Sewing Tips & Help Archives - Page 3 of 4

September 30, 2021October 6, 2021

Beginners Sewing Dictionary Part 1: Essential Sewing Terms about Fabric You Need to Know

As a beginner, the world of sewing may appear to hold many dark and mysterious secrets. I am here to show you that by learning a few basic sewing keywords, going fabric shopping and sitting down at a sewing machine will become much less intimidating and way more fun!

Words like “tension” and “bias” and “allowance” almost sound like they come out of a how to get along with people in business text book! But these sewing terms are really used in sewing speak and actually extremely important for preparing to sew and actually putting your foot to the pedal

Recently I shared a post about how you can avoid 5 common mistakes that sewing beginners make. Have a read of that article in conjunction with this post to help you start your sewing journey.

In today’s post I will be focusing on the most common words you’ll come across in fabric terminology. These can help you understand different fabrics and what fabric your sewing pattern recommends for your project. Be sure to stay tuned for more upcoming parts in this sewing dictionary series 😉.

Let’s dive in to learn these important fabric terms!

September 2, 2021October 29, 2021

5 Common Mistakes that Sewing Beginners Make & the Easy Ways You Can Avoid Them

Sewing is such a fun and creative hobby to learn. The variety of projects you can make are practically endless and can be as small or as grandiose as you are willing to put your time, effort and imagination into.

Like any new skill, learning to sew will be full of small wins, proud smiles and a more than a few moans of frustration. Remember this though: Nobody nails anything the first time they try it. Learning to sew is no exception.

BUT how do you get better at anything if not through practice, experimentation and learning from mistakes?!? The best way to get better at sewing is to keep trying. Like that old saying “If you fall off the horse, get back on”. Don’t let the mistakes dishearten you and stop you from improving. If you’re still unsure whether it’s worth learning to sew, take a look HERE at why sewing is so good for you.

There are plenty of websites out there listing gazillions of mistakes that sewing newbies make. You may even have come across some of those sites already. You might recognise that you have made some of those mistakes too.

I have seen so many mistakes made be sewing beginners that don’t even make it onto these other lists. And I want to help you avoid the frustration of making those mistakes too.

How do I even know that these things are “mistakes”? Well, just between you and I, *wink wink* perhaps, just maybe, I might have made some of them too.

Most sewing mistakes- we won’t call them a “sewing fail”- can be all too easy to make. BUT they are also avoidable with a bit of know-how and paying careful attention (i.e., not being too tired when try to nail that outfit at the last minute!).

Are you ready to learn how to avoid making 5 big sewing mistakes, stop feeling so exasperated, and improve your sewing experience? I’m here to help you! Read on…

January 14, 2021October 8, 2021

8 Essential Tools You Need in Your Sewing Kit

Happy New Year! I’m not sure whether you dared make any plans for this year. (Last year put the brakes on a lot of people’s plans.) My goal for this year is to create create create! One thing I love doing is sewing unique clothes for my kids. But another thing I love creating is super helpful tips and fun ideas for my busy readers!

I have been asked before about what types of machines and tools I can’t live without for my sewing projects. There certainly are a few that I love! So how about I share my list of essential sewing tools with you, right here, right now?!?

October 15, 2020May 22, 2024

Sewing Project: How to Sew Your Own Layered-Look Shirt

Otherwise known as:

SOS! Help! I don’t have enough fabric to finish my sewing project! What can I make with my leftover fabric?!?

Have you ever made plans to sit yourself down and finally take care of a sewing project you’ve been pushing back for a while?

You grab the fabric. Maybe you bought it a long time ago. Maybe you were given it from a friend. Perhaps it was some leftover pieces from another project or even another item of clothing you wished to upcycle.

*Gasp!* The fabric pieces are not large enough to complete the sewing project as you imagined it. Oh no! What to do?!?

This is EXACTLY what happened to me the other week! A lovely acquaintance of mine gifted me some pieces of fabric and immediately Miss 12 claimed 2 of them as her own, implying that I should conjure up a long-sleeve shirt for her. At the last minute though, we realised that the fabric she wanted me to use for the long sleeves wasn’t quite long enough!

Have no fear! Not all was lost. Us creative types often need to modify our project plans, right? My daughter did get her long sleeve shirt, but in a new and funky, layered-look.

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Are you intrigued how I did it? This post is going to walk you through the steps to turn a feared fabric shortage into a perfectly cool, one-of-a-kind shirt.

June 4, 2020June 26, 2021

The One Sewing Trick That Will Save You Time

Who loves a good time-saver?

**raises hand and yells “Me! Me! Me!**

Life is busy enough already, what with work and kids and managing the household and keeping everyone fed and healthy. And then on top of that you need to get in some time for yourself.

When sewing is your thing and you’ve finally been able to sit down with your machine you want, no NEED, to be able to use your time as effectively as possible. Who wants to waste time chopping and changing between 2 or more of the same projects?!?

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Do you know what I mean? When you have decided to sew multiples of the same thing, like those DIY Fabric Face Masks during Corona virus times. (I have now sewn close to 100 😳). Or fun easy-sew bean bags for the kids. Once you’ve gotten started on one, you may as well just plough through at least a few others at the same time.

I really wish I had known of this trick a while back as it not only saves you time, but also your thread! How cool is that?!?

Allow me to show you exactly how it works and you’ll be zooming through your next sewing projects in no time! Let’s go!

