Patterns, Techniques, Articles, Blogs, and other resources to learn how to sew
Whimsy Couture shares a tutorial on their blog showing how easy it is to use elastic thread shirring to add definition to the waist of a loose dress or top. You can do this with garments made from scratch, or to give a purchased garment a new shape. Get the how-to.
[photo from Whimsy Couture blog]
It doesn’t matter whether you sew by hand or by machine, you need a pincushion. You need a spot to parks pins and needles and keep them within easy reach for when you need them again. There are a lot of styles of pincushion to choose from. Some magnetic, some fabric. Some cute, some purely functional. This “little bit extra” pincushion has a spot to store all the different types of pins and needles you might need while sewing. Polka Dot Chair has a free sewing pattern you can use to make one for yourself.
This handy little pincushion has a circular shape and is divided into sections to store different types of pins. The bottom section is for your regular straight pins. Just poke them in and they’re ready for when you need them. The top has one section with a felt flap perfect for holding your sewing needles. I don’t know about you but I don’t like mixing my hand sewing needles in with my pins on a pincushion. It makes it hard to find the needle when I want it. So having a separate section for the needles is a great idea.
This “little bit extra” pincushion also has a spot to hold a few fabric clips. Fabric clips have become popular alternatives to a traditional straight pin. They hold fabric pieces together without piercing the fabric, which is important when sewing leather, vinyl, or other materials that will show permanent holes from pins.
You can sew the “little bit extra” pincushion from large fabric scraps or small fabric cuts (fat eighth). You probably already have all the supplies you need to sew one in your sewing supplies already.
Get the free pattern for this “little bit extra” pincushion over at Polka Dot Chair.
[photo credit: Polka Dot Chair]
This person’s blog (like another blog frequently linked here, Train to Crazy) runs so many links, ads, affiliate programs, etc, than my new Mac running up to date Firefox grinds to a halt. This happens over and over. I never click on the Train to Crazy links anymore. Do other people not have this problem?
I have never had this problem, but I’m using a PC and Internet Explorer. –Anne