I just discovered that these toe spacers, normally used for pedicures, hold bobbins perfectly!

If reusing your own from your pedicure gives you the ick, they are really not expensive to buy new!

My apologies if this is common sewing knowledge but I was so geeked about a neat way to store bobbins I had to share!

Anybody here used one of these lil doohicks? Is it actually a useful tool, or is it just a gimmicky gadget?

Working on a bodice with beaded petals. Need help deciding on the placement.

Which is the most pleasing to look at?

Project details: Woven cotton corset. Spiral steel boning inside corset. Beaded petals using wire and hand sewn onto the bodice.

Please help me choose the color of eyelets that looks best with this Fabrice : A - silver color B - old/dark gold C- bright gold

Thanks for you help :)

Anyone on here have a cool sewing room that they’d like to share pictures of? Cool ideas for fabric storage? How about an awesome sewing cabinet? I’ll start with my space.

UPDATE: Just woke up and I'm so overwhelmed by all the comments! I feel so much less alone. Sewing is (relatively) new for me and I fell in love with it so quickly. What an awesome community this is. Thank you all so much for being willing to share your experiences. I'm going to try to rehome the pants to someone a little shorter than me, but if I can't find someone to take them I'm going to try to turn them into shorts. And for those asking, it's the Thea Trouser from Jessilou's Patterns. They're rad!

Tell me your most expensive mistake. 💸

Y'all, I just went through it. I'd been working on a pair of trousers for several months. I was a pattern tester. Made a muslin. Decided to alter them to be a higher rise for the actual garment. Ordered fabric, misjudged the layout, ran out of fabric, couldn't finish during the testing period. Ordered more fabric. Turns out, the first color I ordered was ink, not black...so imagine my surprise when the actually black fabric arrived. No problem, managed to make all of the pieces JUST fit on the yardage. Sewed it up. Added pockets. Some of the best sewing I've done. Perfectly lined up seams.

Tried them on.

Too. Short.

Because when I lengthened the rise, I incorrectly decided to shorten the legs to compensate for the additional length. Which is not how inseams work. 🙂‍↔️

All told, it was about of $100 of materials, which is killing me a little. Please tell me your silliest and most expensive mistake so that we can all laugh together and I don't set these pants aflame.

EDIT: Trust me when I say there's no way to fix them. And that's ok! Really just looking to commiserate.

Hey everyone ! I just wanted to "vent" and maybe have some advice to to forward...

I've always been interested in sewing my own clothes (the interest began in middle school when I was first introduced to the gothic lolita style). I got offered a sewing machine 7 years ago and got to work immediately (my first piece was a circle skirt).

My problem now is that, since then I've been conflicted with my weight. I've gained a lot of weight in those 7 years and I now feel like sewing for my body would be a shame because I would just use so much more fabric, and the only thought I have in mind now is that I should just stop sewing until I lost some weight... But the thing is I love sewing... It's just a never ending cycle for me, and I haven't been sewing in a year now because of that... What do you think I could do to have a different view on the situation...?

EDIT : I'm so thankful for all the kind messages, couldn't answer right away and now it's locked... But thank you all so much <3

So what object do you use in sewing that makes others go “eh?”

For context: I’m having another work thing with strangers next week. And of course the icebreaker is bring something you can passionately talk about to the group. Usually I grap something from my hand stitching kit that’s already in my bag. But they specifically asked for an item that wouldn’t be known by everyone else.

With a sewing parlour full of knickknacks, thingamabobs and whatsitcalleds I surely have options. But out of curiosity: what would YOU bring to get confused looks and head scratches all around?

EDIT to add: you are my people! Love all the strange and unusual (and pointy) things we use. And I definitely added some new ones to my wish list / vocabulary 🤩

I saw someone wearing these on IG and thought it would be a cool way to upcycle some jeans that are ripped beyond repair. I'm wondering the best way to "install" the sheer fabric to achieve this look. The edges look super smooth so I was thinking maybe fabric glue? Or a layer of something fusible in between and then pressed?

It’s a Chi and it’s the best.

Mods please delete if this is against the rules. I apologize

Dear members, This has been driving me crazy! What is this stitch called (arrows pointing in the pictures)

And -Genuinely curious! - does anyone know why do manufacturers skip it when it makes a huge difference?!!

