WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE LITTLE SEWING TIP,
Sewing tips – NEW or OLD appreciated!
Something I learned and tried recently (you all probably already know this and use it), but just in case you don’t….
-read this in a tips column of one of my books and tried it.
“to mark the location of dots and squares and darts etc. I used page reinforcement circles. You know the white circles with adhesive on the back. They stick to the fabric and are easily removed; and you can sew right through them.”
Sometimes my tracing paper gives me a fit. Sometimes it doesn’t mark my fabric well enough. I bought new but depending on the fabric it still doesn’t work as well as I would like. Besides at times I have torn my pattern using the tracing wheel. I’ve used the circles once and they worked fine. Probably won’t be able to use them for everything, but they saved me some time when I used them.
Linda Faye Lewis
Replies
LindaFaye
Sorry, just noticed your tip...after I began another thread....see "time saving tips"...
Thanks for your tip. I have a folder on my pc that I add items and tips to as I find them that I think I will need to refer to in the future.
Darlene in NC
My favorite sewing tip is to zig-zag over a piece of dental floss to gather material. It works very well.Marcy
I like the dental floss idea. Thanks
That's mine, also.
Super idea! Thanks.
Hey this sounds great. I'm making a Communion dress for my gd and will try this on the skirt. Thanks
You might want to loosen the tension, just a tad.Marcy
ok, thx
Hello,I'm new to the list and love your tip - especially since I just bought a box of those little circles!O.K. Here is one I just discovered: I often don't get to sew for weeks at a time. It's easy to lose pieces, mix them up, etc. I am making a gored skirt with many similar looking pieces. After cutting the pattern pieces out, I serge the edges. To avoid mixing up the pieces or losing them, I didn't cut the "tail" thread between similar pieces. When I finished serging the left edge on one piece, I left it attached and simply fed in the next piece. I'll just cut them apart as I need them. I hope this is helpful.Robin
I plan my stitching so that I can "chain" as many pieces as possible each time I go to the machine. So, on a blouse, I might sew shoulder seams, a bit on the collar, start the cuffs all in one go. Then I press everything and see how many steps I can get done in the next round. I can easily sew up a blouse in a couple of hours this way. To keep those pesky thread ends from getting sucked down into the bobbin case, stitch over a small scrap of fabric at the end of each "chain" of pieces. Leaving the needle down in the scrap, cut the last piece free. When you are ready to start sewing again, just stitch off the chain and onto the next piece. You can sew over the same scrap almost indefinitely. It's a quilting trick and the scraps are called "thread anchors" and it really does save time, bother and even thread. Annie
I save the the ends of my bathroom soaps,you know the bits that are too small to use any more, dried they make wonderful tailors chalk. I have a fish tank cleaning tool with magnets in, and what seems a little like velcro on each half. Those I use as pin cushions and keep them beside my machine ready to grab the pins as I stitch a seam.They're great for picking up pins dropped on the floor as well. Paper patterns I like I make polythene copies of, that way I have a durable pattern that wont disintegrate through use.
I keep a telescoping mechanic's magnetic wand near my sewing machine for picking up that fall to the floor. It's strong enough to pick up errant bobbins and bobbin cases, too. I've heard that you have to be careful when using magnetic pin holders if you have a computerized sewing machine. I wouldn't know since I sewing on vintage machines.Annie
The thread tails are a great idea!
One of my favorite sewing tips is similar to one listed here. I worked with drapery weight fabric a great deal and to gather these fabrics for dust ruffles etc., I keep a reel of fishline in my drawer to zigzag over. This is very strong, does not break with these heavier fabrics, and the gathers slide quite easily over it. You do need to remove it after the seam is stitched, but that is quite easy to remove.
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