#sewing tips

[silhouette-cosplay]

This reminder brought to you by me having to resew all the hooks on a theatre bodice that someone else did very incorrectly 😤😝

[makereadgrow]

If I could sit down every single new sewist who wants to learn and improve their skills I would tell them the following things

Read the manual. Work through the manual from front to back. Read the troubleshooting section even when you're not having a problem. Read it. Keep it handy. Maybe download a PDF too, just in case the hard copy walks off.

Buy an iron and ironing board. They don't have to be fancy, a bigger board is only better if it is stable. An regular Ikea board has worked for me for years. A $20 iron from Walmart will noticeably improve your work. Press every seam before another seam intersects it. Don't just iron at the end.

Sewing machine needles have sizes AND types and you need to match them to your fabric. They also wear down. The often quoted rule is 8 hours of run time and its a pretty good rule.

The problem is almost never the tension settings, and even less often is it the bobbin tension. The problem is almost always your threading or needle.

Clean your machine. Do not use canned air. Take off the plate under the foot and use a brush and or a keyboard vacuum to get the fluff out.

[raspberry-gutzz]

tip for anyone who embroiders/hand sews but struggles with hand mobility, or just finds it hurts your fingers: get a lil pair of jewelry pliers to pull the needle through :3

also very helpful for thick fabric!!

[eviltransgendertips]

Evil transgender tip #11 having clothes that fit well can do tons for how gender affirming your clothes feel for you. Learn how to alter your clothes! Sewing is a good skill to have!

[my-fav-tiktoks]

Fucking smart

[fabrickind]

Sewing hack:

You know how like 80% of sewing is actually ironing? This is how I make it less terrible:

Get a table, desk, Kallax, or similar. Throw a tabletop ironing board on top of it. Place it somewhere near your sewing machine table (next to in an L shape, behind, whatever works for your setup). The key is that you can reach it while still seated at your sewing station. If you don't have space for a permanent table, get a regular folding ironing board that can fold to the correct height. This setup works best with a swivel chair.

Put an iron on this table. Make sure you plug it in and turn it on when you are seated at your sewing station (and turn it off and unplug it when you are finished sewing)

When you need to press a seam, simply turn yourself to the side without getting up and press it. Easy.

I find that if I don't have a setup like this, I simply will not get up to press my seams. If I can reach the iron and have it waiting for me, though, I can work "pressing seams" into my regular sewing workflow in a way that isn't terrible for my brain and doesn't add a ton of extra steps (getting up, making sure the iron is on and set up, pressing the seam, walking back to the sewing machine...) and it reduces the amount of ironing in sewing from about 80% to about 50%

Hope it helps someone else to do it this way!

[dognonsense]

patch 101 tieing off a knot. where best to tie off on a patch. inside the patch and clothing item sandwich again!

[anielskaaniela]

DIY Hoodie Sewing Pattern PDF – How to Sew Hoodies

In this post, you’ll learn how to sew a hoodie with a free pattern. Have you ever wanted to sew your own comfortable hoodie — the kind that feels like a warm hug — but weren’t sure where to begin? You’re in the right place! In this step-by-step tutorial, I’ll show you exactly how to make a classic pullover hoodie that’s perfect for both men and women. This unisex hoodie is made from soft knit…

DIY Hoodie Sewing Pattern PDF – How to Sew Hoodies