What to Wear During the Winter

Posted on 20th November 2011 in Fashion


Brr, it’s cold outside. And you have a closet full of clothes, but no idea how to dress with style and comfort during the frozen season. But every closet, except for maybe those located in sunny Florida is equipped for winter.

1. Dress in loose layers

This seems simple, wear something light and cotton under your clothes. Perhaps a simple undershirt. Or even a favorite tee. The important note here is to keep the under layer light. Big bulky layers can cause you to sweat, and while feeling the burn is good. Wet clothes lead to hypothermia. Or even that nasty cold you can’t get rid of.

2. Wear water proof jackets

Those cute bubble jackets? Yes those. They keep the snow on you from sinking into you. Yes that sweater that grandma knitted you was cute, but if it is a snowy day outside, go with something waterproof. The reason? Your body heat will melt the snow when it sits on your skin. A waterproof jacket will keep the snow outside, and you nice and toasty inside. Some of the best are Columbia, Burton and North Face jackets.

3. Wear waterproof shoes

This one seems simple, but most people don’t think of their everyday tennis shoes. I mean we wear them everywhere right? Well on winter days keep them at home, or change into them when you get to the gym. The reason, the same one as wearing the waterproof jacket. It keeps the water off of you feet. So those boots you have been eyeing all fall long at the store. Go ahead buy them. Your dry feet will thank you.

4.Change your socks, even more than you do now

Feet get wet, even with waterproof shoes, somehow the snow gets in there, and sock do exactly what they are meant to do, absorb water off your feet. The problem is wet socks in cold weather mean you get sick. As soon as you feel the slightest moisture on your socks you need to change them. Remember you lose body heat through your feet.

5. Accessories are your friends

Hats and scarfs are the most important, but anything that helps keep you warm, gloves, mittens, a nice muff. Really you can make dressing for the cold look good. And this serves the additional purpose of keeping your head covered which helps keep your body heat where it belongs: Inside your body.

So now that you know how to dress, don’t let the cold keep you in!

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Wearing glasses while sewing

Posted on 9th October 2011 in Sewing Tips


When sewing, if you wear glasses for normal everyday things, you may find that you are going to need an additional pair just for sewing. Due to the smaller lines and needles, and due to the fact that you are working with fine lines and trying for precision, Wearing glasses while sewing is going to help you get the quality you are trying to attain. You will also find that when you are choosing the perfect pair of glasses, depending on your vision, depending on how fine the thread and needle you are using is, and depending on what patterns you are trying to sew, there are going to be different grades of glasses that you may want to consider for the job, in order to get the best accuracy, and to get the precision and quality you are trying to get.

With smaller threads and needles, and when stitching or sewing smaller patterns, you may find that a finer pair, and a higher prescription of glasses may be required. In some cases, you might find that bi focals, or even tri focal lenses, or even smaller monocle lenses are going to be required to do the job as best as you can, and to get the stitching or sewing pattern down right. You will also find that working with smaller objects, the strength of the glasses you will be required to wear, is going to be stronger, due to the finer lines, and the smaller threads you are trying to sew in to a pattern. For those who have poor vision to begin with, a pair of professional grade glasses may be required when you are sewing. Not only will this take away from so much strain and pressure on your eyes, it will also ensure that you do not injure yourself, and it will ensure that you get the best stitch every time.

So, when choosing the perfect pair of glasses for sewing, there are several things to take in to consideration, from the individual’s vision (for day to day tasks), to the patterns they are sewing, the lighting they are in, and even the size of the thread and needles they are using for the job. Considering all these things will allow you to get the perfect pair of glasses, and will ensure that you are going to get the finest quality and the highest levels of precision in your work.

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Tips For Eco-Friendly Sewing

Posted on 20th September 2011 in Sewing Tips


Sewing is already good for the environment, so why not take it a step further and make it even more eco-friendly? By making your own clothes, upholstering your own furniture, and creating home linens, you are supporting environmental friendly practices. These eco-friendly products will be wonderful for your own use or can also be great green gifts for families and friends.

