Owl & Drum's Sew Very Modern — tuesday's tip

  One of the many benefits to sewing is you can make a number of items that you would otherwise buy in a store - making you self-sufficient, stylish and, of course, unique! However, when making garments you want to make sure that your sewn pieces will withstand quite a bit of wear and tear. One way to prolong the life of your creation is to use a seam finish on the edge of the your fabric. We have outlined below a variety of helpful techniques to finish those edges. From easy to a more involved, these finishes will add professionalism...

Knowing how to sew mitered corners can be a very useful skill. Mitered corners are used mainly when making cloth napkins, but they can also be used for such other household items as blankets, table runners and placemats. Luckily, getting that perfect mitered corner is very easy. All you have to do is follow these steps! 1 - Fold all of the four sides of your fabric. For my napkin, I first pressed each side 1/4" and then I pressed a 1" fold. Of course, you can adjust your measurements to meet your specific needs. (A typical napkin will measure...

  Topstitching - to make a row of stitches on the top of a sewn item, or the right side of the fabric. Usually used as a decorative stitch, or to stabilize the seam. Topstitching is widely used and can be tricky for lots of beginning sewists. It's the one stitch that is on the outside of your item, so it can be seen. Like most things, you can excel at topstitching by lots of practice but here are a few tips to make your first attempts your best. Use a similar colored thread that matches your fabric. For example, using...

When you start your sewing journey you start to see a lot of words that may seem like a foreign language to you. So, I would like to help you out and give you the meanings of some of the most basic sewing terms out there.  Baste - either by hand or machine, long stitches that are used, temporarily, to hold together two pieces of fabric so that they stay in place while you sew them together. Bias - diagonally across the fabric grain. In woven fabric, this is where there will be the most stretch. Bobbin - the spindle that...

As a sewist, Inevitably, you will use pins when sewing or quilting, whether you like to or not. They can be very helpful when working with slick fabrics such as rayon and can help you stay on track when sewing a curve. Have you ever wondered whether you are using your pins correctly? Believe it or not, but there is a right way to use them. First of all, when using a sewing machine, you will want to insert your pin horizontally and have the ball of the pin on the outside of your fabric, as pictured below. It is in...