Happiness Through Sewing
Folding your fabric to cut out your pattern, as most patterns instruct you to do, means you obviously cannot see the fabric on the bottom layer. So when you cut out a pattern from folded striped or checked or plaid fabric how do you know if the stripes on both layers are lining up with […] Read more…
What is Fabric Nap and why do you need to know? You may have seen the word Nap, or With Nap or Without Nap, on the back of patterns. And it’s important to know if your fabric has a Nap because it can change the amount of fabric you need to make the garment. You […] Read more…
How do you finish the top of a zipper? If you’re following a pattern there will be instructions but if you’re without a set of instructions or you just need some further clarification, let me explain some typical ways the top end of a zipper is cleanly tucked out of sight. But first, a quick […] Read more…
Topstitching by its very nature is suppose to be seen. Whether for construction or decoration, wobbly or straight it’s on display. And you would think it’s easy to sew a straight line of stitches, I mean, there’s a guide on the machine right there, but it simply isn’t that simple. However, there are quite a […] Read more…
I have friends who keep their sewing machines in a closet and it’s not because they don’t want to sew. They do. It’s just that sewing on their machines can be frustrating. They wonder if their machine needs fixing, or if they bought a bad machine. Probably neither. Sewing machines are pretty straightforward, mechanical tools. […] Read more…
Sometimes it seems sewing machines can start acting up out of the blue. It’s sewing fine, and then it isn’t. Ug! There is a magic trick to fixing 90% of your sewing machine troubles, and it’s easy. The video demonstrates, in detail, 6 things to check and correct when you’re having skipped stitches, threads breaking, […] Read more…
A zipper sewn in by hand is a beautiful thing. Sometimes it’s a necessary thing too. But never is it daunting or frustrating. I’ll put in a zipper by hand especially if it’s a centered back zipper. I don’t care for the look of two rows of machine stitching going up my back. Stitches, that if […] Read more…
Did you know you can easily shorten a nylon zipper? No special tools required (unlike shortening a metal zipper). And to be clear, a nylon zipper is a zipper with nylon zipper teeth; not metal teeth and not hard plastic teeth. This method for shortening a zipper is for zippers with nylon teeth. Even though zippers […] Read more…
In the last post, we went over stitches to use for a basic hem. But some garments and some fabrics require a narrow hem. Really narrow, like ⅛” or 3mm. The best way to sew a narrow hem? That depends. In this video, I demonstrate how to sew a narrow hem by hand, a narrow rolled hem, […] Read more…
Almost all garments need to be hemmed – with needle and thread. Hemming is how you finish the lower edge of a garment after you’ve decided on the length you want it. Hemming is securing the fabric in place while also covering the raw edge and preventing it from unraveling. In this video, some basic […] Read more…