Even Seams
It’s important to make sure you keep your seams consistent when joining fabric pieces. Check the seam allowance if you’re following a pattern and use guides on your machine or mark your fabric to keep them even. (Consider having wider seams or using french seams if the fabric is delicate).
Even straight seams will give your piece a well-finished look and, in the case of details like collars and lapels, ensure that your work ends up the right shape!
Happy sewing!
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Use Fabric Scraps
We are all about zero waste. Here are a few crafty ways to make sure that your fabric scraps get a new life.
Bigger scraps
Cover journals or notebooks
Use for furoshiki wrapping
Medium scraps
Make neck or bag ties
Make handy zip pouches
Small scraps
Sew key fobs
Try patchwork
Happy Sewing!
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Prewash
Always wash and dry your fabric before sewing (if it’s washable!). Make sure to follow the laundering instructions.
Prewashing prevents shrinking or colour bleeding later, it tests the durability of the fabric, removes chemicals that may cause irritation and makes the fabric easier to handle.
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Guide the Fabric
Using a sewing machine for the first time can be daunting. Like a car, it’s a powerful thing requires careful handling. The most important thing is to practice letting the machine feed the fabric rather than pulling or pushing it. Serrated blades under the base where you place the fabric will move the material at the right speed. All you have to do is guide it.
Happy sewing!
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Start Simple
Sewing can be hugely satisfying and fun. It combines art with technique to produce a huge range of things that are beautiful, useful or both.
Here’s the first of our sewing tips for beginners.
Start simple. Begin with easy projects like tote bags to build your skills without feeling overwhelmed. Search online for free tutorials that have pictures and videos and take your time.
Happy Sewing!
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Use Interfacing
Without fabric interfacing, cuffs, collars and waistbands will be floppy and not hold their shape.
Here are some practical tips to use it effectively:
• Choose the right type – easy-to-use iron-on interfacing is great for most fabrics but you might need the sew-in variety for delicate material.
• The weight of the interfacing matters. Too stiff and your garment won’t move or hang properly; too soft and there won’t be enough structure.
• Attach interfacing to your fabric before cutting out your pattern pieces to prevent stretching or distortion during cutting and sewing.
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Clean Space
Mess and chaos in your work area can mean snagged or dirty fabric, lost or damaged pattern parts and (even standing on pins or worse)!
It’s calmer and more enjoyable too, to have a clean and tidy sewing area.
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Gather
Gathering is the process of drawing up fabric into soft folds and is often used at sleeve heads, waistlines and for ruffles and frills. Here are a couple of tips for producing an even, pleasing gather:
Use two parallel rows of long (4-5mm) stitches instead of one. This gives you better control over the gathers and helps distribute fullness evenly.
Pin or clip the gathers in place before you sew, to make sure they don’t shift around.
Practise on a scrap of your fabric to understand how the fabric behaves, before committing to your project piece.
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Stay Stitch
Stay stitch is simple technique to help keep your fabric in shape as you construct a garment. It’s a row of stitching made inside a seam allowance that stabilises a curved edge or stretchy fabric as you sew.
You can use it on a neckline, for instance, before joining any seams, to prevent it from becoming distorted. Sew about 3mm in from the edge, parallel to it using normal length stitches.
It’s another way to help you get a polished finish.
Happy sewing!
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Aviod Stretching Fabric
If your fabric stretches whilst sewing, your finished product can end up out of shape or puckered. Here are a few tips to help you avoid stretching:
• Use plenty of pins or fabric clips to hold fabric layers firmly without distorting them.
• Support the fabric on both sides of the presser foot to prevent it from stretching or distorting. Allow the feed dogs to do their work.
• Use a stretch stitch or a narrow zigzag stitch to allow seams to stretch without breaking.
• Use a walking foot to ensure feed multiple layers evenly
• Test your stitch length, tension, and needle choice on a scrap piece before sewing your project.
These tips can help to ensure that your final piece is beautifully finished.
Happy sewing!
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Bias Tape
Using bias tape is an excellent technique for achieving a neat & professional finish on the edges and seams of your sewing projects. Bias tape can be used in more ways than simply binding curved edges it offers an opportunity to personalise your creations & elevate them with a touch of luxury.
