BAD Sewing Tools I Regret Buying

[@shiplesp]

I have another tip for using homemade spray starch. After using it for the day, take the sprayer out of the bottle, put the tube into a glass of clear water and work the sprayer until you have rinsed it thoroughly. This prevents the starch from gumming up the mechanism, making it ready to use the next time.

[@agcons]

I wonder how many of us learned that the hard way.

[@brushbeatmedia]

I have a Stamm tape measure from the early 1960s. It's made from fibre glass and is thicker than modern tape measures. Despite a lot of use over the decades (it belonged to my mother before me), it hasn't stretched out and has no kinks. A worthwhile investment (assuming modern fibre-glass tapes are as good).

[@ellenhofer3343]

I agree

[@thecarjacful]

I have had my tape measure for a very long time too. Not as long as yours. ( what a lovely thing to have, that was your mums) Not sure what it's made of but it's still accurate and hasn't stretched. I still have it's predecessor too, and I wouldn't have changed it, except that it had a nasty accident 😮while i was cutting out a project. It's now only 100cm long and lives in my knitting kit.

[@DianaGermany]

I thought it didn’t matter what quality of thread you use. But the last time I took my machine in for repair the repairman said, you have a quality machine, stop using cheap thread on it. That advice has saved me so much frustration and repair costs! And it made so much sense!

[@janetkeating1399]

My repair person years ago told me the same thing. I was shocked and insulted because I never buy cheap anything. But I did learn that name brand thread from Joann is not the same quality as the same thread in quilt stores. Apparently all Guterman is not created the same. Now I only use Mettler, not easy to find but no issues.

[@812558]

I read about using soap in some book when I was a kid. Didnt sew at the time so I just completely disregarded it...until a few weeks ago I'd misplaced my tailors chalk and was about to go out and buy some more when it came right back to me. Works *so* much better, way less fragile and one less thing I have to go buy.

[@muffysfeatherweightattachm7134]

I have tried just about every marking item on the market over the last 40 yrs. the only heat disappearing pen I use is the black FriXion pen. Never ever had an issue using it, never comes back in cold conditions. Vanishes totally but only the black one, The red and blue comes back. I dont like chalk it does not always come out. I dont like pencils, I dont like water erasable pens either. I honestly have tried each and everyone that came on the market over the years. Tested them all very throughly for quilting. The black FriXion wins hands down no other make. Worst sewing tool would be the machine ruffler. Total waste of money and it was jolly expensive for my machine. Unpickers are the bane of my life. They go blunt very quickly. The best of a bad lot is the clover one that has a silicone tip on one end for removing the cut thread. I liked your tip about measuring tape that was enlightening to say the least.

[@maryjackson1194]

Good seam rippers are a life-changer. The common Dritz set -- one for most seams and a tiny one for tiny stitches -- go dull very quickly. I work on high school theater costumes -- lots of seam ripping for alterations and transforming costumes -- and I was going through more than one seam ripper per show, plus frequently snapping the fine tip when I needed it. When I switched to Clover seam rippers, I not only used the same one for over a year, but it has a fine tip -- I didn't need a separate tool.

[@LovingHandsDesign]

The tape measure made with fiberglass is a new one for me. I 2-3 tape measures, however, I did notice some years ago that each one starts out measuring the same as my quilting ruler but within inch 3 they don’t match. One tape measure in particular, my favorite will stretch if I’m not careful. With your information it’s time to investigate my tape measures and probably buy better ones. Thanks.

[@stephanielaakson8960]

Good Evening! I am a scissors person. As cute as the little scissors that are common at checkout counters are: don't waste your money. 9 times out of 10 the blades are dull and don't meet. Just my 2¢. Have a fabulous today, Steph😁

[@dianemarkevitch336]

I put a piece of painters tape to mark the back side of cut out pieces. Works great and so easy to remove when done. I write on the tape when I want to label the piece before sewing.

[@Julija_Gobere]

Love this idea!

[@granjan252]

Thanks, Julija! I loved learning of your tip about marking fabric, and using homemade spray starch. I’m adding these tips to my sewing arsenal.

[@zaubera]

The DIY spray starch is brilliant. I use the spray a lot for quilting, never thought to make it myself. Thanks for that. ❤❤

[@karenneiman856]

You will have to put it in the fridge after you have used it or it will spoil. Or just dump it out and make a fresh batch next time. When you are ready to use it again be sure to shake it well. As someone else mentioned, you may want to take the straw and nozzle out and rinse them well so that they don't plug up from the starch. Other people have mentioned using potato vodka mixed with possibly distilled water.

