Practical Sewing Tips & Techniques

Advance your basic sewing skills with a collection of the most useful intermediate skills and techniques. Even if you’re a seasoned sewist, you’ll benefit from the tips and tricks designed to make your sewing easier. To begin, instructor Nicki LaFoille explains troubleshooting techniques for most common sewing problem: tension. What is correct and incorrect tension? Learn how to make the correct adjustments to get perfect tension and how to alleviate those nasty thread nests and other common tension problems.

Then learn about the vast array of elastics available, the differences between them and how to know what type to choose for what purpose. Get step-by-step instructions on how to create three different waistband types using elastic.

Hems are a vital part of every project, whether it’s a garment or not. Learn to finish your edges to make your project look crisp and professional. Learn different hemming techniques for different projects, such as those with slinky fabrics or curved edges. Nicki will also demonstrate how to shorten a garment while preserving the original factory hem.

Zippers are another problem area for many sewists. Zippers can seem intimidating, as there are many different types of zippers: coil, invisible, separating. Nicki explains the differences and demonstrates how to insert a coil zipper and an invisible zipper.

Knowing how to attach binding is not just great for quilts. Binding is a great way to finish garment and home-dec project edges with a professional look or a pop of color. Nicki explains the formula to calculate the needed length, how to make your own and how to apply it in two different ways. Nicki also demonstrates how to join the binding ends and how to create crisp, mitered corners.

Altering patterns is one of the most useful techniques to learn if you intend to sew garments. Nicki demonstrates how to slash and spread, how to remove darts from patterns, and make alterations to necklines, sleeves and skirts.

Then, Nicki will explain some common sewing tips, and answer some frequently asked questions, such as how to prevent wavy edges on knits, how to read commercial patterns and how to blend pattern sizes.