30 Sewing Hacks That Will Make You Wonder How You Ever Lived Without Them

To keep your sewing machine running smoothly, regular care and cleaning are essential. Pipe cleaners are a great tool for this, as they can reach all the nooks and crannies of your machine effortlessly.

Using a pipe cleaner, you can meticulously clean the bobbin case and remove built-up lint quickly. They can clean tiny parts that are hard to reach with your hands. Isn’t that amazing?

Holding light fabric down while tracing a pattern can be challenging, especially with thin tissue paper patterns. Using a pen can leave marks, and pins can damage delicate fabric.

Instead, use heavy metal nuts and washers as fabric weights. These small steel or iron nuts are easy to place wherever needed and won’t damage or mark the fabric, allowing you to trace the pattern cleanly and easily. Store them in a small tin container for easy access.

Those who sew professionally or frequently understand the importance of staystitching. Staystitching involves sewing a row of stitches on a piece of fabric to maintain its shape, especially on curved edges or stretchy fabrics. This technique is invaluable for keeping grainlines straight, particularly on curves. Though it takes a bit of extra time, staystitching ensures that your sewing project will be a success, much like notches help align and join two pieces of fabric precisely.

If you’re tired of finding loose frayed edges on your fabric while stitching, try using pinking shears with serrated edges. These scissors are spring-loaded and pop open after each cut, just like regular scissors.

Pinking shears cut a zigzag pattern in the fabric, making it less likely to fray. This hack is particularly helpful with chiffon and other loosely woven fabrics that tend to fray easily. If you haven’t tried this yet, you’ll find it very useful.

Threads can tangle a lot while sewing, but there’s an easy hack to help with this annoying problem. If you’ve ever looked at a tailor’s professional sewing kit, you might have noticed a circular beeswax within easy reach.

Run your thread through the beeswax, and you’ll find it much easier to work with. The wax helps prevent tangling and makes the thread smoother to use. The notches in the plastic container assist in getting the thread through the wax effortlessly.

If you’re an avid sewer, you might be tired of hitting pins with your sewing machine needle, leading to frequent needle changes and slowing you down. To avoid this, try placing the pins horizontally. This way, they won’t get in your way, will be visible, and are easy to remove.

By placing the pins horizontally, you won’t hit them with the needle, preventing damage to both the needle and your machine. This simple trick is especially handy for intricate sewing projects that require many materials.

Scissors are essential throughout the entire sewing process, not just for cutting fabric at the start. However, it’s easy to forget where you placed them.

To keep your scissors within easy reach, tie a string, fancy cord, or ribbon through the loop of the scissors. Make sure the string is long enough to hang around your sewing machine or attach to the edge of your table. This simple trick ensures your scissors are always close by when you need them.

A common issue when sewing lightweight or stretchy fabrics is keeping the pieces in place without them shifting. A great hack for this is using binder or office clips to hold the layers together securely.

These clips will keep the fabric layers fixed while you maneuver them through your sewing machine. Just remember to remove the clips before the needle reaches that area to avoid damaging your machine’s needle.

Overusing needles and pins can make them dull over time, but there’s an easy fix. Store your needles and pins in a steel wool cushion to keep them sharp and prevent rust.

To create a steel wool pincushion, simply wrap a ball of steel wool in a piece of cloth and secure it around the edges. Store your needles and pins in the steel wool when not in use, and they’ll stay sharp with minimal effort on your part.

Threading a needle can be surprisingly challenging, especially when the thread frays at the end. To make it easier, try this: push the needle eye onto the tip of the thread rather than trying to insert the tip into the needle eye. Additionally, pinch the tip of the thread to compress it into a shape that glides smoothly into the needle eye. This can help reduce the need to cut the thread repeatedly and simplify the process.

Keeping your pins and needles organized is essential, and a handy hack is to use a magnet in your sewing kit. The magnet will attract and hold your pins and needles neatly in one place. After finishing your work, simply run the magnet over your entire work area to pick up any stray pins or needles—no one wants to step on a forgotten pin!

Pins are essential for sewing, whether you’re working on a machine or just fixing a pair of socks. To keep your pins easily accessible, try using a soap bar. You can also cover the soap with a spare piece of fabric to create a handy cushion for your needles. The soap will help keep your pins together and add a light fragrance to your sewing space.

Soft, wooly blankets are warm, breathable, and made of natural fibers, but they can lose their “newness” over time. Instead of discarding them, consider repurposing them for your quilting projects.

Old blankets make excellent batting for quilts because they are soft and the right thickness. They’re also easy to fold and work with, making them a cost-effective alternative to buying new batting.

Hoodies are great for winter, but fishing the drawstring through the tiny hole can be frustrating if it gets lost inside. Here’s a simple trick to solve this issue: make a stitch in the middle of the back of the hood to keep the drawstring securely in place. This way, the front of the hood will look the same, and the drawstring will stay intact and easy to find.

Changing the thread on a sewing machine can be a hassle, especially when the spool runs out quickly. However, you can use larger, long-lasting serger spools on a regular sewing machine.

To do this, store the large spool in an old parmesan cheese container and place it behind your machine as a makeshift cone stand. This setup allows you to use the thread easily. Just remember to check the tension on your machine and use a larger needle, as serger thread may differ in quality.

