It’s no secret that a good rotary cutter is an essential tool for any sewist or quilter. But as we all know, those blades can get dull pretty quickly if they’re not taken care of. Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can take to ensure your rotary cutter blades stay nice and sharp for as long as possible. Read on to find out nine tips that will extend the life of your rotary cutter blades saving you time, and money, whilst reducing waste!
I recently found this fab vintage bag in a charity shop but the strap was too short for my liking… I decided to replace the strap so I could wear it cross-body, whilst adding a pop of rainbow at the same time ✂️ So here’s a quick post on how to make an adjustable bag strap!
This is a really easy project – knock one up in less than 30 minutes ⏰
Knowing how to make an adjustable bag strap is a really useful skill to have in your sewing techniques toolbox… I’ve replaced quite a few of the straps on my daughter’s bags as she’s grown… it’s also a great option if a current bag strap is uncomfortable, or just a bit tatty & worn out.
Replacing the strap can prolong the life of your fave bag, or just give it a new look! You only need a few supplies too!
Scroll down for a written tutorial or catch the vid below…
How to make an adjustable bag strap
A sewing project for:Beginner Friendly
Sewing Time:Under an hour
Boring Legal Bit:If you follow any tutorial or guidance found in this post, or on this blog, you agree to be bound by our disclaimer which can be viewedhere
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Need to know:
For steps using machine sewing, straight stitch, backstitching at the start & end using stitch length 3mm unless otherwise stated.
Read through the instructions fully before starting
Disclaimer:Strangulation hazard: Children must be supervised at all times.
You will need:
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We have an amazing selection of bag hardware and notions… check out our full range of bag-making supplieshere
2. Thread 1 end of your webbing/ strapping through from the underside of the strap slider. Bring the end over the central bar then thread back through to the back
3. Sew the end to secure – a zipper foot can make this easier
4. Thread a swivel clip/ dog hook onto the strap. Hook on the opposite side to sewn hem near the slider
Want to know your #5 from your #3 zip? Check out our Zip Type Guide
5. Checking the strap isn’t twisted, thread the unsewn end of the strap through the slider
6. Thread the unsewn end through the remaining swivel clip
7. Sew the strap end down to secure the hook around the final swivel clip
Autumn is definitely here! And so are pricey energy bills, so there’s no surprise many of you are sewing up hot water bottle covers to help keep you keep toasty in bed whilst saving energy by avoiding putting the heating on. We’ve had lots of people get in touch to ask what is best wadding for a hot water bottle cover so I made this quick video to talk you through some options…
WHAT’S THE BEST WADDING FOR A HOT WATER BOTTLE COVER?
If you found yourself here because you’re making a hot water bottle cover then you’ll need a pattern so hop on over and grab yourshere! Our gift to you to help you out on those chilly nights… You can grab your free pattern & tutorial to make your own hot water bottle cover overhere
Thank you for supporting ouronline shopwith your sewing shopping… It means the world to us & enables us to keep putting out FREE content like this for you to make & create❤️
If you are interested in the full details of the waddings I mention in the video then you can check them out over on our website :
If you have any fabric or product-related questions please don’t hesitate to get to leave a comment! We love hearing from you and your questions give me ideas for helpful content we can create for you…
Welcome to post number 4 in our Care & Repair Series! Today we’re offering a solution to an annoying problem – how to enlarge a collar that is too tight… without any sewing! We’re going to be talking about how to use use a collar expander in this quick product guide.
We wanted to bring these little wonder products to your attention – who knew they were even a thing?!
These nifty little extenders are NO SEW and a great little temporary fix that can even be switched between garments.
With this series of Care & Repair blogs we really want to bring into focus all sorts of different ways in which we can all reuse, repurpose, repair and rejuvenate the clothes that we already own.
A shocking 300,000 tonnes of discarded clothing goes to landfill every year in the UK. according to Wrap, the waste charity, this is up 5% of the UK’s carbon and water footprint. And small things like this can really add up.
Being able to adjust the size of a collar that’s snug can help give a shirt a longer life. These collar expanders can also be used on skirt or trouser waistbands too!
Expanders aren’t permanent fixtures to your garments so they can easily be switched between different shirts – just make sure you take them out before your shirt goes in the wash!
The collar expanders come in a variety of sizes and finishes…. make sure you select the best match for your garment, although it’s unlikely you will see it if you’re wearing a tie, you do need to make sure the collar expander will fit through your garment’s existing buttonhole
These plastic collar extenders will increase the neck size of a shirt by half a collar size and do not stretch.
Take the white disc in your fingers and feed the loop through the buttonhole.
Loop the band over the existing button on the collar.
Alternatively you can start by looping the loop around the existing button and then feeding the white disc through the buttonhole.
