[NFB-Krafters-Korner] Sewing on buttons and sewing machine questions.

Fri May 8 18:50:47 UTC 2020

Hi Ari,

I’m fairly new to the list but I was an experienced seamstress before my
vision loss.  I’ll try to do your questions in order.

1. On button sewing: I just purchased the WayAround starter kit myself but
I havne’t had a chance to look at it closely. Invisible thread isn’t
totally invisible but it is a thread made from almost clear plastic, almost
like fishing line. It doesn’t show up against the fabric and is usually
very strong.  My sons often just use fishing line to sew buttons on with
although I think it can get more twisted and tangled than invisible
thread.  It’s a little thicker too.

The instructions on how to thread the thread through the needle is how I do
all my hand sewing. It prevents your needle from becoming unthreaded
accidentally.  You get your sewing done with half the stitches since the
thread is doubled, at least for something  like buttons.  You can also make
a very sturdy knotted beginning stitch that won’t pull out.  I measure out
how long of thread I want to work with.  If I’m holding the spool in my
right hand and the end of the thread in my left, I extend my right hand and
arm out to the right fully while holding the thread end at my right
shoulder or nose or however long I want it.  If you get it too long, it
will tangle easily.  I cut it and thread my needle, matching the two ends
together and letting the needle dangle.  I keep the two ends together as
one thread and wrap it around my finger and bring it back through the loop
on my finger in a half hitch.  I usually knot it again and try to line up
the knots one on top of the other for a larger knot but that it optional.
I start at the underside of the fabric where I want the button placed and
push the needle up through the fabric and buttonhole.  Don’t pull the
thread all the way tight against the knot.  Leave about an inch or two.
Push the needle down through the opposite hole and through the fabric. Turn
your fabric over to the underside for the moment and separate the two
threads you knotted together, threading the needle through the loop between
them. Pull this snug so that the knot against the fabric.  This secures
your knot and prevents it from pulling through the fabric.  You may want to
put a toothpick between the thread on the right side of the fabric
underneath the button to make it easier to button and unbutton.  Push your
needle back up through the fabric, through the first hole  and down through
the second hole.  Repeat this three to four more times but you shouldn’t
have to do a whole lot since the thread is doubled.  To tie it off, push
the needle to the underside of the fabric and push it through one of the
threads on the underside to make a loop.  Don’t pull it tight yet.  Thread
your needle through the loop and pull it tight to make a half hitch. Come
around again and go through same thread on the underside again to make a
loop and thread the needle through it again and pull tight to make a second
half hitch. Clip your thread and youre done.

2. I don’t have a Brother but each of those notches sound like the dial
selector for different stitches.  I would mark the ones for straight stitch
and zig-zag stitch since those are the most commonly used.  Other common
feature you will want to mark are the stitch length selector, and the
reverse button.

3. You can get several different types of seam guides.  I have several from
Madam Sew dot com.  The Brother machines do require a low shank adaptor for
some feet which Madam Sew dot com has as well and you can email or call
them about your particular machine. The seam guides I have used snap in
like presser feet and usually have the seam guide built into a presser foot
for ease of use. There are snap on plastic seam guide feet that are a clear
plate around the foot with red lines on it to match the seam up with  which
is helpful if you have low vision and another seam guide that snaps on that
sits more to the right of the presser foot at the edge of the fabric to
help you keep the seam allowance at the right width which might be helpful
for no vision. I’ve seen the magnetic seam guides at Madam Sew dot com but
I don’t have one. I haven’t seen a screw-in one either, only the snap-on
feet with guides built in. After some practice, you will likely be able to
feel in your right hand when the fabric edge is against the seam guide
without having to check it.  It will take some practice.

4. I have never used a needle guard and don’t feel like they would be
particularly useful.  If you feed the fabric correctly and keep your hands
away from around the front of the presser foot, its not an issue.  Your
left hand should be flat to the  left of the presser foot with couple of
inches space between it an d the presser foot.  It steadies the fabric.
Your right hand lines up the fabric with the presser foot about 4 inches in
front of the presser foot at the edge of the bed.  I never go much closer
than that. However, I still have blurry vision.  If I had no vision, I
might use my right hand closer to the seam guide but not in directly in
front of the presser foot.  You may have to experiment with that hand
placement to find what works best for you after you get comfortable with
the machine. I don’t let my pins get under the presser foot either.  I stop
with the needle down to secure the fabric and remove the pin.  The machine
feeds the fabric most of the time.  You just have to guide it.  If I run
into a bulky spot, I will use my closed scissor tips to help it along but
not get under the presser foot. I have never run over a finger with a
needle, even with vision loss,  but I’m super careful about where my hands
are and I go slow. My mother, on the other hand, Is an excellent
seamstress, fully sighted but she had sloppy hand technique, goes fast, and
ran over her fingers several times.  About the only time I get stuck with a
sewing machine needle is if I’m using a needle that has gone through
several projects and is dull and bends or breaks.  If you change out your
needle with every project, that shouldn’t be an issue.  Occasionally with
heavy fabric or thick layers, your needle may hit the stitch plate instead
of going down through the hole and break that way but that’s rare for
starting out.

