Quick Sewing Tip: Keep a log of machine maintenance

When was the last time you cleaned and oiled your machine? Or changed a needle?

You don’t remember?

Me neiths.

That’s why I started keeping a mini notebook next to my machines so I could record when and what maintenance I’ve done.

I change the needles on my sewing machines fairly often, but on my sergers and coverstitch machines? Unless I break a needle, almost never.  And when you can take out your handy dandy notebook and see that you haven’t changed the needles in 5 months, it can make troubleshooting go a lot faster.

When it comes to cleaning and oiling, most of my machines suggest once a month… for infrequent use. HA! For “daily use”, the manuals suggest cleaning once or twice A WEEK. *cough* Oops.

Now that I keep notes, though, it’s a lot harder to say to myself, “I just cleaned them, they’re fine….”  I can actually look (in horror) to see that they haven’t been oiled in… well, in a long time.

Since I’m a machine freak and have a fleet of machines, a wee notebook is appropriate, but if you’ve only got one or two, you could just use a Post-it note stuck to the back of the machine to keep note.

Tutorial – How to Sew a Slipcover, Part 2

Part 2, FINALLY!

I know, I move at turtle speed sometimes.

Part 1 is here if you need it.

So let’s get started. Here’s my naked couch, stripped of all it’s cushiony goodness. (It seems weird that this is the first photo of the actual couch I’ve posted. Kinda dumb, in hindsight.)

Step 1

Last time I told you to go collect some thrift store sheets to use as a muslin, yes?

You COULD forgo the muslin and use these steps on your actual fabric, if you like to gamble, or you’re super ballsy, or really confident. I’m usually all of those, but I still made a muslin. I really didn’t want to eff this up, so I went the safe route, but if you want to roll the dice, be my guest. You’re dangerous!

Grab a sheet and tack it to part of the surface of your couch. I’m going to start with the front of one arm.

You can just stab some pins through the sheet so it lays flat. Or if you don’t want to put pins in your couch for some reason, I suppose you could use tape or something like that.

You can ignore all the marks for now. When you have it laying nice and flat and even, trim around it, leaving a good seam allowance PLUS extra. 3 inches would be good for now.  Mine has already been trimmed… otherwise it would’ve just looked like a mess of a sheet draped over the arm of my couch.

We’ll trim it down more when we’ve got it all pinned and fitted.

Step 2

Choose another surface that abuts (hehe) the piece you’ve already pinned and trimmed. In my case, I’m going to do the piece that wraps all the way around the arm.

Pin it in place the same way I did with the front of the arm. Now, start pinning the two pieces together where they meet.  It’s usually best to start at the center (in my example, I started pinning at the top of the arm) of the soon-to-be seam. Avoid puckers, you want nice clean seams. Some designs might require some darts or gathers, you’ll have to figure out what works best for your piece of furniture.

Pull the pieces taught, but not so tight that you stretch the fabric out of whack and wind up with wonky muslin pattern pieces. Read more

How to Sew Fabric Appliques – Video Tutorial + Photo Tutorial

Here’s my video tutorial for fabric appliques / patches. Appliques are a great way to embellish or customize a project. You can add them to bags, clothes, Xmas stockings, and more. Appliqued handmade goods make great gifts because you can tailor each one for the recipient!

If you scroll down, there’s also a photo tutorial version so you can go at your own pace, or go to a specific step.

Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel!  There are lots more tutorials on the way!

And if you have any tutorial requests, leave me a comment!

This tutorial was filmed using a Creative Labs Vado HD Digital Video Camera, a Canon Rebel (for still shots), and edited in Sony Vegas Movie Studio.

 

Here’s the photo + text version of the tutorial:

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How to sew sequined fabric

Today’s Crafty Advice question is about sequined fabric:

 

Dear WhatTheCraft,

I’m trying to sew knit material with sequins that are glued on. My machine works fine with everything else I’ve sewed, but when I tried to sew this fabric, the needle gets gummed up with glue residue from the fabric and starts skipping stitches. Is there a special needle I should be using or is my machine just not capable of sewing this type of fabric?

Sequins are tricky. It’s probably more likely that the fabric is to blame than the machine, especially if the glue is actually getting on the needle. You might have the best luck hand sewing sequined fabric (that goes double for sequins that are sewn on to the fabric and not glued), so you can stitch around the sequins instead of trying to sew through them with your machine.

However, some tricks you can try: use a titanium needle, and put a layer of wax paper over the seam while you sew. Sew right through the paper and remove it when you’re done. The wax should “wipe” the needle off as you sew, preventing the glue build up.

How to Make Ruffle Butt Undies – video tutorial

I finally got this tutorial uploaded to Youtube without problems. YAY!

