The Sewing FAQ
by Tom Farrell and Paulo Ruffino
with contributions from the readers of alt.sewing and rec.crafts.textiles.sewing

For sections for which specific authors are listed, that author wrote only the material appearing in regular size type before the next question, topic, or listed author. Sections with no listed author are by Tom Farrell and/or Paulo Ruffino. The Sewing FAQ text content is copyright 1997 & 1998 Thomas M. Farrell and Paulo Ruffino, excluding material by other specified authors. Graphics are copyright 1997 & 1998 Thomas M. Farrell, excluding the Skepsis logo (property of Dr. Robert Donahue, used by permission) and book cover art (copyright their individual publishers, used through amazon.com associates).

1. Buying sewing machines
   1. What sewing machine should I buy?
   2. How do I choose a sewing machine?
   3. Are plastic parts bad?
   4. What do I need to consider when buying a computerized sewing machine?
   5. What do I need to consider when buying a sewing machine for quilting?
   6. What sewing machine should I buy for my spouse/mother/friend?
   7. There's a dealer that's offering "school model" sewing machines or machines which were "accidentally bought as excess by a school," at a "huge discount." Should I buy one?
   8. What about those handheld sewing machines that you just pull along the fabric you want to sew?
   9. What about the Singer Tiny Tailor machine?
   10. What presser feet should I buy for my sewing machine?
   11. My sewing machine is doing something wrong! What do I do?
   12. What's a serger?
   13. Do I need a serger to sew?
   14. What serger should I buy?
   15. What about the Singer Tiny Serger?
   16. My dealer says they have a combination sewing-machine/serger. Is that for real and should I buy it?
   17. Should I get a toy sewing machine for my child?

   18. Should I let my child use a real sewing machine?

       What if the child runs over their finger with the machine?

   19. Isn't it overly expensive to spend hundreds of dollars on a sewing machine?
2. Tom's Book Reviews
3. Cutting and marking tools
4. Pins
   1. Can I / should I sew over pins?
   2. Do I need pins?
   3. What the heck do I need pins for? I never use pins!
5. Patterns
   1. Where can I buy patterns?
   2. Where can I get free patterns on the web?
   3. Where can I get patterns for Star Trek uniforms?
   4. What size pattern should I use? or
      How come my size is larger in patterns than it is in the clothing store?
   5. Where can I get the pattern for the kinesale cloak?
   6. Isn't it OK if my friend gives me a copy of the pattern they bought?
   7. How do I preserve my patterns? That tissue looks awfully flimsy.
6. Thread
   1. What brands of thread are available, and how do they differ?
   2. What fibers of thread are available, and how do they differ?
7. Fabrics
   1. Knits
      1. How do knits differ from woven fabrics?
      2. What special techniques help with sewing with knits?
      3. Can I use a sewing machine on my own knitting?
   2. Tissue Lame'
   3. What's the difference between the $3/yard fabric I saw at the discount retailer and the $15/yard fabric I saw at the independant fabric store that looked the same?
8. When I was growing up my momma used to sew all my clothes for next to nothing.
   1. Why should I sew when it costs almost as much for fabric and notions as clothes off the rack?
   2. How can I sew more frugally?
9. Free machine embroidery
   1. What is free machine embroidery?
   2. What do I need to get started at free machine embroidery?
   3. How do I prepare the machine and fabric for free machine embroidery?
   4. How do I lock the thread at the beginning and end of my embroidery so it doesn't begin to unravel?
   5. How do I practice free machine embroidery?
10. Putting it all together
    1. The "Home Ec" Way
    2. The Modern Way
11. Glossary of terms

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