Unlock the Possibilities of Your Sewing Machine
For many decades sewing machines have been powered by stepping on the foot pedal, also called a foot control. It connects to your machine with a cord and when you depress it with your foot (wearing shoes or not), the motor starts running. If you depress it all the way to the floor (pedal to […] Read more…
Understanding the parts of your machine increases your sewing knowledge and helps you become a better sewer. An essential part of the machine is the bobbin. This little spool holds the lower thread that interlocks with the needle thread to form each stitch. This post explores six common questions sewers have about bobbins. Read more…
How familiar are you with the parts and pieces of your sewing machine? Any time you start something new, whether it is cooking or wallpapering, it’s easier to learn if you understand the language related to the skill. Sewing is no different. If you are new to sewing or using a sewing machine, a good […] Read more…
It has happened to all of us at least once (or a hundred times). You are sewing along and clunk! – your needle breaks. Sometimes the reason is obvious and sometimes it’s a mystery, but it is always something that demands your attention. It’s more than just a nuisance. It stops you in your tracks […] Read more…
Hi All! Today’s guest post is another one from creativefabrica.com and it’s all about free sewing patterns! Click here to see an earlier post about free machine embroidery designs. On their site, you’ll also find free fonts (great for art quilts and mixed media sewing), Cricut and Silhouette files, and more. In addition, you can […] Read more…
If you’ve tried free-motion stitching and gave up after one or two tries, I have a stitching exercise that may help you get started. I’ve talked to a lot of sewers about this type free-motion stitching, which is where you, and not the machine, move the fabric. Quite a few say something like, “Oh, I […] Read more…
I don’t think there is anyone who is sad to see the year 2020 go. It’s been a year of ups and downs, life and death, fear and faith. Even though going into 2021 we are still in the midst of a pandemic, there is hope on the horizon that we are working toward a […] Read more…
When I have new sewers in my classes, I regularly see a pattern in the challenges they face as they sew. Even when stitching easy techniques, they often struggle with their machine. It’s not surprising to me because when I think back to when I first learned to sew, I made the same mistakes and […] Read more…
When you first learn to sew, there’s a lot to learn. You take a few baby steps and learn it bit by bit. And truly you can keep learning for decades because the scope of sewing is deep and wide. No matter how much I know or what I’ve learned about sewing, I keep discovering […] Read more…
Today’s sewing machines come with hundreds of stitches, for both practical and decorative techniques. When you look at the practical stitches, it’s sometimes hard to know how to use them. Here’s one of my favorite practical stitches with three useful techniques. The Universal stitch starts with two vertical straight stitches and then takes a horizontal […] Read more…