Clever tips that make sewing easier
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Learn the clever little tips and tricks that make sewing fun. When you join Snippets, you get a handy little sewing tip delivered straight to your inbox every other Tuesday. They’re short, sweet, and totally free.
There are multiple ways to prevent serger tails from unraveling over time and this technique is our favorite. To start, stitch a few stitches.
Then, with your needles down, lift the presser foot and bring your tail to the front of the machine. Make sure to place the tail to the right of the foot to insure that the knife catches it and cuts it off. All you need to do now is serge on!
Gather with a wide zig-zag and satin cording to avoid thread breakage.
Sometimes when gathering with a basting stitch, threads often break and it’s difficult to evenly distribute gathers. Here at the studio, we often gather fabrics by zig-zagging over satin cording.
First, set your zigzag stitch to the widest and longest setting, place satin cording directly in the middle and under your presser foot. Stitch across your gathered area, making sure to not catch any of the cording. Next, anchor one end of the cording with a pin and cinch away! Once you’ve perfectly distributed your gathers, stay stitch the gather in place.
The satin cording is easiest to glide through the zig-zag stitches but any small cording can work as well.
We've all got extra cosmetic brushes around the house, why not put them to use?!
The fine hairs of a cosmetic brush are perfect for catching all the lint that inevitably builds up in your machine. Brush around your needle plate, serger knife, and anywhere else that needs some love.
Why rack your brain trying to fold your pattern pieces perfectly back to the way they came?
Do your future-self a favor and press your pattern pieces after cutting your fabric. Tissue and printer paper can hold up to the heat of an iron, just make sure to turn off your steam. You can also bring organization to a whole new level by folding your pattern pieces with the pattern piece letter and pattern name showing.
No more digging through pattern envelopes for you!