Build your bag-making foundation. You’ll learn (or practice if you’re already a pro) how to make box corners, assemble layered handles, create bold topstitching, pattern match a pocket, insert a magnetic snap, and more.
The headlines are endless; we should all be exercising every day, getting lots of rest, drinking more water. These intentions are certainly worthy, but for now, let’s look beyond the standard list to some Sewing Self Improvement Goals. We were excited to join a new series from Janome at the beginning of 2024: Sew Smarter.
What’s the difference between pressing and ironing? What are the best practices of each? Why is it so important to “press as you go”? When do you need a pressing cloth? So many questions, and we have some answers.
Join us, along with our friends at Janome, as we pull together information, tutorials, and projects to rekindle sewing as a real life survival skill. Now is the time to remember, re-learn, and teach others how to create from scratch.
We’ve alphabetized 20 terms into a mini glossary. If you’re a pro, buzz through and see how many you know. If you’re new, use them as great vocabulary builders as well as to impress your non-sewing friends.
We all love little cheats and hacks! Our popular Cheat Cards cover important, need-to-know sewing tips and/or techniques in a handy business card size: 2” wide x 3½” high. Get the six card set for just $1.99 in our Etsy Shop.
One of the signs of a truly well-made project is that it looks nearly as good on the inside as it does on the outside. Finishing a project’s inside raw edges elevates the final appearance and adds to your sewing toolbox.
Mistakes happen to the best of us. The good news: ripping out a seam and starting over is something we all do all the time. With a little care and patience, it’s an easy fix and no one but you is ever likely to know it happened.
Learn our tips for using a pair of standard hemostats to quickly, easily, and smoothly turn tiny ties. Once turned, we also show you how a thin piece of cardboard is the perfect template jig for pressing the tie flat and even.
For some reason, button-sewing by hand is stuck in our head as a dreaded, time-consuming task. That need not be true! Read on to learn our favorite, super speedy, five-step process to perfect buttons every time.
Mastering the proper mixology of color and motif is something designers spend years perfecting. But there are basics everyone can use to create a fabulous look. We’ve collected our Top 10 Designer Tips to get you started.
Whatever the task, a bit of hand stitching usually comes in… well, “handy.” We’ve outlined the tools needed along with seven of the most common stitches. Simple drawings and steps show how to do each one.
We all make mistakes, but many errors can be avoided with proper planning, attention to detail, and the wisdom to slow down. Take the time to consider the best practices that will provide the best results.
That giant display of bias tapes and bindings can be overwhelming. Single fold, double fold, blanket, quilt. Geeze! What’s what and why? The S4H Sizing ID Chart gives the basic facts about the six most common types of bindings.
If you’ve ever tried to work with fabric cuts are that are not straight and true, you know why it’s so important to square-up your fabric. Find our easy folding, aligning, and cutting tips plus ruler recommendations.
Most projects require at least some hand stitching. Often, it’s the final seam closure after turning a project right side out. A Slip or Ladder Stitch creates an invisible seam between two folded edges, or a folded edge and a flat edge.
Remember making paper snowflakes as a kid? You fold, fold, fold, then cut, cut, cut. This fabric cutting technique is the same basic concept, but without the Swiss cheese effect. Grab your rotary cutter and mat, and let’s slice!
Gathers can be tight and frilly or loose and billowy. No matter how you use them, they’re a great embellishment that has been a favorite for centuries. Learn our favorite tips, techniques, and tools to make the process fast and easy.
Window coverings are a great DIY project; and simple enough for the beginning sewer. Straight edges. Simple, straight stitches. But even the most basic curtain project starts with knowing how to take proper measurements.
It’s a sewing technique everyone should have in their arsenal. The boxed corner creates space in something that would otherwise be flat. We show you the two most common methods and how to measure.
When does 1+1 = 1? When you’re basting two layers together! Lear: how to determine if your sewing machine has a basting stitch, when to use the stitch in sewing projects, and why hand basting is sometimes best.
