I often enjoy chatting with sewing professionals in fabric stores, sewing studios, patchwork fairs, and tailor shops. I’ve noted down their sewing tips for you here. And, between you and me, some of these tricks aren’t even known by the professionals!
Unpicking an overlock seam - how do you do it?
You can use a little trick to unpick an overlock seam. First, let’s look at the anatomy of an overlock seam. It consists of straight stitches and loops that are connected around the fabric edge. I loosen these connections with a seam ripper without damaging the loops themselves. I guide the seam ripper directly along between the two layers of fabric. Next, I loosen the loops with the seam ripper - on the seam side with two straight stitches. I pull the thread out a little and can then pull the loop yarn out of the fabric in one go. I then remove the thread remnants from the fabric with a lint roller.Help! How can I get started with sewing?
Equip yourself with the necessary accessories. In the post about Sewing Accessories, I’ll tell you what you absolutely need for sewing and what to look out for when buying. Now you have everything you need, but you’re not sure about tackling your first sewing project? Don’t worry! Grab an old, discarded tea towel. You can first try out the rotary cutter on it by trimming the edges. Now you’ll have a feel for how much pressure you need to apply to cut effectively with a rotary cutter. And now you’re free to try out all the stitch types with the fabric and really get to know your sewing machine. For this, fold the fabric in half so that it’s more stable. Take a deep breath, relax your shoulders, lower the presser foot onto the fabric, and go for it. You can’t do anything wrong. Feel what the sewing machine does for you and where you need to “steer” yourself, for example, to sew curves or corners. Also try out the seam ripper on one or two seams to get to know it better too. It will become a good friend over time... Straight seams are already working out? Then it’s time for your first sewing project! How about a simple but very pretty shopping bag?How do you hem a skirt?
My tip: You should do this with two people! Put on the unhemmed skirt and stand on a chair. Now your sewing helper can mark with chalk at the same height every time. You can use these marks later when sewing around the hem. If you sew skirts often, it’s worth getting a skirt hanger*. It’s also sometimes called a chalk blower. This is what it looks like:
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With the little balloon, you blow chalk marks onto the skirt at the desired height. Super practical. And you don’t even need a helper (although sewing with someone else is also a lot of fun!).
How do you turn a thin fabric tube?
For appliqués, you might sometimes need a thin fabric tube, for example as a flower stem on a quilt. To turn it, thread a strong thread through the end, which is threaded onto a strong sewing needle, and thread it back and forth a few times. Then guide the needle through the tube and turn it this way.How do you find the sewing thread that matches the fabric?
It’s best to choose the sewing thread in daylight. Fabric stores know the phenomenon: customers walk to the window with a spool of thread and a fabric sample to compare the nuances. Definitely take a fabric sample with you – memory can deceive. Choose the sewing thread one shade darker than the fabric color - then it will match perfectly!Sewing in a zipper neatly - what helps?
You probably know this: sewing pins and fabric clips can be quite annoying when sewing in zippers. At least that’s how it is for me. Even worse are WonderTape or Style-Fix, which regularly completely gum up my sewing machine needles. Here’s my tip: I’ve only been using glue sticks to fix zippers for a while now. This way, I can position the zipper exactly. Here’s how: apply the glue to the right side of the zipper and position it on the fabric. I wait a few minutes to let the glue dry. Then I sew the zipper in place without the needle getting gummed up. The glue stick was a real discovery for me. And it really makes my sewing life easier. I also use it, for example, for appliquéing, fixing bias tape, or sewing on webbing. Because it can also be equipped with colored glue, I am able to work very precisely. My glue sticks* (one with a blue cartridge for light fabrics, one with a yellow cartridge for dark fabrics), come from Sewline and look like this:
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When I ordered the sticks for the first time, I had no idea that I would actually have them lying next to the sewing machine all the time, so I always have them close at hand.. By now, I also always have a few colored replacement cartridges* on hand.
After drying, the colored glue is invisible, and it disappears completely when washed.
How can I tell when the bobbin is empty?
Of course, when your sewing thread is on the machine, it’s hard to see when the bobbin is empty. My tip: Wind two bobbins at once. Then insert one as the upper thread and one as the lower thread. This way, you can always see on the upper one when the lower one is empty.Tracing patterns - how do you do it?
