Category Archives: Tuesday’s Tips & Tricks

Frixion Pens

Earlier this year, I talked a little about various methods for marking fabric, such as chalk pencils, marking pens, and so forth. (Sewing Tools: Things to Know Before You Buy) Frixion erasable pens are quite popular these days, since the … Continue reading

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Quick Fashion Tip

You know how some ladies’ slacks have fake back pockets? Sometimes, those pockets aren’t actually fake. They’re simply basted shut. Don’t ask me why, I’ve no idea! But several times, I’ve had to carefully unpick the stitching holding the back pockets … Continue reading

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Positioning Fabric & Pins

Tuesday’s Tips & Tricks: Positioning Fabric & Pins Sometimes it can be hard to tell which way to position your fabric when you’re getting ready to pin and sew. Here’s a quick way to help you remember! The bulk of the … Continue reading

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Needles & Thread

Tuesday’s Tips & Tricks: Needles and Thread Threading a needle is one of the most basic skills a sewer needs to have. Here’s a few tips to help you out. Thread Thread comes in a rainbow of colors, but not … Continue reading

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Sewing With Black Fabric

Tuesday’s Tips & Tricks: Sewing With Black Fabric If you’ve never sewn with black fabric, you’re in for something of an ordeal. There are several problems that occur when working with black fabric. Let’s see what they are—and more importantly, … Continue reading

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Fabric Widths

Tuesday’s Tips & Tricks: Fabric Widths As you probably know, fabric is purchased by the yard. Whenever you buy a yard of fabric, someone measures out 36″ of material. But what you may not realize is that some bolts of … Continue reading

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Broken Needles

Tuesday’s Tips & Tricks: Broken Needles   Pins bend. Needles break. Both go dull, eventually. What should you do with ruined pins and needles? Throw them away? Certainly not! Tossing them in the garbage isn’t safe—for many reasons.

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Directional Stitching

Tuesday’s Tips & Tricks: Directional Stitching There are lots of tricks you can use in making a high-quality garment. Surprisingly, many of these aren’t mentioned in pattern directions or taught in sewing classes—or if they are, their importance is glossed … Continue reading

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Accommodating Bulk When Layering

Tuesday’s Tips & Tricks: Accommodating Bulk When Layering Accommodating bulk is something everyone knows about in theory, but you might not give it due consideration when sewing. I recently made a Victorian evening suit for a 16” fashion doll: trousers, … Continue reading

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Boning Alternatives

Tuesday’s Tips & Tricks: Boning Alternatives Boning is a notion that can be used for many purposes. Corsets and bustiers come to mind first, but strapless bodices are often made with supportive boning, as well. If you’re making a garment … Continue reading

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