Sewing Quick Tips

When working with finer fabrics, use a fine, silk thread for hand basting. It’s less likely to leave noticeable holes behind in your fabric once it’s removed.

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Purchase an extra button or two for your project and sew it to the inside of the finished garment itself (you may see this done in better ready-to-wear garments). This way, if you lose a button, you’ll have an exact replacement handy.

Sew the button somewhere inconspicuous, such as inside the front band of a shirt near the bottom, inside the hem of skirt, or to a seam allowance.

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As a general guideline, to determine buttonhole size, measure the diameter and thickness of your button and add these two measurements together. Or, measure the diameter of your button and add about 1/8”.

Test this buttonhole size by cutting a slit in a scrap of your fabric and passing your button through it, making sure it has just enough, but not too much room to go through. It’s also a good idea to make a couple of test buttonholes in a scrap of your fabric before making the final buttonholes in your finished item.

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Choose a zipper that’s slightly longer than what your pattern calls for or that’s slightly longer than the length of your zipper opening. It’s generally easier to shorten a too-long zipper than to try to insert a zipper that’s precisely the right length.

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Have you ever heard the term mercerized used to describe some types of thread? Well, in case you’re wondering what the term means, here’s a definition:

Mercerization is a finishing process applied to cotton and cotton-wrapped polyester thread to make it smoother, give it luster, reduce lint, and to help it take dye better.

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