Sewing tips | 10 Tips to Avoid Common Sewing Mistakes |

Do you sometimes make tiny or big mistakes that ruin your sewing projects? Are you tired of having a pile of clothes in the process of being finished following a blunder? Don't worry, it happens to everyone! To help you avoid disaster and procrastinate, I'm sharing some essential tips below.

These special sewing tips will not only allow you to avoid common mistakes, but also prevent inconveniences such as the need to unpick or damage your precious fabric.

Follow these tips to gain precision and peace of mind behind your sewing machine.

Wash the fabric before cutting

The most important reason to machine wash fabric is to shrink it before cutting the pieces. This avoids unpleasant surprises after the first wash when your precious garment comes out two sizes smaller!

In addition, the journey of a fabric then garment is long and we don't really know where the fabrics have been before bringing them into our home. I have worked with and visited clothing factories before, I assure you that hygiene rules are not always respected. I can picture the rolls of stored fabric in which mice settle to make their nests. So, first step; washing!

Iron at each stage

After washing, ironing!

Ironing the fabric/garment at all stages of construction is essential for a quality garment.

Sewing is a question of precision and each step, from the cutting, is important. Cutting unironed fabric means taking the risk of an irregular seam and a shift in the patterns or seams.

In addition, a beautiful, neat seam and ironed flat prepares the sewing of the next step.

Another reason is that, in addition to washing the fabric before use, it must be decatised, that is to say, it must be ironed at a certain heat, permitted by the nature of the fabric, in order to fix its size permanently.

Take into account the grainline of the fabric

After having nicely placed almost all the pieces of the sewing pattern, you still have the last one to fit. I can imagine that you have already tried to fit it crooked?! It makes you want to for sure, but it's a big no-no!

In order to allow a good fall of the garment, the pieces must follow the grainline of the fabric. If this is not the case, the garment will be biased and will have differences of movements which is rather unsightly.

Use scissors only for fabric

Well-sharpened scissors are an absolute pleasure! So, the pair used to cut the fabric must be exclusive to this activity, otherwise the blades risk damaging the fabric while cutting, and even pulling a thread for several centimeters.

Use a good quality thread

Sewing thread is expensive! But using a poor quality thread is even worse!

I have already tried it and I can tell you that using a good thread will save you time and headaches with your sewing machine. Indeed, it's sensitive and doesn't like cheap thread at all, you may have to get out the seam ripper.

In conclusion, a quality sewing thread is essential.

Use the right sewing machine needle

You are sewing cretonne, lycra or leather, you will have to change needles in order to adapt to the nature of the fabric.

There is a wide choice of needles at the haberdashery, it's worth selecting a few according to your needs so that the stitches are precise and as suitable as possible.

Do some tests before sewing

You are making a thick seam with more layers than usual, your fabric is very flexible, you are making a zig-zag, I advise you to do a test on a piece of fabric before. In this way, you will be able to see if the machine is suitable for the seam to follow and if the stitch suits you.

Do not use glue

I am not a fan of using glue or any other magic sticker to sew a garment, it risks altering its quality and durability. In addition, any liquid glue is a potential risk of staining the garment that cannot be removed, so we leave that aside.

Note that I am not talking about the iron-on interfacing that is used to stiffen the pieces and which will be hidden inside the garment.

Use a thimble

I often hear that the thimble is a nuisance and that it's not practical for making stitches by hand. You just have to get used to using it to realise that it's much more pleasant and easier to guide the needle where you want. It avoids making holes and hurting your finger when you have to force a little between the many layers.

Botching the finishing touches

At sewing school, the teachers used to say that the inside should be as pretty as the outside. I tend to agree with this principle, without overdoing it either.

But how beautiful it is to see a garment with neat finishes.

After these few ideas to avoid sewing mistakes, I invite you to suggest others in the comments below.