Hemming a pair of dress pants is no longer a mystery. Karen Schmidt demonstrates step-by-step what is needed to get professional looking results. Measure the length that you would like to trim and pin the new hemline in place. Use an iron to mark the new pant length with a crease. Then unfold and rip the seam out of the original hemline. Cut away excess fabric sew a protective zigzag seam along the trimmed fabric. Refold the new creased hemline. With a matching thread, sew a single line to ho...
Precision is important when you're making a garment as closely form fitting as a corset, and pinning your garment together is no different. Make sure that the panels for your corset are snugly, securely and accurately pinned together before you start sewing.
This is a great summer dress you can make for a young girl out of a pillowcase. Even better, you're shown how to sew French seams for finishing, which gives it a professional and high quality look when you're done.
You know those cute and flirty Santa's helper women's costumes you can find during the holiday season? Well, you can make them easily at home for a fraction of the cost.
A quillow is a blanket that, when folded, can serve double duty as a pillow. You will need fabric for the front and back as well as some batting and regualr sewing notions. This is a great Christmas or holiday gift even a beginner can make!
Still using those boring plastic coasters that you got at a sale at Ralph's? Add some personal style to the mix the next time you serve your friends some soda by making your own coasters!
Make your own version of Lady Gaga's meat dress (with no meat). This tutorial shows you how to use a red and white tie dyed fabric (that looks kind of like meat) and then sew it together in the same style as Lady Gaga's famous dress.
If you want to go furry, don't want to spend the money on a professionally-made fursuit, and have some sewing skills, you've come to the right place. This video will help you get your costume started by showing you how to make a pair of fursuit gloves yourself. They are durable, easy to move around in, and super cute.
Minimalist accessories are quite in right now, with interest being added by textures, cuts, and sleek designs. But sometimes a girl just wants to have fun with her clothing and accessories! In this episode of "Whitney Sews," Whitney will teach you how she embelishes wallets and other goodies with tiny buttons.
This tube top is the literal way to transform your winter wardrobe into your spring/summer wardrobe. Using a bland turtleneck which you are sure to have in stock from all those Christmas presents from older relatives, you can create a breezy tube top that's perfect for going to the beach.
A drawstring halter dress is so perfect for summer. They're cute and breezy, allowing your skin to breathe, and aren't too boxy, so they don't visually add extra pounds to your silhouette.
Getting started in the world of sewing & embroidery? The running stitch is the most popular of stitches in which the needle is passed in and out of the fabric. Get started doing the running stitch (sometimes called the straight stitch) with help from this fantastic tutorial presented by Stampin Mama.
Getting started in the world of sewing & embroidery? The chain stitch is a popular stitch in which a series of looped stitches form a chain-like pattern. Get started doing the chain stitch with help from this great tutorial provided by Stampin Mama.
Making a tutu can be hard, but making a non-sew tutu is nothing but easy. Watch this video tutorial to learn the ins and outs of the non-sew tutu for young children. You can change it up all you want once you get the basics down, but for starting off, use the following supplies:
If you have scissors, measuring tape, 1-2 yards of a non-fraying fabric, and chalk, you can create a sleeveless cardigan without sewing one inch of fabric! Pick a fabric that you like and wear it proudly after only an hour's worth of work.
Electical discharge machining is a techinque in which electricity is used to machine (cut, grind, etc.) metal. It usually invovles sophisticated tools and equipment, but not here! Watch this video for a guide to making a small electrical discharge machining machine with an old electric doorbell.
In this video, we learn how to make a feminine, long fitted sweater. First, lay out your fabric and use a pen to trace the lines for the sweater, measure it out so it's a good fit. Make sure to cut around the edges so you have room to sew. Now, sew along the edges and then turn the shirt inside out. Then, take extra fabric and cut out rectangular pieces that you will then attach to the bottom of the sweater by sewing them on. Once you are finished with this, try your sweater on to see how it ...
In this tutorial, we learn how to make a Max from Where the Wild Things Are. First, you will make the ears and the tail for the costume. Use felt for the ears and a furry type of fabric for the tail and the body. Cut out all of the different materials, then sew them onto a large off white colored hoodie. Once you have finished sewing these on, put the hoodie onto your body to make sure everything is secure in place. After this, put on shorts and sew the tail to those, then you will be able to...
Bring some excitement to your vest. Accessorize and expand your wardrobe with this stylish multi-functional vest cover-up. This one piece can be re-configured and worn in totally different stylish ways! See how to make a multifunctional vest coverup in this video from GiannyL.
