ThreadsMagazine
Connecticutcontributor
craft interests: sewing
my personal website:
http://www.threadsmagazine.com
Member Since: 03/24/2008
Which Serger Stitch When?
Even the most basic serger can produce several stitches. Here’s a look at the whole family of stitches and the best use for each.
Prevent Stray Bobbin Threads
Use hair elastics to help keep thread on your bobbins.
Spike Your Hand-Sewing Thread
When hand-sewing, I use a bill spike to hold my spool of thread. They are available in stationery-supply catalogs. It helps keep my spool of thread readily accessible without rolling away but gives...
Sheath a tracing-wheel blade
Use a toothbrush holder as a handy storage place for tracing wheels.
Kitchen Mats in the Sewing Room
Pliable kitchen mats come in handy as a cutting mat when using a rotary cutter.
Perfect Narrow Mitered Corners
Use this method for easy-to-sew, professional-looking corners.
Floral net thread cover
Use net flower covers to help keep thread on its spool.
Silicone Hem Guides
Create iron-friendly pressing guides using recycled potholders.
Pretty piping
Adding piping is a great way to accent the lines of a garment, but it can have extra visual punch if you apply a decorative stitch to the bias fabric before insertion. Once I’ve selected a...
Hair elastics for closures
Hair elastics make excellent button loops, and they’re perfect for many other embellishments as well. I use a simple circle elastic joined with crimped metal, glue, or stitching. The elastics...
Looped button closure
To make an interesting button closure, I start with a small standard buttonhole (about 3⁄8 inch long), one for each closure. I tie a 3- to 5-inch piece of decorative ribbon, rope, or thin...
Easy seam-allowance guide
A rubber band around the base of my sewing machine is an excellent way to temporarily mark a wider-than-usual seam allowance. It’s easy to follow and stays in place securely, but itrsquos...
Used-needle identification
Some projects require that you change needles after you’ve used them briefly, e.g., switch from a lightweight needle to a heavyweight one. To know if a needle is slightly used or brand new, I...
Tepee relaxes magnetic pull
My magnetic pin holder secures my silk pins so tightly that it’s difficult to remove them, so I push a knitting needle or stiletto under the pins to sculpt them into a tepee shape. Then I can...
Sewing tools from the art- and office-supply store
On my latest forays to art- and office-supply stores, I found some useful marking and cleaning tools. While a lot of sewers know the virtues of drafting tape—it’s inexpensive, can be...
Streamlined shirt collar
Whenever I cut a shirt collar that has a straight edge, I remove the seam allowance from the outer edge of the pattern piece and cut the collar on the fold. That way, there are no intersecting seams...
Easy, elasticized swimsuit straps
This is a trick I learned when trying to figure out how my bathing-suit straps were made: Cut elastic for the strap as long as the desired finished strap plus two seam allowances and 3 inches. Cut...
"Wicked Witch" test for wool
To determine if fabric is 100 percent wool, soak a small swatch of it in chlorine bleach for about eight hours. If the swatch dissolves completely, is significantly smaller, or has clearly...
Unstick hoops with shaving product
If you use spray adhesives to adhere fabric to hooped embroidery stabilizers, you’re likely to wind up with sticky hoops. There are plenty of products that will degunk your hoops, but...
Fire-hose technique for managing long fabric strips
I was recently making yards and yards of corded welting for a slipcovering project, and I just about lost my mind trying to keep the very lengthy fabric strip I had made from twisting and tangling...
See color combinations in new light
Take a new look at color schemes
Give new life to old buttons
Fix up your old stained buttons with this neat tip
Crayola isn't just for kids
A new way to use Crayola Erasables
Zipper finishing made easy
A great way to sew a perfect zipper
Bakery containers for storage
The clear plastic containers that come from most supermarket bakery departments make wonderful see-through storage for my gathered laces and other trims. After I roll them, they look like floating...
Color-coordinated bonding
Make flexible boning for handbags
Sew a circle easily!
Sewing a perfect circle is tricky, but this method simplifies the process
Shed light on serger threading and cleaning
Wear a backpacker's headlamp for extra light inside a machine
Your ruler can determine grainline
Use your ruler and a bit of tape to help you position your pieces on grain.
