Here come my unbeatable sewing tips and tricks, with which you'll achieve brilliant results in no time: Full steam ahead to the next sewing level! ;)
With these tips you'll overcome sewing hurdles in no time. For more fun and less stress with your favorite hobby! :)
Really good fabric
Let's be honest: There is fabric - and there is FABRIC. When I started sewing, I wanted to save as much as possible. Always with the thought in the back of my mind that my sewing results might not be perfect.
A self-fulfilling prophecy, as it turned out: Many of the fabrics I bought back then looked okay at first glance. Especially because they contained so much sizing. However, after the first wash, the fabrics showed their true colors. They lost color and feel, became limp and saggy.
If you really want great sewing results, you should invest in good fabrics*. And follow the following tips & tricks. Then you're guaranteed professional sewing results.
Better buy the exact amount of good fabric required by the pattern down to the centimeter than 1 1/2 meters of bad fabric.
By the way: I discovered the beautiful chicken and egg fabric in a cozy little fabric store in Upstate New York. Do you also think chicken fabrics* are that great?
Good thread & new needle
It's no secret that bad thread frays, looks fuzzy, and breaks while sewing. Professional results look different: If you have to start your seams over again and again because the thread has broken, the appearance suffers significantly.
Get yourself a good all-purpose thread* (my recommendation is clearly Gütermann, I sew EVERYTHING with it, from bags to garments).
Over time you'll find out which colors you prefer, and then you can buy a few larger spools of them.
It's similar with needles: Cheap needles make nasty stitches. You'll find that good needles* not only have sharper points and protect the fabric better: They also make much nicer seams. Whatever the reason for that may be, it remains a secret. But it's true.
I currently use universal needles from Schmetz or Titan needles* for regular woven fabrics. With Titan needles, there are also certain differences. I find the ones from Organ (they also make very good overlocker needles) are particularly hard, sharp, and durable; I replace them less often than universal needles.
For jersey, I rarely use regular jersey or stretch needles, which are also available in different thicknesses, depending on the thickness of the material. In my experience, Super Stretch needles* are best suited for stretchy fabrics. But even there, I occasionally experiment.
For "sticky" fabrics like faux leather, vinyl, or materials that I have pre-treated with Wondertape, I prefer to sew with Anti-Glue needles*, i.e., needles that are equipped against glue. Thanks to a special Teflon coating, Anti-Glue needles glide better through sticky materials.
Handy accessories
I recently noticed something: Whenever it really matters, for example when hemming or sewing on bias tape on tricky edges, my fabric clips fail.
That's really annoying because it means double the work and I still don't sew as neatly as I would like. So I set out to find alternatives to conventional fabric clips. And what can I tell you? I found the perfect clips* for me!
They hold on like a rock, don't slip, and are completely flat, so they can also be passed under the presser foot. And: They are equipped with a scale that tells me how far I need to fold the hem, for example. Great little things.
It's similar with sewing pins. I searched for a long time until I found sewing pins that really felt good in the hand. And didn't constantly bend, even though they are longer than normal. But what do I have to conclude to my extreme disappointment? When the beautiful purple handles meet the iron, they melt away like butter in the sun.
But since I really like to iron over a hem quickly, as long as the pins are still in it (better safe than sorry), I set out to find heat-resistant, grippy, extra-long sewing pins. And lo and behold: Here they are*! Nice and sturdy, quite sharp, and best of all: Ironing heat doesn't bother them at all!
Okay, calling them Magic Pins might be a bit of an exaggeration. If they weren't sewing pins, I would say: They're only cooking with water. But they are exactly what I was looking for. No more, no less.
And, let's be honest: Well pinned* is half sewn, right?
Shaping corners
The be-all and end-all of sewing bags: Shaping the corners. And I don't mean simply pulling out the corners briefly with pointed fingers. I mean: Lead a pair of tweezers through the turning opening into the corner and shape every millimeter properly. Then iron briefly again by pressing the tweezers (you can also use a closed pair of scissors or a wooden spoon with a very thin handle) against the fabric onto the iron from the inside.
You will be amazed at how much difference that makes!
By the way, I now often find beautiful (and high-quality!) endless zippers* at Stoffe Hemmers.
