SEWING HINTS

• Bobbin Problems
  If the top thread of the stitching is messing up then it is the bobbin tension and/or bobbin problem.
  If the bottom thread is messing up it is the upper thread tension and/or threading problem.
• Creases
  To remove creases from permanent-press fabrics, use two to three tablespoons of white vinegar
  to one or two cups of water. Soak a cotton pressing cloth in the solution. Squeeze out excess moisture.
  Place cloth over the crease or wrinkle, and press with a hot iron.
• Hemming
  To get rid of hemlines when lengthening blue jeans, color over the hemline with a blue crayon.
  Cover your ironing board with newspaper or cloth, and iron in the crayon color by pressing
  the jeans wrong-side-out.
  To do a quick hem on a pair of blue jeans, turn them up and tape with silver duct tape.
  It lasts through many washings. If the blue jeans shrink a little, simply tear off the duct tape and re-do.
• Pinking Shears
  To keep shears sharp, cut through a sheet of folded aluminum foil or coarse sandpaper.
• Pressing Cloth
  Dampen a brown grocery sack, and use it as a pressing cloth.
• Quilts
  Use an old blanket as the batting for a quilt.
  Use scraps of all the different fabrics in your quilt to make the hanging sleeve.
  If repairs are ever needed, the correct fabric is right there.
  Recipe to remove the yellowing
  in older blocks or quilts.
  1 Gallon Water
  1 Quart Buttermilk
  1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
  Soak quilt in mixture then wash in mild detergent.
  Your colors will return to their original brillance.
• Thread
  To prevent tangled thread when sewing by hand, knot each strand separately instead of knotting them together.
  When you can't match the thread for a print fabric, try using one shade in the bobbin and a different shade on top.
  To double the amount of thread your thread rack will hold, slip a plastic drinking straw
  over the thread holder dowels and slip as many spools as the straw can and then cut off the excess straw.