Seam allowance ensures your fabric pieces are stitched accurately and evenly. To simplify measuring it, use a rubber band. Secure the rubber band around your sewing machine to create a visible, even guide for your seam allowance. You can also adjust the position of the rubber band to measure and mark the seam allowance exactly where you need it.

Bias tape is essential for adding a neat, professional-looking border to your sewing projects, but you don’t need to buy expensive pre-made tape. You can easily make it at home.

Measure and cut fabric strips to your desired width. Create a template from cardboard to the width you need. Fold the fabric around the template and iron it in place. Your custom bias tape is ready to use and can be as creative as you like.

Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, it’s crucial to ensure your sewing machine is set up correctly with the right tension and thread length. To avoid ruining your project, always do a trial run on a scrap piece of fabric before starting on your main item.

Take a leftover piece of fabric and test your machine settings by stitching on it. If the stitches don’t turn out well, you can adjust your machine settings and avoid the hassle of ripping out stitches and starting over.

Custom pieces and unique clothing items add charm and showcase your personality. Instead of always using regular thread, consider using elastic threads for sewing shirring, smocking, and gathering on lightweight fabrics.

Shirring with elastic thread shrinks the fabric to about half its original size, giving it a tailored shape for use in other garments. Smocking adds a touch of sophistication, while elastic threads also allow you to create ruffles and other textured details.

Frequent sewers know that fabrics vary and some need special care. To prevent shrinkage after your project is finished, it’s crucial to pre-wash your fabric, especially if it’s made from pure cotton or other natural materials.

Washing your fabric before sewing helps avoid shrinkage later on. This trick works well for most fabrics, though 100% polyester typically doesn’t require pre-washing.

When stitching loops in hoodies or waistbands, ensure the loop is wide enough for the string to glide through easily. If you don’t have a bodkin, you can use safety pins as a handy alternative.

The hard steel of the safety pin makes it easier to pull the string through the loop quickly and holds it in place until it’s safely through to the other side.

For evenly spaced stitching patterns, especially when sewing by hand, you can use a simple but effective hack. Since your thumb helps hold the fabric layers together, mark even spaces on your thumb with a Sharpie as a stitch guide. This will help you achieve even stitches and create a more professional-looking finish.

High-quality jeans are durable and designed to withstand wear, but some areas can wear out faster than others. To fix this, use a sewing machine and matching-color fusible interfacing.

Simply sew the fusible interfacing over the worn spots, making sure to follow the fabric’s grain. A stitch length of 1.5 should work well. While the jeans won’t look brand new, this fix extends their life and keeps them out of the landfill.

If your jeans are still in good condition but no longer suit your style, give them a trendy update instead of buying new ones. Here’s a simple trick:

Turn your baggy jeans inside out and pin them to your preferred fit. Sew along the pins and cut off the excess fabric. Turn them back to the right side, and you’ll have a fresh pair of skinny jeans with minimal effort.

Ruffles, lace, and other decorative details can enhance a dress’s wrist or neckline. If you enjoy sewing, you can make these embellishments yourself.

To create perfectly spaced ruffles, use a fork. The fork helps you fold the fabric to make even pleats efficiently. This hack works well with materials like satin and chiffon, allowing you to craft stunning ruffles with ease.

Mistakes in sewing are natural and easy to fix. If you’ve pieced fabrics together incorrectly or are unhappy with the outcome, you can undo the stitching and try again.

Instead of using scissors, use a seam ripper from a sewing supply store. Its sturdy steel can slide between even the narrowest stitches, and the sharp blade cuts through the threads with ease.

Many prefer using a serger for its efficiency in speeding up the sewing process and creating neat edges. To get the best results with jersey fabrics, follow these steps:

Lift the top knife of the serger by pulling the upper blade to the right and turning it upwards. Fold the corner of the knit fabric twice and press the folded hem. This will help you achieve a perfect hem on knit fabrics with your serger.

Sewing many buttons can be made easier with a sewing machine. Here’s a quick tip:

Lower the feed dogs to allow the needle to stitch repeatedly in one spot. This usually happens automatically when you select the button sewing function on your machine. For best results, use the foot designed for button sewing and consult your machine manual for additional guidance.

Installing a zipper is simpler than it seems with this easy trick. Start by keeping the needle on the left-hand side and sewing along the right side of the seam. Slide your fabric under the presser foot and mark the bottom of the zipper. Backstitch a couple of times, then continue sewing. Stop when you’re about two inches from the end of the zipper, and you’re done!

Sewing with a needle and thread is a timeless skill that requires patience and expertise, offering unique satisfaction compared to buying ready-made clothes. With many sewing resources available, beginners may struggle to know which tools are essential. We’ve compiled hacks to prevent tangled threads and uneven stitches, plus tips for organizing materials and keeping scissors sharp. Let’s explore ways to simplify the sewing process.

Keep Scissors Sharp

Cutting fabric evenly and smoothly is crucial for any sewing project. Dull scissors can tear and fray the fabric, potentially ruining your work. Therefore, keeping your scissors sharp is essential.

To maintain sharp scissors, clean them frequently and dry them immediately if they get wet. Additionally, use high-quality fabric scissors exclusively for cutting fabric. Following these tips will help keep your scissors sharp for a long time.