built in for this function. If nothing else, it's worth using the cone spools for black and white, the most common color threads that I use.

Iron and ironing board-if you want to sew good clothing, then you have to iron and press seams while making them. This is a fact. If you don't like ironing, get over it or find a new hobby. Stamp collecting is easier on your back.

Pins and pincushion-pins are the most useful tool for holding fabric together while sewing, or marking places on fabric. I prefer quilter's pins with a big yellow head so they are easier to find. A pincusion keeps them all within reach. Buy a generic fruit pincusion or recycle a tiny plush. Or make a voodoo doll pincushion, name it after that coworker that drove you nuts.

Space-you need a certain amount of work space. Luckily with children's clothing you need much less space. A dining room table works, just make sure everything can be cleared away when you have to cut fabric.

I will add to this list as items are needed for specific projects. I will be doing tutorials on how to make three types of skirts, including A line skirts, tiered skirts and gored skirts. The fun part about these is that there is no pattern, it's all based on measurements. After that will be coulats, pants and shirts.

Pregnancy and Childbirth Fair appearance

Clothdaddy will be sharing a table with the Lawrence Attached Parenting group at the First Annual Pregnancy & Childbirth Fair on Sunday, Oct 8th from 1-4pm at the Springhill Suites at 6th and New Hampshire in Lawrence, KS. The event is sponsored by Heartland Doulas and other local doulas.

I will be on hand to demonstrate both Fuzzi Bunz and Bummis cloth diapering systems.