Instead of spending money on Secret Santa gifts, this year everyone that came to our Christmas Sew Shop & Tell sewcial evening wrote down their favourite sewing tip. These were placed in a bag and everyone taking part was able to randomly choose a tip.
Everyone read their gift out loud and it was great fun discussing the different tips.
We all learnt something new and here they all are, a Christmas gift to you from all of us.
If making something fitted in woven fabric, make a toile first in cheap fabric to work out any adjustments before using expensive fabric.Pins, pins and more pins! Also, the iron will keep you warm in the winter.Always have your seam ripper to hand.Use heat erasable pens on the paper pattern to mark the size you want to trace. After tracing, iron the paper pattern to remove the lines.If you can’t manage to get the sewing machine to catch because you are working at a small corner or with thin fabric, use a piece of paper to reinforce the fabric. I find tearing bits off old letter or junk mail for this also means I am finding a good use for rubbish.When sewing darts, put the needle into the fabric at the start then lift the presser foot. Pull the needle thread to the end of the dart and use it as a guide when sewing a straight line to the point.When sewing jersey fabric, use wonder clips as they provide a stronger grip on the fabric and prevent it from stretching or moving around too much. They are also easier to spot when using an overlocker.Read the sewing pattern instructions all the way through before starting to sew.Santa’s list must include a tailor’s ‘clapper’ for keeping your difficult seams flat and a ‘walking foot’ which is essential for sewing chiffon.Don’t let hungry dogs near pattern pieces! And always keep plasters nearby.To prevent uneven thread lengths when sewing with double thread, fold thread in half, thread loop through needle, thread ends through thread loop, pull tight and knot end.Draw darts on fabric with erasable pen or dressmaker’s chalk.After joining the short seams on jersey cuffs/neckbands, snip the seam allowance to the stitching line at the foldline, and press the seam in opposite direction either side of the snip. This reduces bulk when the cuff/neckband is folded in half.
We hope you have found this helpful and wish you a very Merry Christmas from Leanne and all the wonderful Secret Santas.
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