There are basic sewing skills that are so useful that everyone who sews should know them – it doesn’t matter if you sew clothing, fiber art, crafts or quilt, they’re useful!

How to use the straight stitch and zig-zag stitch on your sewing machine.  Knowing how to change the stitch length is also very useful.  These two stitches are incredibly versatile – in fact, they’re the ones I use 99% of the time!
Can you choose a pattern based on your sewing skills? Most pattern companies will list the level of difficulty for their pattern – either on the pattern envelope or …read more

Do you need a little inspiration for arranging your sewing room or studio?
Sewing.org is running an ongoing reader challenge to share your sewing room with the world.  You can browse through photos of sewing rooms and studios – and even submit your own sewing room!
I’m not sure if I’m willing to submit my sewing room to that kind of scrutiny at the moment…  Of course – it could be a good way to inspire a good studio clean
image: Stock.xchg

I’m getting back into my normal schedule of studio life and teaching after December’s excitement and energy.  I definitely need to spend some time getting my studio and fabric storage area cleaned and tidied again.  I seem to have the habit of pulling fabric out, looking for inspiration… and then leaving it out.  Ah, the joys of being a visual person
I ran a month-long series on Tangled Thread during March and April last year called the “De-Stash Challenge“.  If you’re looking for ideas on how to de-stash and de-clutter your own sewing room, the series is worth checking …read more

Well, we’re five days into the New Year.  Is there a new technique you want to learn this year?  Enter a competition?  Or just finish that project that’s been hanging around waaaay too long?  How about making New Year’s resolutions for your studio?
Here are a few ideas to get you started… feel free to add more ideas as comments!
This year I resolve to:

Maintain my sewing machine (ei change needles regularly, clean it, oil and it take it into the dealership for tune-ups)
Learn a new stitch – once a week, once a month – whatever works for you.
Take photos of everything …read more

It seems that seamstresses and fiber artists quite often have issues with setting up their sewing rooms & work areas… how often have you gotten up out of your sewing chair with an aching back?  Or does your ironing board leave you with sore knees?
I know my cutting table is about 8 inches too short for me – boy, does that hurt after a couple hours of cutting fabric!
Tami, from Lemon Tree Tales has written an excellent article on how to set up your sewing room in a way that won’t hurt your body.
It’s definitely worth checking out!

Keeping my fabric and notions organized seems to take constant effort for me – I usually store everything in large, clear plastic tubs or storage towers with drawers. My thread is stored in drawers on top of my sewing table and I keep things like elastic and trims in another tall set of drawers next to my sewing machine.
Despite my best efforts to keep everything tidied away – I don’t… I’m a very visual person and love to see how fabrics look next to each other, what happens if you put that trim or lace on them. …read more

Well, I don’t feel quite so bad about my 10′ X 10′ studio being messy now
Check out the film that a young woman shot of her grandmother’s sewing room!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfU7UG8s4eQ
The clip should start playing automatically, if it doesn’t click the arrow on the screen.