Cutting off loose threads
It's really not worth mentioning, of course. But do you really always do it, consistently and radically? Loose threads always make your sewing project look a little unfinished. So get rid of them. If you dare, you can also singe off loose thread ends with a lighter. I always do this with my Rope Bowls, because I stop and start quite often while sewing them.
Rotary cutter
What at first is a real challenge for many of us sewing fans turns out to be a real blessing upon closer inspection (and for people who sew a lot of clothes and love doing it)! Rotary cutters* are lightning fast when it comes to cutting jersey or other stretchy fabrics. The fabrics are only minimally moved, the scissors glide practically through the fabric. That's how the sewing pros do it. And so do I.
I discovered the whale fabric in Maine - just one day after I had the chance to admire whales in the open sea. An indescribable experience. By the way, the fabric is from Cotton + Steel - these are well-made fabrics with impressive patterns.
Take markings and notches seriously
Transferring markings and notches to the fabric? Booooring! You think, girl! Markings and notches are important.
You might think you know where what has to meet. But is that always true? I'll put a question mark there. With our patterns, it is sometimes the case (especially with the larger sizes), that the pattern pieces shift a little against each other, so that the shirt, for example, falls nicely over the hips. Often the back piece is therefore slightly wider than the front piece.
So definitely take the notches and markings seriously. The time you spend on this is really well invested time. And your new, perfectly fitting shirt is the reward for all the effort. :)
Cutting with a ruler and rotary cutter
You think you have it under control when it comes to cutting? And then you are completely amazed when your pockets always look a little crooked, the zippers always look a little questionable?
My tip: Cut your fabrics with a rotary cutter and ruler - especially straight fabric edges become really accurate with it. And accuracy is one of the seven good sewing fairies, didn't you know that?
Stabilize fabrics before cutting
It really took me a while until I realized: All the accurately cut pieces shrink beautifully when you iron interfacing on the back. That's ANNOYING!
So what to do? Very simple: First iron the interfacing onto the fabric and then cut the pattern pieces as usual after it has cooled down. You will see: The cutting is easier and the pieces hold their shape wonderfully. A classic win-win situation, right? ;)
Perfectly matching stripes
You can try so hard: If the stripes of your shirt don't match harmoniously, your shirt will always look a little handmade, if not even homemade. In my post about perfect stripes, I show you exactly how to work with striped fabrics properly. So that you can walk around as a perfectly dressed striped little thing in the future!
Finished cuffs
Don't turn up your nose! Finished cuffs* are super trendy! Sew yourself a simple shirt and dress it up with a rock-hard finished cuff. Just like that you have a new IT piece in your wardrobe. And with practically zero effort!
Open seam allowances
What applies to corners also applies to seam allowances. If you don't open the seam allowances, you shouldn't be surprised if your pockets and garments don't look the way they should.
Not only do the seams lie flat: Opened seam allowances stabilize your finished sewing project and ensure smooth sides. Just like when shaping corners from the inside, hold the handle of a wooden spoon against the opened seam allowance and press the iron against it.
How to do it? Simply fold the seam allowances apart, so they lie flat on both sides of the seam.
It works, bet?
Long stitch length for visible seams
Don't mess around with short stitch lengths when sewing visible seams. Take a look at your store-bought clothes (if you still wear any): The visible seams are almost entirely sewn with long stitch lengths. Take a leaf out of their book and be prepared for a surprise!
Stabilize fabric before cutting/Booster
Cutting unstable fabric? That's a real challenge, especially if you don't deal with it constantly. My two secret weapons help you make it work better in the future.
To stabilize fabrics nicely and make them grippy, you can use spray starch wonderfully. Especially with cotton woven fabrics, you can achieve real success with it.
It gets tricky with Lycra fabrics or lace. Here a Fabric Booster* helps you incredibly far. It is simply sprayed onto the flat fabric. Then the fabric is allowed to dry flat. The next day you won't believe your eyes: The fabric has become really firm and is just waiting for you to take it under the sewing machine.
By the way, the booster disappears with the first wash. :)
Feel free to leave me a comment if you feel like it!
Happy simple sewing,
your Sabine
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