Readers, thank you for visiting! I am thrilled to present sewing tips in this post submitted by two lovely readers: Janith Bergeron of The Sewing Tree and Lisa of the Stitch it Again blog!

Tip #1: Find a Sewing Mentor

From Lisa of Stitch it Again:  Seek out a sewing mentor: Books, blogs, instruction manuals, and You Tube videos are all helpful, but for a beginner, nothing beats getting some hands on instruction. I bought my basic sewing machine online.  When I couldn’t figure out how to make buttonholes, my stepmother took me and my machine to a Sew and Vac store and the saleslady showed me how and also that my machine had a self threader gizmo!  What a relief – no more struggling with a magnifying glass every time I had to thread the needle. So seek out someone – either through a class, a relative, or a neighbor – to show you some basics on how to use your machine and feet.

Tip #2: Janith’s Seam Allowance Tool

From Janith Bergeron of The Sewing Tree:  I created an unnamed ‘tool’ when taking Kenneth King’s Moulage Class.  When tracing block patterns I took two tracing wheels and two bamboo point turners and banded them together to get my 5/8″ seam allowance.

Tip #3: Favorite Tool — Tip?

From Janith Bergeron of The Sewing Tree:  Favorite tool tip: I discovered Claire’s SA Curve Ruler  and love them!

Tip #4: Multi-task With Your Iron

From Samina:  Be your iron’s task master.  If you’re going to the ironing board for some pressing action, might as well add to it.  Here’s me, pressing a seam and two bias silk strips with a single swipe of the iron. The bias strips were used to Hong Kong finish (I think I just created a verb) the aforementioned seam.  I mean, why waste all that hot surface?

Tip #5: Couture Thread Prep

From Samina:  Claire Shaeffer is the one I should thank for this tip. She shared this when I attended one of her couture sewing classes long ago.  For hand sewing, wax the thread length with beeswax and then iron it to meld the wax in the thread. (Thread the needle first). It works, ya’ll! I’ve used Claire’s couture tip all these years with success. Why would you iron the waxed thread, you ask. Well, it becomes smoother and less likely to tangle, and less prone to coming off on the fabric. Try it on a sample.

My thanks to Lisa and Janith for their sewing tips. Would you like to see your favorite tip in this ongoing series on the Sew Everything Blog? Yes, I am making the sewing tip post a monthly feature. Use the form below to send in your tip and I’ll use it in a future post with links to your blog or website (website/blog is optional)! Send a picture, too, if you have one.  Lets have some tip-a-thon!

Thank you for reading. Hope you enjoyed the post! I love reading your comments and feedback. Do you ever wax your thread for hand sewing?  Have you used the SA Curved Ruler? OK, everyone has a sewing mentor — can you name her/him?  Do use the comment section for your thoughts. I’m also looking forward to receiving your sewing tips.

Samina