5. The pins just hold the fabric together while you sew.  Some people use
small clips  or nothing at all. The pins go in perpendicular to the edge of
the fabric and not in line with the seam.  What determines your seam width
(quarter inch, half inch, etc.) is the distance the needle is from the edge
of the fabric.  You just line up the edges of fabric and put the pins in
perpendicular about every three to four inches.  I don’t put a lot of pins
in and I actually prefer clips.

I hope that helps and let me know if something was unclear or confusing.

Suzette May
PS139.13 at gmail.com

On Fri, May 8, 2020 at 6:56 AM Ari via NFB-Krafters-Korner <
nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> Hello, everyone,
>
>
> I've been tryingt to find tutorials for sewing on two-hole buttons. I
> purchased the starter kit from WayAround some time ago, which includes some
> two-hole buttons. I also had a button on a pajama top come off last night.
> So, I'd like to be able to learn how to fix my pajama top, and also be able
> to add WayTags to my clothes. I could use the oval-hole buttons that you
> use a safety pin for attaching them to your clothing, but I'd like a more
> permenant solution. Not that the pins aren't permenant, exactly, but I have
> had one time where the pin came out of a work shirt of mine (which had one
> of those aluminum Braille tag attached) and both the pin and tag came off.
> Luckily, I was able to find both, but this is why I'd like to attach tags
> by sewing them on. Besides, knowing how to sew on a button is just
> something good to learn.
>
> Anyhow, I've read some tutorials on-line, and I'm still confused. I'm
> planning on buying the sewing kit from WayAround, which comes with thread
> that's invisible (I wonder how that works), 25 two-hole buttons, a needle
> with a hole in the eye to make threading easier, and a cork to stick the
> needle into. The instructions say to cut a piece of thread, bring it down
> through the eye, and then double it and knot the ends together. Why do
> this? Does it make things stronger when you sew on the button?
>
> The other questions I have are about sewing with a sewing machine. I have
> a Brother XM2701. We purchased it before I really considered what features
> might or might not be useful for a blind sewer. It's not computerized, and
> has a dial on it, but the knotches that it clicks into are pretty small.
> I'm hoping each knotch on the dial corresponds to a setting, or I'm going
> to be in trouble. Anyhow, I've heard of screw-in seam guides, and I've been
> trying to figure out if this machine can use one, but either it can't, or
> I'm having a really hard time searching Google. So, does anyone who has
> this machine know if there is a screw-in seam guide? If not, could a
> magnetic guide work, if one is available for the machine? How do you like
> the magnetic guides? I'm worrying about the possibility of a magnetic one
> sliding, which is why I thought a screw-in type might be better.
>
> Also, I'm trying to figure out if this machine has a needle guide, since I
> think that would be safer for someone who's totally blind. I mean, I can't
> see to guide the fabric, so I'm going to have to really touch it, not just
> hold it, which means getting rather chummy with that needle, which is
> wicked sharp. If their isn't a needle guide, could one be added? Could I
> just use a thimble?
>
> Okay, so now for my last set of questions. This is about seams again. I
> know that you pin fabric together to keep it together while you sew. Do you
> pin along the entire length of the seam, leaving, say,  an inch or two
> between pins? I know the point of the pins is to keep the fabric together
> while sewing--but I'm worried about keeping the seam straight. Do I have
> the right idea with the pinning? Also, how do you know where to put the
> pins to make a specific seam, like, say, a 5/8-inch seam? How do you know
> that as a blind sewer?
>
> Sorry for the interminable questions, but I'd like to get started sewing.
> It seems like such an exciting craft to get into. Besides, we've had our
> machine for months, and I haven't done a thing with it. This is primarily
> because the Brother video that shows you how to set things up is shot in
> 2D, and my husband is having a hard time figuring out how to use the needle
> threader. We're going to see my mother in-law tomorrow for Mother's Day,
> complete with carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, which I have to bake
> today, and we're taking the sewing machine with us. She has some experience
> with sewing machines, to see if she can help us with that.
>
>
> Thanks,
> Ari
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-- 
Suzette May PS139.13 at gmail.com Suzette May Proofreading for Court Reporters
and Authors suzette at esssentialproofing.com http://www.essentialproofing.com