The monthly mortgage payment on a 400,000 loan for 30 years amortization period for 5 year fixed mortgage 3.7% rate is $1,834.76. It will cost you 260,000 in mortgage interest if will take that long for you to pay the mortgage. Remember that most of the interest paid in the first 5 years of your mortgage. In order to speed up the payent process you can do double payments or biweekly. If you take the same mortgage with biweekly payments your biweekly payment will be $ 846.11 which is $142 less per month.

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We bought the house last year only to find out that the floors are completly rotten under ceramic tiles as well as the floor in the basement under carpet. rotting is due to water entering over several years.

You can sue, but the burden of proof will be on you to prove that the owner knew there was damage under the tile and failed to disclose it to you.

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I've been doing my own hair for years, sewn in and bonded. i want to try a new technique and wondered if anyone new of some or any websites with picture instructions, also what would be the best pattern of braiding for a sewn in curly weave parted in the on the side.

I don't know of any websites, but here's my suggestion: I would say to part your hair wherever you want to have your side part. Then braid backwards, like cornrows going back. Then at the part, braid horizontally like from the part towards your ear. With curly weave, it should cover up your hairline quite well. I've done this and it's worked fine. As you know technique takes practice, so have fun!

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I haven't sewn in years. i took sewing in hs and took a basic sewing class but want to buy a machine. i have bought alot of yardage on sale and have alot of patterns. what would be the easiest way to start sewing again? and what do you suggest for a simple pattern for dummies like me?

It seems to me that you have thought this through and are pretty well prepared so I guess that means you are not a dummy! That said, there are patterns specifically for beginners.There are patterns that are labeled easy, dummy, quick, etc. Look for a skirt or blouse without buttonholes or zippers. Fleece is a very forgiving fabric. Errors are well hidden. do you need new valances in your house? Most are made with basic construction and will alllow you to get used to your machine. i made a tone of pillowcases out of gingham fabric and than cross stitches peoples names on the end of them for gifts. I put a ruffle on the girls'. What about pajama bottoms? Everyone needs a new pair of flannel jammies. Just jump in and ask any questions you need to ask along the way. The yahoo answer's community is always willing to give you the answer!

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I love to sew and have been sewing for many years, mainly drapes, pillows, duvets. i need a sewing machine that will be heavy duty, straight stitch, blind hem stitch, et. i currently have a singer scholastic. a few years ago i bought a juki - without really thinking it through - it was heavy duty but sewed 3000 stitches per min. i could not control it and gave up and sold it. any suggestions from someone who sews these types of things would be helpful.

As a sewing machine technician who works for all kinds of sewers I will tell you to stay with most any machine before 1980 except Singer Touch -n- Sew's . Actually before 1965 really. These are ALL METAL machines and it would be best if you could get the internal motor,direct drive, metal to metal geared machine instead of machines with belts. Geared home machines that I'm most aware of are Singers from the 50's thru the 60's. A Singer 201 would be great for you as would a 301, 401,403,404,500, 503 or even a 15-91. These are table top heavy duty machines that sew a very fine stitch. Mainly because there is no belt to slip. Stitches will always stay the same and these machines last forever. You cannot hurt them. Search eBay for these and do a little studying. Be sure to get one with all the attachments though as you would need a ruffler. They are not all that expensive. Good luck.

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I've sewen probably one thing in my life before and it looked like a 2 year old sewed it. are there any books out there that are perfect for a rookie sewer? i'm not necessarily looking to sew clothing, but more or less basic hand stitches. thanks!

Hi: Unfortunately, sewing is like anything else: you have to learn to crawl before you learn to walk. Several years ago, I bought a wonderfully informing, easy to read AND understand, book by Singer. It is very thick, about 2 or 3 inches. But it answers any and all questions you might ever have about sewing, cutting the pattern, stitching, different stitches for different projects or finishes, explanation of feet, needles, and more. I have been sewing for more than 50 years, and no longer have the book. Got lost somewhere in the shuffle of all my moves across the United States. If you go on eBay or Amazon.com, you can probably pick up the same book, C H E A P! Just do a search for Singer How to Sew or Learning to Sew. Even if the book isn't cheap, it is worthwhile investment for anyone who wants to learn how to sew, tailor, monogram, to impress themselves or their friends. Good luck!

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I have been wanting to learn how to sew for years i cant afford to go to school i have had a brand new sewing machine for years it is probably out of date now but i really want to learn how to sew help me.

