Alteration: Change made to a garment to adjust it so it will fit. Appliqué: A cutout decoration made of fabric or other material and fastened to a larger piece of material . The edges of the fabric are often secured with satin stitch. Backstitch: Refers to sewing in reverse, typically to lock in stitches and…
Have you ever wanted to sew on leather, but are just too afraid of the expense and trouble to give it a try? I have to admit, I shied away from it for years because leather is expensive and I just knew I would ruin it, never finish my project and wind up wasting money.…
The right sewing app for your iPad or smartphone can make life so much easier for the home sewist. Imagine sitting comfortably at your sewing machine with all the fabric, findings and tools you need to complete a project. Now, imagine it is your first time trying a certain technique or making a particular…
Embroidery machine software extends the capabilities of computerized embroidery machines. The right software allows for more flexibility when digitizing, enlarging, rotating or editing your design in other ways. We’ve talked about embroidery machines that will allow you to customize stitches by combining, elongating or shortening them. Embroidery machine software opens up a whole new world…
When I was a little girl, I hand-pieced a quilted pillow top. I never made the pillow, but I still have that quilted top. Over the years I’ve continued quilting, but have moved my piecing tasks to my sewing machine. The work moves along at a faster pace and I’m more likely to finish my…
Do you remember your first sewing machine? I certainly do. I knew that machine longer than I’ve known my husband and we’ve been married for 20 years. My mother taught me to sew when I was nine but I didn’t get my sewing machine until the year I headed off to college. I wanted to join…
Think back to the days when you first started sewing. Do you remember the first time you combined fabrics that behaved differently once washed – how they puckered and pulled and made a mess of your garment? Did you ever make a garment out of the wrong type of fabric? I have made more mistakes…
I love sewing and like most of you, I don’t have the time I really want to spend at my machine. Life gets busy, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make beautiful clothes, gifts and household items in what little spare time we have, though it does make it a bit more of a challenge.…
While reading sewing machine reviews I noticed many first-time buyers or new sewists get frustrated when a machine doesn’t do exactly what they want it to do out of the box. That is probably because as simple as a sewing machine looks, there are important and sensitive settings that need to be right for a…
The last time I bought a sewing machine I’d hoped it would be all I would need. I was sewing clothes and toys for my daughters and didn’t think I would ever need a heavy duty sewing machine. Fast forward a few years and my daughters wanted stuffed animals, sleeping bags, pocketbooks and other fun…