[@leenb.7936]

When my dad died I laminated his last main written message… apparently he’d written that with a heat-erasable pen, I nearly had a heart attack when it came out the other side of the (hot) laminator. I was relieved to find out the ink also comes back when it has been laminated. The ink had months to cure when I finally did laminate it so don’t take my word that any recent laminated stuff will also re-appear but at least I found out there’s no need for oxygen. Don’t know if it would ever be a factor but just mentioning this to anyone. Never assume the ink is gone, freeze it first (if you need the ink to be visible again of course). My first patchwork I measured out little squares and marked with heat-erasable pen. Next step I was gonna press all the folds in the squares one side at a time… of course after the first side was pressed the other 3 weren’t visible anymore as they were quite small squares. It was a tremendous help to know even professionals have these moments of such “stupid mistakes” that they otherwise wouldn’t make. So not only has YT and these channels learned me a lot, they also took away a lot of down talking to myself and frustration of the “I’m failing this” -kind of

[@Nicoya]

The issue you had with the serger thread seems very curious to me. Generally speaking, sergers have a very positive stitch forming mechanism. Particularly for capturing the needle thread, so long as the looper makes it between the scarf of the needle and the thread behind the needle, the stitch can't be skipped. It's not like a sewing machine where a large loop of the needle thread needs to be pulled through the fabric and wrapped around the bobbin by the hook. It's possible that some part of your serger's timing is marginal, perhaps due to a bent needle or lower looper, and that the different thread just masked the issue due to it forming a larger loop in the needle scarf when the lower looper comes across to grab it. I'd definitely check and replace the needles if you haven't done so recently, and if you get your machines professionally serviced, I'd bring up the issue so that the tech can verify that the timing between the needles and lower looper is within spec. On the other hand, if you were having issues with a coverstitch machine I'd be much more likely to suspect a thread issue. The way the stitch is formed on those machines, there's a phase where a pretty big tangle of thread is suspended on the ends of the needle(s) below the fabric, and the looper has to find the right path through the mess or the stitch ends up skipping or tangling, so the subtle ways that the thread behaves can have a huge impact on the success of the stitch.

[@Evanna11LilyLuna]

Pens/gelpens/regular markers also work well if you know you're going to cut the markings away or they won't be seen (or washed). I also like chalk pencils!

[@maryjackson1194]

Cheap pins are the worst. There are different qualities of steel, and cheap pins aren't as smooth as good ones. They are difficult to push through fabric, even when brand new.

[@CPAndy-x5x]

I'm checking my tape measures next time I get out my sewing supplies.

[@korinadkins6375]

Great idea to make your own starch! Thanks

[@sandreawhite7534]

Great tips. I knew that about the marking pens that disappear with heat. Many quilters found out the hard way at quilt shows. I had an issue with surger thread. I like to have enough supplies on hand so that I don’t have to leave my sewing room once I get on a roll. Well, I stocked up on surger thread and within a year or so the spool that held the surger thread disintegrated. I’d place it on my surger and it just fell apart. I called Joanne’s and complained, and there was nothing they would do about it. I was stuck with disintegrating spools. The thread was fine, but the plastic fell apart.

[@katl6426]

The purple marking pens also disappear if you live in a place with high humidity. I learnt that the hard way decades ago 😂

[@sandreawhite7534]

@ I did not know that. Call me old-fashioned, but I love my tracing paper and tracing wheel the best of all.

[@Julija_Gobere]

I also had one set of serger thread cones that disintegrated, while thread was still fine - such a strange issue!

[@sandreawhite7534]

It was strange. I purchased mine from Joanne’s. They were very cheap too. On sale. You can’t tell me that Joanne’s did not know all about it and kept right on selling. Then when I brought it up, they did nothing. I was very cautious after that day. I stored it in a cabinet, in those clear serger boxes away from moisture, heat, cold and sun.

[@annmarierose1086]

My sewing machine was doing the skip a few stitches thing, and it was the old cheap thread.

[@kathleenstoin671]

I use Frixion markers. They work better for me than the Frixion pens. I live in south Florida, so there's no chance whatever that the marks will reappear! And I'm not going to visit anywhere with freezing temperatures, either. 😊

[@helenegrootenboersecondant5474]

My mom told me and my brothers not to tightly rol up the measuring tape. She new in the 1970’s that the tape could elongate from that.