Many big manufacturers contribute to air pollution and dump unused materials in areas that harm the environment. By sewing in your own home, you don’t contribute to the cause of air pollution and you can be more conscious of your waste and how to either recycle it or dispose of it properly.

When you sew your own things, products also don’t need to be shipped to a store or your home, like store-made things do, which also cuts back on pollution

  • Go Organic

The first way you can stay eco-friendly while sewing is by using organic fabrics, yarns and threads. For example, growing cotton has been shown to have harmful effects on the environment. Cotton needs large amounts of pesticides to be grown effectively, which is not good for the air or surrounding plants, animals or bodies of water.

Organic cotton growing uses less pesticides, so you know you aren’t contributing to the massive amounts of pesticides harming the environment.

  • Try Upcycling

We’ve all heard of recycling, but what about upcycling? Upcycling is the practice of transforming one item into a new one. By buying less new materials, you are helping to reduce the amount of waste in landfills, which in turn benefits the environment.

Next time you need fabric for a project, try looking at thrift stores for old clothing, curtains, tablecloths or even bedding with great fabric. With a few snips and a run through the sewing machine, you can turn something old into something new!

  • Save Scraps

As you work on a project, save scraps and left overs that are big enough to use for something else. Many craft projects call for small pieces of fabric or ribbon and there is no reason to go out and buy yards of it when you don’t need it all. This tip will help you reduce air pollution, waste in landfills and even help you save some cash!

When you take on your next project, find ways to use organic supplies, upcycle old fabric and use scraps from your last project before you hit the fabric store. With just a few small changes to your sewing habits, you can easily make your favorite hobby even more eco-friendly.

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Saving money on clothes by sewing

Posted on 19th August 2011 in Sewing Tips

After going through the recent economic hard times, a number of shoppers from all parts of the world choose to adapt some new techniques to save money on shopping. And when it comes to clothes, no one can deny the fact that it is the highly-shopped item than any other. Hence, here is a list of few thoughts that you can utilize to save money on clothes.

The best way to save money on clothes is by sewing. Whether or not you are a pro in sewing, you can start sewing new clothes by buying a user-friendly sewing machine today. You can learn all basic sewing skills online and start sewing your own clothes at home. And believe it or not, by sewing, you will save a lot of money on apparel shopping. Also use your creative ideas to make a new and beautiful piece of apparel all by yourself.

Sewing your own clothes can be a fun-filled experience. You can sew a scarf or small jacket before starting to sew in a fully-fledged way. Those with children will surely find this an economical choice. This is because, children grow up fast and they need more cloth in every now and then. So you can choose to sew their clothes at home by selecting some of their favorite fabrics and using your creative designs on them. Also, sewing clothes for your children will be a memorable and bonding experience.

You can buy a sewing machine online by checking out some discounted deals on top merchant sites. Choosing fabric can become a difficult task if you are unaware of the fabric types and price. Also enroll in some sewing club for learning about fabrics, few techniques and designs during initial days. Such clubs will take a minimal joining fee and offer you an array of tutorials and video trainings to go through and learn.

If you are a novice in this field, then don’t worry. You can always seek help from others and search online for more information on sewing clothes. You will also find an array of free online sewing guides that you can read through to gain more knowledge on sewing. Also participate in those forums, where you will find members with sewing as their hobbies or professions.

Finally, consider you time while opting for such option. Sewing needs your time and money. So plan well before deciding to buy a sewing machine and sew clothes for yourself and your family.

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Paying Taxes For Your Sewing Business

Posted on 3rd July 2011 in Sewing Tips


Grandma sewed on her machine almost every day making flour sack dresses, kitchen towels, and pillowcases. As more women began professional careers fewer learned the art of sewing. In today’s world a sewing business can be a profitable venture so here is some tax advice that everyone should follow when reporting for the April tax season.

