This tutorial works best with soft fabrics, like jersey or terry cloth. You can even cut up old flannel to make the stuffing! This is a simple project that won't take longer than an hour or two to put together.
You can make a stylish and fun tutu without needing a sewing machine! All you need is several yards of tulle or a similar fabric. Perfect for ballet lessons, or wear it as a petticoat for your full, bouncy skirts.
This tutorial shows you a few cute ideas to decorate a cell phone cover. iPhones all look the same, but you can take a basic cover and then add beads, faux gems, rhinestones and other embellishments to personalize your cell phone case.
Darts add shape and a more fitted line to garments that use them. While many patterns come with the darts pre-printed, how do you add darts when you're sewing without a pattern? This tutorial shows you how to add your own darts by hand.
These cometa flowers are made from Italian cometa ribbon. Velvety and smooth, they are easy to craft with and can be quickly turned into beautiful blooms that can adorn your wedding favors.
A zipper may look intimidating, but it's really not. This tutorial shows you an easy and quick way to sew a zipper. You will need a zipper, straight pins, matching thread, scissors, your sewing project and a special zipper foot for your sewing machine.
Want to incorporate LEDs into your costumes and sewing? This video is here! Using a basic glove, this tutorial shows you how you can work with LEDs when you want to sew them into a project. Make sure you don't accidentally sew a short circuit.
You have to be careful not to accidentally sew in a short circuit when you are working with connective thread. This tutorial shows you how to sew in a connection to an arduino, a buzzer and a battery on a glove.
Make your clothing really light up! This tutorial shows you how to properly and carefully sew a connection to an arduino to some fabric, so you can incorporate some lightweight electronics into your next fashion project or battery operated costume piece.
Get a plain cardigan at a thrift store or vintage store and then use these few tips to jazz it up a bit! Switch out the buttons and add a few floral embellishemtns you can make out of felted wool.
Increase the storage capabilities of your home! This tutorial shows you how you can create a wall hanging out of fabric that will let you store your coupons, reciepts and other important papers. All you need are some basic sewing tools and a sewing machine.
This tutorial is a concise tutorial on the basic embroidery stitches. Learn how to do a French knot, flower, chain stitch, back stitch, outline stitch, satin stitch, and a cross stitch. All you need is some fabric, an embroidery hoop, floss and needle.
You will need some half ball covered buttons to make this. You can cover these buttons with any sort of fabric you want. Once you're done, thread an elastic ponytail band through the button hole, add a dab of glue and you have a brand new accessory!
Add a little flair and personalization to your sewing room! You can make this out of the scrap fabric in your stash. This tutorial shows you how to craft your own completely usable, tomato-style pincushion. You will also need some kind of stuffing.
This technique shows you how to make a rose or rosebud out of some leftover ribbon. All you need is a length of ribbon and some needle and thread. Add a few bead or crystal embellishments if you want. This will work with any size ribbon.
Tulle is often used to make tutus, but the nature of it's composition might make it hard to cut cleanly. This is a very quick video tutorial showing you a few useful tips on the most efficient way to cut tulle fabric.
This is a fun and funky project you can use to recover a boring pillow. All you need is a wool sweater (which you can find easily at a thrift store) and the pillow you want to cover. You'll also need to be able to felt the wool.
Rescue a piece of roadside furniture, or give your own loveseat or couch a new look. This tutorial shows you how you can upcycle and add some new upholstery. Make sure you are careful to clean any furniture you find on the side of the road.
You can make a classy, desginer style rug out of some scrap pieces of carpet. If you plan to create a dyed rug, make sure the carpet will take the dye before you start this project. Use any design you want!
Crafting and sewing is lots of fun, but it calls for many accessories and notions that can clutter your craft area. This tutorial shows you how to create your own craft supply organizer out of some upcycled or recycled materials.
These rosettes can be used as embellishments however you like - turn them into hair accessories, attach them to a sweater or use them to upcycle another T-shirt. Dress them up with beads or ribbon. All you need are some scissors and a hot glue gun.
You don't have to sew a bound buttonhole by hand, you can replicate this fashion technique using a sewing machine. Make sure you sew slowly and carefully to get the clean finished lines of a perfectly done bound button hole.
This tutorial shows you a variety of couture techniques you can use when home sewing to attach buttons and create buttonholes. Use bound buttonholes, space your buttons and make sure that your buttons and buttonholes line up to each other.
A bound buttonhole doesn't have to be difficult. This video shows you several different techniques taught in various sewing books, and then shows you a synthesis of both methods. Don't worry about having to hand sew your buttons, you can do it all by machine.
While you can usually make a buttonhole with a machine, doing a bound buttonhole by hand is a couture technique that gives a professional, elegant finish to your buttonholes. This video shows you how to hand sew a bound butthole for your garment.
Upcycle your old T-shirts into a classy and fashionable corset top! All you need are some basic sewing notions, in addition to eyelets and eyelet pliers. Embellish your corset top with ribbon, appliques, rhinestones or any other accessory you fancy.
This is not a tutorial on how to sew a real corset, rather, how to sew a corset style top. You will need some fashion fabric, eyelets, an eyelet attachment tool, ribbon, scissors, pins, measuring tape, tailor's chalk and of course, a sewing machine.
You can buy a pre made corset pattern from a manufacturer, or, if you really want to start from scratch, you can draft your own pattern. This tutorial shows you how to take your measurements and translate that into a custom fit corset pattern.
Grommets and eyelets are the metal rings that reinforce the holes in your corset, through which you thread the cording. This tutorial gives you some good advice on choosing, placing and attaching grommets and eyelets to your own hand sewn corsets.
