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| Dritz sewing gauge from Jo-Ann Fabrics |
Out of all the sewing tools I own, from my presser/clapper to my professional pattern weights to my dressmaker transfer paper, my sewing gauge is my most valued tool. It's the first thing I always recommend new sewers buy. And if I'm freaking out in my sewing room it's not because I made a big mistake—it's because I can't find my sewing gauges.
When I sewed in my teens and twenties, the only time I used this tool was to measure skirt hems or mark where buttons should go on a placket. In those heady days of speed sewing (gotta have a cute dress to wear to school tomorrow!) I just eyeballed my stitching and said good enough. No wonder only two garments I made during that time are still with me.
These days I'm all about precision sewing. Taking a class taught by Susan Khalje and seeing her stop and measure constantly had a profound effect on me. Here is a woman with thousands of hours of professional sewing under her belt, and if anyone is experienced enough to just eyeball things, it's Susan. Yet she still measured everything.
I posted on Facebook about making my first welt pocket, and a friend wrote that I shouldn't have any problems with this since I was a precision sewer. At first I was really flattered by her remark, and then I realized she's right, that's what I am now—I've finally joined the school of precision sewing. I measure everything, I do a lot of basting, and when I have to, I rip and redo. And I'm a lot prouder of the clothes I make.
What about you, dear readers? Do you consider yourself a precision sewer? Are you in love with your sewing gauge as much as I am?
42 comments:
I guess I am, because I rely on measuring tools or specialty presser feet to be accurate. Even if I'm the only one who'll know!
Yes, measuring is a good thing. I have the sewing gauge, but prefer one of my two 18" rulers. I've got a clear quilting one that is 2" wide and is perfect for marking parallel lines - you can see through it! The other is a nice metal drafting ruler that is really precise. I'll grab either one, whichever one is closest, but if it is a really precise job, I'll use the metal one.
I'm definitely in this club with you. This is the exact reason why I am such a slow poke at sewing. My motto is "might as well be perfect". If that means I produce less I totally don't care. Because what I do make are pieces that I'll keep for years. And I love the stitch gauge as well! Mine recently broke and I had to rush out and buy another one before I could continue on the project I was working on.
I think I'm closer to it than I used to be....I definitely have been spending more time on individual garments than I used to. Although right now I'm in the extreme phase of it (actually due to taking a class on PR with Susan Khajale at the moment), and am rapidly approaching the point where I just want a fast project I can knock out in a day, due to a major imbalance between the number of hours I've put in on this dress so far and visible progress on it!
Ha, ha. That's the exact same gauge I have. Yes, as precise as I can be. It eventually shows itself in the finished garment. Just that little some extra that makes it custom.
Like you, I became a member of the club in later sewing history. Now the seam gauge is always at the ready. Being precise slows things down, but I'm not into numbers with my sewing. I prefer to savor each garment slowly as I go thru the required techniques.
I do have the same seam gauge. I wouldn't say I am a precision sewer though. Not because I am unwilling to make the effort, but because I am often not sure what I should precisely be doing in each step. It's hard to correct stuff as you go, when you are not sure what you are trying to achieve exactly in all the sub-steps! Ah well, that's learning for you.
Oh yes, I am a precision sewer. So much so that it often gets in the way of my sewing. Besides measuring everything I also baste so that nothing moves out of alignment.
30 years ago I never thought that I would write these words but I aspire to be an ever improving precision sewer. Yes, Susan Khalje's influence has reached me, too. I love this seam gauge but also that little metal all numbers cut out one as well as my small 6 inch clear plastic ruler. And I even wrote a blog post in praise of Susan's wonderful hand sewing needles, that's how much I love her precision sewing. When I was younger I needed to sew for something to wear. Now I sew to express my creativity and select flattering designs....and that takes more precision and patience.
I know exactly what you mean - it is a phase you enter. For me I think it began at the time of the great coat sew-along when I learnt to thread baste. Some of my friends who are still in the "sew a dress to wear tonight"-phase think I am silly perfectionist, but I guess that at some point you have just had to many failed projects and projects that you loved but that just didn't fit quite right.
