Winding a Bobbin on a Sewing Machine

Learn about winding a bobbin on a sewing machine. Knowing how to wind a bobbin is very important and needs to be done for every spool of thread you sew with, and can be different for every model of sewing machine. Video tutorial included! #sewing #bobbin

Some people buy a sewing machine on a whim, and others after months or even years of toying with the idea, but there’s one thing that often confuses beginner sewists right from the start: winding a bobbin and then inserting it correctly. I get a …

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How to Blanket Stitch on Felt and Other Fabric

Learn how to blanket stitch on felt or other fabrics for a pretty edging on your sewn projects. Video and tutorial show how to hand sew blanket stitch on one or more layers on a straight edge or round piece! #handsew #blanketstitch #embroidery

Over the past few years I’ve been hand sewing much more. Machine sewing is fast and professional-looking, but these days I often prefer sewing by hand for its slow, meditative quality. It’s relaxing and also portable, meaning I can work on it wherever I go. …

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How to use a seam ripper correctly (and fast!)

Become best sewing friends with your stitch unpicker tool! Learn how to use a seam ripper correctly to remove individual stitches or to quickly tear out whole lines of stitching in one go! #seamripper #sewingtools

I’ve never taken a poll, but I’m willing to bet that most sewists would choose a seam ripper as her favorite, must-have sewing tool. However a surprising number of people who sew don’t know to how to use a seam ripper correctly or at all! …

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Threading Elna Lotus sewing machine – Tutorial

The new Elna Lotus is a beginner sewist’s elecronic machine, revisiting a classic piece of modern design. This tutorial on threading Elna Lotus sewing machine, with its unusual shape and thread spool position and layout, will get your ready to sew! #elnalotus #threadingsewingmachine

I often get asked for suggestions for buying a new sewing machine. In a nutshell, my answer is to go to at least one sewing machine dealer or sewing shop to test out some machines and find out more about their features. (For a more …

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Tutorial: How to sew knits with a twin needle

Imparare come cucire con l’ago doppio cambierà per sempre come cuci la maglina! L’ago gemello crea cuciture elastiche e professionali sulle stoffe stretch, perfette per abiti come magliette, leggings e tanto altro! #aghi #cucire

Welcome back to another lesson in the free Cucicucicoo Learn how to Machine Sew course for beginners! I’ve already shared some essential tips and instructions for sewing knit fabrics, but I didn’t get into detail about one of the best tools for sewing stretching fabrics. …

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Pattern alterations: How to adjust the crotch in pants

Impara ad adattare il cavallo dei pantaloni per calzare perfettamente il tuo corpo! Queste correzioni del cartamodello evita stoffa tirata o larga sul sedere o all’inforcatura. #cartamodello #cucire

Over the past couple of months I’ve been working on a series of leggings patterns for girls and women (you can find them in the Cucicucicoo Patterns shop!). An interesting thing about pattern testing clothing is seeing how differently a pattern can fit different body …

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DIY Christmas Tree Banner Template and Tutorial

How cute is this?! Decorate your home in handmade holiday style with this DIY Christmas tree banner FREE template and tutorial! Use fabric scraps and beads for customized festive bunting! #christmasbanner #diychristmasbanner #christmastreebanner

The other day my kids and I put up our Christmas tree. Something about it still gets me excited every year. I love looking at all our ornaments, as we remember people who gave them to us or when we made them. And a twinkling …

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How to Sew a Pennant Banner with Letters and Words

Learn how to sew a pennant banner with appliqued letters and words to add colorful joy and festivity to your party or everyday life! Link to pattern in 5 shapes and 4 sizes! #diybanner #handmadebanner #cucicucicoopatterns

Everyone loves celebrating, right?! And if you love decorations to add happiness and festivity to your home, holiday or party, learn how to sew a pennant banner so that you can customize it to your personal needs! These banners are easy and a perfect project for …

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How to use bias tape: tips, tricks and projects

Learn how to use bias tape, one of the most useful sewing notions! Find out how to make it and various ways to use it, with free projects, tutorials and patterns! #biastape

