**This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may get a commission if you choose to click through and make a purchase. It doesn’t cost you any extra if you make a purchase and I sincerely thank you!

What you will need:

Check out my Amazon Storefront here to see the products I recommend for beginning sewists.

• Fabric: two pieces 4in × 5in (for the egg body) and two pieces 4 in × 6 in (for the overlapping flaps).
• Optional batting or fleece: 4in × 5in for a soft, padded interior.
• Sewing thread that matches your fabric.
• Marker for tracing the template.
• Scissors or pinking shears. Pinking shears help reduce fraying and add a neat edge.
• Easter egg template to trace the shape. You can use a free small template or purchase the multi-size templates with printable instructions.
• Sewing machine set to a straight stitch

Watch the Video Tutorial on YouTube

Step 1: Cut your pieces

Cut the following pieces:

• Two pieces of fabric 4in × 5in (these form the egg front and back).
• Two pieces of fabric 4 in × 6 in (these will fold and overlap in the center to create the refillable opening).
• Optional batting or fleece 4in × 5in for the inside.

Keep the pretty side of the main egg piece facing up when you assemble the layers.

Step 2: Assemble and fold the side flaps

Take the two longer 4×6 pieces and fold each in half lengthwise. A quick finger press is enough, though you can iron for a crisper fold.

Line the first folded 4×6 piece up with the top edge of your assembled egg layers, fold centered in the middle. Place the second folded piece overlapping it so both folded edges meet in the center. These folded edges will form the opening through which you can refill the egg.

Step 3: Trace the egg and pin layers

Place your Easter egg template over the center of the stacked layers and trace around it with a marker. If you prefer, use a few clips or pins to hold all layers together before sewing.

Step 4: Sew around the egg

Set your sewing machine to a straight stitch with the needle in the center position. A stitch length of about 2.5 works well for this lightweight project. I’m using the Singer Heavy Duty sewing machine for this tutorial.

• Sew directly on the traced line, stitching all the way around the egg.
• Backstitch at the start and finish to secure the seam.
• When you need to change direction, stop with the needle down, pivot the fabric, then continue sewing.

Step 5: Trim the seam allowance

Trim the excess fabric close to the seam. Using pinking shears is optional but recommended because the zigzag cut reduces fraying and gives a neat decorative edge. Regular fabric scissors also work if you don’t have pinking shears.

Step 6: Turn, shape, and finish

Turn the egg right side out through the overlapped flap opening. Use your finger to gently push the seams and curves into shape. Smooth and shape the egg until it looks even and rounded.

Step 7: Fill and use

The overlapped flaps form a refillable opening. Fill the egg with:

• Small candies or chocolates
• Tiny toys, stickers, or notes
• Lavender or potpourri for a scented egg
• The ideas are endless

Press the flaps together to close. The eggs are soft, reusable, and perfect for eco friendly celebrations.

Quick tips

• Batting or fleece gives a plush finish and hides small treats better.
• Pinking shears help prevent fraying and add texture to the edge.
• Stitch settings: straight stitch, center needle, stitch length around 2.5 for stable seams.
• Pivoting: always stop with the needle down to make clean turns around the curve.
• Create different sizes and mix-and-match fabrics for a colorful set.

Why make reusable fabric eggs?

These fabric eggs reduce single-use plastic and paper waste, last for years, and are customizable to match party themes or holiday decor. They also make thoughtful handmade gifts and can become a yearly tradition that gets passed down.

Ready to sew? Gather your scraps and a template, and enjoy making a batch of reusable fabric Easter eggs that are as pretty as they are practical.

The post How to Sew Reusable Fabric Easter Eggs | Easy Sewing Project for Beginners appeared first on Easy Sewing For Beginners.

I’ve put together a list of 15 Halloween sewing projects easy enough for a beginning sewer to tackle but cool enough for an experienced sewer to want to do as well.

**This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may get a commission if you choose to click through and make a purchase. It doesn’t cost you any extra if you make a purchase and I sincerely thank you!

Easy Halloween Sewing Projects

Let’s get straight into the Halloween sewing projects!

Easy Trick or Treat Bag

Jennie from Jennie Masterson has made a tutorial for a Trick or Treat Bag. This a great tutorial for sewing a simple bag. You could then easily use some Christmas fabric to make some gift bags at Christmas time too!

There’s also a quick video tutorial showing you how to make it and you all know how much I love a good video tutorial over on my Easy Sewing for Beginners YouTube Channel.

Vampire Cape with Stand-Up Collar

Lisa from Cucicucicoo has a great tutorial for a Vampire cape. There are step-by-step instructions and there is also a video tutorial. This could be made for a child or adult.

Candy Corn Bunting

The ladies over at Sew Lux Fabrics have this great tutorial for candy corn bunting. The fabric colour selection is spot on.

Black Cat Softie

Amy over at Positively Splendid has a tutorial for a black cat softie. The pattern is included as a free download. My love of sewing started with softies so this tutorial sure did make my heart smile.

Ghost Costume

Rachel over at Bomb Shell Bling has a tutorial for a cute ghost costume. This tutorial would be a no-sew option if you choose to go with using fusible webbing for the face. Otherwise, you could use your sewing machine to do some raw edge applique sewing. So cute!!!

Ghostie Halloween Hoop Art

Bev over at Flamingo Toes has an embroidery hoop art tutorial for some quick and cute ghostie Halloween art. There’s a free printable template included as well.

You might like to check out this applique fusing mat as it allows you to conveniently iron and applique where ever you are! Great if you don’t have much space to work in. I also recommend one of these Mini irons or spoil yourself with the Oliso M2 Pro Mini Project Iron.

We’re All A Little Batty Hoop Art

Bev over at Flamingo Toes has also created this embroidery hoop art tutorial for this Little Batty Halloween Embroidery Hoop art. There’s a free printable template included as well.

