I sew a little, mainly to hem up my pants. Occasionally will make pot holders and table clothes. Nothing too complicated. Had my sewing machine (bought in 2004 and used quite a bit) tuned up at a local fabric shop last Oct . Paid $85. for tune up. I thought it was a high price but was told it was the going rate. Anyway tuned it up last Oct and now in Feb bought new pants and tried to sew the hem. The machine chugged like a train and the bobbing thread all gobbed up. The machine chugged through 8 times the normal use of thread. What a mess. I took the bobbin area apart and it didn't do a thing to make it better. . So discouraging.

Any thoughts??

Well, I can sew a little. Buttons, hems, etc. I did make clothes for my daughter when she was a baby. I could do everything except zippers. My mom always did that for me! But I really hate sewing. I had a bad experience in high school. I actually flunked Home Ec!:lol: Here's the story. We had to make these really ugly skirts and then to receive a grade we had to wear that ugly thing to school!:eek: Well, I was too embarrassed to wear the horrible thing so I failed the semester.:lol: But I did do well in the cooking part of Home economics. Back then (in the 60's) Home Ec was a required class for Freshmen.

Penny Lane , I took sewing too in Junior High school. All the girls were required to take 2 years of sewing and cooking. The boys took woodworking classes. I did ok the first year. I remember a test the class took on the first day of sewing class. One question: name two of three fabrics that have a nap. I wore corduroys and velour a lot so I knew they were two of the 3. Velvet is the 3rd. I was one the few girls who knew the answer. The 2nd year had a new teacher and I took time of to go on a trip and never did finish my project, so might got a c- that year. I never did enjoy cooking that much and to this day don't like to cook.
I guess I just will sew up my pants by hand. Won't go as fast but I don't want the pants to hang in the closet unused. Someone mentioned maybe the drycleaner company could hem the pants. I don't have clue what they would charge. I hate paying money if I could do the job myself.

I'm a 56 year old grown man- I DO NOT SEW!!! (I'M NOT A WOMAN!)

Hey Treky, Don't pop your buttons!!!. My discussion was aimed for women.
If my discussion bothers you, go to the next post.

I'm lousy at sewing. If a button falls off a coat or a nice piece of clothing, I put it in a baggy and give it to the dry cleaner to sew back on. They have a tailor on the premise. Same for hems or other significant sewing. I can do a few stitches or buttons on our PJs or kick around clothes, but that's it.

My mother was great at sewing and used to sew whatever I asked. Just one of the million plus things that I miss about her.

I don't know how to sew.

I'm a 56 year old grown man- I do not sew!!! (I'm not a woman!)

No offense, but that's kind of sexist. What does it matter that you're a 56 year old man. It's not the 1950's. Women work outside the home. I'm sure there are plenty of men and women who sew.

I don't know how to sew.



No offense, but that's kind of sexist. What does it matter that you're a 56 year old man. It's not the 1950's. Women work outside the home. I'm sure there are plenty of men and women who sew.
I'm sorry, just I just typed that cause I was bored. I know it doesn't matter whether you're a man or a woman; in fact my brother sews (he's sewed buttons on my pants and things) and I used to years ago.

My husband mends his own clothes. It's a good thing because he knows better than to ask me to do it!:lol: He doesn't do windows and I don't sew! :D

I basically can not sew. Getting a button back on a shirt is a TALL ORDER for me; I can just barely master that. SEWING is a great skill for ANYONE (man or woman) to have and KUDOS to anyone who can. It can save you quite a bit in tailoring and clothing bills. I wish I had the inclination to learn to sew better. But I'm lazy in this area.

I do knitting which is a little different than sewing. I do own a sewing machine though.

As I started this thread, I will come back. I did indeed get my sewing machine working and did hem up my pants. The weather getting warm now . I will have to bring out my shorts. Buttons are a snap to do. I do hem up slacks, sometimes nightgowns and pajamas if long in the leg. One thing I would like to do is table cloths. My kitchen table needs a 60 inch cloth. Sometime though you can buy one just as cheap as struggling to make one.