Sewing Techniques – Page 26

Tip: Strengthen Mother of Pearl buttons

June 8, 2009 by Anne Weaver

Mother of Pearl buttons are pretty, but are easily broken or cracked. Off the Cuff Style shares a tip for strengthening Mother of Pearl buttons. See what to do. [tags]sewing, tips, buttons, mother, pearl, MOP[/tags]… Read more ...

Tutorial: Match horizontal seams when inserting an invisible zipper

June 7, 2009 by Anne Weaver

When you’re making a special garment, you want everything to be just right. That includes the zippers, especially when they cross a horizontal seam. Summerset Banks from Pins and Needles shows her process for keeping her horizontal seams matched when… Read more ...

Drafting a pattern for a peter pan collar

June 1, 2009 by Anne Weaver

If pattern drafting sounds intriguing but overwhelming, take a look at this post by Megan Nielsen. She shows how she drafted a peter pan collar, using only a bodice sloper and tracing paper. See how she did it.… Read more ...

Tutorial: Shorten a skirt from the waist to preserve hemline

June 1, 2009 by Anne Weaver

When you’re shortening a skirt, the obvious choice is to just cut the extra length off of the bottom and then re-hem. But if the skirt design includes a simple elastic waistband, an easier approach might be to preserve the… Read more ...

Video tutorial: Inserting an invisible zipper

May 31, 2009 by Anne Weaver

YouTube user oneoneangustshirt shares a video tutorial showing how to insert an invisible zipper. View the video at YouTube. [via Vively Online] [tags]sewing, tutorial, video, hidden, zipper[/tags]… Read more ...

Tutorial: Easy method for threading a needle with wooly nylon

May 31, 2009 by Anne Weaver

Gwen from After the Dress shares her method for threading her serger needles with wooly nylon. She ties the wooly nylon to regular thread in order to get it to pass through the needles. She uses a special knot (the… Read more ...

Tutorial: Stack, chop, and swap for easy bag design

May 30, 2009 by Anne Weaver

Joan from Lazy Girl Blog shares a tip for designing the outsides of handbags. To create an interesting, yet cohesive design she simply stacks the fabric, slices it into several pieces, and then swaps the pieces around. Read more at … Read more ...

Tutorial: Sew a catch stitch

May 29, 2009 by Anne Weaver

Threads Magazine shows how to make a catch stitch, which is useful when you need to keep layers of fabric laying flat against each other. Because there are long stitches that are easily caught, you’d want to use this only… Read more ...

Tutorial: Alterations to move bust darts to shirt center and add shirring

May 29, 2009 by Anne Weaver

Jennifer Stern of J. Stern Designs shows how to move bust darts to the center front of a shirt and then add shirring along the button placket. See how she does it. [tags]sewing, tutorial, alteration, shirt, bust, dart, center,… Read more ...

Tutorial: Puzzle-piece patches for any sewing project

May 28, 2009 by Anne Weaver

Leigh Ann from The Object Project shows how to make jumbo puzzle-shaped patches using a piece from a floor-sized jigsaw puzzle as a template. Pictured here is a bib with a puzzle piece applique. Her blog post shows other ways… Read more ...

Tutorial: Create and insert your own piping

May 23, 2009 by Anne Weaver

Find out how to make and insert cording into your sewing projects with this tutorial by Debbie Colgrove from About.com: Sewing. Go to the tutorial. [via SewChic] [tags]sewing, tutorial, cording, piping[/tags]… Read more ...

Tutorial: Fusible interfacing prolongs a pattern’s life

May 17, 2009 by Anne Weaver

If you have a pattern that you like to use over and over, use this tip from Christine Sews to prolong the life of the pattern. She fuses interfacing to the back of the pattern to strengthen the tissue. Read … Read more ...

Use masking tape to reduce friction on your presser foot

May 16, 2009 by Anne Weaver

Oilcloth Addict shares a great tip for sewing on oilcloth or other slick fabrics. A teflon foot is normally used for this kind of sewing, but you can also put masking tape on the bottom of your regular presser foot. … Read more ...

Tutorial: Batting-filled cord makes pretty knots

May 13, 2009 by Anne Weaver

The next time you make cording for knots, Threads Magazine suggests you try using batting as your filler. Find out how. [tags]sewing, tutorial, cording, filler, batting, knot[/tags]… Read more ...

Tutorial: Design a kids’ cross top

May 13, 2009 by Anne Weaver

Vegbee from Just Tutes continues her blog series on designing children’s clothes. This time she explains how to make a kimono or cross top. Get the how-to. [tags]sewing, tutorial, children, clothing, design, kid, cross, kimono, top, shirt[/tags]… Read more ...