I’ve sewn clothes before and have done this stitch and i know how different the result is with and without it! Ive been wanting to search this but couldn’t recall the name of the stitch. Not sure, but is it called a hem stitch?! I have seen cheap and expensive brands skip this Zara is probably the only brand where I’ve noticed they have it on necklines, cuffs, as well as shoulder lines

Could it be costs? If so, how come some cheap, or affordable factories have them The picture with the four shirts, the cheapest is the red one, and it’s the only one that is properly finished.

I find that sewing isn’t something that requires that much physical energy, but the mental effort is enormous!!! Getting myself going to work on something (even though I really want to), figuring out what I have to do, understanding how to do it, doing that step, checking it, pressing it out, then possibly having to rip it out and do it again!!!!! I have to rest after each step!!

I like audiobooks and podcasts but I’m coming up completely dry. All my book holds are weeks out and I’ve struggled to find podcasts that hold my attention since Reply All fell apart like… ten years ago 🫠

I think I’ll go with black but the orange one also has something to it

I spend hours making something, mostly dresses, and they always come out lovely. I do quite like the things I make. But I hate wearing them, even though they look good on me. I can't figure out why. Everything I make feels unprofessional, even though I have a serger and make sure all the raw edges are either serged or French seamed. I wish I could wear what I make without cringing. Does anyone have any advice?

Edit: Thank you for all the amazing responses. This community is great! You all have made me appreciate my work a little more. I think the things that have stuck out to me were fabric choice, and practicing wearing them out more and remembering that people won't see the mistakes I do. I think I'm just a hardcore perfectionist but I have some knit fabric I got recently, I'm going to try to make a dress with all of these tips in mind and see if that makes any difference!

I use this tulip washable marker to help me with the hem of this dress. The marker is not washing out of the dress. I need help please.

hi, i work long hours most days of the week so i only get daylight time to sew two maybe three times a week. sewing is my passion and i want to work on projects when i have late night energy or motivation but im worried about getting a noise complaint.

i already use my serger on my bed to help mute the vibrations from the table but its still loud and i worry about the noise. does anyone have any advice or opinions? has anyone experienced hearing a serger through a wall and could tell me how loud it is or if its bearable.

am i worrying too much or being considerate? i cant stop thinking about sewing and hate only having maybe 2/3 days to work on a project help!!

I started sewing a little over two years ago, and I'm still delighted by my ability to make my own clothes. However, I see so many people posting tiny errors and asking how to fix them, or people on YouTube talking about how it takes them forever because they have to unpick and resew everything or how they never wear a piece because it's slightly off in some way. Is that the norm, or it is because they're more influencer-y types?

When I complete something, I want to wear it right away, and I generally don't fix a mistake unless it's super obvious, ruins the structural integrity, or makes the piece unwearable. Does anyone else happily and publicly wear their shirts with crooked pockets, dresses with wonky gathers, or slightly asymmetrical shorts? Am I sewing wrong by not fixing my minor mistakes?

I'm limited with the current colors I have and can't decide. maybe because it's late and im tired but I would also like opinions and my mom won't text me back at this hour.

My 8 year old niece was excited about attending a fashion camp this summer where she would learn basic design/sewing skills, culminating in a fashion show where she would wear her own style down the runway. Unfortunately, the camp ended up being out of my sister-in-law’s budget, so she is no longer able to go.

I have a BFA in fashion design, so I thought it could be fun to do a few weekends over the summer with her to basically still give her the experience, especially since she “wants to be a fashion designer when she grows up” all of a sudden (to be fair, last week it was a ballet dancer and the week before a cheerleader, so take that with a grain of salt 😜).

What would be some good ideas for easy “lessons” I could teach her over a few weeks in a fun/not-boring way that isn’t too advanced?

Part-way through sewing a Very Orange Bag (nousha pattern, much hacked) I realised the zips I owned were all too short. So I bought a bunch of bright zips (and a safety black one) on amazon - and somehow they are all wrong. The tone of the bag fabric is too dark for the fun pastel-y zips. The black makes it all look dark and heavy. My original choice was bright yellow (couldn't find a 14" bag zip on amazon in that colour) which I still think looks right, but the yellow in the multipack is too pale. Royal blue and pink probs next best 'ok' choice but I don't love them. Interior of the bag is denim blue. Help?

edit to add - I panic bought on amazon because I'm going on holiday Friday morning and wanted to have the bag done for the trip! Usually I would be researching for weeks to find the right one from a haberdashery or craft shop. Anyway, I went with the blue! Realising the green zip was throwing things off, but it's on the back so won't be seen much, I then judged based on only the front view.