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I would like to  introduce a dear friend and outstanding teacher of Heirloom Sewing, Ms. Lynne Holyoake.  I first met her at the Martha Pullen School of Art Fashion.  She was teaching classes for the Janome School.  She is more than qualified to teach, and has been teaching for more than 20 years.  She has international recognition of an heirloom sewing and embroidery teacher, designer, and author.   Her designs are published in Martha Pullen books and Sew Beautiful magazine, among other Australian magazines such as Anne's Glory Box and Stitches.  She has also taught for the Smocking Guild of NSW.  This names only a few of her qualifications.  Her patterns and instructions are so easy to follow.  She makes learning so much fun because she has a real passion and gift of Heirloom Sewing that is truly from God.  She's an angel unaware.  So feel honored as I do to be able to have access to so much that she has to offered to share with us.  Thank you for stopping by Thimblebees, Glenda

Lynne's Heirloom Sewing Tips...

• Always use the best fabric you can afford. You will put a lot of work into your project, so it's worth using great material.

• Natural fibres such as cotton, fine wool, linen & silk are by far the most beautiful fabrics to wear & to work with.

• Cotton laces which now have a 10% polyester content for strength in the heading are more expensive but will last longer & not yellow with age & laundering. They are much more beautiful than nylon lace to stitch & wear. Nylon lace can melt if it comes into contact with a hot iron.

• While sewing, to spare the iron is to spoil the garment, always have the iron close to where you are working & use it after every seam.

• Use fine cotton thread eg Metler™ 60. or polyester thread covered with cotton eg Rasant™120.

• A Universal 60 or 70 needle to fit your sewing machine is the best for heirloom sewing. Change the needle every 4-6 hours & if it should ladder the fabric it has a burr, so change it straight away. Machine needles are graded, so that the smaller the number the finer the needle.

• A twin needle for pintucks should be a 1.6/70 or 2.0/70 or 2.0/80 for heirloom sewing. Always use a stitch length of 2.0 or less. The 1.6or 2.0 represents the gap between the 2 needles in mm. The 70 & 80 refers to the size needle. 

• Only watch the needle as you begin sewing because if you watch the needle you will sew crookedly. Always watch the edge of the foot or some place on the foot. Run the foot down the edge of the fabric pintuck or lace & you will sew straight.

• I always keep a wooden skewer close to my sewing machine because it allows me to get close to the needle to manipulate the lace or stitching on the fabric without any risk of the needle going through my finger.

• Always stitch with a good light & if you need it, use a magnifier.

      Web: www.lynneholyoake.com