For a unique & customised look, consider making your own bias tape from a fabric that complements your main material. This is a great way to add a pop of colour to visible edges. Alternatively, using a luxurious fabric to enclose seams will give your garment or item a beautifully polished appearance.
Happy sewing!
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French Seams
French seams give a beautiful finish and are ideal for lightweight fabrics that are prone to fraying. They encase the raw edges of seams and give strength to the join.
You’ll need to cut the pattern to accommodate a bigger seam allowance – usually 1.5cm. Sew the wrong sides together first then the right sides, to ensure the enclosed seam is inside the garment. The technique is only suitable for light fabrics like chiffon, organza, tulle and cotton voile as other fabrics are too bulky. We hope this helps you pull off a great finish.
Happy sewing!
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Trim Threads
Good finishing takes time and attention to detail, but the results are always worth it.
When you’ve finished sewing and you’ve pressed your finished garment, go over each seam and hem to check for threads. Pull them through to the back if necessary.
Cut them close to the fabric. Sewing clippers /snips are a great tool to ensure you cut the thread and not the fabric.
Happy Sewing!
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Clean & Tidy Your Workspace
Keeping your sewing area tidy and clean can boost your creativity and efficiency! Start by organising your fabrics, threads, and tools in labelled boxes or drawers.
Regularly declutter by donating or recycling unused materials (we know it can be hard to let things go but it’s worth it!)
If you have the option create a designated space for your sewing machine and ensure all tools are within reach.
Take a few minutes after each project to tidy up, and you’ll find your sewing area a welcoming haven for your next creation!
Happy sewing!
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Use a Tailors Clapper
Ever wondered how to get the wonderfully neat pleats and seams you see in tailored clothing? A tailor’s clapper is a smooth block of wood that can be used to get a perfect finish.
First press with a hot steam iron then remove the iron and press the clapper on to the fabric. The hardwood block absorbs the heat and moisture from the clothing fixing the seam or pleat crisply.
Clappers usually have rounded edges for a comfy grip. You can get them from Etsy, Dunelm and haberdashers.
Happy Sewing!
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Reinforce Stress Points
For good finishing and to make your garments and projects last, it’s important to reinforce stress points like seams that come under tension.
• Sew over the same seam twice in areas like armholes and crotches. Use back stitch if hand-sewing.
• Always backstitch with your machine at the beginning and end of seams to secure the stitches and prevent them from unravelling.
• Use French seams, enclosing the fabric edges to add strength to garments made from lightweight fabrics
Happy Sewing!
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Use Decent Thread
Don’t let your sewing project down by using cheap thread. Choosing a high quality thread means smoother sewing, fewer breakages, fewer tension issues and a professional finish. It also makes your finished item more durable.
Don’t forget to select the right weight of thread for the job; topstitching looks 100% better in the correct thread.
Happy Sewing!
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Use a Needle Threader
A simple one today!
Using a needle threader can take the frustration out of preparing to hand-sew. Particularly useful if your thread is on the thick side or if you’re sewing with a fine needle, you can get threaders in different forms from sewing shops and online.
Happy Sewing!
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Mind the Tension
Selecting the correct tension for your fabric is key to getting an even, durable finish on your stitching.
Weight of fabric, number of layers, stretch, thickness of thread and stitch type affect tension.
Turn the tension down if you are seeing little loops on the top of the work (or if you are seeing bunching) and turn it up if loops are appearing underneath. Adjust the dial in small increments and always test your setting on a scrap of the fabric you’ll be sewing.
Happy sewing!
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Organise your Needles
Sewing is so much more enjoyable if you know where your equipment is and it’s in good condition. And what is more important than needles?
If you’re using a machine, you probably have spare needles in a variety of gauges to manage different fabric weights. Try keeping them in a tin or small box in their original packaging so you know what’s what.
Most projects involve some hand-sewing. Make sure you keep a good stock of different sizes for different fabrics and threads. Try a traditional needle case, pill containers, pin cushion, compartmentalised container or even a small photo album with labelled sections.
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