Sewing Tips!

 Sew with a small magnet next to you, then when you drop or lose a needle or
pins, wave it around the area until it finds them. No more painful episodes with
lost needles on the floor!

 Keep your sewing scissors for fabric only as paper blunts scissors. To
sharpen them, take a piece of silver foil, fold into strips as if making a fan and
cut up the strips of the foil.

 If you have unpicked stitches and the holes are very noticeable, use the tiny
red dot on the un-picker in a circular motion over the hole and the fabric will
repair itself by the fibres weaving back together.

 When using iron-on interfacing, cut it to size and shape, then iron it onto the
uncut fabric. It is easier to cut out the fabric and far less is wasted.

 Tack! Don't rely on pins for anything other than rough work - fabric can pucker
and the pins can break sewing machine needles.

 When sewing multiple layers, instead of using pins, use small bulldog clips (or
Wonder Clips) - not only will they protect your fabric, they will not bend, are
easy to apply and save your fingers too.

 Measure twice, cut once!

 The easiest and most consistent way of getting a perfect hem is only use one
pin for the measurement. If you use too many and each pin ends up in a
slightly different place, then which one do you use as your guide?

 Use the best thread you can afford - it makes all the difference.

 Always press seams as you are working through a project as seams will lie
flat and look much better.

 A tiny travel iron and sleeve board are useful for getting into those hard to
reach places when pressing seams in middle of making up a project.

 Use masking tape on Velcro while machine or hand sewing to prevent the
thread from catching in the loops. Once stitched, the masking tape can be
removed.

 For making blinds and cutting straight, try using a right angle that you would
use in DIY - it works great.

 Use lots of pins and position them so that you can pull them out just before
they reach the foot. Don't sew over them as it can make the fabric slip under
the foot and make the line wonky. Fine Clover pins are longer and finer and
so they distort the fabric far less.
 Always check to see if a seam is to be pressed open and if so then overlock it
before sewing it, rather than after sewing as it's much easier.

 Make only what you love. Don't be following what everyone else is
doing...then you will love what you make and make more!

Machine Sewing Tips!

 Always make sure you have the right needle in your machine for the task in
hand, or you end up breaking loads of needles, trashing the fabric or
damaging your machine!

 Change your machine needle every time you start a new project.

 Don't steady fabric from behind on the machine as it will make it go wonky.
Carefully steer it from the front to keep the line straight.

 Hold the threads to the right when starting to sew on a machine - this stops
the bobbin thread from bunching or catching.

 Keep your sewing machine manual (or any other reference book you use)
near to where you sew.

 Buy lots of spare bobbins and wind two at a time when you're working on a
large proejct to avoid breaking off sewing to wind another bobbin.

 When trying to thread your needle on a sewing machine, place a piee of white
paper under the sewing machine foot as this helps to see the eye of the
needle more easily.

 Sewing on ribbon with zigzag stitch is labour saving and looks pretty too,
especially if you sew it in a contrasting or complementary colour.

 When turning a corner on the machine, make sure you keep the needle down
into the fabric to keep the corners tight.

 Don't buy cheap needles for your machine as they are finished poorly, have
sharp edges and break your thread while you are sewing.

 Always make sure you have plenty of spare machine needles. Nothing is
worse the a needle breaking during a project and having to stop while you
have to go and buy more.