Fine Machine Sewing 2 Ed: Easy Ways to Get the Look of Hand Finishing and Embellishingby Carol Ahles, Carol Laflin Ahles Quote from book: "Puckered seams and tunneled decorative stitching are not an inevitable aspect of machine sewing, even with fine, lightweight fabrics..." Topics covered in this guide: narrow hemming, lightweight tearaway stabilizer, loosened upper tension, double wing needle, edging scallop, needle pintucks, single wing needle, traditional buttonhole foot, spray starching, fabric behind the lace, picot stitch, tracing scallops, machine heirloom sewing, narrow bias tubes, loosen upper tension, single fold hem, straight stitch length, pintuck foot, pintuck feet, withdrawn threads, adjust upper tension, stabilizer under the fabric, folded tucks, stitch foot, blind hemming
From Library Journal Book Description Customer Reviews: Comprehensive study of heirloom sewing techniques Excellent chapeters on hemstitching, fagotting, pintucking and more. Everyone should read this guide before they purchase a new machine. The photographs are inspiring and beautiful. Even if you don't do heirloom sewing, the book has an outstanding section on precision sewing which will increase your skill tenfold. ----- I improved the first time I used it I shied away from getting this guide at first, i wasn't sure if it was for me, so many books are written with the husqvarna or elna in mind (i have a babylock) but i finally bought it, because it really is for any type of sewing machine (although it does use the hemstitches that are on the computerized machines) In a bout of insomnia i took this guide out and started reading cover to cover, and i realized that i have been using the wrong presser foot!! No wonder my fabric has been puckering and getting crammed into the needle plate, i had been using my zig-zag satin foot when i should have been using my regular foot (ya there is a difference!) There are little things like that as well as techniques like corded buttonholes, scallops, pin tucks, hem stitching (point of paris, venitian, you'll even find out what to do with that daisy stitch) Sewing heirloom laces together is discussed, and there are beautiful blouses for you to try. As a tatter, i really liked the one with the column of tatted insertion. Besides sewing techniques and stitches, this guide discusses optional presser feet, and also how to choose a sewing machine, something very valuable if you are thinking of geting into heirloom sewing and are in the market to get a computerized machine. Bring it with you to a trusted dealer! ----- Finally - someone shows you how! This book is just awesome! I also am from Webster, NY, and also had an Elna Heirloom Edition sewing machine, which I sold, and now also have a Husqvarna Designer II. I could have written the exact same review as the first one! This wonderful book shows you just how to accomplish all of the heirloom techniques that none of the manuals or videos that come with today's sewing machines show you how to do. It was just so frustrating! I couldn't understand how the entredeux stitch on the Designer II could ever resemble hand-made entredeux, but now I know! I agree, the ads in the magazines show you all of the samples of what the machines are capable, but nobody shows you how to do it! This book answered all of my questions, the pictures are clear and very helpful, and the book is extremely well written! A must have for everyone with a high tech sewing machine who wants to know how it really works! The stitch charts at the end of this guide for all of the current sewing machines is worth its weight in gold! ----- Terrific sewing techniques book This book is actually just the book I have been looking for. There are many, many things the newer digital sewing machines can do - you see pictures of the finished items in all of the sewing magazines. The Elna Heirloom Edition I had and sold was capable of many of these lovely techniques, but I couldn't figure them out with the minimal instructions that came with the machine. Nobody tells you how to accomplish things like hemstitching and fagoting in any of the user guides or even the instructional videos. I was about to just give up on my Husqvarna Designer II when I got this guide, and now it just sings! I just needed somebody to show me how and this guide did it, did it well in an easy to understand, concise format. Highly recommended for the experienced and novice sewer. ----- The best book about sewing technique This is an incredible book. It is clearly written with profusely illustrated
with excellent quality photos. It has greatly expanded my ideas about
what is possible on a sewing machine. I read it from cover to cover
even though I don't actually plan to use many of the techniques. However,
I have already put the author's advice on blind hemming and narrow
hemming into practice. I am also intrigued by the possibilities of
hemstitching (stitching hems and hemstitching are totally different
things). I love this guide. |
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Monday, 2005-04-25 12:13