how to shorten a zipper I have so many zippers I don't know what to do. And most of them are pretty long, which is great! But zipper pouches call for shorter zippers so this is how you shorten them. First, decide how long you want your zipper. Then go 3/4" down from that and that is your sewing point. Make a new zipper stop by whipstitching across the zipper teeth a few times. A whipstitch is just a swoop all the way around. Now you have a new zipper stop, replacing the metal one that comes on the zipper. Cut off the excess and you're ...Continue Reading

[centered zippers] I'm scared of the dark. And snakes. And I used to be scared of zippers too. After my zipper post, some of you expressed your fear of zippers. Do you ever dismiss a project because it has zipper? Or decide to alter it into an elastic waistband or a button closure? I've been guilty, too.Time to face your fear. It's really not that bad! There are lots of ways to put zippers in. Zippers in a seam, lapped zippers, invisible zippers. So we'll just start basic. I used a turquoise silk for this tutorial, so the photos look a little ...Continue Reading

[how to keep your pins sharp] The classic tomato pincushion like this one helps to keep your pins sharp. The strawberry is filled with emery sand, so each time you put your pins in they are refined a little bit, smoothing out the metal and cleaning up the pins. Your pins are kept smooth and sharp, and clean! No more snagging pins. Emery is a really hard rock, that is used as an abrasive powder in lots of different ways. It's in some types of sandpaper, too. You can buy these little tomatoes for cheap on amazon. Or you can buy emery sand ...Continue Reading

[seam finishes without a serger] My favorite way to finish a seam edge is with a serger. It's so easy and looks professional. But you don't need to have serger to have nice looking seams. Sometimes I feel like I leave out a whole group of people when I say "serge your seams." So here are a few other easy ways to finish your seams sans serger.PinkingYou need a pair of pinking shears for this one, but all you do is cut the seam allowance with these babies and you've got yourself a mostly un-fray-able seam. Pinking shears cut triangles on the ...Continue Reading

Let's talk about grain.Grain matters. Usually.Every piece of woven fabric has grain. Lengthwise grain, crosswise grain and bias grain. Grain describes the direction of the threads. It's important when sewing, just like woodgrain is important when building.  The lengthwise grain is parallel to the selvage edge.Crosswise grain is perpendicular.Bias grain runs at a 45 degree angle from lengthwise and crosswise grain.  Bias grain is the stretchiest and has the most give. Crosswise grain is next stretchy. Lengthwise grain tends to have the least ...Continue Reading