There's a bunch of websites around, but none that teaches sewing in any sort of an organized fashion, and some teach techniques that will result in a poor product. I'd suggest you might want to look at Connie Crawford's Studio Sewing Skills dvd, which starts with learning to thread a sewing machine, read a pattern, operate a machine, and goes through all the major steps of garment sewing. You may be able to interlibrary loan it, but the purchase price is only $40.

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At my brother's las scout meeting, someone asked me if i would sew on their patches. they told me to pick a price and call them. i'm 14, but ive been sewing for 9 years. i have sewed on patches for my brothers before. it takes about 5 minutes per patch if i do them on the machine, and 20 minutes if i do it by hand. how much? i'm thinking about doing different amounts for merit badges and the actual shirt patches. thank you xd

How ambitious! Clever you! There are some things to consider, if you're starting out in business: How much do other businesses (dry cleaner) charge. Your time to do the task, including setting up and cleaning up after. The time you spend working with your customers when they pick up and drop off. You need to include this in your calculations of how much you want to make per hour, especially since these may take longer than sewing the badges themselves. The wear and tear on your machine, the supplies you use to do the task. You think, it's just needles and thread. True, but needles get dull and break, thread isn't free. Trips to the store cost more than when I was your age. (gas was .30 a gallon then) Additional supplies: label and tags for the garment, receipt for the customer. Maybe an adult (or you) will invest in a generic three-part invoice from the office supply store for you. One copy stays with the garment, one to the customer, one stays in the book for your records. If you were on your own, you'd need to consider your utilities. I'm going to guess the people you live with won't charge you for rent and electricity! Do the badges go on a sash? Then I would charge differently, since sewing on a flat sash is pretty easy, Sewing on a shirt sleeve takes longer. Best wishes!

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I have been sewing straight lines for years- to make pillow cases, tote bags, etc. well, now i am trying to make my very first rag doll. obviously, that requires sewing curved lines. my lines curves go all over the place- nothing smooth about them. i am about to give up and try to sew the doll by hand. but, before i do that can anybody tell me if there is some secret to learning how to sew a curved line? thanks! =)

Mostly just practice. Go find a piece of paper and cut a lazy S curve in it, Unthread your machine, and then put the paper under the presser foot, aligning the cut edge with the 5/8" or 15mm mark (or whatever the seam allowance is for your project). Use the handwheel to drop the needle into the paper at your start point, then drop the presser foot. Next: your hands. Curve the fingers on your left hand into the position used for playing a piano, or for typing on a keyboard, or the "I'm going to scratch your eyes out" position... fingers slightly spread and arched. Position that hand to the left of the presser foot, wrist turned so your finger tips are sort of aligning along the direction of fabric travel. That's the hand that's going to control the direction of sewing. Your right hand is going to pick up the fabric edge and control how it feeds into the machine. Start sewing, and use your left hand to keep the edge of the paper on the 5/8" mark -- you're just going to slightly pivot your wrist to cause the paper to feed in a curve... if you pivot in the direction of your belly, you can sew concave curves; towards the back, you'll be sewing convex curves. Don't watch the needle -- watch the cut edge of the paper against your alignment mark. (Needlewatching leads to crooked seams, and getting seasick when you use anything but straight stitch!) Practice on paper until you can sew both convex and concave curves smoothly, with the needle marks consistently in from the cut edge and the holes regularly spaced. If you tear the paper, you're probably trying to push or pull the paper under the needle. Quit it--- fabric pulling is an expensive habit that can lead to broken needles, jammed or broken sewing hooks, dinged up presser feet and other bad juju. When you can sew curves smoothly on paper, put in a new needle (the other one's dead!), and try the same exercise on scrap fabric (I start beginners on starched fabric, and then move to softer stuff when they're doing well.) Generally, I can get beginners sewing straight lines and curves correctly within an hour. You may need to unlearn some things that are getting in your way now, like needlewatching and fabric pulling or pushing. Just give yourself the time to practice, and it'll all be very easy very soon. If you'd like to watch a pro do it, the best film I've seen is about 12 minutes into Margaret Islander's "Industrial Shortcuts" DVD or video -- you may be able to get it from your local public library. If they have any Islander videos, though, you'll see her handle fabric as I described, though she doesn't go into the how and why explanation. --- Also, you're going to have to clip the seam allowances that are curved after you get done sewing. Instead of trying to cut up to the seam through both thicknesses of fabric, find yourself a pair of scissors that cuts right up to the tip. Put the sewn fabric on the table, and place the lower blade of the scissors between the two layers of fabric. You can now clip the upper layer right to the seam line, but you can't accidentally cut the stitching. When you're done clipping the top layer, flip it over and do the same on the other layer, staggering the clips so they're not in the same place. Takes a little longer than clipping both layers, but you'll never have to try to fix a mistake. <g>

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I have a white sewing machine model number 1514 and i have tried searching online to see what years it was produced but i can't seem to find the information. i can tell it's old. my mom thinks earlier sixties or maybe late fifties. it's teal colored and it's built into a sewing table. it's not a necessary thing to know but it's something of interest of me. so if anyone knows what years this model/color combination was produced please let me know. thanks!

