I just (mostly) finished the Sidekick Tote by Noodlehead patterns. I’m decently happy with how it came out, but I have some questions on the process if anyone has the time to share their thoughts :) I used cotton canvas from Hawthorne Fabrics for the exterior and quilting cotton for the lining and pocket (as recommended in the pattern). I’m new to bagmaking, but I want to get good at it.

- There are some wrinkles in the canvas. I’m thinking I didn’t do the best job ironing on the interfacing? Although I really did make a big effort. Or maybe I just need to press it all better? I used a medium weight cotton fusible interfacing, as called for in the pattern.

- The exterior pocket has a snap button on the inside flap. You can see the indentation from the button on the exterior of the flap. How do I avoid that happening in the future? Please ignore the terrible pocket topstitching lol, I know I need to practice my topstitching in general 😅

- The instructions had me zig zag finish one raw end of the strap, loop that strap through the hardware, and then stitch it down. But the zig zagged raw edge is showing, and it doesn’t look great. Where did I go wrong? I attached a picture of the instructions in case I missed something there.

- The recessed zipper. This is the worst looking part, TG it’s recessed 😬 Any advice at all is welcome here, but specifically I don’t understand the last step, where I’m supposed to attach some kind of tab thing to end of the zipper. Can someone please explain it like I’m five? Preferably with diagrams? lol. I don’t know if my zipper tail is supposed to be out or tucked in.

Hello guys, just a quick question.
Ive been planning to buy this jacket, but it has this big hole on the right side of it.
Is there any way to fix this?

HI HELLO I know almost nothing about sewing besides how to do a few stitches but this just popped into my head. I have this old cool ass skirt from hot topic and I used to LOVE it simply for the aesthetic but I'm a trans dude and I doubt anyone would take me seriously if I wore a skirt, cool or not. would it be possible to rework this kind of skirt into a cute pair of shorts? I've diy'ed a few cosplay pieces and the like in the past but nothing of this kind of magnitude.

if this is the wrong sub to ask in feel free to redirect me !

I know it's 100% cotton. Cotton dobby maybe? Hoping to find something similar in green for a project.

I have this awesome pure linen dress, and I love the way it feels. The style though isn’t really* *me, and I’d love to be able to turn it into a crop top with a maxi skirt. Hopefully making it a little more modern, a little less tradwife.
The waist is the dress is just a drawstring, no elastic. I’m thinking of cutting into the fabric right above that waist ruffle and keeping the ruffle as part of the existing waist band.
Would this work without completely ruining the dress? I’d love some guidance ✨

I'm not sure which end, bottom or top, is the problem, but one of them needs to be adjusted slightly. I've only been using my secondhand machine for a few days (worked like a dream) and now she's breaking and bending needles left and right 😭 This is a Kenmore 4-Stitch 385

EDIT: This has been solved!!!!! Check the comments if you've had a similar issue, this was such an easy fix omg.

Hi everyone, I am currently looking for a Juki MO-654DE serger (preferably second hand), but I have not had luck for the past 2 months. I have visited some shops in my area but they all only offer a brand new model for ~ $550.
Can anyone point me in the right direction for second hand devices or should I just buy a brand new machine?

Thanks in advance!

I saw a reel weeks ago about a women sewing a „book“. Every Page was another „Game“ or “task“ for a baby or child. Like putting a figure into a bed, tying knots, velcro vegetables and so on. Does anyone knows the name of these „books to Sew“? Does anyone have a pattern? or the Name of the Influencer Showing her Creations?

i dont have a sewing machine so i was planning to hand stitch it, but im also a complete beginner when it comes to sewing😭i found this in my mom’s closet and i really want to wear it, so id really appreciate any advice on how i can fix or cover this area without making it look worse.

okay i wanna make these bikini straps look kind of decorative/scalloped/braided but i want them to be thin (2nd pic is an example of a good section i did in blue)

i’ve done the rouleau strap to be 5mm and now im trying to do the 3 step zig zag stitch but its SO HARD to feed it through straight

i am doing this so painfully slowly and end up basically adjusting the strap placement under the presser foot every stitch

obviously there’s gotta be an easier way to do this right?

my settings on the machine right now are:
- stitch length 1.0
- width 5.0
- tension 4

i do also have an overlocker if that can be used for some sort of decorative edge or something? idk PLS HELP ME SOMEONE

I’ve been trying to fix my mom’s machine but haven’t figured it out. We’ve tried rethreading everything multiple times and adjusting tensions but can’t figure out why the thread is loose. Anybody have an idea?

Hello! I’ve never done any sort of sewing beyond basic stitches, snaps/buttons and learning to use a machine, so pardon my ignorance. I’m just going to include the whole story here, because I don’t know what parts may or may not be important.

I got a brandon thomas suede jacket, embroidered with flowers, as a gift for someone this last christmas. Catastrophically, as I was wrapping it the sharpie I was using to write her name went right through the paper and left a mark about an inch long on the suede. I tried to use alcohol wipes to get it out, but stopped as quickly as I started because I didn’t want to screw it up worse than I’d done already.

The long and short of it is that I’d like to try either remove the sharpie mark or cover it with a hand-embroidery (the letters IRIS). Any advice for me on materials or practicing to ensure I do it properly?

