10 Sewing Tips from the Experts

Here are 10 great sewing tips that I've learned throughout the years. The first one is to always read your machine manual and this may seem completely intuitive to you. Of course, you're gonna read the machine manual but I find that a lot of times when people upgrade their machines, they think they don't really need to look at the manual. They know this brand they know everything that it does but you never know and especially if it's a newer model there's gonna be new features that will just help your sewing be that much easier if about them and you can take advantage of them. So always read your machine manual start to finish when you get a new machine and keep it handy while you're sewing because you can always refer, hey, why is this happening? Or troubleshooting any issues like that or hey maybe there's an easier way of doing this that I never knew before. So always keep that on hand. My second tip is to change your machine needles frequently and a lot of people sew with the needle that came with their machine, I mean for years I've heard. And they'll take their machine in for a service and say, the tension is off. I have these bird nests under the fabric with the bobbin thread or the tension, it's always the tensions fault. But a lot of the times that can be remedied with a new needle and I like to keep on hand universal needles, leather needles, jersey needles, embroidery needles and denim needles. And of course you're choosing those based on the fabric that you're working with but you wanna pick the size of needle depending upon the thread that you're working with. So a great tip that I found is to actually thread the needle before you ever even install it onto the machine with a little scrap piece of thread. And if the needle glides over the thread like this then you know that it's going to sew for you well, that it's the right size. If the needle is catching on the thread and not moving down then you need to choose a different size needle. So that's a really good tip, before you ever even get started and to alleviate a lot of headaches. The next tip that I have is to utilize these spool pin caps that come with your machine. A lot of people just keep them in the accessory pouch and they don't even give it a second thought but they really do help the thread wind off of the spool and down through your needle better. I mean, there's a reason that they've made these things. So you wanna choose the size that corresponds to your thread spool size. So of course, a larger one with a larger spool and a smaller one with a smaller spool. And if your machine has the capability of having this horizontal spool pin here, I've just put it on here for reference. You would use this for a twin needle application or you would use this when you're working with metallic thread, the thread just it sews better when it's sewing off of a position like this. And if your machine is a little bit older or doesn't have the option of this spool pin then you can buy one that actually is an accessory that sits next to your machine and it'll thread over so you keep it in this position. And I have this little felt tab on here. And this particular brand specifically says to only use this felt pad when you're using this spool pin but a lot of them require you to put it in between the thread spool and the cap on all applications for regular sewing. So again, refer to your manual and utilize these things that come with your machine 'cause they are there for a reason. So my next tip is when you're threading the machine, you wanna make sure or that your presser foot is up because that releases the tension disks and makes sure that the thread is in the right spot and see how it's just flying out of the machine. Now, if it's down, then it locks your tension. You can't even move the threat. So if you're threading like this with the presser foot down it's likely going to get caught and caused some tension issues. And you're gonna wonder, do I need to take it in for service? No, you just need to re-thread it and make sure that your presser foot is up. And another great tip that I learned is, if your machine does not have an automatic needle threader option and a lot of them do not, a lot of people will moisten the end of the thread like this before they thread it because there might be some fuzz or something like that going on. And you're trying to get it into the needle eye. But what I've found is if you actually moisten the back of the needle, the thread is attracted to the moisture and goes right through no problem. So try that next time instead of moistening the thread, moisten the back of the needle, it's revolutionary. Okay, the next tip I have for you is while you are sewing you never want to watch the needle. That's the first mistake people make when they are not sewing in a straight line, they're watching the needle. It's fun to watch the needle. It's fun to watch the whole process of sewing. But what you wanna do is watch the throat plate guide for your seam allowance or whatever you're using. A lot of people will even put like masking tape all across the machine. Let's say they're using a three-quarter inch seam allowance which is marked on the throat plate here. They will put a piece of masking tape all the way down, even this far so that, that is the guide that they're watching while they sew, while their fabric is going through. And if you run out, you could see this throat plate only goes to half inch here but notice on the bobbin case cover that we're going all the way down to an eighth of an inch for a really close edge stitching or topstitching. So these marks are here for a reason. Definitely use them and never watch the needle as you're sewing. And another tip that I love giving people because it makes your sewing so much easier is to invest in a few specialty feet. And if you do have a higher end model, it will come with a variety of specialty feet but a lot of lower end machines or older machines, there was never that option to buy these feet but they are adaptable for your brand. So just check out at your machine dealer wherever you bought your machine, what feet will go with your machine and they're all very similar. They have a little bit different names but check them out. And based on the type of sewing that you do is of course the feet that you want to invest in. So I like to get a walking foot. This is really great for quilting heavy layers or sewing bulky fabrics or sewing slippery fabrics or maybe one fabric that's one weight and another that's another weight. And so as they're going through the machine one of them is getting caught up. So a walking foot feeds your fabric through at the same rate. And it looks like this crazy contraption but it is just the best thing. And another great foot to invest in is a quarter-inch foot. And this foot as you can see where the needle opening is, this little guide sits right on the edge of your fabric. So you will always be sewing at a quarter inch. So that's perfect for piecing projects and things of that nature. And another foot that I really like is a rolled-hem foot. And you can see this little curly cue here at the tip of the foot and that is what your fabric kind of rolls into. So if you're working on like curtains or sheer fabric, something where you need a very narrow hem, this is awesome. You don't even have to press it before it goes through the machine. So synthetic fabrics are things that an iron isn't really gonna take to very well. This foot is awesome. And of course there are a number of different feet that you can find so just check out what's available and invest in a few that you think that you'll use most frequently. Another great tip is to always have temporary spray adhesive in your sewing room. It is one of my favorite tools. I use it all the time. It's kind of a cheat but I'll take shortcuts anywhere I can get them. And recently I had a friend making a bunch of baby blankets and she was using a really lofty minky fabric on the top and a flannel on the backing. And it was very problematic for her because they kept slipping and shifting out of shape as she was sewing, because minky can just be very unruly and it can shed all over the place. So I told her to cut her rectangles and actually spray the right sides with temporary spray adhesive put them right sides together. Sew around her rectangle, leaving a little opening and then throw it in the washing machine which removes all of the temporary spray adhesive. Then once it's out of the dryer, you turn it right side out. Sew up your little opening and do a little topstitching and it's done and it's so much easier. And she just said it was a lifesaver because your fabric then just acts as one and the flannel almost like stabilizes the minky also. So that's a really great tip. Always have this on hand. And another tip, I couldn't give 10 tips without telling you to press while you sew and a lot of people skip this step and then they wonder why their finished garment or their finished project looks a little bit homemade. And that's generally the culprit is not taking the time to press while you sew. And you really wanna invest in a good iron that has some great steam capabilities. And gets really hot, none of these like $5-irons that barely get the job done. So you wanna get something really good in your sewing room and maybe even something that does vertical steam so you can hang large yards of fabric on a hanger or something and just give it a good steam. And my last tip for you is to love your seam ripper because you're going to use it often. And your machine will come with a little seam ripper just like this. And I find that this is kind of small, it'll give you a little cramp if you really have a long seam to rip out but of course it's good in a pinch. You'll use anything you can find. So if you do keep, always keep this one, in your accessory box with your machine so you know you always have one on hand. But another variety is a surgical seam ripper. And these are really cool for working with surge seams or even taking out some embroidery designs or applique stitches, anything where you have a lot of stitches to go through. This is awesome because you just slip it up in there and give it a good slice all the way down. And these are really good for that purpose. I've also seen seam rippers that, have these ergonomic handles, they're a little bit bigger or they have grips on them. So just check out what's available and find one that you are going to love 'cause it's gonna be around for the long haul.