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 use an easy way to gather fabric without the gathering thread breaking. Pull out both the bobbin and the top threads to a length longer than the piece to be gathered, and pull them to the right of the needle.
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.
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!
If your diaper pins or straight pins get dull from over use, run them through your hair and they will work every time.
Turning fabric tubes right side out can be very frustrating. I found a way that works great for me and is much safer than the turning tool I purchased, as it makes a hole in some fabrics.
Use dollar store plastic or vinyl tablecloths to transfer sewing or craft patterns onto. They last a lot longer by doing this.
I found this at J Hittle in Louisville, Kentucky. I buy a lot of my supplies from them because I am not to be trusted in a fabric store.
As I become a WOW (wise older woman), I find it easier to see if I mark the slot on a spool of thread (the little slot that holds the thread to keep it from unwinding) with a dot of red nail polish.
I put up a shelf above my sewing machine and attached a 24 inch light from Walmart to the bottom of the shelf for additional lighting on my sewing project.
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.
I used to do a lot of sewing and it was so hard to get the patterns back in the package, so just put them in a large baggie and it keeps them nice and neat.
Make large pattern pieces from inexpensive shower curtains. The pattern pieces will last much longer than paper patterns.
Sewing heavy material like canvas can be as hard on the needle as it is on your hands. If, however, you rub the fabric well with soap before you stitch, the job will be a lot more comfortable and the needle will slip through the cloth without nearly so much danger of breaking.
