So you’ve just picked up a vintage Singer sewing machine from a thrift store, and you’re lucky enough to have all or some of the original attachments that came with the machine. But wait. What are all these things? If you are a new sewer, some of these won’t be familiar. How can you determine what they are? If the machine is Singer and if the attachments are authentic, they will have a Simanco part number on them. How to Identify Simanco Sewing Machine Attachments Video: After you find the number, visit the Accessory Part Numbers page on the Singer Sewing Info site. Match up the Simanco number from your…
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White 642 Domestic Sewing Machine Demonstration and Review
Today I’m going to show you a demonstration of the White Model 642 Sewing Machine. I picked this up from a thrift store a few years ago. The dials on this machine operate a little differently than I was used to, so I thought I would share the settings I used to achieve different stitches in case you were having similar problems. Watch the video below for the full demonstration. I go over the parts of the White 642 sewing machine, how to thread the machine, and the settings I use for each pattern. I also show you the variation of stitches you can achieve purely by adjusting the stitch length…
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Singer Tiny Serger TS-380 Plus Video Demonstration
I spotted this Singer Tiny Serger in the display window of my local Value Village thrift store. It was tagged at what I feel was an unrealistic price for this plastic machine, $129.99. I watched the machine as it slowly came down in price over a few months, and I eventually scored it for just $29.99. Good things come to those who wait! Singer Tiny Serger TS-380 Plus Video Review My Notes About the Tiny Serger The Tiny Serger works for what it is, but if you are doing a serious amount of sewing, I would recommend skipping this and purchasing a full-size serger. Why, you ask? The machine is…
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How Much Fabric Do I Need To Buy for Cutting Out Rectangles?
I’m trying something new on the blog. I get a lot of questions from readers that I answer privately, but they are often very similar to each other. I’m going to start answering questions that are not private in nature publicly on the blog so that everyone can learn from the answers. Let’s share the wealth! Have a question? Come ask me over on my contact page. Today’s question comes from DJ: HELP!!!! how much fabric would I need for 20 squares that measure 15″ x 16 1/2″? THANK YOU How Much Fabric Do I Need to Buy to Cut These Rectangles? The way I calculate this is very similar to the…
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Use an Existing Bib to Sew a New Bib Sewing Tutorial
My son just turned four months old and he is definitely starting the teething stage. With teething, bibs definitely save a lot of laundry with all that gooey baby drool dripping everywhere. I’m slowly increasing my bib stash by sewing up my own bibs using existing bibs as a pattern. This sewing tutorial will teach you how to make a pattern from an existing baby bib to sew a new one. Two trim options are outlined: contrasting bias binding or self-facing. All you need for this tutorial is an existing bib that you love, some fabric, and some kind of fastener (snaps, velcro, etc). Before You Start the Bib, Decide the…
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That’s My Spot DIY Sharpie Sheldon Cooper Pillow
When I saw the drop cloth Sharpie pillow by The Happy Housie (check out her project), I knew I wanted to make my own pillow with a Sharpie design. One of my favourite sitcoms that I watch regularly is The Big Bang Theory, and I thought that Sheldon’s often-spoken phrase “that’s my spot” would be a hilarious throw cushion design to have on my couch. Placed on the spot where I sit, naturally. Creating this pillow was extremely fast and easy. I created a large version of the phrase and printed it out on 8.5×11″ paper. The font is “Sorry Not Sorry” by Kimberly Geswein. I taped the print out on my front window then taped my pillow fabric…
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Quilted Coasters for Christmas
I absolutely love making fabric coasters with quilting cotton and quilt batting. They make great gifts, and it’s fun to use little bits of your favourite prints in a small satisfying project. I’m sharing a few sets of coasters I sewed for coworkers for Christmas last year. I didn’t share them at the time I made them because I didn’t want them to be seen before the recipients received them. You can learn how to make your own quilted coasters (so easy!) from my Quilted Coaster Tutorial – Read Now! Because they are so small, you don’t necessarily need to quilt them, but you should at least top stitch around the outside to help them…
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My (Growing) Sewing Machine Collection
I might have a problem. Every time I go to a thrift shop, I scour the aisles for vintage sewing machines and accessories. I’ve definitely got the bug. I justify it because I use each machine for different purposes. My husband seems to support my nonsense luckily, and even helps me fix and maintain them. It’s really fun to play around with vintage sewing machines and I appreciate their vintage style. My foray into vintage machines started when my modern machine started giving me a bit of trouble. I decided to start hunting for a machine that had a larger throat area for quilting purposes. So far my collection contains five…