March 5, 2020June 26, 2021

Why Sewing is Good for You (Yes, Even for Beginners!)

Welcome back to Everything’s Famtastic! I don’t know whether you saw my post last week? You know, the one where I interviewed a great bunch of sewing bloggers, about how they got started sewing? Well, that turned out to be Part One of my interview with them all. You can read that post here and learn about what made these women, first learn to sew.

People new to the sewing world (sewing newbies, as I affectionately say) often ask themselves questions like “What should I sew as a beginner?” or “How do I get started sewing?” and “Why is sewing a good hobby?” or “Why is sewing good for me?”.

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This post- my Part Two of interviewing these ladies- is full of plentiful ideas to answer exactly those questions! (Be prepared to have your creative curiosity awakened!! 😉)

February 13, 2020October 10, 2021

How to Sew a Terrific Tiger Costume

(Even if You Don’t Have a Pattern!)

In today’s post I am going to show you how you can create a totally cool tiger costume, without actually having a pattern for a tiger costume. “Huh? How does that work?”, you ask. Ahh, that’s the magic of sewing! 😉

Perhaps you’re even asking why it is that I am sewing a tiger costume or why I am sharing this with you today.

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Well, answering the second part of that is easy. Why share? Because I am not one to keep a good sewing tip to myself! I love to support you in getting creative with your sewing machine and sewing things that will make you smile! And I love a good work-around; when the pattern doesn’t match exactly what I’m trying to achieve, then it’s the pattern that has to change, not my goal. That’s why I’m eager to share so many sewing ideas, tips and cheats with you (you can find more under the “Sewing” category on the menu bar above ☝).

And why am I sewing a costume at all? Well, Karneval is coming in a couple of weeks! In case you’re not familiar with what Karneval in Germany means (especially from a non-German’s perspective), be sure to check out my post here. Karneval is a BIG deal in many parts of Germany and for the cities’ colourful parades, getting dressed up in costumes is practically a must (at least for children it is!!).

Because I am able to sew, and for the time being my kids actually like and enjoy what I can create, I am the one responsible for coming up with the goods. Hence the DIY, sew a tiger costume as my current sewing project.

I promised to show you how to make one without a pattern, right? Well then, read on…

January 30, 2020June 26, 2021

Super Sewing Tips for Beginners: The Basics

Hey, welcome back to Everything’s Famtastic! I hope you’re having a great week! We have been busy enjoying our delicious, homemade lamingtons that I baked with the kids last Sunday for Australia Day. They are sooo good! And the kids had a blast helping out in the kitchen too 😉. We had quite the production line set up…

But, this week I want to have a break from talking kids stuff (cooking with kids, books for kids, sick kids, school holidays…) and talk about something else that you can get excited about: SEWING!

Have you ever wanted to learn how to sew? Perhaps your first test-drive of a sewing machine was back in high school. Perhaps you’ve nervously left your sewing machine in its box, untouched since you discovered it under the Christmas tree. Or maybe you have been experimenting with your machine for a little while but have yet to get into the swing of things because you’re unsure what to do.

Well, you’ve come to the right place! Here I’d love to share a brilliant list full of advice for sewing beginners just like you. Like I wish I’d heard a couple of years back when I was starting out. These tips will help you to get confident to use your machine and successfully complete projects without the stress and hair-pulling!

Once you’ve read through this list, there’ll be no excuses to not sit yourself down at your sewing machine, turn it on with confidence and get started!

Ready?

September 8, 2019June 26, 2021

Password: Stoffmarkt Overload

Wow! What an experience that was! My shoulders are still aching from that heavy backpack! Seriously.

Oh! And I haven’t even said “Hi” yet. So… Hi! How are you doing? I hope you have been having a great week. Our week has been extremely busy, settling into school routines and extra-curricular activities all over again. Life with 3 certainly keeps me on my toes. If you have any kids, be it 1, 5 or 12, you can surely picture exactly what I mean!

And while this week’s *secret password* is “Stoffmarkt Overload” I am not referring to the fully loaded family schedule I have been presiding over. No, I am speaking about the (felt like) tons of goodies I brought home with me after a shopping spree this weekend.

So, what were those goodies you ask?!?

August 25, 2019June 26, 2021

Sewing + Upcycling = Win

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Yo, hello! I hope you have all been having a Famtastic week! Here it was the last full week of summer school holidays. Just a couple of days left and then we are thrown back into the (so very, very early, every morning) school schedule.

I truly imagined having some time to pursue my own hobbies these holidays. Yes, snigger at me, if you wish. But I really had fantasised about getting some sewing done. Leggings for the girls, a shirt for me, perhaps a shirt for Master 5. Let us take a moment to contemplate whether I did any of those things…

**3 milliseconds later**

Alas, NO. I did not. Is this how it is for you during school holidays too? Imagine squeezing in some Mama time and end up with perhaps a microscopic amount of Mama time?!?

Anyway, I did, however, repair a stack of holes in children’s clothes. “Wow!” I hear you say. Yes, I find that neither fun nor satisfying. What I DO enjoy is creating handmade clothes and other goodies. Like shirts and leggings and skirts.

What I have been experimenting with more recently though is UPCYCLING in my sewing projects.

So what is upcycling anyway? And why would anyone want to do it? Hint: Upcycling does not mean riding a bike up a steep hill 😉.