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When sewing if you need to rip out your work, when you are done run a lint roller over the thread and all the little pieces come right out.
Elastic around your waist should be your waist size minus 2 inches. It works every time.
Those little pins for sewing and holding fabric together are so small!
When I am doing machine sewing, I set up 2 small wastebaskets - one on each side of my chair. That way I can drop scraps, thread, etc. with either hand. Saves a lot of time and waste motion.
When making coffee cozies, I needed something for a closure that would work with a big button I was using for the design. Since I didn't want to make a large button hole, I discovered the perfect thing for it was a thin elastic hair band.
I really enjoy sewing, but lack the finances to buy some things I would like to have. For quite some time, I have wished that I could afford to buy a clapper, like I have seen on some sewing shows.
This tip is for all sewers! I'm 65 and I learned this from my mother when I was about ten or twelve. Many times it is hard to sew a straight seam because your machine's markings aren't clear or easy to see.
I use an easy way to gather fabric without the gathering thread breaking. Pull out both the bobbin and the top threads to a length longer than the piece to be gathered, and pull them to the right of the needle.
I've seen others make things that looked great and with which they seemed very proud. However, I have not ever been totally pleased with everything I have sewn, usually because of the fabrics chosen.
Being the frugal person I am, instead of buying a spool of thread to match the item I am hand sewing, I keep on hand a bag of embroidery 6 strand thread that has many choices of colors to chose from.
For those of you who sew: I've found that tuna cans and small cat food cans work great as "weights" to hold patterns down when cutting them out. This way, no pins are needed! And when you're done, back in the cupboard they go!
Ever change your mind on what ribbon you would like to use or find that the tube you made for the drawstring is too small to run the safety pin through?
Use leftover crepe paper in sewing by placing over thick fabric like fleece or textured material that has a tendency to get caught in the feed dog or presser foot, depending on the type or loft of the material. Just sew right over it and when finished, tear if off.
I have two new toys in my sewing stuff. Each one costs less than 5 dollars.
I used to do this when making pull on pants for the toddlers in my life to make it easier to insert the elastic. After pressing the seams open I just sewed a few stitches on either side of the open seam ...
This, as with most of my tips was born of necessity. I am too old to be crawling around on the floor with a flashlight trying to retrieve straight pins that I have dropped.
I have two sewing machines both of which have a variety of stitches for fancy work. In order to better see what each stitch looks like on fabric. . .
I have been sewing for many years now! I used to get so frustrated trying to add set in sleeves until I came across this helpful tip; first stitch with regular stitch length from underarm area of sleeve to the notch.
You can stick your needles and pins in a bar of soap to make them slide into your material easier. I use the little bars that you get at the motel.
When the spool only has a little thread left on it, it is not worth putting on the sewing machine, as it will be gone after a few stitches. I save these almost empty spools and give them to my senior friends.
Most of us carry a first aid kit in our cars or trucks. The other day my daughter ripped her coat while we were out shopping.
If you sew a lot and do mending or alterations, use invisible thread for the top thread and change bobbins for different colors. You will save a lot of time by not having to re-thread the needle every time you do a different colored garment.
My most recent sewing machine has a transparent plastic bobbin cover plate. When I would take it out to replace a bobbin, many times I had trouble seeing it.
This is for all you sewing machine sewers. If you are like me, one of the most frustrating things to do is when you are trying to remove thread from a bobbin that you want to put another color on, it seems like no matter how tightly you hang on to it, the bobbin falls from your fingers onto the floor.
With cats at our house, I try to be extra careful that they don't get ahold of the threads and scraps from my sewing projects. I went to a fundraiser recently and bought a decorative handmade bowl that I didn't have a use for yet.
Wear fingers of medical gloves to keep from snagging delicate fabrics with rough fingertips when sewing or crafting.
If your diaper pins or straight pins get dull from over use, run them through your hair and they will work every time.
To make a pattern piece yourself, if you use the "non-iron" interfacing it makes a great pattern and doesn't rip as easy. By wiseinhimmer
If you are using a rotary cutter with a marked ruler and a marked cutting mat, use one or the other to measure your cutting line. Never switch between the ruler marking and the mat marking, they may not be exactly the same.
I have one of those cutting mats for sewing, laid out on a large table. This morning I went down one side to mark the size of the tote bags I am making.
When I make sweaters for myself or family, I mark the front of the sweater on the right side with a small safety pin. I use safety pins for holding sweater pieces together for sewing them. They are small and easy to spot.
I've been sewing on my kitchen table without using a pin cushion because I couldn't find it, LOL! So I took a lint brush, the sticky kind, to gather up the straight pins instead of sticking my fingers.
To stop getting knots in the thread when you are hand sewing, pass the thread through beeswax. You can purchase a beeswax notion at fabric stores. This just works wonders! There will be no wax residue left behind.
Take the small pieces of soap that are left over in the shower, dry them out and presto, you've got a great marking tool for fabrics and quilting.