Sewing and stitching are accessible skills that require no specialized expertise and can be easily acquired with a bit of knowledge. Familiarizing yourself with the basics of operating a sewing machine is the key to using this tool confidently, without any apprehension.
It’s worth remembering that every sewing professional and expert started as a novice. If you’re new to the world of sewing and stitching, there’s no need to worry. We’re here to assist you. Our blog is a valuable resource filled with guides covering various aspects of sewing and stitching to help you improve your skills.
In this post, we’ve gathered some of the best sewing machine tips and tricks that everyone, from beginners to experts, can benefit from exploring.
Inside this post, you’ll discover a wide range of tips and tricks that can enhance your sewing machine skills. While anyone can purchase a sewing machine, it’s crucial to acquaint yourself with the fundamentals before getting started. Neglecting this step could potentially harm your machine and, in some cases, even lead to personal injury. So, take a moment from your busy schedule and delve into these valuable sewing machine tips and tricks.
1. Start By Using Your Hands
Before you start your work on the sewing machine, make sure you are aware of the types of stitches you want to make. Ther are some stitches that might need a few hand stitches in the beginning. To make your stitches strong, we will recommend you to do a reverse stitch in the beginning and make a knot so that stitches stay in place.
If you are a complete beginner, then you must do the entire stitching by hand and not using a sewing machine at all. This will help you in figuring out where stitches are needed and how long stitches must be made. While making stitches with hands make sure to use the right needle with the right fabric to make things easier.
2. Select The Best Sewing Machine
There are different types of sewing machines available out there and it depends on your needs which sewing machine is best for you. Since sewing machines of different ranges are available out there you must buy the best sewing machine that fits in your budget. Once you know about the stitches, the sewing machine will help you in doing the stitching and sewing faster.
Buying a sewing machine with features that might not use will not help you in any way. Also, look for the accessories that are coming with the sewing machine. We have already posted a guide on how to buy sewing machines which you can read to know about the different features that you must look in a sewing machine while buying it.
3. Make Sure You Are Using The Right Threads
Although most of the sewing machines support only one thread, there are some machines out there that support two threads at the same time. Sergers might support 5-6 threads at the same time. It becomes really necessary to use the right thread while working on the sewing machine and as per the fabric too.
Sewing machine threads come in different varieties and to make things easier we will recommend you buy a complete thread kit. This will not only help you with different colors of threads but you will be able to work on different materials without any worries. Don’t forget to match the thread with your needle before buying.
4. Read About Hand and Sewing Machine Stitches
Making stitches is very easier with sewing machines but only when you know how to do that. Straight stitches are the easiest one but there are some advanced and hard to make stitches too that require practice and skills. Even though if you have a suitable sewing machine for the stitch, you won’t be able to make it unless you know how exactly it is made.
You can read our post about different hand and sewing machine stitches to know more about them. From beginners to experts, everyone can learn about different types of stitches so they can work with different fabrics. Also, it will help you while you are doing embroidery work and you can also make stronger stitches after learning about them.
5. Learn About Sewing Machine Parts & Functions
The total number of parts and functions in a sewing machine depends on the type of sewing machine you have. It is really important to know about the different functions of your machine offer. Before buying any sewing machine, you must read reviews about it to know if there are any issues with the machine you are about to buy.
Sometimes, you might not know about specific sewing machine parts or function and you might end up doing more hard work rather than using that. From basic to medium and high-level sewing machines, some parts are common but some machines might have extra features. Read the manual before using your machine to get the best out of it.
6. Don’t Forget Reading About Different Types of Fabrics
Every fabric needs different treatment and you can’t make every stitch on every fabric. It is very essential to read about different types of fabrics available out there. Some fabrics might need a hand stitch, while some must be used only with the sewing machines. So it is really important to know about them.
Though the sewing machine you have bought or thinking to buy will have mentioned what type of fabrics will work with it. Also, you can read the customer reviews about that particular machine to know how the machine is performing with different fabrics. If your machine supports all types of fabrics, then you must buy suitable needles for it too.
7. Check Types of Seams and How To Use Them
Making seams is something that not every sewing machine owner can do. You must know about the fabrics, needles and the type of stitches to be made on that particular fabric to make the seam. Also, there are different types of seam available out there and you must read about them before trying your hands on seaming.
If you are new to seams then we will recommend you start making the basic seams first and that too on thin fabrics to learn it quickly. You can start with the plain seam with a single and double stitch and then try making other seams like a bound seam, mock flat fell seam with your sewing machine. Do not go with a hard seam before learning the basics.
8. Rethread, When You Made Mistakes
While making stitches or seams if you find that the stitches made on the fabric are either too tight or loose, then consider rethreading your machine. While doing it for the first time, you must check from where the thread is actually going to the needle. Some machines come with top load bobbin while some with other location.
It is also important to check the needle position and presser foot’s pressure before making the stitches. You can keep a scrap fabric with you and try making some stitches on it first and when everything is perfect as you want then you can start your work on the real fabric. You can also experiment with different threads to see which suits your needs best.
9. Don’t Go Too Fast: Slow Down
Sewing machines with tremendous stitching speed are available in the market. Some may go up to 1500 stitches per minute which can be handled only by the professionals. If you are a beginner to sewing machines and you’ve got a high-speed sewing machine then we will recommend you to use a foot controller to make stitches slowly.
Fast stitching speed is only for professionals and experts who need to complete work faster. Stitching faster is not good for the machine too as a single mistake or obstacle in the needle can break it. While making curved stitches you might need to stitch slowly as faster stitching will not get you the desired results.
10. Practice, Practice & More Practice
Practice makes a man everyone perfect. This is what we have always taught and the same goes for sewing machines too. Either you are a beginner or someone with good knowledge of sewing machines, practice will help you in mastering sewing and stitches work. You can work with different fabrics and different types of stitch designs to know about each of them.
If you are a complete beginner then you can also watch some tutorials on YouTube to know how actually stitches and seams are made. If you are trying your hands on embroidery, then you can draw your design on a paper first and then start your work on real fabric. Also, we are always there to help and you can contact us with your questions.
So this is all about tips and tricks related to sewing machines and we hope now you know more about these machines. If you are new to sewing machines then you can take the help of someone experienced in your home while starting your work. Also, these tips will help you increase your knowledge about working on sewing machines.
We will keep adding more such sewing machines tip and sewing machine tricks in this post, so keep visiting Sewingers to know about them. Always remember that you need to keep working with sewing machines to master your skills. If you are new to sewing machines and facing issues in using it, then you can ask us for help via the comments below.
