Have you ever had silk charmeuse and chiffon slither away from you, oblivious of the feed dog traction, or struggled to sew a bulky denim or wool seam? I know a sewing machine technique tip that will change your life.
There is a little known option for the sewing machine’s presser foot that will make all of your struggles with challenging fabrics go much easier. It’s the tension knob for the presser foot.
The knob is usually found on the left side of the machine. If you are facing your sewing machine and stick your hand out as if to shake hands with your presser foot, the knob should be just above your hand. It’s generally marked with a picture of a presser foot.
You can adjust the presser foot tension knob according to your fabric. For heavier fabric, you will want less tension so that that fabric slides easily between the presser and the feed dogs. For lighter fabrics, you will want more tension, or pressure, so that the presser foot holds the fabric securely to the feed dogs and keeps it from sliding away.
It’s amazing what this simple trick can do for your final sewing project. Stitches will be smoother and more even, and you will have more control over the fabric overall as you manipulate it in the machine.
credit: www.sewdaily.com
Do you sometimes get angry at your straight pins? You know, when you can’t wiggle them through that darn fabric? Yeah…..pins aren’t really something to get angry at but, gahhhhh, nothing’s more aggravating while working on a project than finicky straight pins that won’t properly go through your fabric. And usually they get stuck because there are several layers of fabric that I’m trying to get through……however, if you have a really cranky needle, even one single layer of fabric can be stubborn. And yes, sharpening the very tip of the needle is helpful too. (You know that mini strawberry that hangs off the big tomato pin cushion? Yeah, that has emery powder inside and can help sharpen a needle tip and smooth out any rust or nicks, etc. However, even then, sometimes I still have trouble getting those sharpened needles through the fabric.)
But try this…….it will change your cranky straight pin world! Just stick them right into a bar of soap, pull it out, and wah-laa……..all lubed up. Go on, grab a bar of soap and try it, I know you’re intrigued. :) The soap gives the pin the slightest coating and helps that little pin move right through your fabric. I’m serious, go give it a try.
And you know, not all my pins are stubborn. So, I just keep a bar of soap on a little plate near my sewing table. While pinning a project, if I come across a dull needle, I stick it into the bar of soap……and then resume. Pesky little pins aren’t gonna slow me down!
Oh, and have you ever been to the fabric store, and the lady behind the counter is trying to put the fabric back together on the bolt and pin the flap of fabric in place, and her pin gets stuck?? So she runs the pin through her hair? Well, yep, she’s lubing that pin up with the grease of her hair. (Have you actually seen that happen? It actually kind of grosses me out a bit…..but every time I see someone do it, I know exactly why. Maybe I should bring them a bar of soap on a plate as a gift.)
I have seen others dip their needles into wax but if you use soap, I feel like if there’s any sort of soap residue that gets onto the fabric, it will wash right out. Wax is a little more tricky to wash out (even though it would only be a tiny amount)…..so in my brain, soap makes me worry a little less.
And the best part, that one little bar of soap will last you forever. And ha, you thought you needed to keep buying new packages of straight pins.
credit: makeit-loveit.com
Buttons are the perfect finishing accent to so many projects. Not to mention the fact they are also a very functional closure. But if you have to sew on a lot of by hand, you might think twice about using them. I personally find sewing buttons by hand tedious, time-consuming, and I can sometimes have trouble getting them to look perfectly uniform. Sew4Home exclusive sewing machine sponsor, Janome America has come to our (and your) rescue. There's an easy method for sewing on buttons by machine. You can be sure they're securely attached, perfectly aligned, and once you've done one, your machine can use the same settings for multiple buttons of the same size.
For this demonstration, we're using the Janome Horizon Memory Craft 15000 machine, which has some nifty automatic button-sewing features. But these same general instructions should work with any machine that can perform a zig zag stitch with the feed dogs lowered.
