No sewing pins? Cheaters Guide!

I was sewing curtains, and somehow I could not find my sewing pins anywhere.  So...in a short panic, I decided to get a little creative, and surprisingly this worked really well.  So well, that I had to share!

No sewing pins?...Use clothespins!

Here's perfection at it's finest ;)

I used the same theory when sewing a cotton skirt, and it worked just as well.

Hope this creation brings you luck, or at least brought a few smiles your way!  

If you try this out, please share your story...I'd really love to hear from you :)

Bow Tie - DIY Tutorial

My nephew was in a wedding this weekend, and he looked so charming in this little bow tie!

I found this awesome tutorial through Pinterest!  She has a lot of wonderful and helpful information, but with me not being a seamstress, I ended up reverting back to my bow making ways.  For me, I found it to be easier and maybe even a little faster, so maybe you'll find this tid bit of information suitable for you too.

If you have a little boy, this project is sure to be up your alley, so please don't forget to check out her page!

Let's get started!

You'll Need:
1/4 yard of fabric
small piece of soft fleece
sew on velcro
thread
sewing machine
needle
scissors or rotary cutter
cutting mat

To get started, lets cut all your pieces.  You'll need:

-2, 3" x 10" pieces of fabric
-1, 3" x 10" piece fleece
-1" piece velcro
-1, 2.5" x  4"(for the middle of the bow tie)
-1, 3" x 13" strip, depending on your child's neck size.   The one I'm making is for a two and a half year old.  Tip: To measure your child's neck; Measure with a shirt on, and go under the colar for a true measurement and add 2".  You can use elastic in place of this piece, but with ours being so formal, I wanted it all to match.

Take your 3, 3" x 10" strips, placing the right sides together of the fabric and the felt on top of that.

Sew around the edges of your fabric, leaving a 2" opening.  This is where i got a little carried away.  I ended up having maybe a 1.5" opening.  That's what I get for not paying attention!

Now you'll turn the fabric inside out.  *Make sure that the fleece goes on the inside*  I had a hard time with this, being that I had a smaller opening.  I ended up using a metal skewer and a pair of scissors, and this was by far the most tedious part of the whole process.  Hey...just being honest...

A quick note:  If you're using delicate fabric like I was, I would use your scissors (or whatever you're flipping the fabric with) on the fleece side.  You don't want anything to happen to your pretty fabric.  That would be devastating!

Once the fabric is flipped, take your open end of the fabric and tuck in the lose ends.

 

Pinching the two ends together, you're going to sew a zig zag seam to connect the two pieces together.

Your piece should look something like this:

This is when my bow making skills kicked in.  1st, Thread a needle with coordinating thread, (you'll need at least 36" of thread) and sit aside.  Now, take your sewn piece and lay it flat.  Don't be afraid to smash it flat to get it completely straight.  In the middle, you're going to place your index finger and thumb, on the top and bottom of the sewn material and pinch it together...

With your needle and thread, create a box shape.  Doesn't have to be pretty or perfect.  It's going to be covered up later on.

Now go directly through the backside and in a clock-wise motion, wind the thread directly around the center of the bow tie.

It should look like this:

 

The more you go around, the tighter you'll cinch it...

Now place the needled directly in the front center of the bow and move it towards the back, then back through the front, and through the back again.

(Keeping in mind you still haven't cut anything - Thread should still be attached to needle)

Now find your 1, 2.5" x  4" piece, for the middle of the bow tie...Folding both sides in so there are no frays, like this:

 With the middle piece, wrap it around the bow tie.

Sew middle pieces together, making sure not to go through the bow tie itself, as you still have your neck strap to put through.

  Tuck your neck strap through...Scissors help here...

And now it's time to sew on your velcor.  Make sure you do opposites sides, so it closes correctly!

There ya go...One perfect bow tie!

Sewing - How to thread a sewing machine

You've accomplished Parts One and Two, and now it's time for our last segment of this 3 part mini series.  Are you ready to start sewing?  I bet, so let's begin!

The final steps before you sew, is to thread your sewing machine needle.  While is this rather challenging the 1st few times, after you do it, it's no sweat.

