Rotary Cutters and Mats

I just love my rotary cutter. Do you have one?

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
They are so sweet.
They make your sewing life a breeze.
Also your quilting life.
They are like a pizza cutter, only for fabric.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
They are easy to operate. You just pull down on the black plastic gizmo, where the arrows are, and the blade is revealed:

 
 
The blade is super sharp… [...]

Taking In The Bust

This dress came from a mother of a groom and it needed to be taken in in the bust area, so I’d like to show you how to do that.
You can use this technique on strapless dresses as well.

 
 
Do you see the pins in the side seam? There are pins on the other side as well.
I generally like to take [...]

A Quick Fix…Webbing

One thing I’ve noticed is that many of my customers could do simple repairs on their own machines, but they just lack the confidence that they can do it!
Repairing webbing is simple.  As long as the item fits under your presser foot easily, you shouldn’t have any trouble sewing on it.
Here is an example. This is a [...]

Halter Top or Halter Dress Alteration

Have you ever had a halter top or halter dress fit loosely on the side of the bust area? It’s a very common problem.
And since halters are so “in” right now, I thought I’d show you how to fix that problem.
First, let’s look at the superb diagram below! Aren’t you impressed?
It illustrates the basic idea of what we [...]

My Dad Taught Me To Sew

Today marks what would have been my Dad’s 79th birthday. He passed away two years ago.
So, this is to honor him and, being that it’s almost Father’s Day, I figured you wouldn’t mind because there’s some sewing parallels to be observed here.
Dad bought me a little battery operated chain stitch sewing machine for my 7th birthday.
Dad? Yeah.
My mom didn’t [...]

Let’s Alter Some Scarves

A dear friend of mine had a bone marrow transplant for cancer and is in remission. She lost all her hair from chemo and it’s growing back. In the meantime, she is wearing scarves over her wigs and wants the scarves altered.
Here is the collection that I need to alter:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Maybe you have alot of scarves [...]

Hand Sew a Hem

Recently, a reader inquired about how to hand sew a hem. So, let’s walk that through together.
There are many techniques and stitches that can be used, so I just want to say up front that this is not the final word in hemming, but I hope it will help.
First, if you would like to look at the entire [...]

Seam Gauge….Do you have one?

 

 
This is a seam gauge. Do you have one?
If not, you really should.
They are essentially mini rulers.
They are 6 or 6 1/2 inches long, depending on the company that makes it.
For small measurements, they are so easy to maneuver…much easier than a 12″ ruler, yardstick or measuring tape.
And, they have a little bonus feature:

 
There’s a plastic [...]

Repairing Leather

My husband presented me with his golf club cover this morning.
It has a big hole in it.
If you watch the golf channel (like my husband does), you’ll notice the caddies take the covers off the clubs by grabbing the top of the cover and pulling hard on it.
I bet that’s what happened with my husband’s cover [...]

Job Opportunity

Are you looking for a way to earn some extra cash each month?
You may have thought it wasn’t possible if you have kids running underfoot and your sewing skills aren’t perfect yet.
Or, your skills are just fine, but you want to be able to stay at home and work.
Whatever the reason, I have the job for you!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Over [...]