Voodoo Doll Pin Cushion

Maggy over at Red Ted Art has a tutorial for this Voodoo Doll Pin Cushion. This is a great hand sewing project for beginners and it also includes a video tutorial.

Halloween Drawstring Treat Bag

Heather over at Heather Handmade has a tutorial for this drawstring Halloween treat bag. This project would be great practise for creating a bag with a drawstring.

Felt Witch Hat Halloween Sewing Project

Anne over at Bombshell Bling has a tutorial for this felt witch hat. This project had step-by-step instructions and make a sturdy witch hat to finish off a costume just nicely.

Mini Ghost Softie

Alicia over at Felt With Love Designs has a tutorial for this Mini Ghost Softie. This project is all handsewn and they could be used as part of your Halloween decor or string them together to make a garland. It’s a bit tricky to get the free templates, but once you have the coupon code you should be good to go.

Halloween Reading Pillow

Taunja over at Carried Away Quilting has made this Halloween reading pillow. You will find the actual tutorial here, but just by choosing the cute Halloween skeleton fabric transforms it into something Halloweeny!

Spooky Cat Applique Pattern

Wendi over at Shiny Happy World has made this tutorial for a spooky cat applique pattern. You could use this free template to add to a treat bag or the reading pillow above. I have learned so much from Wendy over the years. I highly recommend checking out her other tutorials too.

Fleece Halloween Hat Pack

Angel over at Fleece Fun has made this tutorial for fleece halloween hats. You could finish off a homemade costume very well with one of these hats. There’s a video tutorial for these as well.

Denim Fabric Pumpkin

Vicky from Vicky Myers Creations has created this lovely tutorial for how to create a fabric pumpkin. This one is a no-sew tutorial but it’s a good tutorial for using old denim jeans scraps from other sewing projects.

I hope you have found some great inspiration to go out and get started on some Halloween sewing projects.

You might want to check out these Christmas sewing projects to get a head start on your Christmas sewing!

Until next time, happy Christmas sewing!

Domenica

The post 15 Easy Halloween Sewing Projects appeared first on Easy Sewing For Beginners.

I didn’t actually know how to thread a needle with a threader until I was an adult! I remember playing with them as a child and then eventually breaking the little wire on them. It must have driven my mother crazy…. A recent viewer of my YouTube channel commented that they had realised they’d been using their’s wrong all these years, after watching the video.

Once you thread your needle you’ll want to see this tutorial for how to do a ladder stitch!

I hope This step-by-step guide can be of some help to those of you learning to hand sew, as well as more experienced sewers as well.

What You Will Need

• Needle
• Thread
• Needle Threader type 1 or type 2

 How to Use a Needle Threader Video

Below you will find the video instructions, but scroll on to find the photo instructions. 

Or you can find the video on YouTube here. 

How Do You Use a Needle Threader?

Below I will show you step by step instructions.

What is a Needle Threader?

Before I get into the steps, I want to go over what a needle threader is. It’a a small metal tool with a diamond shaped wire loop or a small metal hook that can fit through the eye of a needle. This makes the task of threading a needle much easier, especially if you have issues with your eyes or the thread just won’t go through the pesky little hole. 

Now, let’s get into the steps!

Step 1 – Prepare your needle, thread, and needle threader

slide the wire loop through the eye of the needle and allow the needle to hang.

Step 2 – Insert the thread tail through the wire loop

Insert the thread tail through the wire loop by about 8″ (15cm). Allow the thread to drape down or you can hold the thread tail to ensure it doesn’t come out. 

Step 3 – Pull wire loop out

Pull the wire loop out from the eye of the needle and ensure the thread tails comes through with it. 

There’s an easy way to put the thread in needle!

If you are using the second type then the concept is very similar.

Instead of threading the wire through the needle eye you would thread the hook through and allow the needle to hang from the other side of the hook. 

Put the thread tail over the hook and hold it down with a bit of tension.

Pull the needle over the hook and continue to pull the thread tail through. 

There are pros and cons to both of these types of needle threaders. 

The first type can break very easily, but on the plus side, they are very inexpensive to buy.

The use of the second type can restrict you to the size of the needle you can thread up. Most of my needles fit on the hooks very easily. These hook types are relatively inexpensive to buy as well but more expensive in comparison to the first type. 

The first type would be great to use with a single thread, while the second type is great to use with embroidery floss. 

Check out this little trick for threading a needle!

The History of Needle Threaders

The first known needle threaders were used in Europe way back in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century according to this source. 

Alison Smith also talks about this in The Sewing Book on pg 22, 31, and 37. You can see more about this book here.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial and you now know how to use a needle threader.

Until next time, happy sewing.

Other hand sewing tutorials you might like to check out:

• How to start hand sewing without a knot
• A handy secret in your spool of thread

The post How to Use a Needle Threader | Step by Step for Beginners appeared first on Easy Sewing For Beginners.

I had only first heard of these last year and was very intrigued by the idea of them. Firstly, because I have limited sewing space so I hated setting up my large ironing board, and secondly because I love a great sewing tool. 

I set out to find the best mat for my needs as well as provide a bit of a wool pressing mat review for my readers and viewers as well. I previously made a video on these, which you can view within this post or keep scrolling to read all about them. 

What is a Wool Pressing Mat?

Wool ironing mats are made of 100% natural wool and this wool usually originates from New Zealand. They have dense wool fibers and both sides are the same so there is no right or wrong way to use it. 

You can use a wool pressing mat for quilting as the wool mat retains the heat underneath your fabric. This essentially presses or irons your fabric from the bottom as well, giving you a crisp, well-pressed finish to your sewing project. It will give you a really flat seam in a shorter amount of time. This is the magic of these mats! They save you time. Less time ironing = more time sewing!!

**This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may get a commission if you choose to click through and make a purchase. It doesn’t cost you any extra if you make a purchase and I sincerely thank you!

What is the Best Wool Pressing Mat?

