Comments on Lindsay T Sews: Now Entering the Precision Sewing Phase

I am far (very far) from a precision sewists - but...

2011-02-12T11:26:48.218-05:00

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!

Looking at your post I asked myself, "How hav...

2011-02-01T13:21:13.598-05:00

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!

Definitely in love with my sewing gauge, and my un...

2011-01-30T04:02:42.376-05:00

Definitely in love with my sewing gauge, and my unpicker, so yes, proud to mostly precision driven.

As a very new beginner, I would love to know what ...

2011-01-29T09:59:46.564-05:00

As a very new beginner, I would love to know what you measure besides the seam allowances!

Yes, I am! I thought it was just my OCD, but I tak...

2011-01-28T13:35:49.838-05:00

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.

I do use a different type, but yes measuring tools...

2011-01-28T13:19:29.575-05:00

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.

Oh, my, I'm anal about measuring. I have three...

2011-01-27T23:06:06.255-05:00

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.

Yes, I am totally into precision. I don't care...

2011-01-27T19:48:22.835-05:00

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.

I probably needed one of these for sewing vintage ...

2011-01-27T04:09:26.560-05:00

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.

I possess a split personality with respect to prec...

2011-01-26T23:21:12.770-05:00

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)

Totally slapdash but undergoing rapid conversion t...

2011-01-26T21:38:42.626-05:00

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 do use my seam gauge alot and it is a treasured ...

2011-01-26T21:38:16.722-05:00

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!

When I was a teenager my mother and I would do bat...

2011-01-26T21:10:08.322-05:00

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've entered the same stage as you. Suddenly ...

2011-01-26T17:51:02.771-05:00

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.

I LOVE my sewing gage, so much so that I have 3 of...

2011-01-26T12:30:54.525-05:00

I LOVE my sewing gage, so much so that I have 3 of them as well as the Seams Right by Nancy Zieman!

I started out as a precision sewer. Because of tha...

2011-01-26T10:26:33.620-05:00

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.

Definitely not a precision sewer, lol. However, I...

2011-01-26T10:20:10.125-05:00

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 do consider myself a precision sewer, and honest...

2011-01-26T08:53:26.209-05:00

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.

Hi Meg....I am measure so compulsively that I use ...

2011-01-26T07:34:26.986-05:00

Hi Meg....I am measure so compulsively that I use an engineer's measure-gauge !

Yes! I do love my gauge and I have two of them! ...

2011-01-26T07:18:55.910-05:00

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!

Funny, that's one of the first things I bought...

2011-01-26T07:02:41.136-05:00

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.

Feeling ashamed now - I am most definitely not a p...

2011-01-26T01:06:47.238-05:00

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!

Not sure I'd call myself a precision sewer, bu...

2011-01-25T22:28:17.510-05:00

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.

I wish I was a precision sewer! I feel like I sta...

2011-01-25T19:15:17.098-05:00

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 :)

I always have been a precise sewer (from garment ...

2011-01-25T18:42:04.063-05:00

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!)