Free denim? We are a short family. It is hard to find the 29 inch length jeans that my husband wears for work and play. I have become an expert at cutting off and hemming the 30 inch to fit. I decided if I had to cut and hem, why not buy the longest length possible 36 inch or longer. I now have extra new denim for patching or other crafts. I also do the same for my own jeans.
By MaggieGrace from Pittsburgh, PA
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!
This is for all you sewing machine sewers. If you are like me, one of the most frustrating things to do is when you are trying to remove thread from a bobbin that you want to put another color on, it seems like no matter how tightly you hang on to it, the bobbin falls from your fingers onto the floor.
If your diaper pins or straight pins get dull from over use, run them through your hair and they will work every time.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
