Top 10 Sewing tips

Fill a pincushion with steel wool to make your own needle-sharpening pincushion. This will make using a needle and pushing it through the fabric so much easier! Related Post: 16 Incredibly Cool Things To Do With Washi Tape

Create gathers in fabric using the cheating method (aka the corded zig-zag method). Simply sew a large zig-zag stitch over a piece of yarn, and use the yarn to gather the fabric before using a straight stitch to sew the gathers in place.

Again, a bodkin is your best friend when it comes to feeding elastic through sewed fabric. However, not everyone owns a bodkin or wants to purchase one. If you don’t have one, all is not lost. You can mimic the same effect by simply pinning a safety pin to your elastic and feeding it through with that. It may take a bit longer, but you’ll still get it done.

Metallic thread is beautiful but it can be very difficult to use. If you are sewing with decorative thread, you can use two spools (one decorative and one regular) threaded through the machine and around the needle. Do this the same way that you normally would, only with two pieces and thread both pieces through the needle eye. The regular thread will help to support the decorative thread and push it along. Source and more info: sulky

Order in the fabric shelf is essential! In order to have your scraps of fabric at hand, you can easily label them. Label a note with the relevant information such as the type and size of the fabric and attach the label to the leftover fabric – we did it with tape.

Make marks to measure on your finger when you are sewing embroidery stitches. Your finger becomes your pattern! You will be able to sew faster and have no marks on your fabric using this trick.

A fork can do so much when you’re creating ruffles. Honestly, this is one of the easiest ways to make ruffles I’ve ever seen. You just fold the material over the fork and sew the other side. It creates perfectly uniform pleats every time. Be careful that you don’t sew your fork, though!

Keep a tape measure attached to the edge of your sewing table so that you always have the proper measurements. You can easily attach a tape measure with Velcro or a similar solution. This ensures that your measurements are always exact and that you never misplace your ruler.

Use a bodkin to draw elastic out of a waistband! You can also use it to find missing cords in drawstring pants and hoodies. I can’t even think about all the times I have lost a cord…this is genius.

Pressing your fabric before sewing gives you a more precise fabric measurement, and  pressing your finished sewing project when you’re done would give you a professional, polished look! Here are some important tips to make before starting on your sewing project by Denise Wild from StudioFabricana.