I love to improvise when I sew.  I find it gratifying to change a hem length, design my own collar and/or embellish the pockets. However, in the process of experimenting, I’ve made virtually every sewing mistake possible.

Fortunately, I’ve learned from my blunders, and so can you. Do yourself a favor, and don’t repeat my poor choices. 

Here is a list of 10 common sewing mistakes that absolutely must be avoided:

1) Skipping instructions. Unless you’ve made the project 1000 times, you must read the instructions.

2) Neglecting ironing. Ironing is incredibly boring, but poor ironing shows in a finished garment.

3. Sloppy marking. I hate marking, but some of the worst looking tops I made were due to incorrectly placed darts. Take your time and mark carefully.

4. Using incorrect fabric. I once made a dress out of some lovely batik-look cotton. Unfortunately, the dress was supposed to be made out of stretchy poly cotton and it ended up in the trash.

5. Chosing the wrong size pattern. You don’t want to spend 10 hours on a dress and then realize it should have been made a size smaller or larger.  If your not sure of your size, grab a tape measure.

6. Choppy cutting. You might be able to get away with bad cutting on a large flowing skirt, but it can be a disaster for smaller items, like panties.

7. Laying out the pattern wrong.  Remember, check twice (or three times), cut once.

8. Working with the wrong needle. There have been several times when I haven’t had the correct sewing machine needle in the house and thought I could fake my way through. I couldn’t.

9. Poor pinning. A couple of years ago I  made a hat and skipped pinning the brim to the band. Big mistake. Big.

10. Rushing (and ruining) the finishing steps.  The result is poor topstitching, uneven button holes and homemade looking clothing.

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Embellish by adding extra seams.

source: Threads

Save money on your next project by using your sewing skills.

Don’t spend money on expensive fabric in order to make your project attractive. Instead, learn some new sewing sklls.  A scalloped hem, a hand embroidered collar, or some narrow custom braid across the top of pockets are the kind of designer details that add a lot of style without additional money.

Remember: Save With Skills. 

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I’ve never tried this out myself but Dee, at Make Mine Silk, has a quick little tutorial on the process.

Could this be done with other fabrics? What about cotton or velvet?

If anyone has any experience with this  procedure, please send me an email. If you have any photos please include a link. I would love to hear about your results!

Response from reader Lisa Vollrath:  She is melting the cut edges to keep them from fraying. The reason this works is because the soldering iron melts the synthetic fibers. It doesn’t work with cotton, because it ashes rather than melts when exposed to high heat. It will work with any ribbon that has synthetic content.

Thanks Lisa!!

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As with most hobbies, crafting can be economical or expensive, depending on the purchasing choices you make. In fact, as with most hobbies, spending a lot of money does not even make crafting more enjoyable.  For many people, part of the thrill of crafting, is making much out of little!

Here are 25 ways to help you save money on your next craft project.

1.  Use what you’ve got. Choose your next project based on what you already own. If your mom gave you  an abundance of scrapbooking paper, try paper crafts. If you have yarn leftover from a previous project, do some knitting.

2. Ask for craft supplies as gifts. Why chance getting another scarf, when you’d love a new set of  crochet hooks?  Let folks know what you want, and you’ll probably get it.

3. Make use of your public library. Besides craft books and magazines, many local libraries offer how-to craft videos and classes (especially for seniors and kids).

4. Check out adult education classes. Given at local high schools in the evenings, these classes offer some great technical programs for crafters. Our nearby high school has classes in stained glass at incredibly cheap rates.

5. Buy in bulk. Scrapbooking paper is cheaper in reams, polymer clay is cheaper in multi-pack boxes and yarn is cheaper in larger skeins.

6. Buy only what you need. I have a friend who frequently buys in anticipation of  future projects. Since many of those projects never get started, she has hundreds of dollars of unused materials laying around.

7. Shop the sales. Large chain stores, like Joann’s and Michael’s, frequently have sales. Waiting for the sales can save you 20% or more.

8. Watch for coupons. My mom has and sister both use coupons from Michael’s on a regular basis and save tons of money. Coupons are generally available in the newspaper or online.

9. Bid on auctions. I’ve gotten amazing deals on ebay over the years. I usually have the best luck when I make purchases from sellers who have lost interest in their craft and want to liquidate their unused supplies. In general, I avoid the professional auctioneers.

10. Scour secondhand resources. Thrift shops, yard sales and flea markets are great sources for craft supplies. Our local Village Thrift usually has large bags of yarn for just a couple of dollars and I find loads of fabric at yard sales.

11. Re-source fabric. Used sheets, large-size skirts and  vintage curtains can be cut up and revamped into something new. The key is to always make something larger into something smaller.

12. Read used books. Thrift shops, Amazon Marketplace and libraries all have great vintage and current craft books for sale.

13. Finish what you’ve started. I have three needlepoint projects in various stages of execution. I won’t be starting a new needlepoint project till all three have been completed.