If you want your stitches to blend in, choose a thread that's the same color as your button. If you'd like a nice contrast, choose thread that's the same color as your fabric. Or if your fabric has multiple colors, pick the one you'd most like to bring out. Here at Sew4Home, we sometimes use a contrasting color for button stitching (as well as the buttonhole) because it acts as a subtle accent.
We recommend a button sewing foot
It's a foot that's been specially designed to hold your button still while your machine stitches it down. Janome's Button Sewing Foot has a rubber coating to help keep the button from slipping.
The foot attaches to the machine ankle in two places to prevent it from rocking back and forth. Most manufacturers should have something similar.
If you absolutely have to sew on a button without a button sewing foot, you can remove the presser foot on your machine and use just the ankle of your machine to hold the button down. Or, you can hold the button down with an Open Toe Satin Stitch foot or similar, but you'll need to tuck some fabric under the back of the foot to keep it from rocking.
Set up your project
- Using a fabric pencil, mark on your fabric where you want the button. Place your button on the fabric and then tape it down with a piece of clear tape. You can sew right over the tape and it will easily pull off when you're done.
- Lower your feed dogs. Depending on your sewing level, "feed dogs" might be a foreign term. These are the "teeth" that push your fabric across the needle plate. They are located directly under the needle. In the photo below, you see the presser foot removed and the feed dogs lowered.
- You need to lower the feed dogs so the machine doesn't try to feed the button across the plate, and so the needle can stitch over and over in one location. The feed dogs on the Memory Craft 15000 lower automatically when you choose the button sewing function. Check your manual to see how lowering is done on your machine.
- Attach a button sewing foot. The Janome Button Sewing foot hooks onto our MC15000 at the back of the ankle then clicks into place like a regular snap-on foot. Check your manual for how to attach your machine's button sewing foot.
- Choose your button sewing stitch. Your machine may even have a stitch just for sewing on buttons. If so, select that. If not, you can use a zig zag stitch. Just set the stitch length to 0.
- Position your button under the foot so the needle will come down in the left hole of the button. Lower the foot to hold the button in place. Then hand crank the machine so the needle comes down, ensuring it's going through the middle of the left hole. You may need to lift the presser foot and move the button slightly for better alignment.
- Continue to hand crank the machine so the needle goes back up then comes down in the right hole. You can adjust this drop position by adjusting the stitch width. Just remember that any change in stitch width will apply to both swings of the needle, so you will need hand crank up and down again to test that your left hole position is still correct.
- When your needle hits the middle of each hole on the button, you're ready for stitching.
- Slowly sew 8 or 9 stitches. Our MC15000 does this number of stitches automatically.
- Raise the presser foot and slide your button and fabric out. Snip the the top and bottom thread tails, leaving at least 4" of thread. The tails will be coming out across the top of the button. Remove the clear tape.
- Using a hand sewing needle, pull your thread tails through the button so they are directly under the button but still on the top of the fabric. Wrap the tails a few times around the stitches you just made (just as you would do when hand stitching a button in place). This will form a nice "shank" for the button.
- Then insert the needle through to the back of the fabric, right alongside the stitching, and tie the two thread tails into a knot. Double or triple the knot for security. Trim the tails close to the knot.
- And now you've sewn on a button. As you repeat the process, it will go much more quickly.
For buttons with four holes
If your button has four holes, simply move the button forward slightly, and repeat the process for the second set of holes.
You can decide if the stitches in your four-hole button look better parallel or crossing. If you'd like a crossed or "X" effect, you will need to reposition your button at the appropriate angle.
Our thanks again to Janome America for helping us give you the information you need to keep your sewing machine running at its best. For more about Janome machines, accessories and projects, visit them online or follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube
We also thank the helpful ladies at Paramount Sewing & Vacuum in Eugene, Oregon for walking us through this demo, and explaining the great tip about taping down the button.
credit: www.sew4home.com
First of all let’s talk about what a zigzag stitch is and why you would use it. A zigzag stitch is just that-a stitch that zigzags. It looks like this:
Pretty basic right? But why would you use a zigzag? There are a couple of reasons:
1. A zigzag is a more sturdy stitch, so if you need something held extra tight, a zigzag is the stitch to use. That’s what I use when attaching the hood on my hooded towels because I know it will hold nice and tight.
