Fabric.com coupons… again!

Those evil fabric pushers at Fabric.com are at it again!

Here I was, minding my own business, when I found myself buying MORE fabric! I just can’t contain myself, I guess.

In my own defense, part of my order was for making high efficiency curtains for our house (tutorial to come!), which will save us money in the long run. That’s not so bad, right?

I was able to further excuse my behavior by using one of their fabulously evil coupons… 30% off ain’t nothing to sneeze at!

In case you’re like me, and you order fabric every time the sun rises, I’ve included several coupon options, since they’re one use per customer deals. And yes, I have now used them all. *hangs head in shame*

For 30% off: 2PLTRY9
For 30% off: 3PLTRY9 on orders over $50
For 25% off: 2TRY9
For 20% off: annv1

Now… off to sew, so I can make room for… more fabric!

how to make a pair of armwarmers tutorial

This is a super quick and easy tutorial – perfect for beginners!

Difficulty:

You’ll need:

• A t-shirt with a sweet pattern or about 1/2 yard of fabric
• Sharp scissors
• Sewing machine or needle and thread

Step 1
Measure around the top of your arm (where you want the top of the armwarmer to reach) and around your wrist.

Determine how long you want your armwarmers to be and add a few inches for hemming. If you don’t mind raw edges, or you’d prefer to finish the edges of the armwarmers with lace or trim, you can skip hemming all together.

 

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Choosing the Right Needle

Using the wrong needle can make your sewing life a living hell. If your machine is skipping stitches or creating a lovely ball of thread on the underside of the fabric when you try to sew, and you’ve tried replacing the needle with a new one, it may be the wrong type of needle.

Universal needles are intended for most sewing projects. They work well with woven fabrics.

If you are working with knits, you should use ballpoint needles. They have a rounder edge than universal needles, which prevents the needle from snagging or cutting the fabric.

There are other kinds of specialty needles besides ballpoint. For example, there are special needles for sewing leather (made to make holes that close up on themselves) and denim (made to sew through many layers of thick fabric).

Most needle packages are marked with two sizes. The higher number is the European size. The lower number is the American size.

Here’s a quick guide with a list of some common types of fabric for each weight and the corresponding appropriate needle size.

Weight/Type of Fabric	Needle Size (American)
Very Lightweight (chiffon, voile, organza, silk, etc.)	8 or 9
Lightweight (tricot, lightweight lycra, taffeta, etc.)	9, 10, 11
Medium-weight (muslin, broadcloth, flannel, most knits and jerseys, wool, satin, etc.)	12 or 14
Heavyweight (tweed, twill, sweatshirt fleece, fleece, etc.)	14 or 16
Very Heavyweight (denim, duck cloth, canvas, heavy upholstery/home dec fabrics, etc.)	16 or 18

Measuring, fitting, and patternmaking

If you’re using the tutorials on this site, please keep in mind that almost all of them are intended to be used with stretch fabric (t-shirts, knit, jersey, interlock, etc.). Why? Because the fabric stretches, you can be a lot less accurate with fit, and you don’t need to mess with darts!

If you’re a decent seamstress, you can probably adapt some of them to non-stretch fabrics pretty easily by adding an inch or two here and there, and by planning for some sort of closing/opening device (zippers, buttons, etc.).

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Sewing Machine Troubleshooting Guide

Unfortunately, I can’t really help you learn to use your machine through the internets. That’s what Grandma’s are for.

If you’ve never used a sewing machine before, I highly recommend you either take a class or have someone who knows what they’re doing help you out. If you’re buying from a dealer, ask them to give you a quick lesson on at least threading the machine.

All machines are bound to be a little different, so even if you have used one before, take a look at the manual if you are using a new machine. I was threading a new machine wrong for 2 weeks before I actually looked up the manual online, and realized I had been skipping a step! Luckily, I wasn’t doing anything so wrong that it could do damage. It is possible to do something so wrong that you’ll break the machine before you even get to use it, so you might as well get friendly with the manual.

General Maintenance

Big Tip #1: DO NOT FORCE THE HANDWHEEL. If you put the bobbin in, and it won’t turn, something’s wrong. Forcing it is likely to break something.

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no-sew tie back halter tutorial

This tutorial is great for beginners because it requires no sewing!  All you really need is a sharp pair of scissors, an old tee, and about 15 minutes!

Difficulty:

You’ll need:

• A t-shirt that’s too big for you or approximately 1 yard of stretch/knit fabric
• Sharp scissors

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Awesomely Spooky Contest!

Come one come all to the DiyScene ball where ghouls and goblins ooze out of our walls.

The game of the night is a seekers delight, where you might get yourself lost searching all through night.

Coffins and crossbones litter the scene, and it’s up to you creatures to determine who shall be queen.

On your throne you shall sit, basking in glory, of being the one written into the DiyScene story…of who won the HALLOWEEN EDITION OF HIDE AND SEEK!

Let’s get it on!

This Hide and Seek Halloween Edition is brought to you by the amazing Etsy Street Team, DIYScene. (Search tag DIYScene Team on Etsy for great stuff!) All of the shops listed below have secretly placed one of these two icons in their shop photos. Your job is to find them. Don’t forget to check sold items!
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