Sewing Tips & Tricks

Keeping your shoes looking fresh is no easy task. Weather, spills and general wear and tear can make your shoes lose their shine after only a few wears. Rust-oleum Never Wet for boots and shoes and Max Pro Heavy Duty Water and Stain Repellent fight that by creating an invisible but powerful protective barrier around your shoes. Here's how to use these products so you can protect your own shoes!

Why don't they make women's clothing with pockets? I will never understand and truthfully will never forgive clothing manufacturers for the lack of storage space in my clothing. My guy friends can hold their phone, wallets, keys, a can of soda, their favorite novel, and snacks galore with ease. But if I don't want to carry a purse with me that day, I am doomed to hold all my valuables in my hands and just hope that I don't put something important down and forget to pick it back up. (Or put it in the pockets of my male friends as a way of fighting back this unfair system.

A flat felled seam or run and fell seam is a sturdy seam used for apparel. Most notably in jeans and workout apparel.

Clothing alterations are some of my favorite projects and when I found this dress I knew I needed to share my process to help other people work through their own clothing transformations. This particular dress is made out of denim, which gave me the opportunity to show How to Sew a Flat Felled Seam. This method will work with any non-formfitting piece of clothing though. If you are looking to make the article really form fitting follow the steps in our How to Alter Jeans to be Larger tutorial to learn a more precise way to measure the clothing to fit your body and then come back to this article and start following along starting at step 2. I find a lot of my clothes at thrift stores so obviously I don't get the luxury of being picky about sizing.

Everyone has that old pair of sweatpants laying around that are so old the elastic has stretched out to the point where they won't stay up anymore. So, I'm going to show you how to replace that elastic so your favorite and most comfy pants fit like they're supposed to. Exposed elastic and hidden elastic are going to be the most common bands you will see so I am going to be demonstrating on both.

Spice up your bows! Here are 5 easy bow tying tricks for your next craft, gift or DIY accessory. From a classic bow to more sophisticated looks, we have you covered!

Did you grow out of your favorite jeans? Or found a pair at the thrift store that didn't fit great but were to nice to pass up? I recently went through all my clothes and got rid of the things that didn't fit me anymore, but there were a few pairs that I just could not bring myself to parting with. I looked into different ways to make your pants larger, but none of them actually gave me the amount of space I needed to get these super comfy mom jeans on again. So I had an idea.

Eyelets or grommets great for apparel and arts and crafts. They come in all different sizes and can be used to keep cording from tearing holes in fabric, to add structural support, or for decorative purposes. To use eyelets, you will need a marker, scissors, a hammer, the eyelets themselves and a kit. Many eyelets come with the kit in the package, but double check before purchasing

Heavy Duty Snaps are a great replacement for buttons, sew on snaps, and VELCRO® on apparel, furniture, and accessories. They are easy to use, super strong, and a permanent fix for projects from making a jacket to fixing a boat cover. I hope this tutorial helps with your next snap project! To use these snaps you will need the snaps and heavy duty snap pliers. Snaps come with four different ends.

Ripped your favorite jeans? Save them with these iron-on patch hacks. Using Dritz Denim Iron-On Patches, we'll show you how to fix a rip that ripped too far, a ripped belt loop, and the worn inner thighs of jeans. Iron-on patches are also available in other types of fabrics. See the video instructions at the bottom of the page.

Living in New England is such a blessing and such a curse. On one hand we have ALL the seasons. On the other hand WE HAVE ALL THE SEASONS (Winter, Fool's Spring, Second Winter, Spring… of deception, Third winter, Mud season, Actual Spring… you get it) Ask my UGG's how they feel about it. They can't answer, because they're shoes but also because they're caked in salt residue. I can't bring myself to replace them though because they are my favorite and they fit me like a glove at this point.

Webbing is a lightweight yet strong piece of fabric that can withstand heavy use for many years when sealed or finished correctly. I am testing six types of webbing: Cotton webbing Jute webbing Rubber webbing Nylon webbing Polypropylene webbing Polyester webbing Each material can be sealed with a variety of methods and I will show you what methods work best for each material. Note that I tried using boiling water and shellac on each material but was not successful using either of these methods for the materials I was working with. See our Webbing Product Guide for more information on these different types of webbing and what they're used for. Scroll to the end of the article to see the video displaying the methods we used.

Faux fur, sherpa, fleece, and minky are trendy fabrics that are great for winter wear and blankets because they're soft and very warm. To keep each fabric looking new, they have specific care instructions and should be washed on their own. Here are the best ways to keep them looking fresh and new. Go to the bottom of the page to see the video.