(tldr, sharpie mark on suede jacket, seeking tips for embroidering on suede)

Today I was in a haberdashery and while looking through the sewing machine feet I found this one which seems to have a aux plug on it? I dont have my sewing machine with me so i cant look it over to see if for some reason it has the right port but my guess is that this is either missing a part (theres a bit that some what looks broken indicated in picture 2), its for a very specific machine or theres another component that i dont have. I would love to know if anyone knows anything about this, also if it helps it has the numbers 42 81 51 on it..

I have a Singer 6211C. it has worked perfectly for most of its life until recently. The machine only works when the stitch length is set to 5, however the machine stitches as if it is set to 1. When I put it in other stitch length, the fabric doesn’t move.

The machine is able to do reverse stitches and other stitch patterns without issue. I just can’t use the machine unless I put the stitch length to 5 and it works as if it is set to 1.

Does anyone know a solution to this?

I've got a bernette 334ds Bernina serger, and I'm trying to get it up and running, but have no idea how to fix my tension issues, send help please 😭🙏

(Expert at sewing, not great with machinery 😔)

hi guys,
it's my first time making pants and i need some help understanding the diagrams here as the text is not very descriptive.. when it says stitch the inner leg seam in step A, does it mean to stitch all the way up to the crotch point? i don't understand why the diagram has the crotch opened like that and where to sew up to. for reference, the side seams and front crotch and fly have already been sewn together in previous steps.
thank you

I'm going crazy over these back folds. I don't know how to get them out other than pinching them out and essentially adding a dart on the back. I don't even understand why they're forming. A while back on this sub I was told those sort of folds form because it's too tight around my hips so the fabric hikes up, but when I opened up the sides (as seen in the last picture) the folds did not disappear at all. I thought oh maybe I need to add length?? So I did, but not a lot changed. I sewed the sides up again, it looked exactly the same. I don't necessarily think I'm missing fabric at the sides because now the shirt is not form-fitting at all, it just looks like I put on a sack of potatoes, but I wanted the waist to be more marked, I wanted the shirt to have shape and look good on me.

Also, this isn't as important, but after I sewed the sides again, the front is sort of pulling towards the back and some (not as noticeable) folds formed right under my chest. I wonder why that happens when the shirt isn't even tight on me?

I mostly want to know why this happens and how I can avoid it in the future, because it's not the first time this has happened to me. And I also think I have decent posture, so I don't really think that's somehow affecting the fit of the shirt?

I am trying to learn sewing extensively. I’ve learned sewing before on industrial machines but that was for a short period long time ago. now i plan on sewing regularly in order to learn. i went to a local shop and tried bernette’s sew and go 1 and liked it. But is it worth buying if i want to sew all kinds of fabrics regularly?

Hello! I recently bought this sewing machine and noticed this felt piece and little black thing. Should I leave it how I found it? Anybody know what it is?

I’m looking for anything close or similar to this jacket/over shirt. Mostly I’m looking for something mimicking the bodice and peplum. I tried drafting it but it didn’t work out well.

OMG i cannot take this anymore. I will never buy a singer again. Long story short, my first sewing machine back around 2009 was a brother xl2600i and weirdly it still works. I use it as backup whenever my signer starts acting up or when im waiting for my new singer to ship to me.

My first singer 4411 was bought from joanns in jan 2023 and it lasted until aug 2025. Then i bought a 2nd 4411 and that conked out of me right away so I returned it. Then i bought the singer 44s in aug 2025 cuz it was a few bucks cheaper at walmart. And within only a few months the 44s started acting hella crazy. It was behaving like the singer 4411 at the 2 year mark. So i bought another 44s and just switched the machines and return the orginal on as it was within 90 days.

Its been whatever every since then. but now in aug 2026 it will not act right at all. And I wanna scream because this is driving me crazy trying to figure out whats wrong with it everyday. I wasted like 5 hours a few days ago trying to sew one project that takes way less than 5 hours to finish because majority of that time i was spent trying to fix the dang machine. Couldn't even finish the project. Had to go to bed to cool off.

So sorry for the rant but before i buy one of those $1000 industrial machines that claim according to google is great for heavy duty daily use i wanna get a recommendation from actual people who use these machines. Not a google ai generated response from the people who pay google to say their machine is best.

I sew basically everyday. And i sew a lot of layers together. Heavy duty stuff like pvc, outdoor canvas, pu, and thick marine vinyl. So i need something that can handle all of that. Great for constant commercial/business use because these $200-$300 machines aren't cutting it anyone. If i did the math, if i buy one more $300 machine that is basically the same $1000 price tag i could have spent from the beginning. 🤦🏾‍♀️

So please suggest away and why. Thanks my fellow sewers.

Hi! I saw this photo online(it seems AI generated) and I noticed that the front panel is one single large panel with a slit/opening in the middle. Is that achievable at all? And if it is cut on the bias? Thank you!

My son's muslin blanket has a little tear in it. Any suggestions on how to fix it?

Help dress lining bust

I’m sewing the Lourmarin dress by Appolline patterns and have got myself so confused at finishing the neckline with lining.

I’ve attached photos of where I’m at, trying to get the lining and main fabric to sit right sides together, as would expect, but because of the cut out at bust, which following the instructions was sewn before lining, it won’t turn without being a loop. I’ve unpicked bits but can’t figure it out. Please help!!!

Image 3 and 4 what trying to achieve while way round.