We love the full-size Oliso irons we use in our studios, but this mighty mini is a favorite too. They’ve packed many of the same quality features of their regular irons into this mini. Add this to the Mom Must Have list.
We get asked a lot about our favorite things. Folks are interested in what we choose and use on our projects, and we’re always happy to share. At the top of the list: our machines, which are always Janome. Click to find out why.
If you’re a lucky owner of a Continental M7, MC15000 or MC9450, there is now a Janome Workbook for all THREE models. Each book explores tips, tricks, plus step-by-step instructions and projects to get the most out of your machine.
It’s the little things that can make a big difference! You might not give your sewing pins a second thought, simply reaching for them in your pincushion or pin tray where they’re clustered together without much rhyme or reason. But these little bits of steel and plastic have a big job. They’re responsible for holding
You Asked 4 it! Our Sewing is a Real Life Survival Skill emblem is now available as a finished patch in our Etsy shop. Get yours for just $5.99 including free shipping in the US. Hurry, quantities are limited in this first run.
If you love machine embroidery like we do, you know there’s a part of it that feels like magic in motion. Seeing art come to life with stitches and thread is mesmerizing. A machine’s built-in designs, as well as the myriad of embroidery designs you can find online, are the traditional first step. But what
If you’re a regular follower, you know we recently kicked off a special series and have been shouting from the rooftops about how, “Sewing is a Real Life Survival Skill!” It’s true, and in partnership with our friends at Janome, we’ve turned our series emblem into a cool machine embroidery patch. It’s offered as a
Join us, along with our friends at Janome, as we pull together information, tutorials, and projects to rekindle sewing as a real life survival skill. Now is the time to remember, re-learn, and teach others how to create from scratch.
When going out in public, wearing a face mask is now required or recommended for all. If you or someone you know does not sew or if you simply need a super fast (5 minutes) alternative, this easy, no-sew project is for you.
Last Updated 08/25/20 – Face Masks + Hair Covers + Gowns + Fabric Suppliers. Find our favorite links to free patterns, the latest information, and more. We also love hearing unique tips from your corner of the world.
Any endeavor that turns into a passion comes with its own set of terms, phrases, abbreviations, and secret handshakes. Well, maybe they don’t all have a secret handshake… maybe just a decoder ring. Sewing is no different, and although we do try to make sure we define the more unusual words we sometimes toss around, we can
I love buttons. Always have. In fact, although I don't recall much about the two-year-old phase of my life, I do remember my white sweater with the little duckie buttons. I can close my eyes and see his chubby yellow body and orange feet. I can even remember the feel of the raised, painted surface
We pick YOU to be our Valentine, and we’ve put together a sweet bundle of fabric and notions to say, “Thanks for being the best sewing and craft friends, fans, and followers on the Internet!” The red, pink, and gold color theme of our Giveaway bundle celebrates Valentine’s Day, but it’s a lovely color palette
We just found out from our friends at Sulky that our Webinar and Bag Kits are still available, but just for a limited time! We originally did the Webinar live this past Fall as part of their Sewing Online with Sulky series. The live event was recorded and archived and is still available! Once registered,
We all love little cheats and hacks! Our super popular S4H Cheat Cards cover important, need-to-know sewing tips and/or techniques in a handy business card size: 2” wide x 3½” high. That’s small enough to tuck into your wallet or tack up on the bulletin board in your sewing room. All the individual Cheat Cards
We’re proud to be able to bring you the latest news about Fat Quarter Shop’s 7th Annual Charity Quilt Along. We’ve helped promote previous quilting-for-charity events, but this…
In honor of the new year and the new decade, we've put together our list of the top twenty sewing misdemeanors we all try to get away with when we think no one is looking. But this year, we're resolving to kick these bad habits to the curb. True, the sewing police aren't going to
Let’s all raise a New Year’s Eve glass to our Top 9 Projects of 2019! It’s always hard to limit the number of articles to highlight each year, but even as an entire decade hovers in the rear view mirror, we know you’re unlikely to be interested in a Top 100 list to wade through.
Happy Thanksgiving from your friends at Sew4Home! It’s a glorious day for family, friends, and food. But if you’re searching for an excuse to sneak out of the…
Who loves pillows? We love pillows! Actually, we think it’s safe to say that everyone loves pillows. How could you not? They’re soft and pretty, and their flat…
At the risk of sounding a little cheesy, don’t you love it when you re-discover a been-around-forever kind of product that is inexpensive, natural, re-usable, and super versatile?…
When you focus on one thing, you get pretty darn good at it. One summer during childhood, my pal, Marilyn and I spent every day going around in…
Hearing about new sewing machines is always exciting, but when you hear about a model that has been specifically designed with the comfort and needs of the power…
Get centered with this 12” Omnigrip Centering Ruler. It’s one of our Products We Love and makes finding your center point and measuring from it in either direction faster and easier. We use ours for fussy cutting.