It’s always exciting to begin a new sewing project. We’re eager to get started, and test stitching can feel like a roadblock to the creativity to come. However, ripping out a bad seam or ruining an expensive piece of fabric with a gnarl of thread is an even greater roadblock. Taking just a few minutes
No matter what kind of sewing you like to do, there are times you must use a hand needle and thread. Learn our favorite tips and products to help eliminate knots and tangles so you can keep those stitches flowing smoothly.
“Cutting corners” can be a good thing – if you do it correctly. Sharp corners give a project a clean, professional finish. Learn techniques for clipping and stitching corners that will help maintain the best, cleanest shape.
A Sewing Tool Box Basic! Seam grading is like stair-stepping. It’s the process of turning a standard seam allowance into layered tiers of fabric. The result is less bulk, which means a smoother finish from the right side.
Making a narrow hem with a clean corner can be a challenge. Our go-to option, the one that earns our Sewing ToolBox Stamp of Approval, is a double-turn with a folded diagonal point corner: easy, tidy, and pretty from both sides.
We’ve pulled together our top ten articles that show a variety of ways you can keep things closed. Locks, snaps, zips, buttons, and more. If you need closure, we have some great ideas. Let us know which are your favorites.
Your project instructions call for two yards of 60" wide fabric, but the fabric you want to use is 45" wide. Hmmm... attempting to dredge up that old math lesson in proportions is probably not going to happen on the fly. Instead, print out our handy conversion chart for those times you don't have a
We love the look and functionality of zippers. But many of us are not crazy about installing them. To get good, you gotta jump in. Let’s start with a conventional zipper, where the fabric meets along the center of the zipper teeth.
These days, when young adults seem to be devoted nearly full-time to social media, it’s easy to think none of them could possibly be interested in something so archaic as sewing. But, while you weren’t looking, sewing became cool.
When you walk into a fabric store, you'll notice most fabric is wrapped around cardboard bolts that stand upright on shelves or racks. What you may not notice is that at the end each bolt is a label that provides important information about the fabric. If you want 100% cotton, read the label so you
Picking out buttons is fun! Sewing on buttons, not quite so fun. The up-side of button sewing is that it’s relatively quick and easy, and by following our tutorial basics, yours will stay put stronger and longer.
We explain the fundamentals of quilting, including the tools you’ll need, cutting techniques, how to create blocks from basic shapes, piecing tips and techniques, and stitching. Enter at your own risk; quilting can be addictive.
How fabric is woven is important; fabric that is off-grain when you’re cutting can cause the completed project to stretch out of shape. Get a better understanding of how to identify fabric grain and tips on how to straighten it.
A big part of sewing is knowing your fabric. A big part of knowing fabric is understanding how to care for it. Protect your project and fabric investment. Learn when to preshrink fabrics, what products to use, and more.
There are two major curves you encounter in sewing: inward or concave and outward or convex. Learn the keys to a smooth result with both: an accurate seam allowance, proper clipping, and careful pressing.
Remember how scary it was to raise your hand in school and ask what you feared would be a "stupid" question? Hopefully we've moved beyond that childhood fear. Questions are great because they lead to answers, and answers are meant to be shared. Today's quick measuring tip came from a question in a visitor's email. Someone
Buttonholes. For many of us, beads of sweat start to form at the mention of the word. “Am I about to ruin everything by botching the buttonholes?” Nope! They’re really not hard once you break it down into individual steps.
We've made it to the finish of our seam finishes! In this final installment of the series, we venture into the world of the Hong Kong Finish and the Bound Seam finish. If you're not a 'finishing aficionado' (don't feel bad... few people claim that title), you may have been under the impression these techniques
We are not yet finished with our series of finishes! If you've been following along, you know we are working through the ways to make the inside of your projects look as great as the outside. Today, we're moving into a couple more unique options: the mock (or false) French seam and the French wrapped
A number of years ago, we had a French intern working with us... the daughter of a friend of a friend - you know how those things go. She was a sweet girl with a lovely accent, and we had fun asking her for the translation of things we tag as "French": a French braid
In sewing, there's a difference between stitches you use for construction and ones you use for finishing. When you’re first learning to sew, your immediate focus is getting all those pieces to fit together correctly. From the moment you cut the fabric, you’re concerned with maintaining the shape of the pattern pieces. You tediously concentrate