A corset is not necessarily a difficult thing to sew, but it does require a lot of precision. Here are a few good tips you'll want to learn and follow when you're trying to teach yourself sewing and corset making at home.
Precision is important when you're making a garment as closely form fitting as a corset, and pinning your garment together is no different. Make sure that the panels for your corset are snugly, securely and accurately pinned together before you start sewing.
The bias cut is when you cut a piece of fabric at a forty five degree angle from the direction it was woven on a loom. Bias tape, a strip of fabric cut on the bias, can be used to give any garment a professional looking finish, and here is how you can make your own.
When you first buy a corset from a retailer, you will need to give the thread and fabric the chance to shape itself according to your own personal shape. Here is the best way to break in or season a new corset to make it last longer.
This tutorial shows you two different techniques for creating a boning channel when you're making a corset. You will need the corset boning and a pressing bar, along with some bias tape (or the ability to make your own) and a few other sewing notions.
This is a great and attractive shirt - a corset tank top. You don't need a pattern to make this, just some fabric, lining and ribbon. You'll also need some basic sewing notions and access to a sewing machine to sew this very basic item.
This is an easy tutorial that will go well with any Renaissance Faire outfit or similar costume. By using two different types of fabric, you can even make it reversible and increase the number of costumes you can wear it with.
Repurpose your old T-shirts! Create a fun summer look by creating a halter top/corset style look out of an old T-shirt. All you need is a sharp pair of scissors and a few embellishements or accessories. You won't even need a sewing machine.
The perfect undergarment for your Victorian costume re-creation. You don't need any pattern, just take your measurements and get a yard or so of thin, lightweight fabric. Then cut, pin, sew and finish. Your own pair of Victorian inspired bloomer pants!
Lolita, hime or Little Bo Beep - this skirt will serve all those costume functions! Sew an easy ruffled skirt and then use elastic to gather the waistband and create the outer ruffle. You don't need a pattern, just your measurements and a sewing machine!
Depending on the fabric you choose, this could be part of your Lolita costume or a professional skirt. Sew a skirt with one inch box pleats, without needing a pattern. Get your fabric, measurements and some basic sewing supplies together, and you're ready to go!
The dirndl skirt is cut straight and gathered at the waist, and is a traditional style of German or Austrian skirts. Due to the cut and the flare, it's an ideal skirt for Lolita style costumes, and this tutorail shows you how to sew a dirndl without a pattern.
A great and simple way to add a little to your Renaissance Faire costume or costume closet - sew a peasant style top. All you need are a few yards of loose white fabric, your measurements and some basic sewing tools.
The sari is a beautiful dress, traditionally worn by East Indian women, involving a length of fabric draped over an under blouse. This tutorial shows you how to draft your own pattern for a sari blouse and then sew it together yourself. Always iron your fabric before you start working with it!
This is a great project to make a fun and feminine shirt. All you need is one piece of fabric cut in a circle, a few basic notions and a sewing machine. No pattern required, just make sure you have your measurements at hand!
Start with two rectangles of fabric, both the same size. You will also need a short zipper and a few basic sewing supplies (pins and a sewing machine). Then just follow along with this video to make your own zippered change purse!
Circle skirts are easy, and look good on nearly any figure. You can sew your own without needing a pattern at all - just pick your under fabric and over fabric, then follow along with this tutorial for a retro chic addition to your wardrobe.
Ruffles are incredibly easy to make, though they are time consuming. Get a length of your chosen fabric, and then follow along with this tutorial to make an elegant and fun ruffled ribbon that you can use as an embellishment, a headband or an accessory.
A strapless dress is a smoldering, make-'em-weak-in-the-knees choice for any glamorous occasion. But getting both a beautiful dress and one that fits you to a tee is rather difficult.
When it comes to quirky homemade DIY, cords - made from rope, twine, or other materials - aren't usually used in many projects. Other than tying nautical knots, it seems they're quite defunct.
Get a sewing machine for the holidays? Buying one for yourself? Like any machine, a sewing machine needs some basic maintenance to keep running properly. Make sure lint doesn't build up around the feed dogs, and oil the parts once a year to keep things running smoothly.
Trying to figure out what to do with the scrap fabric in your stash? This tutorial shows you how you can make a no sew apron by raiding your stash. Dress it up by adding your own appliques, patches or embellishments.
Make your own pyjama knickers! This is a great tutorial that a beginning sewer can use to hone their skills. You don't need very much fabric - just some elastic and a few basic sewing notions as well as your sewing machine.
Embroidery is a useful skill to develop so you can add your own embelllishemnts to favorite clothes, and it's not as difficult as it seems. This tutorial, perfect for beginners, shows you how to create a simple embroidery pattern using the basic chain stitch.
Love the look of vintage? You don't have continuously prowl vintage stores - make your own inspired skirt! All you need is your favorite fabric and a few sewing notions (matching thread, scissors, pins, and of course, a sewing machine).
This video represents a union between two spheres of crafting - sewing and cardmaking. You can create some decorative stitching on your handmade greeting cards by using your sewing machine. Here's how you can sew on paper without ruining the paper or cardstock.
Often times, when you buy ready to wear clothes, you'll get a garment where the buttons are sewn on very loosely. To keep the buttons from popping off, here is how you can reinforce the buttons on your pants or other garments.
If you are consistently finding that the cuffs of your jeans and pants are too long, you can use this tutorial series, which will show you how to professionally alter your pants. Cut off the excess, and then resew a stylish new hem.
Tailors can be expensive, but you can be your own tailor! This tutorial shows you how to take a pair of pants that might be a bit too big around the waist and take them in using professional tailoring techniques.