This two part tutorial will show you how to make a damn cute pair of  ruffle butt underwear. (Or plain butt underwear if you’re not feeling ruffly. But ruffles are fun, so don’t neglect the ruffles.)

Thank you to rufflefabric.com for providing the ruffle fabric. Check out their site, it’s like a candy store for us fabric fiends!

Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel!  I have a crap ton of tutorials on the way (including drafting your own custom tube dress pattern, no-sew hair bows, sewing and hemming knits without a serger, making homemade limoncello and vanilla extract, and more)!

And if you have any tutorial requests, leave me a comment!

 

This tutorial was filmed using a Creative Labs Vado HD Digital Video Camera, a Canon Rebel (for still shots), and edited in Sony Vegas Movie Studio.

How to Add a Collar to a T-shirt – Video Tutorial

I finally posted a new video tutorial! This one shows my No-Measuring (Cheater) Method for finishing the neckline of a t-shirt!

This tutorial was filmed using a Creative Labs Vado HD Digital Video Camera, a Canon Rebel (for still shots), and edited in Sony Vegas Movie Studio.

Tutorial – How to Design and Sew a Slipcover, Part 1

So you’ve got a perfectly comfortable, functional couch… it just looks like hell. With a custom made slipcover, no one will know what evil is lurking underneath all that handmade awesomeness!

We scored a couch, loveseat, and chair set at a secondhand furniture store when we first moved in.  The upside is that it’s the most comfortable couch I’ve ever had the pleasure of napping on. The downside is that the couch takes quite a beating, especially from our two cats. It also doesn’t help that we’re total movie and tv junkies, so we spend a lot of time EATING on it. So even though it was in Like New condition when we bought it, five years later… not so much.

I’d been thinking about slipcovering it for a while, and once Spring Fever hit me, I decided now was the time to do it.

Step 1
I decided on the fabric first. Actually, I decided on the fabric, and then I started doing rough estimates of cost and started asking myself if it was worth it. I even decided I wouldn’t make my own. I started looking at some of the “cheap” slipcover options (meaning not custom made and under $200, which was my estimated fabric budget). I liked none and all had mediocre-to-bad reviews, so I made the final decision that DIY was the way to go.

I saw a commercial a few years ago that featured two women sitting on a couch that was covered or slipcovered in a sort of crazy quilt type patchwork. I fell in love. I was initially going to cover each surface with a different print (left side plaid, right side polka dot, one cushion in damask, another cushion in stripe), but after doing a few sketches I decided to scale it back. It was looking busier than I wanted, and would have required more extra fabric/expense to do it that way. I decided I’d do the base of the couch in one fabric, the cushions in another, and the back pillows in a third fabric.

To choose my fabric, I did a few sketches on the computer, inserting various Home Dec fabrics I found online, until I found the ones I liked. After I sketched it out, I decided to also do the backs of the pillows in a different fabric.

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How To Make a Square Bottom Bag – Video Tutorial

As promised, the very first WhatTheCraft video tutorial is here!

Check it out for step by step instructions for making a square bottom bag.

And while you’re at it, go subscribe to my YouTube channel!  There are lots more tutorials to come (including applique, inserting snaps, and t-shirt collars)!

This tutorial was filmed using a Creative Labs Vado HD Digital Video Camera, a Canon Rebel (for still shots), and edited in Sony Vegas Movie Studio.

Buttondown to off-shoulder dress tutorial

Check out this cute dress made from a giant men’s button-down shirt by Impish DIY! Perfect for summer, since button-downs are usually nice and lightweight.

She even made a tutorial for it, so you can make your own!

Henley tee reconstruction – photo tutorial

This is a quick way to give a plain tee or tank a little upgrade! The best part is, you don’t have to screw around with buttonholes because that part has been done for you already!

If you’re looking at me funny and wondering WTF a henley shirt is, it’s a shirt with a partial button placket down the front. Like our finished project here:

Difficulty:

 

Things you’ll need for this tutorial:

• scissors
• sewing machine (or needle and thread, if you’re old school and mega patient like that)
• a t-shirt or tank (you can make your own, if you like)
• the button placket from another shirt

Step 1

Gather your materials. Here I’ve got my henley and my fabric, with which I will make a basic tee.

I happened to have a a henley shirt that I cut up a while ago to make a pattern. This is why I can never throw things away… I knew it would come in handy!

If you don’t have a henley style shirt, you can use a button placket from any shirt, really. A full buttondown will work just fine for this, you just need to trim it to the length you want. I think a plaid button placket would look super cute on a plain tee!

If you’ve searched your closets high and low and don’t have a button placket handy, there’s a really great tutorial for making a henley tee here.

The cute button print fabric I used in this tutorial is from Purple Seamstress Fabrics.

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