I was on a mission to find the best ironing mat. When I did an Amazon search there were quite a few that came up. Most seemed to have iron-shaped silicone mats, but I really didn’t need one of those.

When I did a Google search the Precision Quilting Tools wool ironing mat seemed to come up the most. When I was browsing my feed on Facebook a Love Sew wool pressing mat was popping up in the advertising (funny how that all works!). I didn’t got with Love Sew in the end as their persistent advertising was slightly annoying.

A bit more searching and I found the Sewmadic brand which came with 2 applique pressing sheets. This piqued my interest as I love doing applique and had an old brown Teflon applique pressing sheet that had been used a lot!

The Decision to Choose the Best Wool Ironing Mat!

I really couldn’t decide so I bought a few of them in a variety of sizes. This included the Precision Quilting Tools and the Sewmadic brands. I purchase some other brands as well, like Lilypad Lake, but these two seemed to be the best. 

I went with the 17″x13.5″ from Sewmadic and 9″x9″ one from Precision Quilting Tools along with another couple of brands with slightly different sizes. These all seemed to be around the 1/2″ thick mark. 

I should’ve gone the bigger size of the Precision one, but I thought a mini size would be handy too, plus this brand seemed to be a lot more expensive for some reason. The Sewmadic branded mat seemed like the perfect size to transport around the house with me and to take along when I was heading out for a sewing session somewhere and the bonus pressing sheets really interested me.

The Dreaded Wool Pressing Mat Smell

I need to mention that one of the other brands I purchased had an awful sheep smell from the moment I unpacked it and even after a long airing out I just couldn’t get rid of the smell. I decided to try using it as I thought that might help. The heat from the iron only released the mat smell even more and my fabric also had a sheepy smell to it afterwards. It made me feel sick. Now I know this should be normal as they are made of wool but all the other mats I purchased didn’t have the same strong wool pressing mat smell.

I can’t remember the brand of the extra smelly one but it was definitely darker than the others. It was around the same price as the Sewmadic one too. So maybe stay away from the darker-looking mats. I talk about this smelly mat in the video below but you can see the difference in quality in the following photo. The wool fibers are not as refined and dense and you can see the slight difference in colour on the wool surface. 

The Winner….

I have to say I really liked the Sewmadic brand the most. I have continued to use the applique pressing sheets as they can be used to protect my iron as well as the wool pressing mats surface if I am using HTV or fusible webbing for applique. The packaging was much nicer in general and the mat came with care information and tips on a card to keep and refer back to later.

The feel and quality are exactly the same between Sewmadic and Precision, but Sewmadic offered the extra bonus as well as being less expensive. I’ve used this brand to make the video down below. 

I have even purchased the larger Sewmadic set , which is 24″x18″ plus a 10″x10″ mini mat, now to have one permanently on my sewing table. The smaller sizes I use around the house and when I’m traveling. The larger wool mat size would also be the best wool pressing mat for quilting as it gives you a larger ironing surface if you have larger quilt blocks. 

See the Mat in Action on the Video Tutorial

You can also watch it here on YouTube.

Some Extra Tips on How to Use These Wool Mats

Use the Mat on a Heatproof surface if Using Steam

Steam will go straight through these mats so I highly recommend you do not use them on a precious wooden surface or any surface that can be damaged by heat and moisture. If you are using a dry iron this won’t be as bad, but I do find that some moisture does still travel through mat. I have a thin piece of MDF under my mat just in case.

Do not use these mats on top of a self healing cutting mat either. You will end up warping your cutting mat. 

The Mat Grips Onto the Fabric

The wool surface is fuzzy and grips onto your fabric. This is important to know because there is less chance of your quilt block or sewing project being stretched out of shape while you iron it. 

You Can Pin into Your Mat for Blocking Your Projects

The mat is like a thick wool pad so it makes it perfect for pinning into when you are blocking your craft projects or even just to hold something down if you are making jewelry too. 

Use It as a Mini Ironing Board for your Clothes

I find these mats really convenient to use when I need to iron a collar for my worktops. It’s so good not having to get out the large ironing board when I only need to iron for a short amount of time. 

Perfect for Doing Raw-Edge Fusible Applique

I’ve been a long-time fan of raw-edge fusible applique. My most recent favourite designer is Toni from The Red Boot Quilt Co. The photo below is using one of the free applique patterns from the Paper Dolls Sew-Along. 

Perfect for Protecting Your Iron and Project While Using HTV

The wool mat and Teflon sheets are also great to use when doing Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV) projects. I currently Own a Cricut Joy but I had put off buying the expensive handheld iron press and mat. I don’t feel I need them now as these tools help me get the same result with the same convenience, at a lower cost. Winning!

Make Fabric Labels Without Raiding the Kitchen Cupboard

I previously made my DIY fabric labels using a skillet from the kitchen cupboard. I don’t need to bring the kitchen into the sewing room anymore. Haha! So if you check out the tutorial for how to make fabric labels then just replace the skillet for the wool pressing mat!

Use the Wool Pressing Mats When Using a Hot Glue Gun

The applique pressing sheets can also transform into hot glue gun work surface sheets! Use the sheet on top of your wool mat when completing a project with your hot glue gun and the glue will not stick to the Teflon. 

I’m sure there are many other uses that I am missing. Please let me know in the comments section down below if you have a different use for a wool pressing mat that I haven’t covered.

These wool mats are available all over the world now, but you will find the widest range available in the US. Check your local quilting or sewing store as well as online stores for the size and brand that is right for you. You can find the smaller Sewmadic wool pressing mats here and the larger size here on Amazon, along with many other sizes and brands. 

I hope you have found this tutorial useful.

Until next time, happy sewing.

Domenica

The post How to Use a Wool Pressing Mat Review appeared first on Easy Sewing For Beginners.

At the end of these instructions, I will even provide a link to the video I made showing you what to do if your portable sewing machine is not working or not stitching.