Mini buttons for doll clothes
Use common recyclable household items to make small buttons for doll clothing
Use a machine stitch as a perfect guide for hand sewing
Baste a straight stitch using your machine and use the perfectly spaced stitches as a guide for evenly spaced hand stitches.
Thread needles with a floss threader
Look to the dental aisle at the drugstore for threaders that help make threading needles a cinch.
Use Lint Roller Scraps From Your Sewing Room To Make Unique Cards
When I finish a sewing project, I clean my sewing-room floor with an adhesive lint roller. When my lint roller’s outer layer becomes full of threads and lint, I affix it to folded card stock, creating a unique note card.
Recycle plastic trays from the supermarket
Empty plastic foam trays from the supermarket make great sewing notion storage for your workspace.
New Use for Tailor's Chalk
Place one triangular piece of tailor's chalk in a box with your silver jewelry to keep it tarnish-free.
Easy Turning Through the Seam
Whether you're making a pillow or a sash, use this tip to help you sew anything needed to be turned right-side out.
Make a Pressing Dauber
Make a handy pressing tool just like the one professional tailor's use using scraps of fabric.
Enter the Threads Halloween Costume Contest for a chance to win!
Enter your handmade costumes into the Threads Magazine Halloween costume gallery and you could be one of five winners to take home a Threads prize pack.
Stray threads become artistic cards
Recycle used lint roller papers that were used to clean up your thread mess and transform them into works of art.
Keep fabric steady while ironing with a magnet
Magnets can be a sewers best friend at the ironing board.
Spiral bobbin storage
Use recycled bindings from notebooks to organize bobbins.
Recycled fabric makes great piping
Can't get to the fabric store? Use recycled strips of fabric as cording to create your own piping.
Keep pins handy with an egg cup
Egg cups make convenient, and super-cute, pin storage.
Mark even hems with string
Getting an even hem marked without a friend can be tough. Use a string covered with chalk to help you when a buddy isn't on hand.
Organize your pattern stash
Create your own pattern library with a digital camera.
Use a lightbulb for easy pressing
Quickly press small fabric and garment pieces with a light bulb.
Keep bobbins and spools together
Keep bobbins and spools organized with rubber bands.
Reuse plastic bags for smooth sewing
Use recycled plastic bags to help tame tricky fabrics.
Tame your bobbin tails
With all the different colors and types of thread I use, my bobbins were really a mess. My husband came up with a great idea to correct this problem using 7⁄8-inch transparent tubing from the hardware store.
Sew Scientific
A drool-worthy way to make threading a needle easier.
Magnetic bars keep notions in order
Use a magnetic bar on your sewing room wall to organize metal notions like scissors and needles.
How to make a dust pan that attracts pins
Put a sticky-back magnet in a dust pan for super-quick sewing room cleaning.
Organize your thread stash
Store spools of thread in large poly-zip bags to keep them dust- and tangle-free.
Make a seam-allowance guide with tape
Use tape to create a seam-allowance guide for your sewing machine.
Organize your button stash with safety pins
Always on the lookout for that one stray button? Keep them together with safety pins.
Organize your bobbins
Use straightened paper clips to keep bobbins with their matching thread spools
Buttonholes in Tweedy Fabrics
Tweed fabrics can be difficult to match to a thread color—you don't want the stitching to stand out too much. Here's how one reader solved the problem.
Paint the Color Scheme
How to use hardware-store paint chips in your crafting room.
Little Shop, Little Shop of Notions
You can get unique and hard-to-find notions on the cheap at your local thrift store.
On a Roll with Trim
A clever way to organize by-the-yard notions such as trims, ribbons and elastics.
Out of the Way, Bulky Garments!
A smart reader shares her secret for keeping bulky items in check at the sewing machine.
Threads Fitting DVD Series
Achieving that perfect fit is a snap with this essential DVD collection.
Tie the Knot with your Thread
Make a truly strong knot to anchor your hand-sewing.
Double Your Buttons, Double Your Fun
Have you ever considered the "wrong" sides of your buttons?
Tips to Thread By
How to match thread strength to fabric weight and other stringy situations to keep in mind when selecting thread.
No-look Pincushion
The easiest pincushion you'll ever use.