There are certain tax guidelines that the proprietor must know. These include:
• Reports
• Taxes
• Incorporation
• Deductions

Reports – The owner of a business must file a Schedule C with the Internal Revenue Service. This is a list of expenses and income. The IRS wants you to make a profit a few years into the business. If the sewing shows a repeated loss the IRS will reclassify the business as a hobby. At that point a Schedule A will be required. Then the deductions cannot exceed the income.

Taxes – Income tax must be paid to the IRS, state and local government. Social security and Medicare deductions must also be paid at 15.3%. An employer is responsible for half of the 15.3%, however when a person is self-employed they pay the total tax themselves. Sales tax will be required in some states.

Incorporation- There are many excellent reasons to incorporate a business before it is up and running. It is always smart to consult an attorney before getting started. There will be a small fee but it will be well worth the peace of mind gained. Incorporations will reduce the self-employment tax and personal liability. If incorporation is decided upon there are guidelines in each state for incorporating. An attorney can assist with the process.

Deductions – When setting up a business of any kind meticulous records all income and expenses must be kept. In a sewing business any items or equipment related to the sewing business can be taken as an expense. A computer for accounting, marketing and record keeping is deductible. If you work from home you can deduct a portion of the rent or mortgage. Utility bills such as electricity and phones are partially deductible. Mileage for work related trips are deductible from taxes. So you can see how important it becomes to keep receipts and records.

Before jumping into the water it’s always smart to look around and scope out the horizon. In taking on a business this is understanding reports, taxes, incorporations and deductions.

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Creating a shirt from scratch

Posted on 11th June 2011 in Sewing Tips


The first consideration that needs to be thought of is what material and color is desired. Go to the material section of a sewing store to feel materials that could be used. After the material texture and color is selected, a pattern needs to be chosen. The pattern is usually chosen by the shape and style of the outcome of the product. The patterns are located in many sections of the store in books, wall and spinning shelves, and catalogs.

The pattern has measurements of how much material is needed to make the t-shirt. The pattern is to be laid out on the material and pinned down with stick pins. This allows the pattern o be straight and not move or crinkle when it is time to cut out the pattern onto the material. Cutting the pattern out on the lines makes the shirt the size specified on the packaging. Most shirt patterns come in 4 pieces: front, back, sleeve, and neckband.

The pieces of the pattern need to be cut out one at a time. The material is folded in half with the pattern pinned to the fold line. The folded line is the center of the shirt. The same is done for the sleeves. For the neckline, the fabric is laid horizontally with the pattern pinned to the fold, then cut it out. Now it is time to sew.

First: The pieces will be sewed inside out to hide the stitches. Sew the front and back pieces together with right sides facing outward. Match the shoulder pieces and pin to hold them in place and sew.

Second: Pin sleeve to the project and sew it on and the same for the other sleeve. Now sew sleeve bottom or hinge together.

Third: Sew neckband onto project and hem sleeve bottoms and the bottom of the shirt by folding the bottom edges up. Now flip the shirt to the right side and view your creation.

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Best times to buy materials for sewing

Posted on 30th May 2011 in Sewing Tips


There are certain times that are better than others to actually buy the materials that you need for sewing. As long as you can find some pretty good deals on the materials that you need, you should be fine when you get ready to buy them. There is so much that you can use for sewing. Most people love sewing in the winter times, because there are so many different things to actually make.

If you have an eye for sewing, it doesn’t really matter when you begin to buy your materials, just as long as you have some things that you are making. This is especially true for people who actually have businesses in making things from scratch. You will, at some point, need to buy all of your materials. Once you buy enough materials for sewing, you should count on those materials lasting you a very long time. You should buy a large quantity of everything at once. There is so much that you can choose from.

You can find great deals on sewing materials online, or at your nearby fabric store. Unless you have to go out and buy a particular color that you may not have for a project, then it may not be necessary to make any purchases right away. The only real sewing materials that you are going to have to buy is more thread, because everything else can really be re-used when it comes to sewing. Once in a while, you may need pins and sewing needles if you lose them, but for the most part, the thread is what you should be concerned about. When you catch them on sale, you should buy them, because you won’t know when to expect these same materials to go on sale again. They can differ.

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