For the metal washers, depending on their size, I stack them about 2 or 3 high and wrap them in pretty ribbon or duct tape. I think I did get the thinner ones, but stacking them helps a lot.
I agree with having a bodkin for threading elastic and also a needle threader - invaluable when switching threads all the time (when making jeans especially!!).
Your sewing tips are always useful, Johanna. I was able to recommend your warped cutting mat fix video recently to someone who was almost in despair! It's really good to see a new video from you. I'm really lazy about finishing threads and serger tails. It's good to know I'm not alone! I've got four of your ten tips on my list to buy. Here's my free tip: holding a small piece of white paper behind your sewing machine needle or below your hand sewing needle makes it much easier to thread.
Hello Johanna, Hope all is well....I have two additional items that I use constantly...one is a long tweezer...I keep one at each of my machines...I use the tweezer like you use your awl as well as pulling out pins as I sew, which are sometimes hard to grab with my hand...I also use a lot of wonder tape...for hems, folding and placing patch pockets, preparing zips to be sewn in place, and anyplace that I need an edge folded into place & to stay in place before I sew it down....
Hi! As a quilter I use children's washable glue stick and hit it with an iron (for bias tape application & such) and it sticks everything right down, doesn't shift, doesn't stick on your needle and washes away. Also we use the clips for sewing because they actually have quarter inch markings and more so you can use them to clip and know where to sew your seam and of course who can live without snips. Way easier because you don't have to fit your fingers in a hole in your scissors. I do have a snip sitting next to each machine. They aren't very expensive and it saves me steps. Great suggestions. I also use washi tape for marking the seam line on my sewing machine, across the whole thing, front to back so I can easily bomb along and clearly see where I am to follow instead of pulling it sideways out the back of my machine :D and for marking the correct side of the fabric, a little piece will do. Cheap and easily removable.
The white thing you are calling a ‘hump-jumper’ is actually a needle replacement or needle removing tool. The Husqvarna I have came with it. Look closely at one side of it and you’ll see a tiny hole, that’s where the needle is placed when either removing or replacing a needle.
Hi Johanna, good to see this new video from you. I have followed your good advice from a previous video and purchased 10 of the washers. They work really well and are nice and flat so that it is easy to cut around them unlike taller weights. "Hoover" is the name of an early vacuum cleaner company that is more than 100 years old. It is pronounced HOO•vr. In Canada we say that we are going to 'vacuum' today. Thanks for all that you do for the sewing community.
Loved this video. Many good tips to take the frustration out of a great hobby. About the gray hump jumper. I got one a few years ago and love it. This tool also has a little hole in it where you place a new sewing machine needle while inserting it into the machine. Your needle will be held in exactly the right position so you can tighten it correctly. Thanks for your very informative videos. You have taught me many things.
Hej!! I own and use all these tools but I didn't know who it using the awl for marking pattern details. Tack! A couple of suggestions: 1.I use a stiletto to nudge my fabric along. The one I have was a gift, made of a turkey lacung skewer and some pretty beads. It's always at my machine. In the US there's a tool called a "purple thang" which can also be sued for this. 2. I buy my snips at Asian hardware stores. Razor sharp and less expensive that at the sewing shop. 3. I was once a "leave the threads hang" person. But I have learned the habit of always sewing onto a scrap of fabric when I finish a seam. Leave it under the presser foot and sew from it onto your next seam. Clip the thread between afterward. Eliminates annoying thread tails AND helps prevent startup bird nests of thread or fabric getting sucked down into the face plate at the start of a seam. 4. I love a good point turner, and I just discovered one which includes a "button spacer". Use instead of a needle, pin etc to ensure you use enough thread when sewing on a button on a thick garment. Place under the presser foot like the hump jumper. For a heat resistant hemming ruler, a strip of cardboard works fine!
Hej, the only one missing in my collection is the button thingy. But I will buy one when it crosses my way. The hump-jumper is called "Hebamme" in gemany which translates to midwife.😄 With the hole in the grey one you can easily change a needle. And the one thing I will add is a bone folder. There a specialized plastic tools, but I had one before and it does a perfect job without pinching the fabric.
I have actually ditched my magnetic pincushion and replaced by a magnetic tool tray (or whatever it's called in English). Can be found at the hardware store for probably a smaller price than the pincushion and can handle a lot more needles
Wow!!! I have been sewing with a machine for over 60 years. My mother's Antique Singer even had that attachment. But it never was helpful because I was using it incorrectly. Thanks so much!! I have most of the rest of the tools. My excuse for being messy is that I am ambidextrous. That means I pull out pins on either side. It also is why I struggle to find my tools which end up on either side.
Hump Jumpers are indeed wonderful. Mine seems to have jumped away, but someone pointed out that the plastic machine needle boxes are just the right thickness to do the same job.
When pulling an elastic through the waist of the pants line, I use hemostat locking tweezers on the last end of the elastic so it can't accidentally pull through. I just use a pair from the tool shop, not the expensive surgical kind. Also good for clamping onto one side of a seam and hooking the handle onto something stable, then pulling on the other side of the seam to rip it open.
I love my magnetic pin holder! I have two, because I use two different types of pins for different purposes. I have an awl, but I never thought of it for marking--great tip. I would add Frixion pens and markers. The marks disappear when ironed. Apparently they will reappear in very cold conditions, I think around 10 degrees Fahrenheit, but I live in South Florida, USA, and I'm never going to be anywhere where it will be 10 degrees! 😅
When I am threading my manual thread serger (my main one is air threading 😏) I use a dental floss guide to thread the loopers; a box of 50 only costs $1 at the dollar store.
Hi there. I have all those tools you showed. Also, always have a small container near the machine to toss those threads you snip so they won't end up on the floor. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Johanna thanks.Verybuseful tips and tricks.I could not find the link.can you please put in comments section. I would add tape 1 inch which is extremely useful for stitch stitching and for sewing in straight lines with a given SA.Stich the tape to the desired SA and keep the edge of fabric in line with the tape.job done.i stitched 2m of fabric for my Infinity scarf and the straight stitch came straight with this method.!!!
Hi there.....what a wonderful video. Thank you so much. I still consider myself as a beginner sewist, and I had all the tools you mentioned except for the quilting bar guide (#2), so I look forward to checking out your video on it, so I can get it. I was pretty happy to see my items on here 😊
Thanks Johanna, love your videos and tips. I have a few new items on my list to buy now. As a tip, I just bought a "tube turner" for thin straps which is great. It beats trying to turn fabric inside-out with a safety pin or using a needle backwards. A video on how you have set up all your threads to keep them organized would be helpful (or maybe you already have one)?
I use one of those blue plastic dental floss loops to thread the upper and lower loopers on my serger. It won’t do the needles, but it’s great for the loopers.
Thank you for these great suggestions. Your English is very! good. The first vowel sound in "Hover" is pronounced like the vowel in "duck". Also glad to see you back!
Both pronunciations work in this case, although the spelling and meanings are different. Johanna "hovered" (held over) the magnetic pincushion, and it "hoovered" (vacuumed) the pins.
Love all these tips. I definitely want to get the first one you mention. I do now have an awl as I hope to use it as you suggest (since I can't get a walking foot for my machine). Your enthusiasm is contagious - great instruction.
I love this kind of video. These are the things that really help beginning sewists. Your sewing room looks really nice from what I can see. Thanks for all the tips.
I have been trying to get hold of you I posted two eivycardigans but they haven’t been posted to your hashtag. I wanted to let you know to check your Instagram.
