Tips for Sewers

I was surfing the Etsy site and found this is very useful tips and I cut some part of them to post here.  If anyone want to read the whole article please go directly to the etsy site.  You will see how useful the site is.... love etsy ...

ArretsPlace says:
Save your empty paper towel rolls and roll your fabric on to them. It will diminish many wrinkles and easy to store. You can also place your remnants on them to save for use for another time.
Posted at 7:06 pm, January 19 2009 EST - Report this post

mybonnie says:
Great idea. Here is another, for a quick and easy gather, use a slight zig zag over waxed dental floss. There is no easier way to gather if you don't have a gathering attachment.
Posted at 7:13 pm, January 19 2009 EST - Report this post

ArretsPlace says:
Here's another tip you might find useful.

You know those handheld lint removers? Keep one handy to remove all those pesky little threads that fall to the floor, or gather up on your sewing table. Also once you rip out a seam and you have little threads that are difficult to remove, just take the lint roller and roll it across a few times. It does a wonderful job.
Posted at 7:14 pm, January 19 2009 EST - Report this post

InuInspirations says:
I roll up all my fabric and store it in those hanging show/sweater fabric things that go in closets. I don't use the paper rolls, but that would work good for smaller fabric (I have mostly fleece)

This way I can see all the colors I have and what I will need more of :)
Posted at 7:26 pm, January 19 2009 EST - Report this post

jayteedoubleyou says:
My best tip: Hire a woodworker to make cool portable thread caddies. There's a new line coming to etsy soon. (BSquareDesignns - my neighbor down the street and the IT guy at work. Mark this and check him out once I can get him to improve his pics!)
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6418976
Posted at 7:35 pm, January 19 2009 EST - Report this post

berrybluecreations says:
Great tips. The only tip i have is if you use store bought patterns, tape the cover envelope to a file folder and keep the pattern and directions in that folder. I do this because I can never get the pattern back in the envelop properly. Also I like to iron the pattern pieces I use to plastic coated freezer paper. they don't tear as easily that way.
Posted at 11:29 pm, January 19 2009 EST - Report this post

NGHDesigns says:
Been sewing far longer than I've been creating jewelry & have been doing quite a bit of sewing lately~ :)

I like 2" masking tape better than lint rollers. Cheaper & far stickier. Zips a row of snipped stitches right out of the fabric. De-sticky it some on my slacks or shirt before using on more delicate fabrics.

Label fabric w/price & date bought -- have had some interesting "historical" discoveries thanks to that. My stashing has been going on... well, never mind how long.

Indicate whether or not you've washed & preshrunk fabric -- cut edges don't always get fuzzy enough for me to be sure & silly to waste time doing it over.

This tip(?) may be more for jewelry makers, but hem gauges are my all-time favorite sewing gadget. That little 6" ruler is handy for so many measuring jobs. Have an extra near my computer to help me envision bead sizes in millimeters.
Posted at 12:04 am, January 20 2009 EST - Report this post

sewphisticate says:
ah, my favorite kind of etsy thread!

* store thread in snack sized zip top bags. i sort them by color ranges and then stack them in a desktop drawer organizer. works great!

* store serger thread in quart sized zip top bags, 4 cones per bag. these fit nicely in a filing cabinet drawer. easy to find the right color and all the cones stay together!

* store patterns and instructions in file folders marked with the manufacturer's name and number, filed numerically. make any notes about the pattern on the outside of the file folder: size it's cut to, fitting notes, etc. store the pattern envelopes in binders sorted by your personal choice: i have women's, men's, children's, household, crafts, etc. i just flip through the binders when i want to make something. all the info is right there on the envelope, so i can take the binder to the store and get the necessary notions. finding the pattern is really easy and file folders take up a lot less room than pattern envelopes!

* hang a magnetic strip behind your sewing machine to hold: seam ripper, thread snips, threaded needles, etc. very handy when you are in hurry!

* love my peg board! everything is on it! scissors, rotary cutters, rulers, ribbons, bobbins. i use long hooks for the bobbins and a couple of paper towel holders for the ribbons i use most often.

* bobby pins are great for turning small bias tubes

um....i have more, but my brain is tired.
Posted at 12:34 am, January 20 2009 EST - Report this post

CraneCrochet says:
Those cardboard boxes that hold a pair of gallon jugs of milk are just the right size to hold pattern. I lined a few up and spray painted the ends white. Then I wrote the contents on the ends of the boxes and lined them up in the bookcase.
If you tape the flaps down on the outside of the box and stand them on their ends in the shelf they are perfect for holding magazines as well.
I also iron interfacing on the back of the pattern pieces that get used repeatedly.
Posted at 1:18 am, January 20 2009 EST - Report this post

moddyboy80 says:
I keep a candle(unlit!) near me when I sew.
I use it to wax my fingertips and then the end of the thread. Makes threading a needle a million times easier!
Posted at 2:32 am, January 20 2009 EST - Report this post

JaynasCloset says:
I roll my bias tape (for binding blankets and quilts) on the empty toilet paper rolls. The as you pin it just rolls off and you don't have that gigantic strip of fabric getting twisted and tangled as you pin and sew.

Also, when I end up with an empty tissue box, I use it to store thread/fabric/lace bits or even better leftover water soluble stabilizer bits. It's that plastic looking stuff you put on top before you embroider. THEN later I empty all the bits into a spray bottle, add a little water and make spray stabilizer (basically a stiffening spray). It works WONDERS when you have to hem anything fine like chiffon or silk. Spray it on, let it dry, then after you hem your piece, you just rinse it out when your done.

Sorry that was a long one but handy anyway! =)
Posted at 4:01 am, January 20 2009 EST - Report this post

ArretsPlace says:
So many wonderful tips. I love it!

I also use empty tp rolls for my lace and yarns etc.

For my patterns, I use a gallon size ziplock to place 'same' patterns into and hang them in my craft closet on pant hangers. I can find my patterns very easily.

I also cut the flaps of larger boxes and use them for my larger yards of fabric. Like a bolt holder. Reuses those boxes, less for the landfills.
Posted at 10:36 am, January 20 2009 EST - Report this post

LiDDesignsBoutique says:
When I make bias binding, to set the creases without scolding my fingers using an iron, I feed it through my hair straighteners, so much better control.
Posted at 10:41 am, January 20 2009 EST - Report this post

ittybittyrevolution says:
If you shop at a local fabric store or a quilting shop that also sells fabric, sometimes if you ask, they will let you have the empty bolts for free as they're going to throw them away anyhow. I know they sell them on ebay, but it gets expensive.

These are great to take home and re-wrap your fabric on. Once you're re-wrapped the fabric, you just store the bolt on a bookcase. You can even categorize them according to color and/or season. It not only makes it easier to see and cut your fabric, but it gives your sewing shop a nifty little store-like appearance--and it reminds you of how much fabric you've got.
Posted at 11:04 am, January 20 2009 EST - Report this post

threadsoffancy says:
i keep a new toilet brush net to my embroidery machine. a few quick brushes across the floor and all the big threads are gone! easy to clean too, so much easier than having to take the roller out of the sweeper to get all the threads undone from it!!
Posted at 11:50 am, January 20 2009 EST - Report this post

and more.... from the link http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6005112