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.
Weโve alphabetized 20 terms into a mini glossary. If youโre a pro, buzz through and see how many you know. If youโre new, use them as great vocabulary builders as well as to impress your non-sewing friends.
Covered buttons are cool! They add the special touch that says, “Stand back… I’m a home dรฉcor professional.”ย Making them with a kit is easy and inexpensive. We like working with the Dritz kits โย available in lots of sizes.
One of the signs of a truly well-made project is that it looks nearly as good on the inside as it does on the outside. Finishing a project’s inside raw edges elevates the final appearance and adds to your sewing toolbox.
Mistakes happen to the best of us. The good news: ripping out a seam and starting over is something we all do all the time. With a little care and patience, it’s an easy fix and no one but you is ever likely to know it happened.
Itโs a classic way to secure all types of straps and narrow panels: a stitched box with an “X” through the middle. The pattern provides strength and stability, and when done with precision, also adds a pretty detail.
A blind hem is exactly what it sounds like: a machine-done hem with stitches you can barely see. It’s perfect anywhere you want a clean finished edge. Good news: the specialty Blind Hem presser foot is standard on most machines.
Double the precision in half the time. A twin needle is basically two needles attached to a single shank. One is slightly shorter than the other so your bobbin can catch the thread from both needles. So clever that bobbin!
Rick rack has been at the top of the trim list for nearly 200 years. From elegant lace gowns to prairie pinafores, itโs a trim thatโs weathered the test of time, and we have the best tips for adding it to todayโs projects.
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.
When you want a pocket’s motif to precisely blend with the panel on which it sits, all you need is a little extra fabric, some tissue paper, and those tracing skills you learned back in kindergarten. We show you the step-by-step process.
Layer upon layer upon layer?! 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.
If you look down at the inside seam of your jeans, you’ll see a trademark flat felled seam. Itโs a technique to make the wrong side of your seam look as good as the right side. Get our tips and tools for several versions of the seam.
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.
That giant display of bias tapes and bindings can be overwhelming. Single fold, double fold, blanket, quilt. Geeze! What’s what and why? The S4H Sizing ID Chart gives the basic facts about the six most common types of bindings.
Donโt know about you, but we find sewing buttons by hand a bit tedious, time-consuming, and it can be hard to get them all to look uniform. Solution: using a Button Sewing foot on your machine. Securely attached and perfectly aligned.
If youโve ever tried to work with fabric cuts are that are not straight and true, you know why itโs so important to square-up your fabric. Find our easy folding, aligning, and cutting tips plus ruler recommendations.
Most projects require at least some hand stitching. Often, itโs the final seam closure after turning a project right side out. A Slip or Ladder Stitch creates an invisible seam between two folded edges, or a folded edge and a flat edge.
We’re here help with the steps you’ve forgotten since high school geometry: parts of a circle, how wide to cut fabric to fit a circle, how to draw a circle without a pattern, and how to convert decimals to inches to work with Pi.
If the idea of sewing a 2D item (a flat circle) into a 3D item (a tube) sounds like something from another dimension altogether, read on. We break it down into a simple step-by-step process and even show you two different methods.
Magnetic snaps are indispensable to the construction of bags and more. The secrets to success are: having the time and patience to work in the correct order, and using extra precision in marking and measuring.
Remember making paper snowflakes as a kid? You fold, fold, fold, then cut, cut, cut. This fabric cutting technique is the same basic concept, but without the Swiss cheese effect. Grab your rotary cutter and mat, and let’s slice!
Gathers can be tight and frilly or loose and billowy. No matter how you use them, they’re a great embellishment that has been a favorite for centuries. Learn our favorite tips, techniques, and tools to make the process fast and easy.
It might seem like a geometric rule-breaker, but one way to keep a square pillow square is tapering the corners rather than sticking with a classic 90ห angle. Use this quick pro tip to learn how a slight curve can create a better square.
Elastic shirring creates a wonderful stretchy texture. It occupies the space between the simplicity of gathering and the intricacy of hand-smocking. We cover the technique itself as well as several free project ideas.
Narrow tucks, called pintucks when they are super narrow, are often used in heirloom sewing, but they can add a lovely detail to many projects. Did you know you can create the look quickly and easily with your Quarter Inch foot?
We go over our recommendations for what to have on hand if youโre just getting started in the world of sewing as well as a few favorites to add to your toolbox as you move up in your skill level and expand your projects.
In between the simplicity of gathering and the intricacy of hand-smocking, lives one of our favorite texturing techniques: elastic shirring. You've probably owned a garment or two with shirring on the bodice or sleeve edge. It was the style on those iconic 1970s peasant dresses, and it remains popular in new fashion trends. Shirring is
Rivets can hold thick layers together at points where it would be impossible to stitch with a machine. Theyโre the tough guys of sewing, but are actually quite easy to apply with the right tools and tips.
We get a lot of questions about zippers. They seem to live at the top of many people's lists of Sewing Phobias (ziphobia!). In an effort to calm these fears, we already have three step-by-step tutorials for inserting standard zippers, tackling invisible zippers, and putting in an inset zipper. We're adding to the zipper toolbox
It’s a sewing technique everyone should have in their arsenal. The boxed corner creates space in something that would otherwise be flat. We show you the two most common methods and how to measure.
Left: Faux Leather Shopper, Right: Trendy Faux Leather Handbag Back in the 1970s, I wanted my mom to buy me a real leather jacket. Unfortunately, she was only prepared to spend for one made of synthetic leather. As much as I wanted to believe it looked genuine, it just looked fake. Today's fake โ excuse
When does 1+1 = 1? When you’re basting two layers together! Lear: how to determine if your sewing machine has a basting stitch, when to use the stitch in sewing projects, and why hand basting is sometimes best.
Itโs always exciting to begin a new sewing project. Weโre eager to get started, and test stitching can feel like a roadblock to the creativity to come. However, ripping out a bad seam or ruining an expensive piece of fabric with a gnarl of thread is an even greater roadblock. Taking just a few minutes
We based our tutorial on the words we hear whenever we receive questions about this topic: "How do you figure out how much fabric you need?" "How do you cut all the strips?" "How do you sew all the strips together?" "How do you put it on your project so it looks smooth and pretty?"
No matter what kind of sewing you like to do, there are times you must use a hand needle and thread. Learn our favorite tips and products to help eliminate knots and tangles so you can keep those stitches flowing smoothly.
โCutting cornersโ can be a good thing โ if you do it correctly. Sharp corners give a project a clean, professional finish. Learn techniques for clipping and stitching corners that will help maintain the best, cleanest shape.
From getting the spacing right, to cutting holes in the fabric, to the actual installation process, we’re here to prove you can conquer this hardware at home and get a professional result. Plus you get to hit stuff with a hammer!
Today’s machines can zip along at up to 1000 stitches per minute; you can see how a little length goes a long way. The shorter the stitches, the tighter the seam. The longer the stitches, the looser the seam.
Making a narrow hem with a clean corner can be a challenge. Our go-to option, the one that earns our Sewing ToolBox Stamp of Approval, is a double-turn with a folded diagonal point corner: easy, tidy, and pretty from both sides.
If youโre learning to sew or teaching someone else, this pillow is a great first project. We spend extra time going over tools and techniques, and include links to other articles to help move you further along the learning curve.
Snaps are one of our favorite closures. They're small yet sturdy, like a cute little Corgi dog. But there's not always a lot of variety from which to choose. You can usually find nickel or brass, and the Western favorite: pretty pearl head snaps, every once in awhile, maybe a rhinestone alternative. But that's where