My grandmother taught me how to sew when I was a small child and I have loved to do it ever since. Of course, it hasn’t always been easy. It’s been tricky to learn the ins and outs of the craft and I have definitely gotten frustrated some of the time! Fortunately, my grandmother was always around to teach me a sewing hack or two. Her sewing tips and tricks made it easier to get past the learning curve and truly excel as a sewer. Keep reading below for my favorite ones from my grandma and other great internet sources.
Save Money On Thread
Martha Stewart recommends buying the larger spools of thread and then placing the spool in a teacup so you can use the thread as-is (otherwise it won’t fit). This is a great way to save money (large spools are more for your money) and save time (no more switching thread all the time)! Plus, who wouldn’t trust Martha Stewart’s sewing hacks?
The Best Way To Sew A Zipper
Ashley from Make It & Love It knows the best way to install a regular zipper while maintaining a lovely seam all the way down. Sews the project up, and then unpick the length of the zipper. This hack will improve the quality of all your zipper installations!
DIY Pincushion
Make your own pincushion by sewing together some old fabric scraps. Leave a corner open and then stuff the pincushion full of steel wool. The steel wool will keep your needles in place, while simultaneously sharpening them! There is not much better than that!
Bobbin Toe Separator Hack
Manoa Road keeps her bobbins organized with the help of toe separators! This is a great way to bring some organization to your sewing room.
Crisp Corner Sewing Hack
Trim the edges of your corner seams before turning your project inside out. The corner will look much crisper because there’s less fabric in the way! This is a great way to make your sewing projects look more professional.
Bias Tape Trick
Dana from Dana Made It shows us the correct–and easy–way to sew on bias tape. With her help, you’ll be able to sew bias tape onto even the sharpest corners. I can’t believe I’ve been doing it wrong for so long!
Sew Ric Rac On
Use the tutorial from Abby at Go To Sew to sew ric rac onto any project perfectly. Ric Rac is great for pillows and children’s clothes, so its crucial that you know how to sew with it.
Make Your Own Bias Tape
Scientific Seamstress has a tutorial (and printable!) for a bias tape maker. This simple tool makes creating your own bias tape the easiest thing ever! Plus, when you make your own tape, you have so many more options for fabric & patterns! You can make tape that perfectly matches your project.
Fit Your Pattern To Size
Burda Style explains the best ways to shorten or lengthen any pattern you’re working with. If patterns never quite fit right because you’re either too tall or too short, don’t worry! Burda’s got your back. I was surprised at how easy this is! Lengthening or shortening doesn’t have to be difficult at all.
Pin Your Projects Correctly
Andrea on Go To Sew shows us the correct way to use pins on sewing projects. If you use pins correctly, you can save loads of time on your sewing projects, and your projects will turn out a million times better. Such a simple and useful sewing hack!
Make Your Own Shirring
Ruffles & Stuff has a tutorial that explains how to create shirring with elastic thread. I love the look of shirring, but I always thought it was really difficult to make. Turns out it’s pretty easy if you use elastic thread. I need to stock up on that stuff!
Refit A Dress Shirt
Take in a dress shirt with this tutorial from Indigo Orchid Altering clothes is a great way to get a custom fit, and it can be surprisingly easy. So if your clothes are hanging a little funny, don’t throw them away, just use this tip.
Perfect Arm Holes
The Seasoned Homemaker shares sewing hacks to edge an armhole with bias tape. This is an easy way to get a beautiful finish on your garment. It will help make your clothing 100% professional. Good luck with these hacks! I hope they make your sewing experience more enjoyable.
Keep this going please, great job!
Awesome! Its really amazing piece of writing, I have got much clear idea about from this article.
Love the hacks and several I didn’t know about. Great Job!
Great info!
Great hacks that can help improve my sewing
Love the idea to put bobbins on toe separaters. I have been trying to think of a way to keep my cotton thread bobbins separated, this will work and I can write on the holders.
You can buy cheap little plastic boxes
Or use old prescription med bottles.
So glad you commented on this. The bobbin storage looked genious but the link no longer works. Would never have worked out that that’s what they were. Thanks!
Or you can buy a bobbin box. I’ve had one for years. They sell them at JoAnn Fabrics store or any sewing supply store for a couple bucks.
muchas gracias por los secretos – trucos de costura . felicidades
re: #6 – I backstitch in both directions to reinforce the corners & then clip the edges. this allows you to clips right up to the stitching without worrying about fraying
wow these work realy good!
I have sewn for years and it is always so much fun to learn easier and better ways to complete your project.
I agree, Mary. I love seeing new ideas too.
Interesting and useful information. I like your lists. I wish I had time to read them now, but, I have to come back later. I am a list person. I was looking at some lists, and apps to get organized. I am also looking for something like a grocery list and weekly sales information. I want to use coupons on the sale items. It is time consuming trying to find out what is on sale at different stores and use the coupons at that time. I would appreciate it if you have information on how best to do this. In the meantime, I will keep looking for an efficient and quick way to ” marry” the coupons to sales.
I have always put in zippers this way!! I learned when I was in 7th grade. I am now 63!! I love sewing.
How do you sew around the pull? that is the only problem I have when inserting a zipper this way.
You pull the zipper down to sew at the top and then close it to finish.
The BEST way to sew a sharp corner is to stop one stitch before turning the 90° corner. With needle down, raise presser foot, rotate fabric, presser foot down and take one stitch on a 45° angle. Again with needle down, raise presser foot and turn fabric to complete the 90° turn. Presser foot down, continue sewing. Trim off excess seam allowance at corner. Turn to right side and you’ll have a sharp corner, not a rounded one.
Thank you for the tip!
love it , its helpfull
Wow ! I have been sewing since high school , but you can NEVER know everything ! I appreciate the pointers , thank you so much for posting this ❤️Can’t believe I didn’t know some of these ! Looking forward to trying the bias tape trick ….who knew ??? Thanks again ?
It’s “lose” not “loose” You lose your bobbins, your clothes are loose.
Thank you for sharing this! Awesome information,
The hack about buying the really large spool of thread is great if you’re quilting or making lots of somethings that require a lot of thread but if you’re sewing a small project, thread that sits around for a time tends to dry rot and breaks easily. I used some old thread for a baby quilt for a co-worker and the quilt came apart, except for the side where I had to purchase a new spool. Good idea, just be sure to use it.