60 Best Sewing Tips And Hacks For Beginners In 2024

Sewing tips and hacks for beginners are useful because they make sewing life much easier and enjoyable.

Hence, I compiled a list of my favourite sewing tips, that are equally good for Beginners as well as for experienced sewing lovers. These tips are useful to save sewing time, money, and energy. In fact, you will love sewing much more.

Here are a few of tips that I would like to share with you:

Before discarding pants, cut off the belt loops and sew on the inside of children's coats and jackets for a coat loop. No more fallen hides at school.
Before sewing on buttons, tape each one where it belongs with a strip of transparent tape. After the first stitches are made, you can remove the tape.
To avoid pinholes when hemming delicate garments, mark the hemline with the tailor's chalk and use clips to hold the fold in place.
Prevent future errors in sewing by slipping a memo into individual patterns explaining any size alterations or changes for that item.
Prevent fraying by reinforcing the hems with a row of zigzag stitching in a matching or contrasting color.

6. Sew a large button on each end of the drawstring on pajamas and sweatsuits. This will keep the string from disappearing.

7. Keep a spool of clear nylon thread on hand. Because it is transparent, it will pick up the color of the fabric. This will also work when a bobbin runs out, and the spool is almost empty; just put the clear thread on your bobbin.

8. Place a thin sheet of foam rubber under your sewing machine's foot pedal to prevent it from sliding around when you use it on an uncarpeted surface.

9. Store a magnet in your sewing basket to attract loose pins and attach one to your sewing machine to hold extra needles. If you glue a small magnet to the end of a wooden yardstick, you won't have to bend over to pick up any pins that fall on the floor.

10. Thoroughly washed and cleaned mascara brushes can be used to clean the crevices of your sewing machine.

11. When letting down a garment hem, you can diminish the crease by applying white vinegar to the wrong side of the fabric and steam press it.

12. Try this economical substitute for custom-cut table pads: Place a quilted mattress cover over your tabletop and trim with scissors for a custom fit. You'll have a sturdy, heat-absorbent table pad to protect the finish of your table.

13. For a substitute needle threader: push the needle through a sheet of white paper; the eye will be easier to see.

14. When shopping for accessories for a recent sewing project, staple a small fabric sample to an index card and carry it with you to the stores.

18. To organize loose buttons: String them on twist ties and twist the ends together for an easy way to store them.

19. Stitch the seams together, iron the seam open, place the zipper, sew each side, then take a seam ripper and rip the seam out. You have a perfectly placed zipper every time.

20. Forget the seam ripper. Use a razor

21. When gathering zigzag over dental floss or cord. It's easier to pull and doesn't break.

22. When doing spaghetti straps or tight tubes, encase a piece of cord in the middle, stitching over one end to hold it in place, and be careful not to catch it when sewing down. Then it's easy to pull through

23. Pre-wash the fabric.

24. Backstitch a couple of stitches on every start and stop. It holds better. Perfect corners by stopping, leaving the needle in the fabric, lifting the foot, turning material, dropping foot, continuing sewing, repeat for rest of corners.

25. Clear nylon thread is best for a top thread when sewing on patches because you don't have to color match or change colors to color match different parts of the patch; black works fine as bobbin thread. You don't see it anyway.

26. I am using the rolled hem foot when I don't have time for straight stitch hemming. It looks prettier.

27. Use a heat press for putting interfacing on. That's a Game changer.

28. Unless it's positively necessary, I don't do set-in sleeves. I sew the sleeve cap into the armscye. Then sew the side seam and sleeve as one long seam.

29. If you cut the pattern on the fold, cut a tiny notch at the fold, so you have the center marked already.

30. Sticking tape to the presser foot and making it slide on the fabric

31. Put a straight pin in front of each end of a buttonhole before cutting the opening. The pin stops the seam ripper, so it doesn't cut the end threads.

32. Don't cut the pattern out of interfacing. Interface multiple main pieces onto a larger piece of interfacing, then cut out around your pattern.

33. I am not ironing bias tape made for a project. By merely folding over and pinning the long edge together, the bias tape can be used around corners and curves with a much smoother and more appealing result.

34. Put baby powder in a baby sock and pat it around the edge of a pattern, lift the pattern, and you have a perfect cut line. This is perfect for fussy cutting and getting the pattern of the fabric right where you want it for the perfect look.

If you mess up, pat the powder, lay the pattern down, and try again.

35. A cotton ball near the sewing machine to catch threads.

36. Pet roller on ironing board to remove threads.

37. Always keep your seam ripper handy.

38. Use wash-away tape on slippery fabrics to hold pieces together when stitching - eliminates pining, clipping, and fabric slipping.

39. When sewing knits that use bands, I learned the hard way to cut out the bands first. Also, I cut across the fabric using the width of the bands. The parts I don't use on the garment become ear straps for masks.

40. Magnetic tray for pins. I have 2 of them, one at my machine and one at my cutting table.

41. Use 220 grit sandpaper to put the pieces for drawing lines. The fabric will not move or stretch while drawing the line.

42. When tying off serger threads, use a fork to grab one of the threads close to the seam and pull gently. The tail comes undone and then ties them.

43. I used to hate pressing and trimming my blocks. But it makes a world of difference. I was also cutting everything according to the pattern I used to add a little here, and there which ended up hurting me later on.

44. When threading the machine needle, put a white piece of paper to the back of the needle to see the hole clearly to thread.

45. Washi tape to Mark seam allowance on my machine or seam allowance presser foot. Also, I love using Frixion pens for marking fabric. The marks disappear with heat, but be sure to test your fabric before each use.

46. I use a tiny crochet hook to pull the thread loops through the needle when I use the threader on my sewing machine.

47. I have my sewing machine sitting on a cutting mat. Very handy when I need a quick measurement.

48. When you are sewing slippery fabric, put a piece of paper under it. It makes it more stable.

49. Use school stick glue instead of the more expensive sewing glue. Sometimes, they work the same.

50. When using a straight stitch, you can pull the bobbin thread instead of ripping each stitch out. Saves lots of time with mistakes. It must have a decent thread.

51. I use spray starch on all lightweight fabrics to cut and sew more efficiently. Spot test first before spraying fabric.

52. If your machine loves to eat lighter or stretchy fabrics, cut a strip of Waxed Paper, put it under your fabric at the edge, and sew. The paper blocks your feed dogs from pulling in the fabric as the needle pushes it in.

The paper is perforated by the needle and comes out clean from under the stitches as you pull it apart and out. The wax paper doesn't jam up anything, gunk up your needle, or anything!

53. When sewing knits on a machine, I use the triple stitch, not zigzag. When first starting, I used zigzag because everyone said it's a must, but those are the dresses I always have to repair popped stitches, never triple stitch.

54. I was told this tip to use tissue paper, which was awful to get out from under stitches! It works! I've upgraded my machine and don't need to do this anymore, but it's my second favorite tip! (Behind the baby powder method.) lol

55. To organize your thread and bobbin, use a golf tee put the bobbin on the instead of the spool. The golf tee is excellent to put a hole in the ends of a new spool of thread to keep your post on the machine from getting all sticky from the label.

56. Use fabric glue to paste the patchwork and then satin stitch for a beautiful finish.