Teal sounds more 60's than 50's, but 50's is certainly a possibility -- I just spotted a beat up one online, and I'd guess late 50's, early 60's. I'd send you to talk to White's customer service: http://whitesewing.com/customer.asp If no joy there, try the yahoo group "wefixit". I grew up sewing on my mom's White and now have my grandmother's -- these were 1950 "godzilla" machines, with a black crinkle finish, and I always thought it was strange they were black, but labeled White. <g> Whites from that era were very respectable machines.

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I sew preemie burial gowns. i always have trouble turning the raw edges of the neck especially at the seams. i sure could use some tips from other sewers. i've been getting tips from doll clothes patterns, but i need some experienced guidance. also, other than snaps and velcro do you have any other suggestions for closures? i've been sewing for over 30 years but i am a basic kind of sewer.

I've not seen one, but that doesn't mean much, because I don't sew doll clothes. Depending on the pattern you're working with, here are the likely choices I'd make: 1) shaped bias, used as a facing. This can be a little tricky to do, because you need to not stretch the bias tape as it's applied, otherwise it will cause the neckline to roll away from the body. Shaping the bias first on a copy of the neckline, with steam iron and pins, will make this much easier. If you watch Martha's Sewing Room (PBS or BYU), you'll see them shaping bias for various purposes. Tight curves really need shaped bias rather than unshaped bias, imo. 2) make a facing for the pattern's neckline -- ye olde standard faced neckline, which can also finish the placket of your gown. Good step by step instructions in Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing, which has had several editions... the one I'm looking at is copyright 1976, and the section starts on p. 192, and runs to about 209. If your library doesn't have a copy, they're usually cheap from used book dealers. Rather than finish the lower edge of the facing, consider just pinking it. It's a no-bulk finish that helps prevent show-through. I'd also consider using a very lightweight fusible tricot interfacing as the facing fabric, then after turning the facing to the inside, just fuse the interfacing to the inside of the garment. If I did that, I'd use a fusible tricot meant for sheer fabrics like: http://sewexciting.blogspot.com/2008/11/sheer-elegance-interfacing-by-pamela.html or http://www.fashionpatterns.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=62 (I use the second one; haven't tried the first, but have heard good things about it). 3) completely line the bodice -- bodice and sleeves if the sleeves are cut on to the bodice. This also would finish the placket edges. Especially if it's something like a bodice and a gathered skirt garment, this is fast and easy. Do it like an "all in one facing" in the Reader's Digest book. As to closures, I'd probably do buttons and loops or buttons and buttonholes, but I have a machine that makes nice buttonholes, so they're fast and easy for me. Shirt-type buttons can be sewn on easily with a zigzag machine. Would buttons and loops interest you? I've got a really easy method to make them, using elastic thread or serger chain, where they always come out nicely spaced. Click on my avatar to drop me an email. Cheap sources of small buttons: http://www.tinyzippers.com/dollbuttons.html http://www.homesew.com/DollButtons.html http://www.quiltware.com/dollbuttons.asp Another choice might be a simple ribbon tie at neck and waist. Joan Hinds has a basic doll dress pattern on the web that's finished nicely -- I know a net-buddy who collects dolls thinks highly of Joan's patterns: http://www.infinitefreedom.com/challenges-pages/dropped-waist-directions.html How are you pressing those shoulder seams? Because they're so small, and you need them really flat, I'd probably press them on a piece of wood covered with muslin, rather than on the usual padded ironing board. Finger press the seam open, then put it on the muslin-covered board, seam allowances up. Using a small paintbrush, paint the seam with a little water, just to dampen it, let it soak in for a few seconds, then press with an iron of the appropriate temperature until the fabric is dry. Let it cool on the board before moving it. As far as choice of boards go, a scrap of plywood that's been sanded smooth, or a wooden cutting board that hasn't been oiled or a scrap of 2x4 without resin pockets would work well. If you've got any local cabinet makers, see if they might have a scrap block of maple or alder they'd give you... something about 2x4x1/2" or so would be perfect. and a thicker scrap would work just as well.