Mitered corners are a way to professionally finish 90-degree corners. You’ll often use them when hemming napkins, scarves, tablecloths, placemats, vents, and even wrap skirts and dresses. They’re also frequently used in quilting, both for binding the quilt and for adding a decorative border around the quilt top. In this article, we’ll cover 2 methods … Read more
Whenever I’m teaching a friend the basics of sewing, one of the first things I tell them is that “pressing is half of sewing”. Pressing in sewing is the act of applying heat, steam, and pressure to an area of fabric to make it lie flatter and smoother, as well as make it conform to … Read more
Sewing in a straight line is often the first challenge new sewists face, so today I’ll share 8 of my best tips for helping you sew perfectly straight and accurate seams, hems, and topstitching. The easiest way to sew in straight lines is to use a presser foot with a built-in guide. However, if you … Read more
An invisible zipper allows you to sew a completely hidden zip inside a seam. There is no visible stitching on the outside of the project. It’s normally used in the center backs or side seams of garments like dresses, skirts, trousers, jumpsuits, and tops; pillows and cushions; and bags. I’ll show you step-by-step instructions to … Read more
A centered zipper installation is an easy way to sew a regular zip in a nearly invisible way. With this method, the zipper teeth are concealed under two flaps of fabric that meet at the center. This is a great technique to use when you don’t want your zipper to be exposed on your project, … Read more
A lapped zipper is a way of sewing a regular zipper in a concealed way. With this technique, a folded flap of fabric covers the zipper and offers a mostly invisible finish. You can use it on side seams or the center back/front seams of trousers, skirts, tops, dresses, jumpsuits, and even cushions and bags. … Read more
If your sewing project calls for a zipper that’s shorter in length than the one you have, you can easily shorten your existing zipper. Depending on the material and style of your zipper, you’ll need to choose the appropriate technique for shortening. In general, there are two ways to shorten a zipper: from the top … Read more
A separating or open-end zipper is a type of zipper that features a special mechanism at the bottom of the zipper teeth which allows the two sides of the zipper to fully come apart and be rejoined. It’s often used on the center front and back seams of hoodies, sweatshirts, vests, jackets, coats, fitted tops, … Read more
If you’re new to making bags and zipper pouches, you’ll need to learn how to make 3D shapes by “boxing” the corners. Here are 2 ways to sew neat boxed corners, 3 ways to finish the raw edges if your bag is unlined, and how to calculate the corner sizes. This guide includes step-by-step video … Read more
Here’s how to hand sew the strongest seams using a backstitch (full and half versions). I’ve included beginner-friendly instructions for the whole process: getting your supplies, preparation work, the sewing process, and how to finish your seam and secure it in two ways. Contents list: What’s the best hand stitch for seams? What supplies you … Read more