tip of the day – problems mending blue jeans or pants on your small sewing machine?
August 26, 2008 by Chloe Findlay-Harder
Filed under Home & Living
I recently got an email from a reader, asking for help because she couldn’t mend blue jeans on her small sewing machine.
There are a few things that can make your life easier, especially if you have a small sewing machine, or a machine with a small harp or large base.
- First of all, try rolling up the pant leg as tightly as you can – reducing the bulk can make your life easier.
- Use safety pins to hold the rolled areas together – that way you won’t have to worry about holding them together tightly. Just make sure you don’t sew over the pins!
- Try a different angle. If you’re trying to sew a patch from the bottom of the cuff, upward – try going from the waistband down – it can be easier to slide the larger areas of the pants onto the machine.
- Make sure the patch is fused on – again, if you’re not having to hold extra things in place it will make your life so much easier!
Unfortunately, there are some sewing machines that are simply too small or under-powered to tackle heavy fabrics like blue jeans. If your machine stalls when you’re sewing – stop and ask someone else for help!
I’m not sure why, but I’ve always passed over jeans that are too long for me. I’m only 5′4″ and the makers all think people are 5′7″ or wear heels all the time! And petite is too short.
I figured they are too difficult to hem.
Thanks for the tips Chloe. I’d like to add one.
If you don’t have a commercial machine and want to tackle any heavy fabric (like denim), be sure you are using the right type of needle and that it is practically new.
Yes, some sewing machines simply are too small for heavy fabrics.