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my little tips for making life easier.. tips and tricks for effective sewing
Lady Zoo Intermediate MI USA Member since 2/18/09 Posts: 2	Login to reply to this post 2 members like this. Date: 2/18/09 3:21 PM Okay, i did not see another post similar to this one, so here are some of my tips. 1. I use crayola washable markers for most fabric marks. I dont have the option to sew all day long yet, so if i use a dissappearing marker, the marks disappear too soon. Crayola seems to have a good reputation for quality, and (in august) i can usually get a 12 pack of markers for what i would pay for one disappearing marker anyway. I can use similar colors of marker to fabric or i can use the marker color to separate sizes of same garmets. 2. I use gallon and 2 gallon sized ziploc bags to store my patterns in. I cannot fold my patterns up into the small envelopes, so i put the instructions in the envelope, and the envelope and pattern pieces in the bag. small pieces of fabric, trim, and acrutrements fit in the bag if i need to travel with my pattern, or store it for a while.
teagg AUSTRALIA Member since 5/25/05 Posts: 738	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 2/18/09 4:54 PM I'll use pritt stick/uhu stick/office stick glue (all washable and non-toxic) to stick down fiddly things or for speed... in particular I find it useful for placing bias binding, which I then sew over. ETA as per a lot of other people, I'll use weights and a small rotary cutter to speed cutting out. Also I roll most of my smaller pieces of fabric (larger ones are folded) and store them in a wire-basket drawer (Elfa is the brand) with the little ends visible... makes it easier to see what I have got. -- Edited on 2/18/09 4:58 PM -- ------ G Sydney, Australia
tourist   Intermediate BC CANADA Member since 7/23/07 Posts: 5417	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 2/18/09 7:05 PM I've started keeping 2 bags, open and within reach, near each of my sewing areas. One is for fabric scraps that will be sent to recycling and one is for actual garbage. I actually don't have one next to my machine yet, but I will put one there that is just for threads and other things that can be recycled - serger tails etc. ------ http://bgballroom.wordpress.com to follow the progress on my next ballgown.
Karla Kizer   Advanced FL USA Member since 4/8/02 Posts: 6986	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 2/18/09 7:18 PM I found some mini cat litter pans at Walmart. They're about 11" by 13", 3" deep and just the right size to hold all the fabric, cut pieces, pattern, etc. for a project. I find them more convenient than ziploc bags, because I can pitch things into them from a distance and it's more likely that all the pieces and parts will wind up where they're supposed to be. They're inexpensive - $1.39 sounds right - and I can keep half a dozen of them stacked on top of each other and before you ask , yes, I often have that many works in process going on at once. Now I'd like to meet the mini-cat they were designed for..... ------ “Never try to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and it annoys the pig.” -Robert Heinlein and Ann's father. Thanks for the reminder, Ann. Where are we going, and what am I doing in this handbasket? Matthew 25:40 (New International Version) The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Lorri   UT USA Member since 9/11/06 Posts: 395	Login to reply to this post In reply to Lady Zoo Like this post Date: 2/18/09 7:53 PM In regards to not being able to fold a pattern back into the pattern envelope: I learned a new trick. Iron your remaining and used pieces with a warm, dry iron, then fold them to fit in the pattern envelope. Press each fold, and slide them in. Works great for me, but then I put them in the two gallon bag because I can see the picture and if any small pieces happen to slide out, they are contained.... ------ Lorri
Miss Fairchild   Advanced USA Member since 8/24/02 Posts: 6990	Login to reply to this post In reply to Karla Kizer Like this post Date: 2/18/09 10:20 PM Quote: I can pitch things into them from a distance For some reason, this seemed funny to me, especially with the picture I had in my mind. Kind of like ''softball in the sewing room''.... ------ "We don't impose our rhythm on Nature. The key is to respect and live within Her." Jean-Charles Boisset, Winemaker "And no, now that you asked, I didn't enjoy that play one bit, and I'd like a refund" Signed, Mrs. Lincoln My Etsy shop: auntmaymesattic My blog: auntmaymesattic.wordpress.com Avatar: First place award for jacket at county fair
CM_Sews Intermediate CA USA Member since 9/18/04 Posts: 1476	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 2/18/09 10:29 PM I use a 2-pint cottage cheese or yogurt container as a small "waste basket" which I can keep on the table next to my sewing machine. I just drop the thread snips, serger tails, teeny tiny scraps and trimmings, etc. into the container. Hmm. 2 pints = 1 quart, doesn't it? At any rate, that's the size I like best for my mini-waste basket. CMC
poplin Advanced WA USA Member since 5/28/06 Posts: 1355	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 2/19/09 0:13 AM I don't like it when my patterns are creased or curl. I've been thinking of purchasing pattern hooks, but I think, they work better with patterns made of tagboard/oaktag pattern paper. So for now, the plastic pant hangers from clothing stores are a great alternative for me. They keep my patterns flat, and I can hang them in the closet. ------ Dec 2012: 2 yards Her needlework both plain and ornamental was excellent, and she might have put a sewing machine to shame. ~James Edward Austen-Leigh, about Jane Austen
cindy-lou   Intermediate NC USA Member since 7/21/06 Posts: 3642 Board Moderator	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 2/19/09 7:38 AM Of note: there have been similar threads, but I can't find them, so... I'll pin this one. We'll keep up with it. :) ------ Cindy Lou, no more than 2 "Sew, Esmerelda! Sew like the Wind!" -Martin Short, The Three Amigos "When inspiration calls, you don't send it to voicemail." --Will I Am.
Doris W. in TN   Intermediate TN USA Member since 2/9/04 Posts: 6744	Login to reply to this post In reply to poplin Like this post Date: 2/19/09 8:39 AM Geek sewing - I hang my patterns, just like you do. All my patterns are always traced, then altered, so I keep the original pattern, and the small pieces like pockets, collars, etc., in an large zip-loc (1 or 2 gallon size) . I use a hole punch to make a hole in the middle of the top of baggie, and hang the Zip-Loc bag on the hanger hook that way.

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