In February 2017 I started “Bias Month,” in which I shared a bunch of sewing lessons on what bias is and how to use bias tape in various ways. I also included included some practical tutorials and a free sewing pattern. Bias Month ended up …

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How to sew French seams for perfectly finished seams

È importante rifinire i margini di cucitura per un effetto professionale. Impara come fare la cucitura inglese per una rifinitura perfetta in pochi minuti! #cucire #cucito

Nicely finished seams are a sign of professional quality sewing. Learn how to sew French seams for a perfectly clean finish in just a few minutes! #sewing #frenchseams

Welcome back for a new technical lesson in the Learn to Machine Sew series! One thing that makes the difference between projects that look homemade and those that look professionally-made is how well they are finished inside. There are quite a few ways to cleanly finish the seam allowances in your work, and today I’m going to focus on one technique that is really easy and looks great. And once you know how to sew French seams, you’ll be able to use them for great looking bags, clothing and more!

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Four techniques for finishing off the seam allowances on the inside of your work: pinking shears, overlock (serger), felled seams, and French seams. #sewing #seams

Here you can see four of the most frequently-used finishes for inside seams. Cutting the seam allowances with pinking shears is fast and easy and reduces the amount of fabric fraying, however doesn’t look particularly nice. Sewing over the edges with an overlock machine (serger) or, if you don’t have that type of sewing machine, a zig zag stitch, is definitely better.

But two of my favorite ways to finish off seams for a perfectly clean finish are felled seams and French seams. Both of these techniques enclose the raw fabric edges between layers of fabric so that not only will they not fray, but you can’t even see them!

Nicely finished seams are a sign of professional quality sewing. Learn how to sew French seams for a perfectly clean finish in just a few minutes! #sewing #frenchseams

Today I’ll show you how easy it is to sew a French seam, and you’ll be able to see for yourself how nice it looks!

Basically a French seam is a double seam that encloses the raw edges between them. The seam allowance sticks up, as you can see in the picture above, but once you get good a sewing these seams, you can make them relatively small so that they will be less noticeable.

Are you ready to find out how to sew a French seam so that you can take your sewing to the next level? Well, then, let’s get started!

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How to sew bathing suit fabric – 10 best tips & tricks

Hai sempre desiderato fare un bikini fai da te, ma non sapevi come? Ecco 10 dritte e trucchi importanti che ti aiuteranno ad imparare come cucire i costumi da bagno su misura!

Always wanted to make your own swimsuits, but are afraid to try? Here are 10 important tips and tricks that will help you learn how to sew bathing suit fabric for amazing customized DIY swimwear!

There are a few things that tend to terrify sewists. When they start out, sewing stretchy fabrics seems outright impossible. (If this is your case, make sure you read my post on how to sew knits and other stretch fabrics perfectly.) For the more ecologically-minded who want to start sewing cloth diapers or cloth menstrual pads, sewing the waterproof PUL fabric is a nightmare. (I’ve put together my best tips for sewing PUL without problems in this post.)

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For the apparel sewist, there are a few scary types of clothing. Coats. Jeans. (I got over my fear of sewing jeans a couple of years ago when I tested the Birkin Flares pattern.) Bathing suits.

Always wanted to make your own swimsuits, but are afraid to try? Here are 10 important tips and tricks that will help you learn how to sew bathing suit fabric for amazing customized DIY swimwear!

Most apparel sewers are used to sewing stretchy fabric, but bathing suit fabric is a beast of its own. It’s REALLY stretchy and, as bathing suits fit skin-tight, the seams need to be able to stretch a LOT. The second scary thing about bathing suits has to do with the general fear women have of showing off their bodies for what they are.

I finally got over this fear this summer and learned how to sew bathing suit fabric, sewing myself and my kids swim caps, bikinis and one-piece bathing suits. And guess what? After learning a few tips and tricks, it isn’t anywhere near as scary as I thought it would be! I wish I had started sewing swimsuits sooner!

Have you been considering sewing bathing suits for you and your family? Are you a little terrified of trying? Check out my ten tips for how to sew bathing suit fabric, and you’ll be making your own DIY swimwear!