**This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may get a commission if you choose to click through and make a purchase. It doesn’t cost you any extra if you make a purchase and I sincerely thank you!

How to Use a Handheld Sewing Machine Step by Step Instructions

I will be using the Handy Stitch mini sewing machine in the video, but the setup and function are the same for the Singer handheld sewing machine as well as many other brands. 

You may also find the mini sewing machine tutorial helpful.

I purchased mine from Amazon but they are also found on eBay and may also be sold locally too. In Australia, you can purchase these at Cheap as Chips where they are called Sew Maxx Portable Sewing Machine.  They go by various other names too. My goal here is to provide education on how to use this machine as many beginning sewers purchase these to do an odd sewing project here or there or some quick sewing repairs, but then find that these machines can be temperamental. They function very differently from a traditional sewing machine.

If you’re looking for an inexpensive sewing machine that may last a bit longer check out my tutorial on how to use the FHSM 505 Portable Mini Sewing Machine here.

Please note: This is not a handheld sewing machine reviews type post, but if you would like something like that then let me know

Video Tutorial for handheld Sew Machine

You can watch the handheld sew machine video here on YouTube

Step by Step Photo Instructions

Your machine will probably come with thread in it already, but I will be unthreading my machine and showing you how to thread it up from the beginning. This will be particularly helpful if you need to change thread colour.

Step 1 – Load 4 AA batteries into your machine. Be sure to have your machine locked before you do this!

Engage the lock to ensure you don’t accidentally press the power button while you are threading up the machine. You can also load the AA batteries in after the machine is all threaded up as well.

Load in the AA batteries into the bottom of the machine. I like to use rechargeable batteries so I’m not spending more on batteries than the actual machine costs, but use what works best for you. 

You may also be able to use a Handy Stitch power adaptor instead of batteries. You can find them on Amazon here or at various other online locations by doing a quick online search.

Step 2 – Attach your desired thread using the spool pin

The Handy Stitch comes with a short thread spool and a longer thread spool or thread spindle. The short thread spool can be used with thread wound onto a bobbin or you can use the longer thread spool if you want to use a standard spool of thread. 

In the video I am loading on some thread on a bobbin, but you can also see me demonstrate how to use the larger spool. 

Tip: Be sure not to drop the tiny spring located on the spool pin holder. These things can disappear into Never Never Land if dropped onto the floor. I’m speaking from experience!

Step 3 – Pass the thread through the first thread guide

The first thread guide will be a little notch above the thread spool pin. Pass the thread through from the bottom and out through the top. 

Step 4 – Run the thread through the tension disks

Guide the thread so it is running through the two tension disks. This will help give you a tighter-looking stitch. The knob here can be used later if you need to adjust the tension at all. 

Step 5 – Place thread through the hook on the needle arm

This has to be one of the trickiest steps as the hook under the needle arm is hard to get to. I encourage you to watch the video instructions if these instructions are not clear.

Step 6 – Thread the needle

To thread the needle you must ensure the tip of the thread is being threaded from the back of the needle and out towards the front. 

To make this task easier, I recommend using the needle thread that comes with your handy sewing machine. 

Step 7  – You are now ready to use your mini handheld sewing machine!

These a few extra tidbits you should know about this machine before you sew with it. The wheel you see on the side is called the rotary wheel. This enables you to manually bring the needle up and down. You can use it in any direction.

You also have a fastening plate and this holds the fabric in place while you are sewing. This can be lifted up to place the fabric under it. Beware!! If you do not have the lock in place this is when you can accidentally make the machine sew. I’m speaking from experience. You don’t want to go sewing your finger now!

How to Use Hand Sewing Machine Step by Step

Now that your machine is all threaded up it is ready to sew.

I like to sit my machine on a tabletop so my left hand can operate the power button and my right hand is guiding the fabric. 

You can lift up the fastening plate slightly to slip your fabric underneath (like in the photo above). Unlock the machine and then press the power button to start sewing!

The Chain Stitch

From the top of the fabric, it will look like a standard straight stitch. If you flip the fabric over you will see that this machine actually sews using a chain stitch. This is why it can sew using only one thread as opposed to two threads like on conventional sewing machines. A chain stitch is where the needle goes down taking the thread through the fabric. There is a hook underneath which catches the thread as the needle travels back up. When the needle comes back down the needle catches the previous loop and the process happens all over again creating the chain stitch. 

Now because this machine uses a chain stitch you need to be careful how you finish your stitching with this machine. If you leave it, it will all unravel at the slightest pull.

To avoid your stitching unraveling, hold the last stitch with your finger and thumb and continue to stitch until you have about 6″ (15cm) of excess thread. 

Once you have enough excess thread you can snip the thread away from the machine.  

Turn your fabric over. Here you will see the chain stitch. Find the last loop and pull that loop until the thread tail comes through to this other side. Just doing this step alone will prevent your stitches from unraveling.

If you want to secure the stitching even more then you can tie the thread around the previous stitch and secure it with a knot. In the video, I show you an easy way to do it using the needle threader provided. 

Use This Sewing Machine to Hem Pants

If you are wanting to use this mini hand held sewing machine to hem pants then I recommend these few extra bits of advice.

Ensure the needle is in the highest position and the machine is locked. Lift up the fastening plate and place your pant leg under the needle where you want to start sewing. 

Unlock the machine and start sewing. It may be a bit tricky when you come to the end of the sewing, but you will need to detach the thread from the bottom hook to enable you to pull the thread and remove the fabric from the machine. The rotary wheel may come in handy here. 

Depending on the type of sewing you are doing, this handy machine could be the answer.

If you find your handheld sewing machine is not stitching then you might like to check out the video. Here you will see the needle size as well as what to do with the needle if your machine is not sewing. This quick-fix works the majority of the time! 

I hope you have found this tutorial useful and you now have the confidence to sew.

Until next time, happy sewing!