5. This is what the collar extenders look like when used correctly.
6. The larger collar extenders can also be used for waistbands. You need to match the size of the disc on the Expanders as closely as possible to the original button.
And that’s it! It really couldn’t be more simple, could it?
Check out Hemline’s video for a demo of the metal variety, which are stretchy, rather than fixed like this one
Thank you for supporting ouronline shopwith your sewing shopping… It means the world to us & enables us to keep putting out FREE content like this for you to make & create❤️
Linking Collar or Waist Expanders Together
Should you need greater ease at the waistband or collar, the expanders can be looped together to create a larger stretch like this.
So you can see how easy it is to prolong the life of your garment if it’s become a bit snug.
♻️ Line drying your laundry rather than tumble drying is going to save both energy & money (and goodness knows we need all the help we can get right now!) The planet thanks you for pegging! ♻️
Our original 20-minute peg bag tutorial still is one of the most viewed tutorials on the blog and it was one of the earliest I did… Call me vain, but it makes me cringe every time I look at it – I definitely didn’t have the Photoshop skills I do now! At least it’s a reminder of how far I’ve come 🙂
So…. in honour of the sunshine arriving & the popularity of that early post, I’ve revamped the peg bag tutorial and made the whole project a little more polished with a peg bag pattern to boot which you can access further down the post…
It’s still important to me to have a peg bag that has some water protection – it can’t just me that leaves the peg bag on the line and gets rusty pegs when it rains?! In the original tutorial, I lined the bag with waterproof PUL, but in this one, I’m choosing to use ODIF Odicoat Gel to provide some water protection.
You could definitely still use PUL with this pattern – just switch out the lining and/ or the interfacing for Waterproof PUL.
This peg bag is still based around a child’s coat hanger AND it’s still a really quick make. This one will take you a little longer than 20 minutes – but I reckon you’ll still make this in well under an hour (excluding the Odicoat gel that is)
I hope you enjoy my rather more polished project and make one to pimp up your laundry routine!
Peg Bag Pattern: A Sewing Project for a Confident Beginner
Approximate sewing time: Around an hour
Finished Dimensions: 30cm x 30cm (excluding the coat hanger)
Important Notes:
1cm seam allowance throughout, unless directed.
For steps using machine sewing, straight stitch, backstitching at the start & end using stitch length 2.5 unless otherwise stated.
When topstitching – use a 3-3.5mm length & stitch approx 3mm from the seam
Prepare your fabrics as per the manufacturer’s care advice
If you use Odicoat then ensure you use greaseproof paper as a barrier when you dry press
RST = Right Sides Together
WST = Wrong Sides Together
Read through the instructions fully before starting
You Will Need:
40cm Cotton Fabric A for peg bag exterior
40cm Cotton Fabric B for peg bag exterior
1m 25mm Bias Binding
40cm Light- Medium weight interfacing (I recommend Vlieseline / Vilene Cotton Woven Interlining Light G710)
*Optional* ODIF ODICOAT Fabric Coating Gel for water resistance
A note on optional water-resistant coating for your peg bag
This is completely optional, but by applying a water-resistant coat of ODIF Odicoat gel to your peg bag it will help your project last longer, as well as helping to protect your pegs from rusting if your peg bag gets rained on.
Free Peg Bag Pattern Sewing Tutorial
1. *Optional: Odicoat the exterior fabric
If you plan to apply an Odicoat water-resistant coating to your peg bag now is the optimal time to apply it. If (like me!) you didn’t apply the gel to the fabrics ahead of time you can always apply the gel to your finished peg bag but it’s not as easy to get an even finish with the gel. Follow our Odicoat tutorial here.
2. Download & print the free peg bag pattern
Download a copy of the peg bag pattern here Please note, this pattern has been designed to print on A4 paper
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Print your pattern on A4 paper at 100%. Check the squares on the pattern measure 1in/ 2cm Tape it together in the following layout:
Check your coat hanger fits inside the top front pattern piece, remembering there is a 1cm seam allowance. Our pattern has been sized for these coat hangers[affiliate link]. If the “shoulders” of your coathanger are outside of the pattern, just trace around the coathanger shape, enduring you keep a horizontal line at the top of the pattern.
3. Cut & prepare your fabrics
You can block fuse the interfacing onto your exterior fabric and cut it out at the same time as the exterior fabric if you wish
Exterior Fabric A :
1 x back
1 x front top
1 x front bottom
Lining Fabric B:
1 x back
1 x front top
1 x front bottom
Interfacing
1 x back
1 x front top
1 x front bottom
Apply the interfacing to the wrong side of the exterior pieces following the manufacturer’s instruction if you have not block fused your interfacing.
4. Sew your pattern pieces
With RST sew the back exterior & lining panels at the top edge only with a ¼” seam allowance. Repeat for the front top panel & press seams open (using greaseproof paper as a barrier if you have used Odicoat) and fold along the seam line, fabrics wrong sides together. Press again.