Threads on Edge
An ingenious way to store errant spools of thread.
Traveling Companion
An ingenious traveling solution for taking your sewing on a flight but leaving contraband scissors at home.
Spice Up Your Notions
A spicy-smart way to store buttons, baubles and more in your sewing or crafting area.
Have You Seen My Glasses?
A great new use for an old eyeglasses case.
Save a Thread, Thread a Needle
Save yourself time and thread with this crafty solution for errant lengths of string.
Light the Way to Perfect Pattern Tracing
A clever crafter's homegrown solution to expensive lighting tables.
Serving Up Sewing
Keep your notions safe and close-by with this thoughtful tip.
Snaggle Tooth, No Thank You!
Try this better way to snip thread than the tried-and-true method many seamsters use.
Love those labels!
Create custom labels with ribbon and a metallic ink pen.
What Do Film Canisters and Sand Have in Common?
Patterns are typically flimsy affairs that have a way of shifting around at precisely the wrong moment. Here's how to keep them in place.
My Visit with Audrey Hepburn
check out our editor Judith Neukam's encounter with Audrey Hepburn's custom dressform. What a day for a fan of movies and sewing!
Serving Up Sewing
A great tip for keeping small notions close to your sewing machine.
On Pins and Needles
Keep notoriously easy-to-lose notions under control.
Hairspray: Not Just for Prom
An intriguing new use for hairspray at the crafting or sewing table.
Little Black Book Gone Crafty
A cute and crafty way to display phone numbers and other important bits of information.
Soup's Up!
An ironing technique for getting into tiny spots that you can eat with a spoon.
Lipstick? Nah, it's a Pin-Stick
Passers-by might wonder why you need to primp in your sewing room but you'll know a craftier use for that empty lipstick tube.
Fit to be Tied
Self-belts can be slippery little guys - here's how to keep your silky belts in place.
Bye, Bye Lint
Try using a dry kitchen sponge to remove lint.
Thread Medicine
Make a thread cutter from a floss dispenser and a pill bottle.
All Buckled Up
Use gold leaf to turn an everyday belt buckle into gold.
Iron off!
Try using a lamp to remind yourself to shut off the iron.
The Nose Knows
Learn how to use your nose to figure out the right side of your fabric.
Create a Tech-Savvy Pattern Library
Use digital photos as a quick way to organize your pattern collection digitally.
Instant Fit Check
Trace your shoulder slope onto the back of your cutting mat to keep it handy when adjusting new patterns.
Dress Barbie, Dress Yourself
Sew a mini muslin to try out your pattern instructions.
Round Up Those Beads
Use flat tin containers and double sided tape to organize beads by color.
Make Your Own Tags
Use scrap pieces of interfacing to record pattern information and washing instructions on a small tag.
Sewing in Circles
Use the top to a vitamin bottle or mint tin to make sewing circles easy.
Mini Design Boards
Create design boards to test fabric combinations and easily transport them while shopping.
Pipe Cleaners Clean More than Pipes
Pipe cleaners bring you back to craft projects of your childhood, but they can also be used as helpful tools.
Bobbins and Spools: For Better or Worse
Use a rubber band to pair a bobbin with its matching spool of thread.
De-gunk Your Hoops
Here is a really good tip for cleaning your machine-embroidery hoops if you use spray adhesives.
Fleece Fluff All a-Flutter
Use safety pins and and fabric-softener to remove loose fluff when cutting fleece.
Dear Diary
Create a sewing diary to keep track of projects for future reference.
A Leg Up on Sewing
Use a footstool to reduce back pain while at your cutting table.
Get All Your Buttons in a Row
Transparent tape helps keep buttons in line.
Egg-static Pin Control
If you are having trouble keeping track of your pins, try using an egg cup to cut down on clutter.
Supermarket Storage? Who Knew?
Free trays from the supermarket help to organize your sewing supplies.
Knita Girl Wall Hanging
fussiepanda | February 12th, 2012
Denim & Bemrose Print Muslim Girl Tote
fussiepanda | February 12th, 2012
Black Beaded Neo Victorian Crown
HopscotchCouture | February 11th, 2012
Stash Busting
auntpose | February 10th, 2012
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