There are lots of tools that I use to sew made to measure flamenco dance costumes on a daily basis. Below you’ll find the most important ones, the ones I couldn’t do without. If you’d like to know any other tools I use or if you are using one you think I should check out please drop me a line.
The Sewing Machines
Naturally, there is no sewing studio without sewing machines so I’ll start here.
I use two sewing machines:
Kosel GC158-13 – Industrial Sewing Machine
I use it for any straight stitch seams on woven fabrics.
What I love about it
- It is quick
- It is sturdy
- It sews a wide variety of different fabrics
- I can lift the presser foot with my knee
- I can fill the bobbin while I’m sewing
Drawbacks
- While being sturdy it is also pretty delicate – just moving the hand wheel to the back can make it lock up
- The desk with engine weighs approx. 30kg so moving the machine is a major undertaking
Naturally, if you are sewing as a hobby it is hard to justify the purchase of an industrial sewing machine. Apart from that ..
Janome 4623 LE Plus – Domestic Sewing Machine
Whenever I need to sew
- buttonholes and buttons
- elastic stitches (for working with knits or lycra)
- zigzagstitch
there is my trusted Janome to do the job:
What I love about it
- Strong and sturdy to sew a wide variety of fabrics
- Nice range of elastic stitches
- Transparent bobbin cover so I can see how much thread is left
- Makes great button holes easily
- Very reliable. I’ve not had a single problem with it in all those years.
Drawbacks
Can’t think of any
I bought mine years ago, before moving to Spain in 2004, and it seems the exact same model is no longer available but this one comes very close.
The Sergers/Overlockers
I have a similar setup here. For finishing seams/fabric edges and for creating a perfect and quick rolled hem for finishing ruffles nothing beats the industrial serger.
Kingtex SH-7005 Industrial Overlocker
I switch between normal 3 thread overlock and rolled hem settings.
What I love about it
- It is seriously fast
- Sturdy and reliable (with the meters and meters of ruffles I make it has not once let me down)
- Provides a beautiful, professional looking finish for seams and ruffles
Drawbacks
- It is just as heavy as the sewing machine, so definitely – moving the sewing studio is a piece of work
- When changing from normal 3 thread overlock to rolled hem I have to change the plate so the screw driver is my best friend (I’m pretty used to it by now though)
Janome MyLock 436D
For sewing knits or lycra fabrics, every time I need to sew and overlock at the same time using 4 threads I come back to my good old Janome overlocker. It can do the 3 thread overlock and rolled hem as well and has lots of other functions I don’t use. I bought it more than 10 years ago and have always been happy with it.
What I love about it
- Sturdy and reliable
- Easy to thread (once you work out how)
- Delivers great results without hassle
Drawbacks
Can’t think of any
I bought mine years ago, before moving to Spain in 2004, and it just works and works and works. It is one of those tools you can simply rely on.
The Iron and Tailor’s Board
For the first couple of years of running my sewing studio I used just a regular ironing board and one of the steam irons domestic appliances stores like to call “professional”. I thought literally running out of steam whenever I needed to get something finished or burning my fingers when the steam preferred my hands over the fabric was just the way things are until I got my
Professional Ironing Station
It consists of two pieces – a pressing table and steam iron and takes ironing to a whole new level. So even if you don’t sew a lot but have shirts etc. to iron on a regular basis I recommend investing in one of those.
What I love about it
- The pressing table, with its built in vacuum to remove steam or blow air for an air cushion improves results incredibly.
- The boiler tank is large enough to not run out of steam while working
- Steam pressure is great and precise, makes ironing a pleasure
Drawbacks
Can’t think of any
Once I had my professional ironing station life was much easier but the curves of princess seams (which I am pressing all the time) or collars, cuffs etc. were still somewhat painful until I discovered ..
The Tailor’s Board
What I love about it
- Everything!
- Makes pressing curves and corners a pleasure
- Has an angle/surface for everything
- Helpful also for ironing all the hard to reach areas of finished garments
Drawbacks
Can’t think of any
Check out the video below to learn how to use the tailor’s board. I promise you’ll love it.
[youtube id=”dZy3nHSNAjE” width=”600″ height=”340″ position=”center”]
The Cutting Tools
I tend to use a good pair of dressmaker’s scissors to cut individual garments. I also use a rotary cutter but find it doesn’t work well when cutting several layers of fabric together. For several layers of fabric and, of course, all ruffles I just love the electric circular knife, it shaves hours off the time it takes to make a flamenco costume.
The Rotary Cutter
What I love about it
- Cuts precisely
- Cuts quickly
- Simple and sturdy
- Easy to change the blade
Drawbacks
- Blade doesn’t stay sharp very long given the amount of fabric I cut so I use it mainly for cutting out pattern pieces
- It needs the cutting mat and mine, even though it was the largest one available when I purchased it, isn’t big enough for the large skirt pieces I often cut (this isn’t a failure of the tool, it just isn’t ideal for what I’m doing)
The Electric Circular Knife
What I love about it
- Cuts lots of fabric layers effortlessly – great for cutting ruffles
- Light weight
- Precise cutting
- Self sharpening
- Just couldn’t live without it
Drawbacks
Removing the blade for cleaning or replacing requires some practice
I own the handheld one (on the left) but had the pleasure of working with the large one as well. The large one is incredible when cutting lots of ruffles but it is heavy so if you only get one I recommend you get the smaller one.
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