Domenica

The post How to Use a Handheld Sewing Machine appeared first on Easy Sewing For Beginners.

It is important to know how to use this mini sewing machine correctly to ensure you get the best from it. Read on to see how to do that!

**This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may get a commission if you choose to click through and make a purchase. It doesn’t cost you any extra if you make a purchase and I sincerely thank you!

This machine is exactly the same as the Sew and Make mini sewing machine from Spotlight in Australia (this is the pink one in the photo above). It’s also sold as an Easy Home Aldi sewing machine. You will find it’s also the same as the NEX portable sewing machine as well. It is the same as some of the Little Sew and Sew machines as well. This machine is sold under many different brands, but they are all the same, just with different labels and colourings.

below I’ll be showing you step by step how to thread the FHSM 505 sewing machine. I’ll include the full video which is even better than having an FHSM 505 sewing machine manual. Let’s be honest, the manuals are confusing for these mini sewing machines!

If you have a mini sewing machine that looks like the photo below then be sure to go here for full instructions on how to use it, as it is quite different from a traditional sewing machine. 

FHSM 505 Sewing Machine (same as Sew and Make and NEX Portable Sewing Machines and Lil Sew and Sew)

 When you unbox your machine you will have some standard accessories included in the box. This will include a:

• Sewing machine
• Power cord
• Foot pedal
• Bobbins
• Spare needle
• Needle threader
• Buttonhole foot

Some machines also include thread. I recommend not using this thread and going for something like a Gutterman All Purpose thread. This will reduce the number of broken threads while sewing and it will give you a better finish overall. 

You may like to have a pair of scissors or snips handy, as I’ll show you a little hack for making sure the bobbin winds onto the thread correctly.

Watch the Full Video Tutorial – Better than a FHSM 505 Sewing Machine Manual!

Or watch it here on YouTube

How to Wind the Bobbin on the FHSM 505

Step 1 – Wind thread onto the bobbin

Firstly, place the spool of thread onto the spool pin.

Place the thread through the first thread guide at the top of the machine. Please refer to the photo below or to the video tutorial for more details if you’re unsure about this.

Guide the tip of the thread through a hole in the bobbin going from the inside and out at the top of the bobbin. 

Place the bobbin onto the bobbin spindle and push the spindle to the right to activate the bobbin winding mechanism.

While holding onto the tip of the thread with your right hand, activate the foot pedal to start the bobbin winding. Please note, this sewing machine may be operated without a foot pedal. You can use the on/off switch located on the front of the machine. 

Tip: If your thread is not winding onto the bobbin evenly then use some scissors or a pen to encourage the thread to go up and down.(see the inset photo below).

Push the bobbin spindle back over to the left and remove the bobbin. Snip the thread. Place the bobbin to the side, as you will need this after you have threaded the top part of the mini sewing machine. 

Step 2 – Thread the top part of the compact sewing machine

Leave the thread in the top thread guide from step 1. guide the thread down so the thread sits between the tension disks. 

You should then be able to guide the thread up on the other side of the tension disks.

Guide the tip of the thread through the hole on the take up lever, ensuring the thread is coming through from the right hand side. If the take up lever is not in its highest position then turn the hand wheel towards yourself to bring the take up lever up. 

Next there will be a thread guide at the top of the needle bar. Use the hand wheel to bring the needle down to its lowest position. Guide the thread through the hole going from the top of the hole. 

Bring the needle back up to its highest postition. Thread the tip of the thread through the eye of the needle. Remember to thread from the front and pull out from the back on this portable machine. 

leave this top thread hanging off to the left hand side of the machine for now. 

Step 3 – Load the bobbin into the machine

Remove the bobbin cover.

Using the bobbin you previously added thread to in step 1, hold the bobbin with the thread going in an anticlockwise direction. So when you hold the bobbin up it should resemble the letter ‘p’. 

Place the bobbin into the bobbin case.

Hold the top thread out at the left so there is a bit of tension. Meanwhile, use your right hand to wind the handwheel towards yourself to take the top thread down and over the bobbin. 

As you do this you should be able to see the top thread going over the bobbin. This will pick up the bottom thread and bring it up through the needle plate. 

Pull the top thread a bit tighter once the needle has come all the way up. You will find the bottom thread will start to come up and be looped over the top thread.

Pull the bottom thread all the way out and place both thread tails under the presser foot and down over the back of the machine. 

Replace the bobbin cover. 

Your machine is just about ready to sew!

Step 4 – Choose the desired stitch

Use the stitch selection knob to choose your desire stitch. This machine comes with 12 stitches to choose from. Stitches 1-4 are the straight stitches and I recommend starting with one of those if you are new to sewing. 

You could use some scrap fabric to practise some of the stitches or you could even practise sewing on paper first. You can even practise on paper without having to thread the sewing machine up first. 

If your machine is more like one of the handheld sewing machines then I recommend watching this video for instructions as that one is completely different to operate as well. I’ve included some very helpful tips to help you be successful with that little machine. 

Some Extras to Include about this Household Sewing Machine

This machine is very similar to a regular and more expensive sewing machine, it’s just on the smaller side. One of the other bonuses is that this machine can operate on 4 AA batteries, which makes it a truly portable sewing machine. You could take it in your caravan while travelling or any other places with access to a power source.

The built-in sewing light is another great little feature along with the thread cutter. 

Would This be a Good Choice for a Childrens Sewing Machine?

This is a very lightweight sewing machine and would be a great choice for a beginning sewer who doesn’t want to purchase a more expensive machine. It would also be a good choice for a childrens sewing machine. The instructional video above would be a great training choice for people who are scared to get started

Overall this is a great multi-functional household sewing machine. this machine could even handle sewing some heavy fabrics, but you would need to test this before starting a sewing project.  

Be sure to check out my collection of easy sewing projects to find your next sewing project idea too!

I hope you have found this tutorial helpful.

Until next time, happy sewing!