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Refashioning for kids: turn old pants into shorts

Non buttare i pantaloni dei bambini troppo corti o con ginocchia strappate! È facile trasformare pantaloni in pantaloncini in pochi minuti con il braccio libero della macchina da cucire!

Kids grow out of their trousers and rip holes in the knees quickly. But don't throw those ruined clothes away! It's quick and easy to turn old pants into shorts with the help of the sewing machine free arm!

Kids grow so quickly. Sometimes it feels like I’ve just sewn or otherwise procured a garment for my kids and it is already small for them. Or stained. Or ripped.

That’s why I love quick refashioning sewing hacks to make clothes for children as quickly as possible. Oh yeah, I also love saving money that way.

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And one of the most well-known and easy refashions is to turn old pants into shorts. This is truly one of the most simple sewing transformations possible.

What a time-saver! Make pants for kids from sleeves! Refashion tutorial by www.cucicucicoo.com

And even better than a single refashion, is a DOUBLE refashion! Because the shorts that I’m showing in this tutorial were originally sweatshirts! (Check out my super convenient tutorial on how to make pants from sleeves here!)

Kids grow out of their trousers and rip holes in the knees quickly. But don't throw those ruined clothes away! It's quick and easy to turn old pants into shorts with the help of the sewing machine free arm!

And in addition to their being a double refashion, the holes in the knees were also patched up. Afterwards, of course, the other knees also tore. (Find out how to make homemade patches with machine appliqué here.)

Kids grow out of their trousers and rip holes in the knees quickly. But don't throw those ruined clothes away! It's quick and easy to turn old pants into shorts with the help of the sewing machine free arm!

How quick it is to turn old pants into shorts! And so easy that it’s a perfect project for beginners! And everyone loves getting a little more wear out of clothing that would otherwise end up in the trash, right? Even if the ones I show here are not the most gorgeous shorts in the world (the pants having been used a LOT), they are great for my little boy to play outside and get sweaty and dirty in!

Ready to prepare a bunch of summer clothes for your kids from their outgrown pants? Let’s get started!

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What is a free arm on a sewing machine (and how to use it!)

Non sai cosa significa braccio libero e come usarlo con la tua macchina da cucire? È semplice ed utilissimo per unire e orlare pezzi tubolari per l’abbigliamento e non solo!

Learn what the free arm on your sewing machine is and how to use it when joining or hemming tubular pieces in garments and other sewn items! So useful!

Nearly three years ago, I published my first lesson in the Learn to Machine Sew course for beginners here on Cucicucicoo, which was about the anatomy of a sewing machine. In this lesson I mentioned the free arm, though I didn’t actually explain what it is and how to use it.

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However it’s one of those super important features of a sewing machine that makes your life so much easier when sewing tubes of fabric, such as sleeve or pants hems, so I figured that it was finally time to show you what is a free arm on a sewing machine and just how useful it is.

Learn what the free arm on your sewing machine is and how to use it when joining or hemming tubular pieces in garments and other sewn items! So useful!

This is my Elna Lotus. This sewing machine has an unusual design, in which you can remove the whole wide base to expose the free arm (as shown on the bottom). But nearly all contemporary sewing machines have a part that can be removed to access the free arm. The Singer Simple you can see in the anatomy of a sewing machine lesson has a small accessory compartment that gets removed. If you can’t figure it out, be sure to refer to your machine’s manual.

Learn what the free arm on your sewing machine is and how to use it when joining or hemming tubular pieces in garments and other sewn items! So useful!

The free arm is a much more narrow working surface than the regular sewing machine base is, and has a space beneath it so that it does not hit the table it’s sitting on.

Learn what the free arm on your sewing machine is and how to use it when joining or hemming tubular pieces in garments and other sewn items! So useful!

It’s normally more convenient to position the fabric you’re sewing on a wider base, however when you are sewing relatively tight tubes of fabric, such as sleeves and pant legs, it’s much easier to simply slip the tube right around the free arm so that the fabric doesn’t get bunched up and you don’t accidentally sew through multiple layers of fabric when you didn’t want to.

Ready to find out how to use a free arm? I’m going to show you two ways: joining two tubes of fabric and hemming a tube of fabric, so grab some scraps and let’s get started!

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