Serger Thread Hack Tutorial

It’s nice when your serger thread matches your project, but buying 3-4 cones of every color can be expensive and storage is a hassle. See what I did about it here...

Not so much. In reality, my first (second, sixth…) attempt to use a twin needle resulted in a headache and a desire to hurl myself out of my first-floor sewing room window. I would have given up many moons ago, but I had developed a bit of a stubborn vendetta. (You’re shocked, I know.)

The most impactful way to customize your tote is to adapt the size. This simple change takes the same shape from a tiny party favor bag to a large shopping sack. In this episode of Rock the Tote, I’ll show you a few size variations and provide you with easy equations to tweak your next tote to perfectly fit its contents.

Unequivocally, my favorite trim is piping. I like it in a solid color or any variety of print, with cording or without, delicate or chunky. And now that I know about that awesome way to make it from scratch, I doubt I’ll buy it pre-made again. (Well…not often.) I also adore rickrack and the perfect vintage feel it brings to its host project. In this post and in part 2, I’ll walk you through the process of using either of these on the top edge of your next tote.

Last week, I posted a tutorial showing how to trim the top of your tote with corded piping. Today, we’ll follow a similar process to install rickrack.

This is a fairly standard tote, nothing revolutionary, but it reflects the tweaking and techniques from my experience making it, many times now.

I've made a foldable shoe bag that can be used to stash runners for the gym or can even be folded into a little shopping bag for emergencies. I've lined the bag with oilcloth so I can wipe out any dirt that might accumulate on the bottom of my shoes and flake off into the bag.

Dividing a quilt top into sections makes it possible to quilt a large top on your domestic sewing machine. This method is similar to assembling “quilt as you go” blocks, without the “as you go” part: piecing is done first, then quilting.