The running stitch is an easy hand sewing stitch that can be used in many projects, it can also be used to gather fabric. A smaller running stitch can also be used for embroidery and appliques. You can also do a back stitch by hand.

The back stitch can be used as a decorative top stitch or to create a strong seam similar to the straight stitch on a sewing machine. You can leave a bit of space between stitches if you prefer that look for decorative stitching. This stitch is used a lot for embroidery and appliques. You can also do a running stitch by hand.

Dritz Stitch Witchery is a fusible bonding web that's great for no-sew projects. It can also be used for hems and other applications where you don't want stitches showing. The bonding tape is a strip of adhesive that melts when ironed to adhere fabric together, creating a permanent bond. Stitch Witchery comes in various widths from 1/4″ to 2″ and several weights from ultra light weight to super weight. It's machine washable and can be dry cleaned.

Magnetic snaps are a great fastener solution for many types of bags as well as other accessories and clothing. We offer them in two finishes: Dritz Magnetic Snaps (Silver) Dritz Gilt Magnetic Snaps (Gold) Despite the professional look, adding them to your project is easy. Here are a few quick steps for attaching magnetic snaps.

Foam can easily be cut with a serrated knife or electric knife, like the kind for cutting turkey. If you want to cut foam professionally, it's worth investing in a foam cutter like the ACU 350 foam cutter which has two blades to produce a fine, reliable cut. Here are some tips for cutting foam.

If you make your own clothing, or are looking to in the future, working with a stretch fabric at some point is pretty much unavoidable. Whether it be a jersey knit for a tank top, a stretch velvet for some kind of hat, or spandex for a blouse lining, stretch fabric is everywhere in the world of apparel. Some people try to avoid working with stretch fabric because it can be a little difficult to work with, but with a few guidelines, it can be simple. Here are some tips for sewing stretch fabric.

Oilcloth is a durable fabric that's easy to clean and does not fray. This shiny waterproof fabric is made of vinyl with a cotton mesh backing. Its uses range from tote bags and aprons to tablecloths and placemats. Take a look at our Oilcloth Product Guide for more information. Projects we've used oilcloth in: Oilcloth Apron Cosmetic Bag With Brush Holder Scalloped Outdoor Tablecloth with Oilcloth Here are some tips for sewing oilcloth fabric.

Burlap fabric is popular to use for tree skirts, table runners, craft projects, and more. It can be a little difficult to work with due to it's loose weave and tendency to fray. Here are some tips for sewing burlap fabric.

Cord shade locks are used for blinds, Roman shades, and similar window treatments. They're used to easily open and close the shade by gripping and releasing the cords. They come in several sizes depending on how many cords will be strung through.

Learn 6 different ways to hem fabric: Serged hem Double fold hem Invisible hem with bonding tape Hem with hem tape Handsewn blind hem Machine-sewn blind hem Choose a type of hem depending on your project and personal preferences.

Learn how to adjust the length of tank top straps using this simple tutorial. If your tank top's too low-cut or it's gaping at the top, making the straps shorter is a really easy way to fix it. This method works on any garment with similar strap styles. Having a friend to help you out is great, but you can do it yourself by taking it on and off to make adjustments to the pins until you're happy.

This super simple tutorial shows you how to let out a buttoned shirt so it's less restricted in the bust area. You can move just a few select buttons, but we adjusted all of them so they look uniform.

There are two great ways to attach fabric without sewing: fabric glue or a fusible bonding tape like Dritz Stitch Witchery. If you have a sewing machine, sewing is often still the fastest and most reliable method for many projects, but fabric glue or Stitch Witchery are great alternatives. They are also used when you don't want stitches to show, like on curtain hems. Different materials and fabric finishes may affect how well these products work so it's best to test either method on a scrap of fabric before using.

Learn 2 simple ways to upcycle old t-shirts into light and comfy workout tank tops. There are many ways to turn t-shirts in to workout tanks, but these are really quick and easy because they involve no sewing.

In this tutorial I'll be showing you how to hem a pair of jeans using the original hem line. By using this method, you can't even tell that the jeans were hemmed.

Buttonholes can be intimidating but they're not as hard as you might think, you just need a bit of planning and patience. This method uses a sewing machine, but you won't need any special attachments.

A Hong Kong seam can mostly be found in pants, dresses, and coats. This seam gives a smooth and lightweight finish on both sides.