I would say I am a precision sewer. I measure and baste and am particular about my finished product. I hate to admit it but I have doubles of most of my measuring tools because like you, I go nuts when I cannot put my hands on something Also, having been one of Susan's classes, my level of sewing has definitely improved and I am more self critical of my work. I have also been working at a slower pace and enjoying the process more. Great post!
Oh yes, I totally agree. I cannot sew without my seam guage and other measuring tools. I check and double check everything as I work through a project.
I used to put the pattern away as soon as I was finished cutting, but now I leave it out in case I need to check progress against it.
Otherwise, the small imprecisions snowball into visible flaws.
It enhances my enjoyment of sewing. I have more faith in myself as I work along.
I love my seam gauge - but I'm really picky about them! I have several that are older, with metal sliders instead of plastic. I like those - the plastic sliders never stay put for me! I think I fall somewhere in the middle ground with precision - it depends on what I'm making. I am very pick about fit, but I don't always baste!
That is so interesting becaues I find myself measuring with that little thing constantly and I was just thinking the other day how I use it so much more now than in the early days. I thought it was partly because my machine has more than one needle position so I constantly check that I'm lining up with the right line to get the seam width that I want. I used to be in such a rush and I was always disapointed with the result. I tell everyone- take it slow because it will turn out better!
I think I am becoming a precision sewer. I find more and more that if I am getting frustrated and have the desire to just rush right through something I put it down and come back to it later when I know I will take the time to do it right, and I do love my gauge:).
This year my goal is to sew with more precision. I want to be broad of my items and have them be better quality than the throw-away RTW clothes that I see people where.
oh my gosh Yes! on armholes if I don't sew the seam exactly at 5/8" I rip it out and re-do. And I really don't like sewing in sleeves.
Seam guages, clear rulers, tapes etc. always at hand.
I always have been a precise sewer (from garment sewing to home dec to quilting), thanks to my grandmother who started me sewing when I was around 3 years old (that was a little over 50 years ago). She was an old school Italian dressmaker and master tailor - that's how she made her living - and she expected no less from me. I now have her tools and her sewing machine (it has a place of honor in my home) and a love of sewing that hasn't waned over the years because everything I have made has fit and has matched (oh, the plaids I sewed as a teenager) and has been even - thanks to Nana Carmela - I'm sure she's still watching over my every sewing project. (and that sewing gauge - I'm still using the one I bought at my local sewing shop when I was around 8 years old!)
I wish I was a precision sewer! I feel like I start out every project with full intentions of taking it slow and making sure I do every step accurately, but then I realize it's 1 in the morning and I really just want to get this thing finished! Hopefully patience will come in time :)
Not sure I'd call myself a precision sewer, but I can't sew without my sewing gauge. Mine's a Singer and also claims to be a collar pointer (it has a great pointy end) and a button spacer. And yep, I've freaked out when it has mysteriously disappeared.
Feeling ashamed now - I am most definitely not a precision sewer. I add my seam allowances onto traced Burda patterns by eyeballing and I use the line on my sewing machine plate to sew in a straight line. Maybe there is hope for me in the future!
Funny, that's one of the first things I bought as I remembered my Mom would measure and measure again; however, I am ashamed to say I rarely use it. You all amaze me with your skills and dedication to craft. I am a beginner with the "must finish" mentality that I'm trying to change.
Yes! I do love my gauge and I have two of them! I even love my third gauge, the Clover/Nancy's Notions gauge I spent $14 on!
Hi Meg....I am measure so compulsively that I use an engineer's measure-gauge !
I do consider myself a precision sewer, and honestly quilting did it to me. BUT I don't measure everything. I trained my eye. Old-fashioned graphic layout did that to me.
The human eye can distinguish 1/1000" deviations. You read that right, three zeros, one thousandth. Why should such a fine and sensitive instrument need measuring compulsively, especially after what should have been decades of training? First you eyeball, then you measure and check yourself, till you get it right every time. That's the human brain way..
