In Which I Discover a Sewing Hack or Two

Second Post of the Day

Yesterday's activities were complicated. Not only did we have Lisa's dogs with us and were doing our usual switcheroo trade-off of staying downstairs with Mama, but I had a doctor's appointment in the morning and then a vet appointment with Pepper in the afternoon.

Those two appointments cut into my sewing time but I still got a good amount of work for KZoo done.

When I was downstairs, I got a trade shirt cut out. It's a custom order for a gentleman in Nebraska. 
 

Miss P, as always, went under the table while I worked. Ya gotta love that guide dog training - she's out of the way like that. 

Unless I want to sit down while I work. And when I do, she's right where I want to put my feet! But I am used to cutting out patterns this way and it's no biggie. (In fact, that remnant of training from her Seeing Eye days always makes me smile.)

Molly sleeps on her bed while I work. 

She's a dog who needs routine to feel safe, so were I to move her bed from where it's been the last nine years, she would be anxious and restless.

And so I step around her and over her, and she snoozes right through it all!

The previous afternoon I'd closed up the sewing room and left prepped pieces for the next day's work ready to go. (Hack #1)

In between those appointments and my turns downstairs with Molly, I was able to make progress on that shirt.

Still, the clock is ticking as Kalamazoo approaches.

So, I've been looking at other ways that I might save some time as I sew. Are there things I could do differently? Stop doing? Dovetail? For example, look at all the pins as I worked on the placket. To ensure a nice flat result, I use 28-30 pins - twice! One when inserting the placket,

and then again after I turn it and prepare to top stitch it in place. The finished result is flat and smooth.

That's not a step I am willing to give up, even though all that pinning, pin removal, repinning, and the second pin removal again takes time. I cannot get the finished look that I want unless I do that.

But, I did find a great time saving shortcut for when I cut out a pattern. Pinning the pattern piece to the fabric is also time consuming. So is removing all those pins afterward.

Enter Yankee Candle toppers and fabric clips. (Hacks #2 and #3.)

Fabric clips work well in keeping the fabric from shifting and, when the pattern is placed against the edge of the fabric, can be substituted for pins.

Yankee Ridge Candle toppers are heavy and flat on the bottom. They work extremely well in holding the pattern down against the fabric while I cut. To remove, simply lift. Easy peasy!

You can see I also use my magnetic pincushion as well as a Ball jar of fabric clips for fabric weights, too. Not sure those are hacks, but let's call a spade a spade. Hacks #4 and #5!

Believe it or not, switching to weighting the pattern on the fabric rather than pinning it has made a huge difference in how fast I can cut a pattern out.

So, I have put an alert out to all my candle-loving family - please save your glass jar toppers for me!

I'll keep thinking about other ways I might speed up the sewing process, but in the end, the finished product needs to be something that reflects the care and time I put into it. 

And if that means it takes me some extra time, then I am willing to do that.

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