i am having problems sewing a 5/8 inch seam?

Question

I'm learning to sew and I'm making a dress for a fashion show. I can not keep my fabric on the 5/8 " guide on my machine. Know any tips?

Answer 1

Whoa! Learning to sew on a dress for a fashion show?? You're jumping straight off the high diving board, no warming up on the low board for you, eh? Be patient with yourself, OK? And be patient with the sewing machine. You have to get to know it.

Look to see if there's a small hole about 3 inches to the right of the needle. If there is, your sewing machine probably came with a gadget called a 'fabric guide'. This is adjustable. Mine looks like a little metal wall about 1/2 inch high and 2 inches long that has a metal 'loop' on one side. 'Loop' like a rubber band looks, very elongated, not round. There's a screw with a large head in the loop.

Screw the screw into the little hole enough that it stays in, but isn't tight.
Slide the loop along the screw til the "wall" is exactly at the 5/8" line.
Tighten the screw so the fabric guide is held in place.

If your sewing machine has the little hole, but you can't find anything that looks like a fabric guide, you can still buy one separately. You can order/get one at a shop that sells whatever brand of machine you have, or at places that repair & sell many kinds of sewing machines.
I don't know if the size of the little hole and the screw are standardized or not. I doubt it. Make sure you get the right size. It shouldn't cost much, and is a good investment.

If your machine doesn't have the little hole, check with a store that sells the brand of machine you have; maybe there's some other method of attaching a fabric guide, like having it extend out and down from the shaft of the presser foot.

Some other tips: get the scraps of fabric left over from cutting out the pattern. Practice sewing two layers together while focusing on your speed. Slow and steady is a lot faster than having to remove stitches. Keep practicing until you've mastered controlling the speed.

Second, hold the fabric lightly but firmly both before it's been sewn AND after it's gone under the needle; this holding (down & in line) the just-sewn part helps a lot.

Third, you can put a strip of colored tape across the sewing machine at the 5/8" line. Be sure the tape's straight at 5/8" all the way across. Then you line up the fabric with the tape as soon as the fabric comes to the edge of the sewing machine (and keep holding--not pulling--the fabric at the back of the machine).
Your hands will learn how to hold, slide along, and move the fabric with practice. This part is like learning to type on your keyboard or learning to play a musical instrument.

Last, if you make your machine go by pushing on a foot pedal, pay attention to the height of your chair (maybe you need to sit on a cushion, or to find a lower chair)
and to which shoes you wear while sewing. Some shoes just don't go with sewing-machine pedals. Once you find a pair that works well, keep wearing them while you're sewing this dress.
Also, keep the foot pedal in the same spot. If it slides around, put something under it or against it so your leg and foot are always working at the same angle, not chasing the thing around so you end up sitting at weird or uncomfortable angles. This is really important in learning to control the speed. Think how many more car accidents there'd be if the gas and brake pedals moved around.

All of this and keeping the material where you want it is like learning to ride a bicycle or drive a car. There's a lot to get adjusted and to do at once, but remember, no one wins the Indy 500 their first week of driving. Keep at it. It's a wonderful skill. One way or another, (mostly) women have been creating the clothes for themselves and their families for thousands and millions of years. Think on it for a few seconds. You're the newest generation in an immensely long tradition. Remember this during the fashion show, and strut your stuff and your dress with pride.

Answer 2

Mark the seams while the pattern is still pinned to the fabric. It will be a lot easier to sew the right seam allowance.

You can get markers at all sewing shops and on line along with the marking paper. You put the marking paper between the pattern and the fabric and you roll the marking tool over the pattern so the marking paper leaves the pattern on the fabric.

Answer 3

Check the attachments that came with your machine. You may have gotten a seam guide attachment. It screws into the flatbed of the machine. You screw it in, so the edge is on the 5/8 mark on the machine. You can then run the edge of the fabric against the attachment. That way you don't have to continually look for the 5/8 line. Check the flatbed for the hole to screw it in.

Answer 4

Slow down a little, and hold and guide the material with both hands, one behind the needle and one in front. You might try just practicing on scrap material with a contrasting color thread until you get it down pat. A little variation won't be the end of the world. The most important thing is that the seam is straight.

Answer 5

Go a little more slowly until you get the hang of it. Watch the guide. Pretty soon, this really won't be an issue -- with a little practice -- because you'll be quite comfortable with it. Keep working through the awkward phase; practice and then practice more. The best tip you'll get is to watch the guide and keep practicing!

Answer 6

Instead of watching the needle, watch the 5/8" mark on the feedplate. Beyond that, it's a matter of practice, and you'll get better as you continue.

Answer 7

put a strip of masking tape along your 5/8 in mark to cover the rest of the arm, then it is easier to follow the line.