Domenica

The post How to Use a FHSM 505 Portable Mini Sewing Machine appeared first on Easy Sewing For Beginners.

Want to start organizing your sewing room, but not sure where to start? Any of these 5 things below will help you see progress. Get a quick win and everything else feels easier.

Do all 5 – plus the bonus 6^th one for maximum inspiration!  

Choose your work in progress spot

Everybody needs a place to tidy their current project away. Maybe it’s a shelf above your sewing machine, or a pretty box.

Having a spot to place your current work in project (WIP) will help you look and feel organized. 

Choose a box or area you can dedicate to this.

Make it appropriate to the projects you typically make.

If you are making clothes, it might be a special coat hanger and your mannequin. If you are making large quilts, you might need to have a very large shelf or rack to drape your quilt over. 

Don’t choose the bed. No, no, no. The bed is not a storage spot! Ideally, it will be somewhere that “looks tidy”.

I typically work on piecing projects, so I use a rack above my machine that I can hang my current project over. It’s visually easy to see, but still looks and feels organized and put away.

2. Sort out your boards

Do you have a pegboard, bulletin board or whiteboard for keeping tools, notions, and ideas easy to hand?

Go ahead and organize them. Clean them off and wipe them down.

Make firm decisions on what you really need to keep on there.

Toss any notes or papers you have finished with.

File away any notes on ideas that you are not going to do soon.

Take off any tools or notions that you aren’t using. Make firm decisions on what you really want and need to keep on there.

Add some inspiration. Perhaps a swatch of your favourite fabric and a sketch of an idea you want to make with it. 

Allow for some empty space to give yourself a bit of breathing room. It’s okay not to pack the board full.

Finally, stand back and appreciate your hard work. Take a photo to remind yourself. Sewing will start to feel inspiring again when you feel calm in your surroundings.

3. Put away your scraps  

Organizing your scraps is sometimes the last thing we want to work on. After all we have seen that fabric before. Why would we want to play with that again?

But over and over, I keep hearing that you need help with organizing your scraps. 

Organizing your scraps is easy once you make these decisions: 

Decision # 1 What counts as a scrap for you? Be realistic here about what you actually use in your projects. Toss out anything smaller.

Decision # 2 Who gets the scraps I don’t want? 

Decision # 3 Where am I keeping the scraps I want? 

Decision # 4 How will I sort my scraps? 

Once you have made these decisions, everything falls into place. You can decide what way to sort them, whether it’s by color, fabric pattern, size or project. Even if you sort by color or project, I still recommend sorting them by size as well.

4. Organize your UFO’s

Imagine having your UFO’s each tucked into its own little bag just waiting for you? How easy would it be if you knew exactly what the next step is? With a few dollars and a bit of effort, you can.  

Here’s how:

• Do a rough count of your UFO’s (if you have lots, start with about 20) 
• Get some bags or boxes (large ziplocks or boxes from the dollar store work great) 
• Gather all the parts of each UFO together
• For each UFO, write down some notes about it.
• I’ve created a little printable for you to help you do this. Pick up the UFO action sheet here! 
• Put all the pieces and your notes in the bag together. 

Now you have organized your UFO’s, put them away or leave them out to keep going on them.

You might even get inspired to finish one or two up!

5. Inventory your batting, wadding and stuffing. 

Is your batting, wadding and stuffing organized and stored safely?

Sometimes we focus so much on organizing our fabric, that we forget about the other bits and pieces.  

Organizing your bulky items can help keep you safe. Before I did mine, the batting used to keep falling out of the cupboard onto my head! Plus, you will be surprized how much space you gain to arrange other things.

The bonus is that when you know exactly how much batting you have, you don’t buy extra “just in case”.

Here’s how to do it…

Sort into sizes, then cut and organize as follows:

• Mug rug size – stack and store together 
• Placemat size – trim, stack and store together 
• Strips – trim and fold together
• Large quilt size pieces – measure the size then use the original bag to store in, just cross out the size and write the new size on the bag. 

For smaller sizes, large ziplock bags work well. You can press the air out to get it really squished in.

For large quilt size pieces, use the original bag to store in. 

This will make it easy to know what batting and wadding you have ready for quilts.

Next, make sure it’s stored well. You can choose an out of the way place for storing this. The top of the cupboard or tightly wrapped under the bed works well. Just make sure it’s stored securely, no one needs to be bonked on the head by batting! 

Is your fibre fill and stuffing escaping? When it comes to the fluffy stuff, there really isn’t much organizing you can do except to squish it down as tight as you can, and stuff it somewhere. I like to keep mine in our suitcase. When I’m travelling I just shove it in the closet while I’m away. When I return home I pack it back in the suitcase. 

Bonus # 6. Sign up for the free Sew Spacious 28 day challenge

Any of these tips will help you. But, if you want to get your sewing room really clean, then the Sew Spacious 28 day challenge is perfect for you!

This is a free challenge over at Sew Spacious to help get your sewing room organized. It’s a daily email with one little task each day.

It will motivate you and keep you excited as you organize your sewing room.

Participants have said “it is a way to once again make your sewing space your happy place” and “I actually enjoy being in my sewing room now”!

Take the Sew Spacious 28 day challenge and transform your sewing room!

The post 5 Things You Can Do in 15 Minutes to Organize Your Sewing Room appeared first on Easy Sewing For Beginners.

I’ve put together a list of 15+ Christmas sewing projects easy enough for a beginning sewer to tackle but cool enough for an experience sewer to want to do as well.

**This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may get a commission if you choose to click through and make a purchase. It doesn’t cost you any extra if you make a purchase and I sincerely thank you!

Easy Christmas Sewing Projects

Let’s get straight into the Christmas sewing projects!

Christmas Tree Table Runner

Emily from Life Sew Savory has made a tutorial for a Christmas Table runner. A great tutorial for trying your hand at applique! A FREE template is also included for this project. I love the use of the decorative thread as well.

