5 Surprisingly Simple Tips to Prepare Your Fabric Before Sewing!

Embarking on a new sewing project is always an exciting journey, and the desire to dive straight into creating with your fresh, untouched, fabulous fabric is undeniable.

However, experienced sewists know that the secret to a successful sewing experience lies in the careful and deliberate steps taken before your toes even hit the sewing machine foot pedal!

In this blog post, I’m unravelling the often overlooked but immensely important pre-sewing steps that can elevate your projects from *mild with occasional headaches* to marvellous!

Discover the simple steps to properly prepare your fabrics before you start cutting or sewing that will save you *frayed* (pun intended 😅) nerves later. Your fabric is waiting…

Continue reading “5 Surprisingly Simple Tips to Prepare Your Fabric Before Sewing!”

Sewing Made Simple: What Sewing Beginners Should Know Before Starting

One of the best things about sewing is that you never stop learning! But everybody has to start that learning somewhere, right? What are the most important things that every sewing beginner should know? What tips and tricks can help to soothe sewing nerves and set you up for sewing success? What sewing tools do you really need to have at home? And what are some of the common sewing mistakes you can avoid?

Sewing is supposed to be fun, not overly-stressful! But like any new skill, it’s good to have some basic know-how before diving in.

Not everyone is able to attend a sewing class in person, so having basic sewing tips and terminology within easy reach can be a lifesaver when you are just starting out!

In this blog post you’ll discover links to loads of pages with easy-to-understand sewing information that you’ll refer back to over and over again. Hint: save this post so you can get back to it every time you need more sewing support. I’ve got your back! 😉

Continue reading “Sewing Made Simple: What Sewing Beginners Should Know Before Starting”

Learn to Sew with these Simple Straight Lines Sewing Projects!

Being able to sew is such a fun and useful skill to have. But what if you’re new to sewing and not sure where to start? I can help you with that!

In this blog post I’ve bundled up my simplest sewing projects for you to peruse and try creating with your sewing machine.

Yes! Even if you’re a beginner with the sewing machine still in the box! 😉

But these sewing tutorials aren’t only for those people brand new to sewing. Even if you have been sewing a while, dive in and choose a fresh, new, quickly-done sewing project you can make today!

There’s one big reason why I have hand-picked these sewing projects to share with you today. They all have one thing in common with each other. And not just because they are uncomplicated, fun and stress-free to make!

Ready to find out more about these simple sewing projects? Keep reading!

Continue reading “Learn to Sew with these Simple Straight Lines Sewing Projects!”

7 Super Sewing Ideas to Make with Old Jeans

I read a quote about denim jeans once. It went something like “Jeans are like French fries. You can’t just have one”.

But have you got some old jeans around the house? And you like French fries sewing too? Then you are in EXACTLY the right place my friend!

Because in this post I am going to share a bunch of super sewing projects you can make with denim!

Best of course, is recycling those old jeans and upcycling them into something new and cool vs going out and purchasing yards of new denim fabric. 😉

Some of the best sewing advice I was given a few years back was to never, ever throw out any old jeans.

So now, thanks to that piece of wisdom, I have a sack of old jeans laying around in our roof waiting to be reused somehow.

Which is what inspired me to go searching for sewing projects using old denim and to share what I found with you!

In this post you’ll find 7 really cool ideas of what you can use that old denim to make. I’ve found a fun mix of projects, ranging from home décor to clothes to cute accessories. And all of them have loads of photos and easy to follow instructions to make your sewing time as productive as possible!

Get comfy and let yourself be inspired with these eco-friendly denim projects now!

Continue reading “7 Super Sewing Ideas to Make with Old Jeans”

Simple Valentine’s Day Sewing Projects Using Your Fabric Scraps Stash

A little reminder: Valentine’s Day is coming on February 14th. This many send some of your scurrying to the store to buy some cute home decor and lovely gifts for that special someone.

But have you ever thought about making your own gifts or decorations for Valentine’s Day?

If you have a sewing machine and a pile of fabrics stashed away, there are SO many gorgeous (and easy!) craft ideas out there to do this February.

Giving a personalised, handmade gift is precious and really shows the LOVE and thought behind your Valentine’s present.

Because these crafts are made from fabric, it means they will get lots of use and not just end up on the rubbish pile anytime soon.

I have put together a list of 5 simple and cute Valentine’s Day fabric projects to sew right now.

And they’re perfect for sewing fans of all skill levels, from absolute beginners to those with years of experience and want to have some fun this Valentine’s.

Time to go dig through that fabric stash…

Continue reading “Simple Valentine’s Day Sewing Projects Using Your Fabric Scraps Stash”

Beginners Sewing Dictionary Part 3: Sewing Machine Terms Easily Explained!

In case you missed it, the last few blog posts here have been all about getting back to the basics of sewing and learning (or maybe just jogging the memory) some of the most useful and important sewing terms.

Because, let’s be honest, the more sewing vocabulary you know, the more confident you will be when it comes time to sit down with your fabrics (see HERE for fabric terms) and sewing patterns (check out THIS post for sewing pattern definitions) and your sewing machine.

And don’t you just LOVE the feeling of knowing what you’re doing?!?

Oh wait! We haven’t talked about all those fancy sewing machine terms yet, have we?

There’s no better time that the present to start! Let’s jump in!

Continue reading “Beginners Sewing Dictionary Part 3: Sewing Machine Terms Easily Explained!”

Sewing Dictionary for Beginners Part 2: Basic Sewing Pattern Terms You Need to Know Now

Sewing is such a fun hobby that allows you to create a huge variety of projects yourself. Whether you are new to sewing or just need to refresh your skills, it’s always useful to understand all the sewing jargon you read in patterns, tutorials and online.

Although some of the sewing vocab that gets thrown around sounds complicated and at times like a foreign language, it’s actually not as intimidating as it seems! Just give yourself the chance to read and understand them! Then your relationship with your sewing machine and sewing patterns will become much happier and your sewing projects are much more likely to turn out exactly how you’d envisioned.

This post is part 2 of my “Sewing Dictionary for Beginners” series. The last blog post contained a stack of sewing terminology specifically related to fabrics (like how to tell the difference between the front and the back of fabrics). In case you missed it, you can read the 15 fabric terms you need to know HERE .

Today’s sewing vocabulary post contains loads of technical sewing words and phrases to help you in understanding and working with sewing patterns. Once you understand what a pattern is talking about, you will be able to prepare, cut, and sew your fabric pieces together to successfully create your wonderful project!

Ready to dive into some knowledge?

Continue reading “Sewing Dictionary for Beginners Part 2: Basic Sewing Pattern Terms You Need to Know Now”

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!

Continue reading “Beginners Sewing Dictionary Part 1: Essential Sewing Terms about Fabric You Need to Know”

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…

Continue reading “5 Common Mistakes that Sewing Beginners Make & the Easy Ways You Can Avoid Them”

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?!?

Continue reading “8 Essential Tools You Need in Your Sewing Kit”
error: