Sewing Secrets of the Pros - Part Two

How to Get Great Results with Every Sewing Project

Read part one of Sewing Secrets of the Pros.

Protect Your Patterns

On patterns that I use over & over again, I use the tissue-pattern to cut out a muslin pattern.

Then I use a permanent black marker to copy the marks onto the muslin pattern. The muslin pattern lasts for years and is actually easier to use than tissue.

When it wears out, my original is safely stowed away in the drawer to make another muslin pattern.

Chana

Getting Wide Hems Even

When I need to sew a wide hem, such as on curtains, I position a thin strip of colored fabric tape at the required distance from the needle as a guide.

When I'm done with the project, if I don't think I will need this guide again, I remove the tape. Any glue residue can be cleaned off easily with Goo Gone or Goof Off.

Barbara Ann from Oklahoma City

"Chain" Sewing

This is a real time - and thread saver - when you're sewing a quantity of one item. For example, I used it when I needed 16 pieces of doubled bias tape for chair tiebacks and again when I was sewing strap handles on 20 tote bags (that's 4 attachments per bag or 80 attachments in all!).

Rather than lock-stitch, sew, lock-stitch, cut, trim threads over and over and over -16 or 80 times, I sew all the pieces sequentially into a sort of chain; cut the chain away from the machine; and trim all the thread ends at the same time I separate the pieces from one another.

Kathleen from Raleigh

Save Yourself Some Eyestrain

The older I get, the more I notice how tiring sewing can be on the eyes! Here are a couple of tips I've learned to reduce eyestrain.

Find or make the proper guideline for where you want your seam line. Most sewing machines have guides at intervals from ¼ inch to 1 inch.

There is also the edge of the presser foot which can serve as a guide. When none of these is suitable, put a small piece of tape on the sewing machine table as a guide. Be sure you have pinned evenly so you don't miss any edges as you sew.

While you sew, focus on the guideline rather than on the fabric running through the machine. You'll not only get a straighter seam line; but your eyes will thank you. It's kind of like looking through the front versus the side window of a moving car.

When threading a sewing needle, don't wet the end of the thread; wet the eye of the needle. Wetting the thread expands it, making it harder to push through the eye.

Because liquids love to move along surfaces and into nooks and crannies, the water in the needle's eye will pull the thread through before it has a chance to swell up.

Jean Lorraine from Whitefish Bay

Sew Circles Around the Competition

Here's a really clever way to sew perfect circles. Use pliers to bend a stickpin into a right angle right at its middle.

Determine the radius of the circle you want and place the bent pin (pointy end up) on your sewing machine's table at the radial distance from the left side of the needle. Push a strip of tape down over the pin point to secure it to the machine table.

Push your fabric over the pin point and secure it with a piece of eraser or cork. If your fabric is a loose weave, you can use a thumb tack instead of a stick pin. Now you're all set to "sew circles around the competition".

Sheryl from Invermere

For more sewing tips, techniques and patterns, visit our Sewing Index page.