You might like to check out this wool pressing mat with applique pressing sheets as it allows you to conveniently iron and applique where ever you are! Great for if you don’t have much space to work in. I also recommend one of these Mini irons or spoil yourself with the Oliso M2 Pro Mini Project Iron.

Christmas Face Mask

Lisa from Cucicucicoo has made a Christmas face mask to brighten up your outings when wearing a face mask. This is a great free face mask pattern as it allows you to change it to suit your personal preference for elastic or ribbon, adding a nose wire bridge and the option to add a filter as well.

Santa Inspired Christmas Scrunchie

This Santa inspired Christmas scrunchies tutorial is my latest sewing tutorial. Every time I wear one of these scrunchies I get the comment of “where did you get that Santa scrunchie from??!”. You can also make Christmas scrunchies with Christmas print fabrics using my new YouTube video for ‘How to Make Scrunchies’ tutorial.

Snowflake Christmas Pillow

Leslie over at The Seasoned Homemaker has made a snowflake Christmas pillow tutorial. A new pillow cover is a great way to easily make your home feel more festive without going over the top with Christmas decorations.

DIY Christmas Gift Tags

Damjana from Apple Green Cottage has a great tutorial for making these Christmas gift tags. These would be great for adding a handmade personal touch to your gifts this Christmas. There are FREE templates available to download for this project.

Embroidery Hoop Christmas Ornament

Vicky from Vicky Myers Creations has this cute little project for an embroidery hoop Christmas ornament. Vicky is great at using upcycled materials. This project involves using upcycled denim so dig out those old jeans and give this project a go!

Christmas Ornaments Kids Can Make

Anne from Orange Bettie has a tutorial for these cute Christmas ornaments kids can make. These ornaments can be left plain and still make a lovely Christmas ornament. I love the simplicity of the decorating.

Fabric Christmas Tree Ornament

This is my featured Christmas sewing project from last year. It’s a fabric Christmas tree ornament and I show you how you can personalise to give the ornament that extra special touch.

DIY Gift Card Holder

Chelsea from Sew Simple Home shows you how to make your own gift card holder. Gift cards are an easy way to give a gift that will be received with joy. This gift card holder is a great way to give a gift card that hand made and thoughtful felling to the gift.

DIY Christmas Sweater Pillow

Heather from Heather Handmade has this tutorial showing you how to turn an ugly Christmas sweater into a Christmas sweater pillow. I love the look of Christmas sweaters. Living down in Australia means it’s Summer at Christmas time so we don’t have the opportunity to see or wear Christmas sweaters. I’m sure these could be made with ugly Christmas shirts too!

Patchwork Christmas Stocking

Shelly from Coral & Co. has this great tutorial for a patchwork Christmas stocking using mini charm packs. This would be a great way to try your hand at a quick patchwork project. You will find the printable pattern very helpful as well.

Christmas Table Runner

Vanessa from Mom of 5 Trying to Survive has a tutorial for this applique Christmas table runner. I love the Christmas gnome! This project would be a slightly more advanced sewing project but would be a great opportunity to learn some different sewing skills.

DIY Dog Ornament

Heather from Beginner Sewing Projects has made these dog bone ornaments. This would be a great little gift to sew up for those furry friends in your life. You can’t forget the dog! I even made my dog a collar scrunchie. I’m pretty sure he loves it!!

Stitched Christmas Cards

Julie from Sum of Their Stories shows you how to make these cool stitched Christmas cards. These cards are a great way to use up bits of Christmas paper. It would even be a great project for a someone just starting out in the learning to sew journey as well.

Sewing Tools Christmas Ornament

Havalah from Sisters, What! shows you how to make these quilting tools sewing ornaments. No sewing for this project but definitely sewing-related and it uses one of my all-time favourite craft materials….Shrinky Dinks plastic!!! I’m not sure if this is an Australian term for this shrinking plastic material, but boy is it fun to say.

I hope you have found some great inspiration to go out and get started on some Christmas sewing projects.

Until next time, happy Christmas sewing!

Domenica

The post 15+ Easy Christmas Sewing Projects appeared first on Easy Sewing For Beginners.

If you would like to make a Santa Christmas scrunchie then I will be showing you how in this tutorial.

**This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may get a commission if you choose to click through and make a purchase. It doesn’t cost you any extra if you make a purchase and I sincerely thank you!

The Best Fabrics to Use When Making a Santa Christmas Scrunchie

I chose to use red Minky fabric for the inner part of this scrunchie. Minky is super soft, with a low fabric pile (it’s one of my favorite fabrics). I chose to use coral fleece for the white part as it is super soft as well but has a longer pile. This gives the white part of the scrunchie that fluffy Santa appearance that it needs.

You can read more about coral fleece and how it is different from polar fleece here.

See my round up of 15 other quick and easy Christmas Sewing projects

Fluff Warning!!!!

I recommend having a sticky lint roller handy because these fabrics will produce some fluff.

What You Will Need to Make a Santa Christmas Scrunchie

Materials and Tools

• Red minky fabric
• White coral fleece fabric
• red thread
• 1/4″ wide white elastic
• 2 safety pins
• hand sewing needle
• pins
• sewing machine
• cutting tools
• Sticky lint roller!!! Things are going to get fluffy around here!

You can see the tutorial on How to make a standard scrunchie here – Coming soon!

Keep scrolling to see the tutorial on how to make the Christmas scrunchies.

Or watch the scrunchie tutorial on YouTube here

You might also like this Christmas tree ornament easy sewing project

How to Make Christmas Scrunchies

Step 1 – Prepare the fabric

Cut the red minky fabric to 22″ (56cm) long and 3 1/2″ (9cm) wide. Cut the white coral fleece 22″ (56cm) long and 1 1/2″ (6.5cm) wide.

Step 2 – Sew strips together to form a loop

With the right side of the minky fabric facing up, layer the long edge of the white coral fleece on the minky fabric. Ensure the long pile side of the coral fleece is facing down.

