Techniques – Page 41

Differential feed demystified

October 10, 2012 by Anne Weaver

Serger owners: Do you know what differential feed is? It’s that handy feature that helps keep stretch fabrics from buckling. But do you know what it actually does to achieve that result? I didn’t, until I read about it over… Read more ...

Tutorial: Pretty travel pillow covers, with zippers

October 7, 2012 by Anne Weaver

Lisa from A Spoonful of Sugar shows how she made pretty covers for a pair of travel pillows. The U-shaped bean bag pillows are an unusual shape to cover, but she figured out a method to get the right shape. … Read more ...

Video tutorials: Hemming knits four ways

October 5, 2012 by Anne Weaver

Steph from Cake Patterns and 3 Hours Past shows four ways you can hem (or not hem) your knit fabrics. She includes videos showing a raw edge hem, a mock coverhem, a mock mock coverhem, and a blind hem. She… Read more ...

Tutorial: Slim fit refashioned sweatshirt with zipper shoulders

October 4, 2012 by Anne Weaver

Jacklyn from OhByGolly shares a tutorial showing how to refashion a basic boxy sweatshirt into this stylish top. Love! She slimmed it in at the sides and cut the sleeves short. The zippers on the shoulders are a little bit… Read more ...

Tutorial: Pillow cover with an invisible zipper in the side

September 25, 2012 by Anne Weaver

Anneliese from Aesthetic Nest shows how to make a throw pillow cover with an invisible zipper stitched into a side seam. Her method for inserting the invisible zipper uses a regular zipper foot (not an invisible zipper foot) and omits… Read more ...

Tutorial: Serging in the round without an unsightly finish

September 21, 2012 by Anne Weaver

Palak from Make It Handmade answers a reader’s question about serging around a circle, specifically about how to avoid an unsightly ending as you serge off of the circle. Find out what to do at Make It Handmade. [photo… Read more ...

Tutorial: Tulle layering pettiskirt that peeks at the hem

September 20, 2012 by Anne Weaver

Debbie from Squiggly Twigs Designs shows how to make a tulle pettiskirt to give extra shaping to a full skirt or dress. She made hers a little longer than the skirt so it will peek out the bottom. It’s a… Read more ...

Free pattern: Mom’s Perfect Fit Shirt with a drapey hem

September 16, 2012 by Anne Weaver

When you find a shirt that fits exactly the way you like, you want to have a bunch of them. Mira from Sewing The Littleheart Collection made a shirt for her mother based on a shirt with a perfect fit… Read more ...

Tutorial: Woven zipper purse

September 11, 2012 by Anne Weaver

Head over to the Coats & Clark Sewing Secrets blog to find out how to make this awesome little tote made out of woven zippers. Even the handles are made from zippers! Zippers are expensive if you buy them indivually… Read more ...

Tutorial: Buttonholes when the button is too big for your automatic buttonhole foot

August 31, 2012 by Anne Weaver

Carmel from Solomon was in love with the automatic buttonhole feature on her new sewing machine. That is, until she needed to sew an oversized buttonhole. The special foot could only accommodate buttons up to a certain size. Not to… Read more ...

Tutorial: Serging around curves

August 30, 2012 by Anne Weaver

Palak from Make It Handmade continues her series on learning to love your serger with a post all about serging around curves. Go to her tutorial. [photo from Make It Handmade]… Read more ...

Tutorial: Shorten jeans and keep the original hem

August 30, 2012 by Anne Weaver

One of the telltale signs that a pair of jeans has been shortened is the hem. If you just lop off the extra length and turn the edge under, you’ll lose the original hem with its weathered edge and topstitching. … Read more ...

Tutorial: Easy addition to make patch pockets pop

August 30, 2012 by Anne Weaver

Kat from Our Homespun Haven shares an easy way to add some pop to a pair of pants or shorts. She started with a plain pair of sweat pants with patch pockets on the front. She cut them off into… Read more ...

Tutorial: Add lace trim to your jeans hem

August 24, 2012 by Anne Weaver

Wobisobi shows a pretty fix for a pair of jeans that are too long. She cuts off the extra length and then finishes the hem with a lace cuff. Of course, your jeans don’t have to be too long to… Read more ...

Tutorial: Pillowcase tied up in a bow

August 23, 2012 by Anne Weaver

Jill from Made It On Monday shows how a pair of buttonholes and some wide ribbon can dress up a plain pillowcase. She threads the ribbon through the buttoholes to tie the pillowcase shut with a pretty bow. This would… Read more ...