FAQs: Volume 1: Sewing

I get a lot of the same quick questions from time to time on a bunch of different things so I thought I'd compile some answers here for quick reference.  If you ever have a question, comment, suggestions, or just wanna chat you can always email me at sugarplumcuties@hotmail.com and I'll do my best to answer you that same day.

Q: What kind of sewing machine do you use?
A: I use a Brother XR-9000.  You can see it on the Brother website here.  I got it at Costco a couple of years ago when it was on sale and I had a coupon.  I love it, and I will probably never sew with anything other than a Brother until maybe one day when I can afford a more upscale sewing machine.  This one has an automatic needle threader, a long arm for sewing things like sleeves, and an extra long arm for quilting.  It comes with a million different presser feet, a bunch of extra bobbins, and a really awesome manual and DVD for visual learning on how to thread the machine and sew.

Q: What kind of serger do you use?
A: I use a Brother 1034D serger.  You can see it at Amazon here.  I actually bought it from Amazon last Valentine's day, and I have no idea how I survived sewing for 4 years without a serger.  It's worth every penny I spent on it, and I've often thought about buying a second one and keeping it set up as a 3-thread serger to do rolled hems.  I have 2 of these bad boys now!  I leave one set up for a 3-thread rolled hem and the other is set for a 4-thread serge.  Threading the machine was hard the first 1 or 2 times but after that, it's a breeze, and changing blades is super easy too.  The DVDs that come with the serger are awesome and show you a lot of different serging techniques.  I highly recommend it.

Q: What kind of coverstitch machine do you use?
A:  I have the Brother 2340CV.  You can see it on Amazon here.  My dad sent it to me for Christmas 2014 and I'm dying over it.  I don't know all the ins and outs yet but I've used it on a few projects and it's sooooo good.

Q: Where are some good places to buy knit fabrics?
A: Buying knits is sometimes tricky.  Lower quality knits are thin and harder to sew with and are less than ideal for sewing clothing, so you have to really pay attention to the description of the knit in the listing.  When in doubt you can always email the shop owner and ask more specific questions on the weight and drape of the fabric.  That being said, there are a couple of places I love to buy knits from, and I'll just list them here in no specific order.

• Girl Charlee
• Purpleseamstress Fabric - on Facebook
• Funkalicious Fabric - on Etsy
• Nature's Fabrics
• The Fabric Fairy
• JoAnn Fabrics
• Ixat - She is located in Korea so shipping to the US is high, but her knits are awesome, and so far I have not been disappointed with the quality.
• Harts Fabrics