2. A zigzag can be used to prevent fraying. If you are sewing clothing or something that you want to have be really nice and you don’t want any raw edges to fray, you can zigzag them first. (That is if you don’t have a serger.)
3. Zigzags are used in applique and button holes. We are going to learn about those more in Lesson 7.
So, let’s get started sewing.
To sew a zigzag stitch you are going to start out just the same as you did with your straight stitch from Lesson #1. Thread your bobbin and your machine. Somewhere on your machine is going to be a way to change from a straight stitch to a zigzag. Up above you can see a picture of how mine does it (mine is computerized). It may be a picture of a zigzag or it may be a number or letter that indicates what stitch you are doing. Check your manual for help on this. (See also the Meet Your Machine post.)
Set your machine to zigzag. The basic zigzag stitch is going to be of average length and average width:
But you will be able to change the stitch width and the stitch length as needed. Here are some examples:
On this one I have adjusted the WIDTH of the stitch to be larger. See how the zigzag is very big and wide?
But on this one I adjusted the LENGTH of the stitch-making the stitches long and farther apart:
Here they are closer together, meaning I adjusted the LENGTH again and in this case I also adjusted the WIDTH and made it a little smaller:
And on this one I adjusted the LENGTH almost as low as it could go:
When you have a really tight zigzag where the stitches are right up next to each other, that’s called a Satin Stitch.
Are you getting a sense of how you can adjust your stitches? Find where you do this on your machine and play around with it a little.
Now, typically when using a zigzag you can just keep your stitch width and length at a nice average setting. But it’s good to know how to change it as needed.
To sew a zigzag, LOWER your presser foot and your needle into the fabric. Make sure your machine is set on zigzag and sew an inch forward. Just like with the straight stitch, now push the reverse button and sew an inch backwards (back-stitching) and then go forward again. You have now knotted your thread and can continue sewing. Again, you can still use the edge of the presser foot or the seam guides to help you sew straightly.
One more thing to note. You’ll notice that sometimes that zigzag will make the fabric kind of gather in a tunnel underneath it. This can happen on lightweight fabric. There is a way around this. On your machine, the setting next to zigzag will look like a zigzag but dotted. This will do a zigzag but with three stitches per zig to help prevent the tunnel effect.
credit: crazylittleprojects.com
Ready for this? It’s Learn to Sew time! This is Lesson #1 of the Learn to Sew Series. This series will run for 7 weeks with all free, easy, online lessons to teach you how to sew from the comfort of your own home! You will do projects each week, have opportunities to enter to win prizes and have a lot of fun along the way I hope! This first lesson is a simple one, but a very basic and important one: How to Sew a Straight Line.
Before you read this post please make sure you have Met Your Machine, checked out the Sewing Dictionary and that you know How to Buy Fabric. Also, please read through and commit yourself to our Learn to Sew Series Pledge. THEN you can get started.
How many times have you heard-“This is easy as long as you can sew a straight line?” Well, let’s start with the basics today and learn to sew a straight line.
Sounds easy enough right? Let me just preface this by saying, it takes time and practice to sew a straight line. Your lines may not be perfectly straight to start. They may not be perfectly straight for a while. That’s OK! I promise. Just do your best and keep practicing.
Learn to Sew Series Details:
As this series runs a second time, I want to make this work for everyone. Some of you have done the series before or know how to sew, so I have three options for you all:
#1-For the beginners: Just do the series as it comes! It will teach you the basics, you will have weekly projects and you will learn to sew!
#2-I will post tutorials for some slightly more difficult sewing techniques and you can try those if you are already a master at the lesson we do that week.