14. Trade with friends. No longer need the two yards of black velvet? Find out if anyone in your quilting group would like to swap for a nice summery print.

15. Do some recycling. Knit with plarn, make baskets from old magazines and decoupage with candy wrappers.

16. Make your own craft supplies. Homemade cold porcelain is a cheap and easy to make. It also makes a wonderful modeling material.

17. Build your own craft equipment. I created a mold and deckle for paper making using nothing more than two dollar store picture frames, window screening and a heavy duty staple gun. I’ve also made my own weaving loom from cardboard.

18. Take advantage of the internet. The internet has an almost unlimited supply of free craft patterns, free printables and free videos.

19. Make projects that are intrinsically cheap.  You’d have to work hard to break the budget on quilling and origami projects.   

20. Check out the dollar store. Dollars are stocked with scrapbooking paper, rubber stamps. fancy scissors and great looking stickers. Definitely worth checking out!

21. Watch some television. If you spend money on cable anyway, check you DIY and HGTV. Both of these channels have excellent craft shows.

22. Check the clearance aisle. I once found some wonderful vellum envelopes, perfect for scrapbooking, in the clearance aisle in Target. On another occasion, I bought a necklace, and which I took apart for the beads.

23. Don’t forget Craig’s List and Freecycle. Today’s Craig’s List has a used sewing machine, new fabric and canvas all at great prices.

24. Purchase used craft kits. I’ve bought a used rock tumbler kit, woodburning kit, and bead weaving kit from my local thrift shop. In each case, the kits were dismantled and used for their individual parts.

25. Save everything. I save old clothes to turn into quilts, newspapers to turn into paper mache, and cereal boxes to turn into just about anything. Once in a while, when I start to overstock I either make a project or empty my stash.

Have any other money saving ideas? Send them to me in a comment and I’ll be happy to post them!

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Ebay is a great sources to both buy and sell craft supplies. I’ve gotten needlepoint kits, scrapbooking paper, and rubber stamps, all at extremely reasonable prices. Their full retail prices were several times what I paid.

People are sometimes reluctant to use ebay for fear the product will be damaged, or worse, never arrive. I have bought several dozen items from Ebay and have had generally good experiences. Even better, I’ve sold many craft books I no longer enjoyed owning.

TIPS

Do be sure to read the sellers feedback (comments from the buyers). You’ll learn enough from these snippets of information to decide whether this is a person with whom you want to do business.

Check out the stores for sales before bidding. Sometimes closeout sales can even beat out the online auctions.

Always keep in mind the shipping costs. $4.00 shipping on a $2.99 item can really drive up the total cost.

Consider selling your own items online. The cost is extremely cheap. And, you can use the money you receive to buy new materials

Try to bid at a time when several of the same item are available. This usually drives down the price.

If you can, wait until the last possible moment to bid. This might stop other buyers from driving up the price.

Auctions ending late at night or early in the morning, when most bidders are sleeping, can also be a source of bargains.

Be sure not to bid on impulse or without researching the product. Remember, once a bid is made it cannot be retracted.

Try to negotiate on shipping, especially if you are willing to buy more than one item.

Watch the type of merchandise you are interesting in for a few days prior to bidding. You will get an idea of what things usually sell for. This is important. It allows you to know a true bargain when you spot it.

If you buy craft books online try to actually see the item in a store or a friends home before you purchase it.  I can’t tell you how many times I was disappointed in a book purchase.

If you can’t view the item in “real time” at least look on the internet for descriptions, sample pages, screen shots and/or reviews.

Online auctions can be addictive.  Make sure you really need (and can afford) what you are planning to  purchase.

Warning…I’m a real auction addict.  I’ve bought more online than I have actually needed.  And several things I gave away unopened.  Beware that the same thing doesn’t happen to you.

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Here are a couple of ideas:

• Create an artist’s box. Stuff it full of craft supplies, including scissors, glue, colored pencils, markers, construction paper, stickers, crayons and a sketch pad. Your child will know just what to do with the materials.
• Introduce your child to scrapbooking. If you do scrapbooking, your child might enjoy it also. Make a scrapbook kit with an album, stickers, markers, glue and a nice selection of photos. Place everything in a plastic box with a lid.
• Present a Decorators gift bag to an older child. Fill it with mirrors, picture frames, imitation flowers, doodads and wall art. Help your child use it to re-do her room.
• The dollar store is full of tiny mini-kits. A few cross stitch kits, beading kits, greeting card kits or sand painting kits will make a nice, inexpensive present for pre-teens. Since dollar store packaging is sometimes unattractive, you may want to repackage your gift.
• Design a kit of your own. For instance, drop a few packages of glue, coordinated stickers, flat glass marbles and markers into an attractive plastic dollar store container. The child can use the supplies to decorate the container, and then store the leftover materials inside.

Keep in mind that the stock in dollar stores varies from location to location so you might have to try several stores before you find exactly what you are looking for. Or, keep your options open and design your own present from the merchandise available at your local dollar store.

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