I think everyone has their own little way of doing this, but the premise still stays the same. I start by placing my thread into the spool holder at the top of the machine.  Make sure to secure with the spool holder, cap, thingy.  I'm real technical...can't you tell :)

Move the lose thread from the spool, to the left hand side of your machine.  You're about to thread your machine.  Wee...

To the left, then down, around the pin...

Now down the "shoot". I believe this is known as the "Tension" but again with the technicalities.  FYI:  Most sewing machines these days have the instructions marked on the machine for reference.

Now before you move your thread back up the other side, you'll want to pull the hand wheel towards you to raise the hook.

Hand Wheel (On right hand side of machine)

Once the hook is raised, go back up the tension, and place your thread over the hook and back down the other side.

Once more, you're going to turn the hand wheel towards you. This will raise the needle. This is optional, but it's easiest if you have your needle to be up as high as it can go.  

Take a quick look at your thread, before we go to the next step.  Is it frayed?  If so, go ahead and snip the end with scissors.  Now that it's straight, go ahead and thread your needle, going directly through the front of the eye of the needle (or the hole), and pull a few inches of thread off to the left.

Holding onto the thread you just pulled to the left, move your hand wheel towards you once again, so that the needle goes directly down into the machine, into your bobbin, and pulls up your bobbin thread.

Continuing to hold onto the thread, pull your hand wheel towards you once again.  As the needle raises, it will pull the bobbin thread up.  Pretty cool!

Now you can slowly pull your bobbin thread out, and to the left.

I didn't photograph it, but to start sewing, you will want both thread pieces placed behind the needle.  So you're shifting the thread a full  90 degrees to your right.  Make sense?

Okay...then there you have it.  Time to start on that 1st project!

One last piece of advice?  When you start sewing, make sure you raise and lower the sewing foot.  If you have any questions, just ask!

Hope this series has helped and gotten you well on your way.  I'd love to see pictures of your 1st projects, just send them my way!!
 

Sewing - How to Insert Sewing Machine Bobbin

This is Part II of the Mini Sewing Series.  For Part I, please reference here.

Today I'll be showing you how to thread your bobbin into your sewing machine to start sewing.

You'll Need:
A full bobbin
Bobbin Case
Scissors 

To get started, you'll want to have your full bobbin and bobbin case handy.

The bobbin case looks like this:

You're going to keep this side up, while sliding your full bobbin into the center of the case, keeping a small thread dangling out.  Slide that thread into the slit on the bobbin case.  Like this:

With the dangling thread, slide it directly under the middle metal casing, until you hear it click

It should look like this:

Now it's time to place it into your machine.  Keeping this side up, push the bobbin case into the compartment

Viola!  You have successfully inserted your sewing machine bobbin.

Sewing - How to Thread a Bobbin

Okay, so let's be truthful here...  I am not a seamstress, but in this day in age, people are reverting back more and more to the DIY's of the "olden days".

From what I've observed, sewing seems to be hitting a lot of these DIY categories lately, and I absolutely love it!  Sewing is a craft that will be around until the end of time.  So if you're curious as to how to get started, I've put together a three part mini sewing series to get you moving on your way.

Today we'll be going over how to thread your bobbin.

You'll Need:
A sewing machine
Thread
Bobbin


To start you'll need to put your thread onto the thread spool of the machine, and feed the thread through the tract.  Every machine is different, but most beginner ones look like this:

Over, down, then around the silver piece, and to the right.

With the dangling thread, poke through one of the holes in your bobbin.

Leaving the thread poking through the hole, wrap the opposite end around the bobbin several times:

You just need a tiny bit left at the top so it doesn't unwind itself.

Now on top of of your machine, there is a bobbin winding mechanism.  Place your bobbin in that, and lock into place.  With your left hand, gently hold the lose thread.  Press down on the machine's foot pedal, and watch your machine work it's magic!

When the bobbin is full, your machine will stop.

Viola!  One filled bobbin.

*Note - Please be aware that anytime you change your color of thread, you will have to change the thread on your bobbin to match.  Just an FYI'er*