Happiness Through Sewing
Recently I received this question via email: Hello, I want to buy a new sewing machine. I have my mom’s Singer- which is a really good machine, but may be on it’s last days. Do you have a process or review system when looking for machines? I’m not necessarily looking for a brand endorsement as much […] Read more…
Let’s talk about sewing machine needles. As far as sewing tools go they aren’t trending or cute. They’re probably more of an afterthought – meaning you’ve selected the pattern, fabric, thread, and buttons, and didn’t even think about a needle. People, the needle is one of the most important parts of a sewing machine. Without […] Read more…
A pattern piece has a lot of information on it as discussed in a previous post/video “How to Read a Pattern”. You need that information when you are sewing all the pieces together, but you want to transfer that information, from pattern to fabric, at the beginning while the fabric is still on the cutting […] Read more…
A sewing friend recently joked that sewing was actually only 50% sewing and 50% cutting, pressing, and fussing. She’s pretty accurate. But let’s not let that stop us from sewing. We’ll just accept it as part of the process. This post and video are all about the process of laying out your pattern pieces and […] Read more…
When trying to teach myself how to knit I found decoding the pattern was, and still is, the highest hurdle. If you want to sew but the sewing pattern is confusing, daunting, or just leaves you in doubt about even trying tp sew, let me clear things up for you, please. This is your How […] Read more…
Written by Mary Making a throw pillow with a zipper closure isn’t as hard as you may think. With a few simple seams (in fact, you could sew this pillow cover entirely by hand if you want), a couple of hours, and not much fabric you can transform your couch, bench, camper, or thrown from […] Read more…
I have friends who keep their sewing machines in a closet and it’s not because they don’t want to sew. They do. It’s just that sewing on their machines can be frustrating. They wonder if their machine needs fixing, or if they bought a bad machine. Probably neither. Sewing machines are pretty straightforward, mechanical tools. […] Read more…
Sometimes you need some help. And sometimes you just need some temporary help. Help to hold things together until they get the final approval (fitting). Or help to hold things together perfectly lined up (underlining). Or just an extra hand to hold things together without using every pin in your pincushion. The basting stitch is […] Read more…
Let’s simplify our lives and have one go-to stitch for sewing seams and repairing. That will be the back stitch. Once you master the back stitch your life will be ever so simplified 😉 But seriously, the back stitch is one handy, all-purpose stitch that can take a lot of strain, pulls, tugs and general […] Read more…
As much as my sewing machine (it’s more like a computer with a needle) can do, there are situations and techniques that require a hand stitch. This video will show you how to stitch three basic hand stitches, two knots and the best way to thread a needle. The Close-Ups and Details The Running Stitch; […] Read more…