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Grow Your Fabric Collection with Yard Sales
I love having fabric on hand to choose from for impromptu projects. Sometimes inspiration comes at unexpected times so having at least a few prints available in a rainbow of colours makes it easy to jump into a new project quickly without losing that motivated feeling. I originally grew my fabric stash by always buying “a little extra.” Not only does this grow the stash, but it allows for cutting mistakes in desperate situations. Additionally, I went through a phase of online shopping a few years ago, waiting for the best deals to pick up off-season fabrics on the cheap. I don’t do this as much now due to budgeting constraints. This…
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McCall’s Patterns Sewing Themed Quilt
The quilt featured on this page utilizes pink fabrics from a variety of collections, but the focal fabrics are pulled from the McCall’s themed fabric collection. These fabric is no longer being produced, but you can check out the archive on the Windham Fabrics page to track them down. The main fabrics feature vintage illustrations as used on old sewing patterns. Back in 2012, I created a tutorial so that you can create your own version of this quilt. I fell in love with the vintage-style illustrations on this fabric line and just had to have it. I fussy cut the fabrics so that I could feature as many of the various girls as possible on the…
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How to Make a Tiny Zipper Pouch
While building up my Spoonflower shop, I’ve amassed a collection of 8″ square swatches to test my fabric designs. I also have a pretty big collection of tiny 5″ zippers that I ordered online in bulk back in the day when I was slightly addicted to making zipper pouches. This tutorial will show you how to make a lined zipper pouch using two Spoonflower swatches and a 5″ zipper. If you don’t have Spoonflower swatches, you’ll need two pieces of coordinating fabric measuring 8″x5.5″. I actually don’t own a zipper foot (I sadly lost it while moving years ago and haven’t had a chance to replace it), so my zippers…
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Quilted Coaster Tutorial
I love to make these simple quilted coasters using scraps of fabric. They are a great way to use up leftover quilting cotton and batting after making a quilt (with the added benefit of the quilt draped across the couch matching the coasters on the coffee table). The supplies are minimal for this project: Supplies Fabric, two 5″ squares per coaster Batting, one 5″ square per coaster Thread Sewing machine Iron Cut out your batting into 5″x5″ squares; cut out one per coaster. Cut out your fabric into 5″x5″ squares, cutting two per coaster. (If you’d prefer to make the back and front different, go for it!) Layer the fabrics…
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Quick and Easy 8-Piece Christmas Tree Skirt
Last year, I only threw some excess fabric I had around the base of my Christmas tree as a makeshift tree skirt, but this year, I wanted to be a little more deliberate. This tutorial will show you how to make a round tree skirt using curved triangular pieces. My supply list is a little vague because measurements and fabric amounts will depend on the size you make. Once you make the paper template following my directions, you will be able to figure out how much material you’ll need. Supplies large scrap paper (newsprint will do) a pen a stick of some kind (could be a pen, a paintbrush, a…
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Fiona from BuxtonBears
1. Let us know a bit about you BuxtonBears was inspired in 2004 from a trip to the UK to visit my Grandmother. She taught me the fine art of making a Teddy Bear, and later on, the Elephants and Birds. It’s taken a number of years to get to where I am now, but it was well worth it. Last summer, I decided to bring BuxtonBears; the idea, into the reality of a website, which is going through a major overhaul at the moment, and to make it more user friendly. Building a business, whether it is part time or full time, can still take time, and mine is…
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Circular Sensory Bin Cover Tutorial
Sensory bins are a great way to give your child access to sand play, water play, and other fun materials, but leaving bins like this open all day long is an invitation for sandstorms and puddles to invade the room. Let’s make a circular sensory bin cover this week on Toddler Town! I’ve made several of these covers for my daycare in a variety of prints: Elmo, Thomas the Train, and Care Bears. I found these prints for $4/m at Fabricland. Cute stuff at quite a bargain price! What you need: sensory bin fabric (approx 105″ or 2.6m if you don’t want any seams in the overhanging piece. You can…
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Easy Strip and Block Throw Quilt Top
This simple throw quilt can be made easily using simple squares, rectangles, and strips sewn together into rows. I used pink fabric with vintage McCalls patterns printed on it and coordinated it with fabrics from my stash that matched. Here is the completed quilt alongside the template of the quilt layout I created in Word. The completed quilt will measure 32″x43.75″ if you follow the instructions to a tee. (Quilt pictured actually measures 30.5″x43.75 due to shortage of fabric.) Download and print out the Craftcore Strip and Block Quilt Template. After picking out all the fabrics I want to use in a quilt, I use a paper template such as…