Sew the edges together using a 3/8″ seam allowance. A larger seam allowance is fine as well.

layer the other 2 edges together and sew together. I prefer to keep the white coral fleece on top when sewing bother these edges as these fabric can be prone to stretching. I recommend using a walking foot when sewing with these types of fabrics.

The next steps are exactly the same as my traditional scrunchie tutorial so you can watch the video from here or keep reading on!

Step 3 – Turn the tube of fabric right side out

Attache a safety pin to one end of the tube.

Push the tube of fabric over the safety pin until your tube has the right side of fabric on the outside.

Step 4 – Secure the white coral fleece strip in place

Pin the two seams together to hold the white coral fleece fabric in place.

Sew a few stitches along the length of the tube, at about 5″ intervals, to hold the red and white colors in place. I do this so the white strip stays nicely around the outside.

I sew on the red minky fabric as this is the thread color I have in the sewing machine already. You could always sew these securing stitches along the white fabric if you want to change the sewing machine thread color to white.

You can barely notice these securing stitches in the photo below!

Step 5 – Thread the elastic through the tube of fabric

Using one of the safety pins, attach one end of an 8″-9″ (20sm-23cm) length of elastic to the end of the tube. Attach the other safety pin to the other end of the elastic

Thread the elastic through the tube of fabric.

Below you can see the elastic threaded all the way through. Using two safety pins reduces the chances of accidentally letting go of one end of the elastic and having to thread it through all over again!

Step 6 – Join elastic ends together

There are a few options for this step. Firstly, you could simply tie a knot in the ends.

The second option would be to overlap the elastic ends by about and inch and use a zigzag stitch to secure the elastic together. this is my preferred option.

I like to go forwards and backwards a couple of times. I also tend to use fabric clips or pins to hold the 2 ends of elastic while I am sewing the elastic together.

Snip off the excess elastic.

The third option would be to use a simple hand stitch with a hand sewing needle and thread to secure the ends together. It doesn’t really matter what type of stitch you do here as long as you do it multiple times so the elastic ends do not come apart.

Step 7 – Sew the loop opening closed

insert one end of the fabric loop inside the other.

Fold the outside edge under by about 1/4″ and then use a ladder stitch to sew the two fabric ends together.

Using a ladder stitch will give you a stitchless finish!

Now your Christmas scrunchie is ready to wear or give as a gift to someone special.

Remember, your Christmas scrunchies don’t need to be fancy Christmas Santa scrunchies. You can make them in any Christmas patterned material and you have yourself a festive scrunchie ready to bring some Christmas cheer to the world!

Check out last year’s round up of Christmas sewing projects

Happy Christmas scrunchie sewing everyone!

Domenica

The post DIY Christmas Scrunchie appeared first on Easy Sewing For Beginners.

You might also be in the situation where you have broken your mini sewing machine needle and need to buy some replacement needles. I’ll help solve this problem for you!

I recently published the video tutorial for how to thread a mini sewing machine and you can see the step by step video and tutorial here.

**This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may get a commission if you choose to click through and make a purchase. It doesn’t cost you any extra if you make a purchase and I sincerely thank you!

Which Mini Sewing Machine Needle Size Will I Need?

The answer to this will vary slightly, depending on what you are sewing. in the video below I show you how to change the needle on a mini sewing machine as well as talk about which needle size for mini sewing machine.

Watch the Video On How to Change the Needle on a Mini Sewing Machine and Which Needle Size to Choose

You can also watch the video here on YouTube

You can also subscribe to my YouTube channel to keep up with all my new videos!

Which Needle Size

Firstly, let’s start by talking about which needle size you might need for your mini sewing machine.

If you look very closely at the rounded edge on the top of your existing needle you may be able to see the size engraved there. If you’re anything like me (very poor eyesight), you would probably take a photo of this part of the needle and then zoom in so you can actually read the numbers (top tip!!).

When you do this, you will the number engraved on the needle that came with your mini sewing machine. this will most likely be 90/14.

The photo below is the engraved number on my needle. Yes, I know it’s blurry, but it was the best I could do without a macro lens. You can still make out the numbers.

A 90/14 universal needle size is great for sewing medium weight fabrics like cottons, linen, etc. You can find 90/14 needles on Amazon or eBay or at your local sewing supplies store.

If you are sewing a lighter weight fabric you may need to go with an 80/12 needle size. If you want to sew knits then you may need to use a ballpoint needle. You can read more about sewing with knit fabrics here.

Either of these sizes will actually be fine for most beginner sewing projects.

How to Change the Needle on a Mini Sewing Machine

You can watch the video tutorial above if you would like to watch how to do this. Keep scrolling to read the instructions.

Tip – You may want to disconnect the mini sewing machine from the power before you start these steps.

Step 1 – Raise the needle bar

Turn the hand wheel towards yourself to bring the needle bar up to the highest position.

Step 2 – Loosen the screw to remove existing needle

Loosen the screw on the needle bar to release the existing needle. You do this by turning the screw towards yourself. Hold the existing needle with your left hand to stop the needle from dropping into the sewing machine.

Tip – You can use a spare metal bobbin to loosen the screw if you do not have a mini flat head screw driver.

Step 3 – Insert new needle

Insert the new needle with the flat edge of the needle facing towards the right of the machine (or the needle bar screw).

push the needle upwards until it is as high as it will go into the needle holder.

Step 4 – Tighten the screw to secure the new needle

Turn the screw away from you to tighten. Use a spare metal bobbin to tighten a little bit more.

Now you know how to change the needle on a mini sewing machine. You should also know which mini sewing machine needle size to choose as well.

I hope you have found this tutorial useful.

Subscribe to my email newsletter to keep up with all

Until next time, happy sewing!

Domenica

The post Mini Sewing Machine Needle Size appeared first on Easy Sewing For Beginners.