Baste:For each pattern piece, baste the exterior and lining fabrics together with WST
5. Apply bias binding
Starting with the front bottom panel, apply the bias binding to the curved edge, leaving a bias binding overhang on each side. Repeat for the top front panel on the straight edge.
Once you have sewn the first bias stitching line it’s a good idea to back the curved edge close to the seam line with pinking shears to help the bias binding lie flat.
6. Assemble the peg bag
Lay your basted panels in the following order on your work table & pin/ clip around the exterior edge
Back panel exterior side up
Front bottom exterior side down
Front top exterior side down
Sew all the way the round edge of your peg bag ensuring you leave the gap at the top of the bag for your coat hanger to fit though that you stitched earlier. Backstitch over the bias binding ends a few times to reinforce the peg bag opening
Finish your internal seams with your preferred seam finishing method (we choose to overlock) See this post if you need more detailed instructions
Turn to the right side and press
7. Optional Odicoat
It is far better to apply the Odicoat gel before you start sewing, but sometimes life gets in the way of such forward planning! If you haven’t already & want to, apply the Odicoat gel to your finished project. Place a piece of greaseproof paper inside the peg bag to stop the gel going on the lining & between coats check the gel hasn’t pooled on the underside of the bag before letting it to dry, as per our full Odicoat tutorial here.
And you’re finished, well done!
Did this tutorial help you? If it did I’d appreciate it if you’d leave a comment or a ❤️ on this post to help other people find my work! And if you’d like to hear more from me I’d love it if you would subscribe below… thanks so much!
I’d be thrilled to hear that you appreciate my work! I’d love it if you bought me a coffee to support my work if it has helped you ☕️
Welcome to post number 3 in ourCare & Repair Series! Hands up if you love a pocket?! 🙋♀️ Pockets are a complete joy to dressmakers everywhere… but what if your pocket wears out? Or are too small? In this post we’re going to walk you through how to repair a pocket, not in one but TWO ways!
This method can also be used to extend a pocket in a shop bought garment if the original pockets are too small for your needs. The joys of DIY, eh?!
Read on to learn how to repair a pocket… it’s easier than you think. We’ve even got a no sew option for you…
Pockets are great for keeping all kinds of useful stuff… from your phone, to loose change, even the occasional biscuit! Because pockets are so well used, they come under huge amounts of wear & tear.
Pocket bags are usually made from a thinner fabric than the outer trousers or skirt and so holes can be commonplace. And instead of outing a garment and sending it to landfill just because your keys are falling through a pocket hole you can learn to replace the pockets instead. It’s a win for the planet!
Soap box alert! When it comes to pockets in girls’ and women’s clothing. As a general rule of thumb, female fashions have sported pockets that are for purely fashion reasons rather than practical ones. This certainly annoys my daughter who feels the need to fill her pockets with stones and twigs at every given opportunity. So here I am repairing a hole in her jeans pocket but also extending the pocket bags for her.
In this post we’re going to walk you though
How to replace a pocket bag using sewing
How to replace a pocketwithoutsewing
Create larger pocket bags for your garments
Check our full range of Care & Repair productshere
Skill level required: Beginner Friendly
Some important notes about replacement pocket products
Replacement pockets come as whole pockets. You can cut them down to the size you require or use them to replace the whole pocket if needed.
We are concentrating on trouser pockets here but the same method, andreplacement pockets, can be used to repair pockets in trousers, skirts, jeans, dresses, jackets and more. Just check thepocket sizesagainst your garment as each one differs.
In this post we are usingtwo different products, a sew-in version and an iron-on version. It is up to you to choose which is the most suitable for your needs.
The sew in pockets are trickier to use and require some sewing knowledge but they will last a very long time.
The iron on pockets are far simpler to use and don’t require any sewing at all but the repair may not last as long as sewn in pockets.
These pockets are are suitable to replace cotton, nylon, or polyester pockets.
Boring Legal Bit:If you follow any tutorial or guidance found in this post, or on this blog, you agree to be bound by our disclaimer which can be viewedhere
How to replace a pocket : Sew In Method
Identify where the hole is in your pocket.
Draw a line in a washable fabric pen just above the damage.
If the pocket flap is stitched into the side seam, cut along this edge 1cm.
Trim the damaged part of the pocket away along the line you have drawn.
To mark the new pocket:
Lay the replacement pocket underneath the original pocket, lining up the edges.
Make sure the folded edge is lined up with the folded edge of the original pocket and the seamed edge with the side seam.
Allow for as much additional pocket bag as you wish to add.
Pin the two pockets together
Using the fabric marker, trace the edge of the original pocket onto the replacement pocket.