#3-Start a bigger project this week-something that will stretch you and make you use new skills and might take a while to work on. Work on it each week and when you have, come back and enter the giveaway. This way you can make whatever works for you count!
Each week the lessons will go live on Monday at midnight Eastern Time and you have a week to complete them. I will have a weekly giveaway that you can come enter as well and I would LOVE it if you share, share, share with your friends who you think might also be interested! Let’s do this! (Giveaway at bottom of the page.)
HOW TO SEW A STRAIGHT LINE:
Get a piece of fabric ready to practice with-just a scrap of something will do. Preferably just a basic cotton-not anything knit or stretchy. It’s going to be easiest if you fold it so that you are sewing through 2 layers of fabric while you practice.
First, thread your machine (including the bobbin of course). Make sure you have your machine set to sew at an average stitch length (your manual will probably tell you what that is). You can take some time to play around with this-testing shorter stitches and longer stitches.
Now, take your piece of fabric and place it under the presser foot. For starters I want you to line your fabric up so that the right edge of your fabric matches up with the right edge of your presser foot as you look at it like I have done in this picture below. Lower the presser foot so that it is holding your fabric in place.
Before you start to sew, use your hand wheel (or up/down button if you have a computerized machine) to lower the needle so that it is all the way down into your fabric: (always do this when you begin to sew)
Now, slowly press your foot pedal down to begin to sew. Stitch forward for 1 inch:
Then push the reverse button or lever to back stitch for 1 inch (sew backwards over what you just sewed):
After you have back stitched over that 1 inch, proceed with a forward stitch again. You have just created a knot so that your stitches won’t come loose. You will do this whenever you sew unless otherwise specified.
Continue to sew forward. As you do, try to keep the edge of the fabric lined up with the edge of your presser foot. This will help you maintain a straight line. (See images above.) Also try to keep a nice steady pace. You can also put a piece of tape on your fabric to use as a guide to practice getting a straight line.
Once you reach the end of your fabric, knot it again. (Sew to the end, back stitch for about 1 inch, then sew forward again.)
Raise your presser foot and gently remove your fabric. Snip the threads that are attached to your fabric. Guess what? You just sewed your first straight line!
But wait-there’s more to learn.
What if you are sewing a straight line and you come to a corner (like if you are sewing a rectangle or square) that you need to turn to continue sewing. What do you do?
Sew almost all the way to the corner, but leave yourself about 1/4″-1/2″ of space between your needle and the very edge of the fabric. Making sure to lower your needle all the way into the fabric (this is very important), then lift your presser foot. Your fabric will stay in place because the needle is holding it, but you can now pivot it so that it is positioned to keep sewing, now in the new direction. Lower your presser foot and continue to sew. (See in the image how I have sewed down the fabric and I am now turning to sew a new direction. My needle is down in the fabric but my presser foot is lifted so that I can turn my fabric while not losing my place):
A couple more things. Sometimes you will be asked to baste. A baste is a long stitch that is much looser than a typical stitch. When you baste you do not knot at the beginning and the end. This is because you will probably be picking the baste stitch out (if it is just there to hold your fabric in place for the time being) or you will be using it to gather (which we will learn about in a few weeks). Here’s a baste:
A hem is when you fold under the fabric twice and sew it in place to create a nice finished edge (like at the bottom of your pants). To hem you will first fold the fabric under about 1/2″ and press (iron) it into place. Then fold it the same amount again, press it again and then do a straight stitch along it:
Here’s a hem being sewed:
And here it is finished:
Here’s an important thing to know when sewing a hem or at other times. If you are sewing a small area, like a pant leg, guess what? You can take off part of your machine to make it easier. See how I can sew that complete loop so easily because the fabric fits all the way around? Give it a try-that part of your machine will come right off and then go back on when you need it back on:
credit: crazylittleprojects.com
Now this guy is 
