This page contains the following solutions.
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. Works great!
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.
Make your next mending project a little faster by pre-threading your needles. I have needles already threaded in all the colors I use. I have two or three needles threaded for each of the most popular colors, like black. At the end of a mending job I make sure my needles are threaded for any future job.
Use transparent tape, like Scotch tape, for quick basting of seams. By Lynn
To knot thread: hold your thumb on the thread as it lays across a needle facing you, cut end to the right, then with your left hand wrap the thread around the needle two or three times.
If you would like to trace off a craft pattern and don't have any tracing paper, just take a pencil and shade the back side of the paper with the pattern below it, and then trace around the pattern. The pattern will be duplicated.
Be prepared: Gather and purchase all of the supplies necessary to complete your sewing or craft project ahead of time. Having to stop in the middle of the project in order to run out and get a forgotten essential item is time consuming and irritating. Read more...
Keep 2 needles threaded with black and white thread in your bedroom or bathroom. You can stick the needles into a bit of sponge or cork. Then when a button pops off you can sew it on quickly! By Linda
I use my vintage (1970s Stylist, and a 1930s treadle) Singer sewing machines to sew, for home sewing and crafting. I also teach sewing, specializing in teaching home sewing newbies.
I was doing some sewing today. I am making some crafts to sell. I had labels made to sew inside and I hand sew my labels.
When hemming up a new pair of pants, I use the original thread from the pants to re-hem them. If you cut and pull the right piece of thread from the beginning (seam area) of the hem, you will wind up with a very long piece of thread.
I like to sew, so to save time I cut out my patterns apart while watching television at night. When I am ready to sew, they are all set to lay out and cut.
I have a large sewing box and was always pricking my finger on loose needles! So to solve this problem I hot-glued a large magnet to the top that I had received free from a local business. Voila! No more needle mishaps and they are always where I can see them.
I am beginning to cut out a robe for my granddaughter. The pattern has several views. I am going to take the pattern pieces which go to one view and fold them together and secure with a paper clip or safety pin.
I use hydrogen peroxide (3%) on a cotton ball to remove blood spots when quilting or sewing, from the needle sticks. Removes with no trace of stain. I use it on other spots on clothes.
While you're working with cording, some endings can come unraveled. End that by putting a tiny drop of super glue on the end of the cording.
When sewing heavy fabrics (e.g. jeans) on the sewing machine, keep the little box the needles on a piece of Blu-tack on the front of your machine. That way you will know at a glance where the right needle for the next job is.
I use safety pins to mark the right side of material when it's hard to tell because straight pins will fall out. This saves time and I know at a glance which side is which!
Plackets are used in shirt and blouse construction to create an opening either at the neckline or at the sleeve cuff.
I make a lot of clothes and swimsuits for my three girls. I trace the patterns in the size I need onto other paper. I have found it extremely helpful to label these papers with my daughters' names, the year I made that size, and my daughters' measurements.
Grabbing the thread on a new spool so you can use it is easy when you use a pair of tweezers. Grab the thread between the tweezers (I use old pair of scissors tweezers) and just pull. The thread comes off and it is so easy.
For gloves that help you grip slippery fabric for sewing, get "one size fits all" knit gloves and embellish the palm and fingers of each glove with puff paint.
When buying seasonal patterns for children, I try to make sure there is a size for when I can actually make the item. If it's for next year, make sure you get a bigger size. If the pattern is a classic you may want to get two sizes.
When doing any craft work with a needle, I keep a hotel bar of soap handy, they are small, when you finish or need to sharpen your needle or it needs to slip in easy, wipe it down with the soap or poke end of needle in the soap. It makes it easy to use.
Keep a magnet by your sewing machine to pick up loose pins.
The saying, "measure twice, cut once", is as old as the hills. It's generally used in carpentry to help prevent the wasting of materials, but it's really a good tip for all crafts. It's a good rule when working with fabric, leather or any material that needs to be cut to fit a particular purpose.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I'm upcycling an UnderArmour shirt and I can't get my sewing machine to sew it. I've changed my needle, the tension, semi-cleaned the machine, rethreaded it a few times, but I can't get the thread to catch more than maybe one stitch. It works fine on other fabric, but not on this material. It is going to be so cute! I just really don't want to have to hand stitch it. I've changed the height of the needle too. I'm considering using another fabric as a "catcher" fabric, I guess you can call it. I've also had problems with dropping stitches a lot. My old machine never did that, but I'm not very experienced with sewing either. Help?
You may need to change the needle. My machine did the same thing and when I went back and read the book it said the needles need to be changed according to different fabrics. So you may have to try different needles until you can get one that will catch the threads. I'm sure they won't have a special needle for the fabric you are working with, so you may have to go by trial and error! Also, you might have to tighten or loosen the thread. There are other threads you can try also! There may be a stronger one for thicker fabrics. I take my husbands things apart and re-vamp them all the time, and it's definitely not for the name! Good luck, I hope this helps!
What is floss for sewing am I thinking of the same thing when I think of dental floss (bought in a small container usually covered with mint or other substance)? What is embroidery floss (do you mean embroidery thread? Thank you and where would I purchase it?
By Patsy
Embroidery thread and embroidery floss are the same. There are usually six strands per hank, and you use between one and six depending on the effect you want to achieve.
This page is about sewing vinyl. A special needle and setting may be needed on your machine to sew this type of fabric.
Whether a bathing suit, hoodie or sweat pants a large safety pin can help guide that string back where it belongs. This is a page about rethreading drawstrings.
Fabric tubes are used in a lot of sewing and craft projects. The initial steps are pretty easy, the frustration comes when it is time to turn the tube right side out.
Save fabric from unrepairable jeans for future patching. This is a page about patching jeans.
Threading a bobbin on a sewing machine can be a little difficult if you haven't done it before. This is a page about threading a sewing machine bobbin.
This is a page about discarding used sewing machine needles. When discarding used sewing machine needles, crafters each have their own method to get rid of them safely.
This is a page about picking up pins and needles. When sewing, pins and needles seem to always find their way to the floor. As they can be dangerous to small children and pets, in particular, they need to be completely picked up after your sewing session.
This is a page about threading sewing needles. Threading a sewing needle can be a very frustrating or time consuming experience, especially when working on a large project. There are, however, a number of tips that can help make this task easier.