In every ballerina's life, there comes a day when they are awarded permission to buy their first pair of pointe shoes by their instructor. The ribbons and elastic must be sewn onto pointe shoes after they are purchased, and finding the proper placement for each can be tricky. Find out how to properly sew the ribbons on a pair of pointe shoes from someone who knows what she's talking about.
Mountain Rose Herbs John Gallagher shows us how to make our own quality powdered herb capsules using a machine in this video. You will need three things to do this, your powdered herbs, zero size capsules and a zero size capsule machine. He shows us the parts of the capsule machine so we can follow his instructions. Find a container to put the base of the machine in, pull apart the capsules, putting the bottom part in the bottom of the machine and the top in the top part of the machine, filli...
Analog reel-to-reel tape is some of the most in-demand recording equipment today. Learn how to use a reel-to-reel tape machine in this free video series that will allow you to utilize this piece of musical recording equipment.
An easy, up close demonstration of how to sew a button on a knitted baby hat so the button won't come off by Judy Graham. Learn how to knit from these simple and clear instructions.
This film explains how to sew a digital display for use as a car accessory. It was created by our very own Steve Spencer as part of a competition that Scion held called "Craft My Ride." Steve has been working on this during nights and weekends and its pretty fun stuff. He used http://www.sensables.com authoring tools (beta version) to design the animation.
Want to tranfer a pretty image, logo or design onto some fabric, but can't find the right applique? You can use some wash away foundation paper and a few basic hand stitching techniques instead! Sew any sort of image you want!
You can use this tutorial to make a basic drawstring bag, which you can use to carry around your mobile phone, mp3 player or any other small accessories you don't want to lose. Decorate the outside with sequins, gems or appliques!
Drafting your own patterns isn't difficult - and it's a great way to get not only a free pattern, but to make sure that your pattern is custom fit to your own measurements. This video shows you how to draft a basic shirt pattern from scratch.
Darts add shape and a more fitted line to garments that use them. While many patterns come with the darts pre-printed, how do you add darts when you're sewing without a pattern? This tutorial shows you how to add your own darts by hand.
Upcycle your old T-shirts into a classy and fashionable corset top! All you need are some basic sewing notions, in addition to eyelets and eyelet pliers. Embellish your corset top with ribbon, appliques, rhinestones or any other accessory you fancy.
You can buy a pre made corset pattern from a manufacturer, or, if you really want to start from scratch, you can draft your own pattern. This tutorial shows you how to take your measurements and translate that into a custom fit corset pattern.
Ruffles are incredibly easy to make, though they are time consuming. Get a length of your chosen fabric, and then follow along with this tutorial to make an elegant and fun ruffled ribbon that you can use as an embellishment, a headband or an accessory.
This is a great home decor tip that will definitely save on your budget. You can use discontinued designer fabrics for this. Cut your swatches into strips and then sew to match your pillow. Then just add a sturdy zipper and you're done!
If your jeans have worn out from wearing them all winter, don't throw them out! You can easily recycle them into a cute pair of summer sandals! All you will need, apart from the jeans, are a few basic sewing notions.
Start with an old pair of jeans and some scrap fabric. Then, using a few small sewing notions (scissors, thread and a decorative button) and the pattern given in this video, transform this old fabric into a super cute and useful lined handbag.
Don't throw out your old, worn out jeans - repurpose them! This video shows you how to take some of your old blue jeans and transform them into a useful, elegant and classy denim pouch. All you need are a few basic sewing supplies.
The running stitch is one of the most basic stitches, used in both embroidery and sewing. This tutorial shows you how to use it for your embroidery projects. A running stitch is best used for outlining the rest of your threadwork.
Lady Gaga's song "Dance in the Dark" is not one of her better known catchy tunes, but the costume she wears when performing the song is one that begs for imitation.
Few of Lady Gaga's costumes are wearable on the everyday unless you're a drag queen or doing theater. Lobster headpieces and orbital solar system gowns are, after all, slightly on the theatrical side.
Want to get the bohemmian look for less? Then look no further than this ruffled bohemian top. You can fabricate this out of old scraps of vintage floral fabric.
High waisted skirts may seem rather unflattering - after all, the last high-waisted trend we've heard about was high-waisted pants, and after Jessica Simpson's mom jeans controversy that trend has swiftly burned out and died. But because high-waisted skirts fall at your waist, they help create an hourglass silhouette that's flattering on everyone.
