Sewing Help Please...

[pollypurebred39]

I'm new to sewing and I have a couple of questions I hope someone here can help me with. I have this garbradine fabric. Will it shrink? Should I wash it before I sew with it?

and

Can you sharpen sissors. I have a (good)Fiskars brand and a heavy duty kind(old but heavy)

Thanks,
Polly

[KatieInLa2]

I always wash my fabric the same way I plan to wash the finished garment. If it has cotton in it, it will shrink some.

Fiskers makes a special sharpener for their sissors but both pair can be sharpened. You must know how to hone the blade or you will ruin your sissors. A lot of sewing dealers/fabric stores will sharpen sissors for you.

[Darlene]

I'm not a bonifide sewing person, lol, but I do know you always wash fabric before sewing with it.

Found this online about your Fiskars http://sewdelish.blogspot.com/2008/0...sharpener.html and if you know how to use a wet stone you can sharpen them yourself
To get them professionally sharpened...
ask at the craft/fabric store
ask someone who sharpens knives
ask your hairdresser where she gets hers sharpened

Happy sewing!

[PrairieRose]

You should always wash/dry all fabric before you cut out your garment/item. Otherwise it will shrink in all the funkiest ways and make puckers and pouches where none were meant to be.... Ask me how I know this

Having your scissors sharpened is a great investment (and especially have the old ones done....they're usually the best anyway ). You can buy a cheap pair of scissors for what you can have them sharpened for but you already have a quality product or 2....and they will hold their edge longer than the cheap ones (just don't cut paper with them after getting them sharpened other than the pattern paper that is, and never cut hair with them). Have fun playing with your fabric and sharp scissors.

[Sara Noel]

I read this and am bumping it up because I wondered if in this case, her type of fabric shouldn't be washed.

Anyone know? Isn't gabardine wool? (dry clean only) If so, I would say hand wash and don't place it into the dryer, but I'm not a fabric expert and am certainly not a sewing expert. LOL

Or maybe her fabric is polyester? I don't know.

Just thought I'd re-bump and see if anyone knows. Or maybe it's too late and she can share her results.

[Michelle]

The care of the fabric depends largely upon if it's wool gabardine or polyester gabardine. This should help:

http://www.essortment.com/home/fashiontipsgab_skyq.htm

[pollypurebred39]

Not too late. I still have not started the project. I'm looking for someone in our area that sharpens sissors before I start. Thank you all for your imput. Sewing is new to me, I have done very little of it in my life so I'm thankful for all the imput and I am really interested in that link. It is a poly. I will check it out.

Thanks Again,
Polly

[PrairieRose]

I've washed all types of gabardine and it washes fine. You just have to be very careful about how you dry it (I'd wash the wool type on the gentle cycle).