The left most needle on my 1034DX serger isn’t sewing. I need help figuring out why. The only way I’ve been able to temporarily fix it is by running the machine while the presser foot is up for a couple seconds. I think that might reset it but it doesn’t work every time. I’d appreciate any halo I can get 🙂

Hi there.

My mother-in-law would be having her 60th birthday soon and we wanted to give her a sewing machine since she's been saying that she's still mad about her husband (FIL) losing her old one that was barely used at the time. It was a Singer that kinda looked like this.

It is kinda customary in my country that gifts should be brand new so I am avoiding second hand items. Also, we once borrowed a Singer Heavy Duty from a family friend and MIL found it easy to use.

Now I am torn because I do not know if it's worth it to buy a new Singer machine (the classic style) or just look for a modern portable one since she liked the Singer Heavy Duty. However, I have read in this sub that people do not recommend the portable ones from Singer so I am looking for alternatives that can also sew denim. I have also looked at Juki DDL-8700 but I do not know if she can handle that kind of machine since it's high speed.

She will most probably use the machine to make blankets, pillow covers, and curtains. Also, maybe for some repairs of denim pants.

In my area, the only brands that I can get brand new is Singer, Brother, and Juki.

I hope someone can give insights or suggestions because I know nothing about sewing and just want to give MIL something nice.

Thank you so much.

I want to make a teddy bear plush toy and I haven't been able to find anything that exactly matches what I want

Is there any software I can use to make a sewing pattern from scratch?

Hello, my goal is to use old military bags to create a big backpack in the shape of an animal or pokemon such as Snorlax. Now i think i should start with something smaller as i dont know how to even plan this or learn anything about it.
So how do i start?? THanks.

Hello, I made a pair of work pants that was very baggy in the crotch area, Watching lots of videos, I could tell my crotch rise was to long. I cut out some of the crotch and tried to blend the inseam down towards the knee, and now the crotch fits perfectly, BUT, now I have wrinkles on the legs of the pants front and back which seems to indicate that the inseam is now to short. Any ideas on how to lengthen the inseams to salvage these pants? Can a gusset be used to lengthen the inseam?

Thanks, Kim

I’m trying to attach the zipper pull to the zipper but I haven’t had any luck so far. I’ve tried looking up how and most videos use a fork. I’ve tried that but it doesn’t seem to be working for me. Only one side of the zipper goes into the zipper pull. Is there another way I could attach it?

Regarding these photos:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/jx13cl3sxitasgop1k3cz/IMG_8153.jpg?rlkey=jw7hld7rlcmog9q0cgo79zfw0&dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/k2biwucmfm9lbo1xw1syj/IMG_8152.jpg?rlkey=4qrmgxiq7at7cvnivznlo268i&dl=0

Is this a single stitch or multiple stitches? How is it/are they achieved? Is this an example of using bias tape?

Appreciate your help!

I own a coverstitch machine that I normally use to hem my knit garments. However, I'm currently sewing a dressy garment with a knit and don't want that casual vibe the coverstitch gives. I'd like to hand sew the hem invisibly, but don't know what stitch I could use that won't pop out when the garment stretches. Any suggestions?

I thought I could easily sew a bathrobe on a sunday afternoon, and bought a nice bamboo terrycloth for this project. But... the needles in my cover lock keep breaking. I've been using universal 90/14 needles, the cloth is quite thick (350 grams/m2). I might not be an expert seamstress, but I've been sewing for over 30 years now and I've never had so many broken needles (4) in one afternoon. Would I need the extra thick needles for this? Or any other suggestions? Just to be clear, I do not go to fast, do not pull the fabric, and it's the same machine I've had for 15 years now and I do keep it clean and oiled. But I've never worked with bamboo fabric before. Thanks in advance!

I’m a bartender out of his depth!

The short: I bought the wrong size kitchen towels, looking for ideas to add functionality to the standard tea towel. Put a similar post in a bartenders sub then realised it’d probably be worth asking people with the relevant skills for ideas. (In case anyone hasn’t had any exposure to working in hospitality a “bar towel” is just a tea towel bartenders like to hang off their belt/pants)

The Long: So I like to bring my own bar towels to work for personal use, partly because it means I know they’re clean/hygienic but mostly because stripy blue and white doesn’t match my wardrobe and I like feeling well dressed behind the bar.

Recently ordered some micro fibre kitchen towels off Amazon to add into rotation but I fucked up and got the wrong size. Initially planned to just sew a few together so it wasn’t money wasted but it feels like an opportunity to try something new.

So my question for the brains trust, is there a better shape? Should it have layers? What features can I add? Has someone done this before and has a product they can link me? Mostly looking to add in practical features but novel ideas for making them pretty are more than welcome.

Nitty gritty: Roommate has a sewing machine Cloth size: 30x30cm (12”)

Already planning to add a loop with a snap fastener so I’m not just cramming it through my belt like usual.