The Ultimate Collection of Sewing Tips and Tricks

No matter your skill level, this collection of almost 30 sewing tips and tricks will take the stress out of sewing.

Dear Sewing Superstar,

There are a few essential sewing skills that make your work come together. From basics like adding buttons and cutting fabric to more advanced sewing adventures like working with leather or velvet, once you know these tips and tricks, your sewing world will really open up!

You can repair that hole in your favorite top, add pockets to those pants you love, or design and craft a new skirt, or even your entire wardrobe. It all begins with some essential sewing skills.

This collection, Our Best Sewing Tips & Tricks: From Beginner Basics to Intermediate Skills, is the ultimate guide to the secrets of sewing. If you’re just starting out, don’t miss the exclusive sewing and quilting videos in this collection. Then join us for an in-depth breakdown of working with more difficult materials.

The collection begins with a series of videos from author and sewing teacher Mary Beth Temple. In Sewing Machine Needles 101, Mary Beth discusses the four most common types of sewing machine needles, and she teaches you when to use each type. You’ll also learn when to change your needles, what needle numbers mean, and more. Who knew there was so much to learn about needles?

Mary Beth then walks you through replacing buttons and adding rows of decorative buttons. Watch How to Sew on a Button and discover methods for threading and sewing your buttons to give your garments a professional look. And while it may sound basic, you really should watch How to Tie a Knot. You’ll learn the best way to tie a knot — and hide a knot, too, for a professional, finished look.

Some sewing skills seem like magic. In Quilting 101: Essential Skills (Cutting, Pressing and Seaming), Marie Segaresis pulls back the curtain and shows you the secrets. In this video, you’ll learn how to press wrinkles out of your fabric, how to stitch your fabric together and press your seams, and much more. Find out how to accurately measure and safely cut your fabric, and get ready to design some beautifully pieced blocks.

And that’s just the beginning! In all there are almost 30 articles in this collection with dozens of tips and tricks that everyone who picks up a needle and thread should know.

Embroidery 101: The Essential Beginner’s Guide

Intro Guides to Sewing Basics

There are some sewing basics we should all know, and this section of the guide will help you get up to speed where you need it. Some of the basic skills we cover include:

• Embroidery 101: The Essential Beginner’s Guide
• Alterations 101: How to Alter a Dress for Summer
• Sewing 101: How to Sew Princess Seams
• Sewing Notions 101: How to Sew an Exposed Zipper

If you want to try piecework, read English Paper Piecing 101 and make a lovely Christmas Candle Mat. Once you get the hang of this time-honored technique, your project potential is wide open! And it’s so portable — all you need is needle and thread to put it all together!

Fabric 101: How to Sew Wool

Fabric Guides for Beginners

We know that different fabrics call for different sewing techniques. We’ve got you covered with tips on sewing fabrics with different weights and weaves. Learn more about sewing:

• Leather
• Velvet
• Wool
• Chiffon
• Stretch Fabric
• Swimsuit Fabric

These tips will help you build confidence with different fabrics and cut down the number of seams you rip out with fabrics that can be challenging to work with. With our time-saving and easy sewing tips, you’ll have new projects humming along in no time!

Mending Made Easy: 10 Quick Fixes for Common Signs of Wear and Tear

Step Up Your Skills

You’re probably familiar with the various techniques used in garment construction – but what about fixing up those pieces that you already have hanging in your closet? Repairing old items of clothing not only ensures that we can wear our old favorites again and again, but it keeps them out of the landfill, too.

In Mending Made Easy: 10 Quick Fixes for Common Signs of Wear and Tear, embroidery artist Sophie Tarrant shares 10 simple ways to repair those items that still have a lot of life left in them. Learn to replace a zipper, darn a sock, repair tiny holes, and make art out of your mending. Help yourself – and the planet – with our guide to the 10 simple repair techniques that every sewist needs to know. Our Best Sewing Tips & Tricks also guides you through these skills:

• 6 Tips and Tricks for Embellishing Denim
• How to Add Ruffles to a Skirt – or Anything Else!
• 10 Tips for Shortening Hems + How to Hem Denim
• A Beginner’s Guide to Fabric Dyeing
• 6 Easy Steps to Sewing Mitered Corners
• Walk This Way: How to Use a Walking Foot

Perfect Pockets: How to Add Inseam Pockets

Sewing Series

If there’s one thing I love, it’s pockets. In the Perfect Pockets series, you’ll learn a basic skill that every sewist should know: how to add pockets to a garment. The series begins with How to Add Inseam Pockets then moves to How to Add Patch Pockets. A favorite, though, is How to Add Hidden Pockets. What’s better than a hidden pocket for carrying your cash or favorite lip balm? These step-by-step tutorials will help you master the art of creating handy pockets! You’ll also learn about:

• Smocking 101: Beginner Basics
• Smocking 101: The Outline Stitch
• Smocking 101: The Wave Stitch

Just imagine all the projects you can start (or finish!) once you’ve gotten these sewing skills under your belt.

Our Best Sewing Tips & Tricks: From Beginner Basics to Intermediate Skills includes the skills and techniques you need to master the art of sewing. What will you make next?

Become a Charter Member of the We Like Sewing Gold Club today, and you’ll never run out of projects or inspiration! And right now, when you become a Gold Club Charter Member you will get instant access to printable, designer quilting and sewing patterns for home décor, quilts, bags, outfits, baby items, and so much more!

When you activate your We Like Sewing Gold Club Charter Membership today, you’ll get access to everything we have about sewing and quilting—all access, all the time:

Please act now, while this special offer is still in effect for you!

Happy Sewing!

Caitlin Eaton
Editor, We Like Sewing Magazine

P.S. Imagine having 24/7 access to hundreds of sewing patterns and articles, step-by-step instructions, and video tutorials to help you master any sewing project. All this and more can be yours when you become a Charter Member of the We Like Sewing Gold Club today!