Haven't you guys ever had a butcher who could slap down 250 precise grams of meat the first time, every time? Mine does, and so does my cheese person, 125g of yummy raw butter. I can do fiber content by touch within 5% too. And of course I'm much better at 5/8" and 1/4" than other distances. It's sad not to trust yourself to learn.
Definitely not a precision sewer, lol. However, I find myself moving more in that direction for certain projects. The amount of hand sewing in the coat I just finished was truly astounding.
I started out as a precision sewer. Because of that, I tended to fool people into thinking I was some sort of expert. But I'm not; I'm just careful.
I'm actually less precise now, but still do a lot of measuring. I personally found the sewing gauge frustrating to use, but I have a whole collection of C-thru rulers that I cannot live without.
I LOVE my sewing gage, so much so that I have 3 of them as well as the Seams Right by Nancy Zieman!
I've entered the same stage as you. Suddenly I find that I take more care with things that I previously had a much more cavalier attitude towards. I have several of these little sewing gauges all over the house. One on my sewing table, one in the pencil case where I keep my cutting out stuff and another in the sewing kit I keep in the TV room where I do my hand sewing.
When I was a teenager my mother and I would do battle over this . I would sew and she would unpick . I am now soo greatful to her for taking the time as I now unpick for myself . I recently completed a year long course in pattern making and here I HAD to measure constantly to make sure that seams matched each other in length . I learned to be much more careful . It doesnt come naturally though and I guess that this is one of the things that I really value about sewing . That is that I have been forced to work on my weaknesses and am rewarded with a garment I can be happy with.
I do use my seam gauge alot and it is a treasured possession in my sewing room and I have at least 6 of them to prove it! However, I would nevah consider myself a precision sewist. I eyeball it wayyyyy too much!
Totally slapdash but undergoing rapid conversion to precision. I've tried to buy a sewing gauge in Sydney - apparently they don't exist down under.
I possess a split personality with respect to precision sewing.
I have the tools, make the muslin , alter, cut and fit, follow the guides and books.
(precision trait)
I can argue with the directions, fight with the pattern pieces, eyeball the fabric, overlook a minor error and do my own thing when needed.
(inventive trait)
I probably needed one of these for sewing vintage patterns - I am not used to sewing at 5/8" and had to draw a mark on my machine! My own patterns have either 1cm or 6mm seams, and they are easier to gauge accurately without having to measure.
Yes, I am totally into precision. I don't care how long it takes me to make a garment. I have a lot of measuring tools, but I do use that little gauge a lot. A lot.
Oh, my, I'm anal about measuring. I have three kits of tools - one at my sewing machine, one at the ironing board 3 ft away and one in my project basket that goes w/me everywhere and they all include a metal gauge. Measuring and being precise is right up there w/pressing in constructing a well made garment.
I do use a different type, but yes measuring tools are important to me. Long ago I saw a mother of a friend unpick a seam in a plaid fabric because it was not completely lining together. I still remember my amazement that she did that.
Now I do the same. So yes, a precision sewing is my thing. Apparently such things grow on you.
Yes, I am! I thought it was just my OCD, but I take my sewing gauge everywhere with me. I measure everything from cutting to assembly and everything in between. I still wear things that I made last year (have only been sewing for a little over a year), and hopefully all that obsessive measuring has contributed to that.
As a very new beginner, I would love to know what you measure besides the seam allowances!
Definitely in love with my sewing gauge, and my unpicker, so yes, proud to mostly precision driven.
Looking at your post I asked myself, "How have I never used this thing?" Then I finished reading and realized I've been using my quilting ruler, the one I use for adding seam allowances to patterns, for the same things you use your gauge for!
I am far (very far) from a precision sewists - but this is my all time favorite tool in the sewing room. I use it all the time for many purposes, including holding down fabric when I have to iron edges down. It saves my fingers from lots of steam burns and I can set the iron right on the flat metal edge and just slip it out - pressed just right!
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