[@LovingHandsDesign]

Thank you for that information. That confirms one of my thoughts. I thought I was winding my tape measure to tight after using it, then to straighten it out I would tug on it a little 🤦🏽‍♀️ counter intuitive. Thank you

[@TheGalactica2001]

I prefer the chalk as well

[@sheilasantiago3715]

I had an issue with my sewing machine. I make rope bowls and such and one time it was skipping stitches and nesting. Never before had it done that. It was the thread.

[@Julija_Gobere]

Interesting! Thread would have been the last thing I checked🤔😁

[@TheGalactica2001]

I had the same issue. Luckily it was in sewing course, where the instructor knew immediately what was wrong

[@ellenhofer3343]

Maybe its time for a trip to the spa. Mayve a stronger machine

[@sandychilese2893]

I consider tape measures as disposable. They don't cost much -- maybe $4 to $7. I use them for a few years and when I see the wave start to appear on the edge, it becomes an embellishment for purses, bags, kids teachers accessories. I heard a horror story about heat disappearing markers from a quilting class instructor; apparently when these first appeared on the market, several master quilters used them in quilts they entered into competitions. The quilts were shipped to the exhibition via airplane during a winter season. Many quilters sadly discovered the cold air at the high altitude caused their marks to return. I haven't been brave enough to make my own spray starch, but I'm going to try it now. And, regarding thread. I've discovered that my serger is far more fussy about the kind and quality of thread I use than my sewing machine. My sewing machine with sew with anything, but my embroidery machine won't work with Sulky. There are challenges with everything it seems. Thanks for the reviews.

[@silvie4518]

My worst sewing tool is also bad thread! But not in the serger, the serger doesnt care. The Coverlocker though does care! Occassionally, it will start to build up way more tension in the needle threads than it should, and when I don't notice it then it breaks. Sometimes I did multiple seams just fine with perfect tension but then in one thats very important and visible it would suddenly do that. I thought thats a weird property of the serger, I started learning to hear it, and sometimes I could react and manually pull a bit of thread through the tension every few stitches to get a seam done. Re-threading afterwards would usually solve it for the next few seams. Turns out that this stopped happening when I bought new quality thread. My theory is that fibres from the bad thread built up in the tension discs and eventually caused too much friction. Re-threading would dislodge that I guess.

[@ae4419]

Awesome tips! Thank you!!😊

[@BritInvLvr]

Thank you! I bought a can of starch and the nozzle clogged up. I tried to unclog it but I messed it up. I find another nozzle but I couldn’t find one that fit. Since the can is 7nder pressure, I can’t do anything that I know of to remove the starch. I will make my own from now on.

[@anastrinavic9669]

Thank you! Very interesting topic and great sewing tips!

[@yorkshirehousewife784]

My Mechanic always says to stay away from cheap threads. And cheap needles. He recommends Guttermanns, or Madeira. He states that the cheapest ones are very fibrous and leave fluff in the machines. Meaning they need to be serviced more frequently and create problems in the sewing (which I’d never heard of before seeing this). My mum also never bought cheap threads or secondhand ones. She always lived by the ethos, buy cheap pay twice.

[@onglesnailz5039]

(Linda). thank you Julija! Love the starch trick, will use it for sure!!!

[@jeanhagen16]

Great tips!

[@audreylewis56]

Do you use laundry starch or corn starch? Would it make a difference?

[@louisel.sinniger2057]

Hi Julia, I agree with you regarding “old” thread. I have a Husqvarna Designer sewing machine (yes, older but I maintain it well) I enjoy doing embroidery work and found similar. I use my older threads for basting just to use up what I have left. Regarding markers, I still love using ONLY chalk. I like your “wheel” type of marker, who makes it and where did you get it? If you don’t mind sharing. Thank you this was a really helpful video.

[@Julija_Gobere]

The wheel marker I have is called ‘Chakoner’, but it was quite expensive and hard to find - while I do like it, there are very similar cheaper options of marking wheels that work just as good🤗

[@ellenhofer3343]

You need a flexible measuring tape if you sew clothing because it is flexible to wrap around the body

[@Shubha-224]

Hello Julija, have you ever used mini irons? Would it be possible to share some feedback on them please..... I feel lazy to take out the big irons every time I sew the garments for myself. So, off late I am having thoughts to use mini irons instead....