Our friends at Fat Quarter Shop are experts when it comes to all things quilting, but that is certainly not where their creativity ends! You may have seen our recent article about their full selection of Cross Stitch products and projects, and of course they have an excellent array of options in substrates other than
To say life would be hard without pillows would be putting it mildly. Where else would we hide a tooth for the Tooth Fairy? What else would we hit each other with in a harmless fight? Beyond their practical function as a headrest when we sleep and a way to soften hard furniture when we
Ever wonder what to do with that bag o’ extra feet that came with your machine? Janome has tackled this dilemma with their Presser Foot Workbook series, which gives you a working knowledge of their most popular feet.
A blind hem is exactly what it sounds like: a hem with stitches you can barely see. It's perfect for window coverings, the hem at the bottom of a garment, or anywhere you want a clean finished edge. When I first started sewing, attaining a perfect blind hem was like finding the Holy Grail. And
Mastering the proper mixology of color and motif is something designers spend years perfecting. But there are basics everyone can use to create a fabulous look. We’ve collected our Top 10 Designer Tips to get you started.
Machine sewing is our stock in trade at Sew4Home, but sometimes, stepping back to take handmade at its root meaning is a personal, tactile experience that is both relaxing and rewarding. Our friends at Fat Quarter Shop recently let us know about their new cross-stitch focus that includes a dedicated YouTube channel, special pattern and
We've been asked numerous times by Sew4Home visitors, "How do you get your double rows of stitching so perfectly even?" We've quietly given out our secret to several of you. But now we've decided it's time to reveal it to the world. The way to get perfectly even, super close, double rows of stitching is...
The new AcuFeed™ Flex Professional Grade Foot (HP2) and its matching Professional Grade Needle Plate from Janome have been gaining quite a reputation for their precision stitching. Well alrighty then… it’s time we took the set for a little test drive. Follow along to see how we put this specialty set through its paces, testing
A straight line. It seems like the most basic thing you can do when sewing. But we’re amazed by the number of comments and questions we get from S4H visitors who want to know how to do it better, easier, and more consistently. We don’t have any magical powers to make our seams and topstitching
Whatever the task, a bit of hand stitching usually comes in… well, “handy.” We’ve outlined the tools needed along with seven of the most common stitches. Simple drawings and steps show how to do each one.
Definitely a Sewing Survival Skill! With the right presser feet and accessories, an understanding of seam grading, and the patience to go slowly and carefully, you can sew like a pro through thick and thin.
We use traditional tassels often as a fun embellishment for linens, cushions, bags, and more. But in true Sew4Home fashion, we weren’t content to settle for traditional. So we have two unique tassel styles for you: the Broomstick Tassel with a sleek, floss-wrapped hanging loop, and the fantastical Yarn Chubbies, which we think look like
One of the most common requests we receive is for help selecting the best thread for a project. The types from which you can choose can seem almost endless when you’re staring at the hundreds of pretty spools at your favorite retailer. We turned to our friends, Ellen March and Pamela Cox from Sulky America for
We all make mistakes, but many errors can be avoided with proper planning, attention to detail, and the wisdom to slow down. Take the time to consider the best practices that will provide the best results.
There you stand in the fabric store, staring at that giant display of bias tapes and bindings in front of you, the shiny cellophane packages glinting in their neat, color coordinated rows. Single fold, double fold, blanket, quilt. Geeze! What's what? Do you just throw a dart and hope for the best? No! You study
Buttons are the perfect finishing accent to so many projects. Not to mention the fact they are also a very functional closure. But if you have to sew on a lot of buttons by hand, you might think twice about using them. I personally find sewing buttons by hand tedious, time-consuming, and I can sometimes
If you’ve ever tried to work with fabric cuts are that are not straight and true, you know why it’s so important to square-up your fabric. Find our easy folding, aligning, and cutting tips plus ruler recommendations.
A skosh, a wee bit, just a hair... sometimes, the distances we want to work with when sewing aren't quite as precise as the engraved inch and millimeter markings on our machines. Wouldn't it be great if there was a foot you could manually adjust to perfectly align with the exact distance you wanted? There