Two methods that work well for me:Tape the pattern to a window
I tape the pattern to a window or a balcony door. Then I tape my tracing paper all around the pattern (to the glass, not the paper). This way, I can trace the lines and markings perfectly.Build a tracing table
I build a tracing table from two chair backs and a plastic board. I got the plastic board* affordably on Amazon. I place the chairs facing each other, so the backs point inward. The plastic board goes on the backs. I place a lamp under the plastic board. And then I can use the board perfectly as a tracing table! Extra tip: You can also use the construction perfectly to photograph your self-sewn one-of-a-kind piece. Then you simply lay a white cloth over the tracing table and off you go with the photo session! Do you want to know more about how to copy patterns correctly?Ironing correctly - but how?
It makes no sense to go to the ironing board for every single seam allowance. First sew all the pieces together and then iron the seam allowances. Exception: If two seams overlap and the seam allowances need to be matched. Iron either on the back of the fabric or, if you iron from the right side, iron with an ironing cloth. By the way, collars, pockets, and other attached parts are always ironed first. At least that’s how the professional does it. ;)Sewing black fabric - how do you do it?
It’s better to make markings with chalk or Koh-i-noor* (that’s the chalk pencil I introduced in my Top Ten of the most popular sewing helpers —black can sometimes not “forgive” lines very well. Black sewing thread on black fabric is very hard to see. That’s why I like to sew black fabric with a very dark blue or a very dark brown. Neither can be seen on the finished piece. But when sewing, you can see the seam quite well.The thread breaks while sewing!
This is usually due to a gummed-up, nicked, or blunt needle! Have you perhaps (despite all your good intentions) sewn over WonderTape? Then clean the needle with rubbing alcohol or with a lens cleaning cloth. If the needle has a nick, is bent, or blunt (for example, if you have sewn many thick, hard materials like plastic or canvas), there is no other choice but to replace it. Then it will work again.What can you do so that the fabrics don’t fray when pre-washed?
Especially if you sew clothes, you will know this: After pre-washing, the fabric edges often look quite frayed. The following tricks can help: Option 1: Trim the open fabric edges with the zigzag scissors. Option 2: Cut the corners of the fabrics diagonally. Option 3: Sew over the open fabric edges with a zigzag stitch.Sewing light fabric on dark fabric - what do I need to look out for?
This question arises especially with cotton fabrics. Jersey, sweatshirt & co. are usually stable enough not to let the dark fabric show through. Cotton, on the other hand, is different. The colors of the light fabric can be muted by the dark main fabric and lose their brightness. A thin white fusible interfacing ironed onto the back of the light fabric can help. If it is, for example, patch pockets, I make one cut-out from light fabric and a second one from delicate white or natural-colored cotton fabric. I join both with fixing spray* (which I use anyway for countless sewing tasks, for example for my rectangular Manta zipper bag). This way, the colors shine beautifully and the fabric is stable and can be easily further processed.Many sewing pins - only sometimes help a lot!
As a sewing beginner, there is safety in marking all seams well. This way, nothing can slip. But the better you know the material and sewing machine, the looser you can be. Often it is enough to fix the start of the seam, the end, and the corners, and adjust the rest while sewing.Threading the needle - here’s how to do it very easily
Many sewing fans make the mistake of wetting the end of the thread. My tip: Instead, moisten the needle eye from behind - the moisture “sucks” the thread through the eye!Just keep sewing?
Sew your individual pieces through in one go. This means: the start of the seam of the next piece comes directly after the end of the seam of the previous piece. This way, you are directly in the flow when it comes to the seam allowance. Sometimes only small deviations can cause pieces to fit poorly. In addition, the sewing machine then doesn’t have as much trouble with the start of the seam and has no opportunity to pull the fabric into the throat plate.Where can you find affordable fabrics?
If you want to save money when buying fabric, take a look to see if there is a fabric outlet, a factory outlet, or a warehouse sale within easy reach of your home. There you can often get very affordable, high-quality fabrics. For a fraction of what you would pay in the store. You can find a corresponding list here.How do I properly clean my cutting mat?
You can find instructions with many great tips here: Clean the cutting mat. And while you’re at it: Give your sewing machine a cleaning too! ?Oh no! My fabric scrap box is boring me!
Of course, there are many fabric scraps and remnants in it that you already know. Discover new territory! How do you do it? Exchange your fabric scraps with a sewing friend. You can make it completely fair by gifting each other an equal amount of fabric scraps. I bet that THIS will not be boring but on the contrary, a real adventure? By the way, you’ll also learn a lot about your friend’s sewing habits and color preferences! You can also organize a fabric scrap party with several sewing fans, where all the fabric scraps are placed in the middle of the table. Everyone grabs what they like around the table. What no one likes anymore is discarded. To make room for new things! ;) By the way, the most ingenious bags can be sewn from fabric scraps. Read my blog post on fabric scraps about it!
Happy simple sewing, your Sabine
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