[@Tweeza57]

Hi Julija Happy New Year- have you heard of projector pattern cutting Tammy Handmade on KZbin talks about it - it’s a bit pricey but for someone who sews as much as you it might be worth it 🙂

[@Julija_Gobere]

I’ve been actually thinking about getting the projector for the last few months!😁 It’s pricey though, so I do want to be sure 100% this is something I’ll use enough to get the moneys worth🤔

[@Tweeza57]

@@Julija_Gobereif you’re tech minded which I’m not I’m sure you would benefit - check other users 😊

[@setasarkissian7562]

You’re awesome 🤩

[@margaretgoodall5043]

I remember laundry starch powder growing up in Zimbabwe but in New Zealand I have only ever seen spray starch. Any New Zealand viewers who know where to buy some?

[@celebratetoday7882]

Thanks, Great information. Can you tell me what high quality thread you use?

[@Julija_Gobere]

I use Mettler Seracor or Seralene🤗

[@celebratetoday7882]

Thanks for replying, I’ll been using another popular brand but the quality was disappointing. I’m trying to find a thread brand that doesn’t fray after few weeks of finishing my projects.

[@cheryl3366]

I used chalk on some upholstery fabric to mark the zipper, I could not get the marks to come out and the dry cleaner could not get the marks to come out. They did fade some.

[@elizabethclaiborne6461]

Was it chalk? Or a wax based colored product called chalk? Completely different things. The waxy colored stuff is a nightmare.

[@cheryl3366]

That's a good question, it was in a powder form, so I can only assume. To be honest, they don't always make it clear when you buy it.

[@Julija_Gobere]

Oh that’s so strange! Did the chalk have any color?

[@cheryl3366]

@Julija_Gobere yes it was yellow.

[@WhyAmIHereRK]

What kind of starch do you use? Thanks!

[@Julija_Gobere]

I use potato starch as it’s most popular in my country, but corn starch works, too🤗

[@WhyAmIHereRK]

@Julija_Gobere Thank you! Idk why I didn't think of corn starch. 😁❤️

[@JackieNelson-te7jv]

How much starch do you use in how much water? Thanks for the information

[@Julija_Gobere]

I added about 2 teaspoons in 1 cup of water (~200ml)

[@suekennedy1595]

You can make up a thick starch concoction and then thin it as required for what you want to use it for I use powder starch and always add lavender oil so it also smells nice . I have also starched a whole piece of fabric if it’s really slippery to make it easier to sew . The starch in Australia has to be cooked on the stove.

[@susanclark767]

I may have misunderstood you, but I believe you said it stretched by 2 mm out of 20. Which is 10% not one percent. And yes, 10% makes a huge difference.

[@Julija_Gobere]

It was 2mm out of 20cm (200mm)🤗 10% difference would have been really huge!

[@muffysfeatherweightattachm7134]

Yes a big difference in quilting as that measurement difference multiplys across the quilt.

[@amandaglidewell8451]

Starch has to be cooked to work. It will not stay suspended in the water, and its starching abilities don’t work until the starch molecules have been cooked. You must boil it after dissolving it in cold water.

[@Julija_Gobere]

I haven’t tried boiling it, I just shake bottle before using and then set with heat from iron - worked well for me so far, but I’ll try boiling with next batch to check the difference, thank you for this insight!🤗

[@karenneiman856]

It will work without being cooked, but you are right when you say that it won't stay suspended. It just needs to be stored in the fridge and then shaken well before you can use it again. Kathy Martin at Katbird Quilts has done a video on this and she credits Geeky Bibbin for the recipe that she uses. If you want to starch a lot of fabric, especially for quilting, you may want to check out Tiny Orchard Quilts for her epic video.

[@innisneill7510]

Oh, that‘s interesting! I have a recipe for spray starch that requires bringing it to a boil. :O Didn‘t know it works well without that, too! I agree that heat erasable markers aren‘t good on a bunch of materials. I found marking on any fabric that easily stretches particular difficult. Therefore I switched to thread marking. It allows my fabric to lay completely flat without moving and is done pretty quickly once you‘re used to it. One just has to take a tiny stitch in the fabric, like a single thread and work with short lengths of thread. I‘m using a cotton basting thread for it that easily breaks by hand and a tiny quilting needle. Totally love it. :-) Works great on wool, too.

[@Julija_Gobere]

I completely forgot to mention thread marking! I don’t do it often, but love this method, especially if I need to mark darts or pocket placement on mirrored pieces👍