MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR SEWING MACHINE.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18653, 23 August 1930, Page 11

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR SEWING MACHINE.

Many of the dresses this season are gathered on to hip-yokqs or tightfitting bodices. There should be several rows of even gathers to create a good effect, but working thus by hand is very tedious. Do it by machine, using the largest stitch and altering the tension so that one thread is loose and the other taut. Then it will be a simple matter to draw the taut one still tighter, so that the gathers are quickly formed. See that the taut thread comes on the right side of the material.

When you need guidance in a long line of stitchery to be done by hand, you will find it a help in securing straightness to run the material through the machine without threading the needle. In this way you will get a line of fine holes to act as guide for your needle. This, of course, only holds good for silks and cottons —not for wools, in which the holes would fill up again at once. Be sure to regulate the length of the machine-stitch according to the fabric you are working on. Fine material calls for a short stitch; a thick one needs a longer stitch. The thread employed should vary in the same way. Also, it is worth while to change the needle and use a fine one for flimsy goods. This is a precaution that the amateur too often neglects. Remember that the electric light attachment is worth securing for your machine, if you are unable to place it right in the window, or if your eyesight is not very good. This gadget throws the light directly on to the needlefoot and the work below it. Test the stitch on an odd piece of stuff each time you use the machine to see that the tension and the size are correct for the work.