Top 10 Unconventional Sewing Hacks

In the age of hacks and innovative thinking, sewing is becoming more comfortable and more enjoyable than ever. Here are our top sewing hacks you can start using right away with items from your sewing kit or things laying around the house. Not only can these hacks save you time and frustration, but money too!

1. Solve Crooked Seams with a Rubber Band

Crooked seams are not just a beginner’s problem. Anyone can solve crooked seams with nothing more than a rubber band. Place a wide rubber band around your sewing machine's arm as a secondary seam guide. The more you use this hack, the better your seams will be as you'll continuously be practicing on how to make a straight line.

2. Create a Ruffle with Yarn

Ruffles are intimidating at the best of times. Not only are there so many different ways to sew them, but it seems like it takes forever to make any headway. Instead, zig-zag stitch over a bit of yarn that is a complimentary color. Then, pull the yarn gently to create ruffles of any size. It’s fast, it’s easy, and it looks nice too.

3. Sharpen Your Scissors with Foil

You should still have your scissors sharpened professionally, but using foil at home can get you through a project when your scissors are a little dull. Your sewing machines will thank you for not feeding the exceptionally frayed fabric through them!

4. Mark Your Fabric Scissors with Ribbon

The fastest way to ruin fabric scissors is to use them on paper or anything other than fabric. But they're so handy, and if you're not the only one at home, there may be others ruining your scissors. Tie a scrap of ribbon or strip of fabric around one of the finger holes on your scissors. That way, anyone who picks them up will immediately know that they are for material only.

5. Mark Seam Allowances with Two Pencils

Another rubber band hack. Mark your seam allowances by rubber banding two pencils together. Use the first pencil as a guide for the edge of your fabric, and the second will mark out about a quarter-inch seam.

6. Flat Iron Between Buttons

You can take this hack outside of your sewing projects and into your daily life as well! Heat your flat iron to a moderate setting then use it to smooth wrinkles between buttons or in tight spaces. This hack is great if you don’t want to bust out your iron on the home stretch of your craft.

7. Pick Up Lost Pins with a Magnet

Have a spare refrigerator magnet nearby your machine to pick up dropped pins. Stepping on a pin is more than a little painful, and if it's as easy as waving a magnet over your carpet to find it, then it's worth the trouble.

8. Use Hairspray to Thread Your Needle

Are you tired of licking thread to get it through a needle? Use hairspray instead to get a stiff and precise edge on your thread. This hack will make hand stitching much less frustrating and intimidating.

9. Dab Buttons with Clear Nail Polish

Try as you might, there always is a bit of thread poking out from buttonholes. You can secure that thread without anyone noticing. Dab a touch of clear nail polish onto the button for extra security and beautiful threading.

10. Clothes Pins Instead of Traditional Pins

Traditional pins are a pain, and new-age clips are expensive. The solution? Clothespins. They don't poke through your fabric or damage it, and you can find them at the dollar store.

Looking for more sewing tips? Check out GoldStar Tool's Facebook page for an online community of tips, tricks and advice.