Blog — Pin Cut Sew Studio

Posts in tips and tricks

What's In My Sewing Binder

Do you keep a sewing binder? I do! A sewing binder can hold all kinds of pattern pieces, tutorial instructions, sewing planner pages, and sewing machine setting notes. I’ve had mine for many years, but I don’t keep in it what you might think! There are some amazingly organized people out there who keep meticulous notes about patterns, future sewing plans, and stitch settings, but I am not those people, ha!

No, my sewing binder doesn’t have any pages of fabric swatches with washing instructions, but it IS a very important part of my sewing room, so I’m going to tell you about it today.

sewing room, tips and tricksNikki SchreinerNovember 9, 2021Comment

My 4 Best Tips for Sewing With Kids

As you may know, I spent a few years teaching kids sewing camps and classes. In total, I had around 80 children come through my sewing studio and finish countless projects successfully, so it's about time I share some tips with you. If you want to help the kids in your life learn to sew, whether they’re your own children, or you want to start teaching sewing classes, these tips for sewing with kids are for you. I’ll recommend the best sewing machine for kids, tell you what other supplies you’ll need, plus I’ll help you learn to just chill and let them sew, ha!

And, if you’re a parent who does not yet know how to sew, but your kids want to learn, this post will set you up for success so you can start sewing right along with them! If this inspires you and you want even more on this topic, I have another post here with all the content I’ve written about sewing with kids, including lots of project ideas.

sewing for kids, tips and tricksNikki SchreinerNovember 9, 2021 Comment

Tips for Buying Your First Sewing Machine & My Recommendations for 2021

I have gotten asked so many times for advice on buying your first sewing machine that I should probably save my answer in a note or something so I can copy and paste it, ha!

I do have a few solid pieces of advice that I always give when someone is looking to buy their first sewing machine, or which sewing machine to buy for kids or a for a beginner, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to put all that advice here in a blog post.

sewing room, sewing tools, tips and tricksNikki SchreinerNovember 8, 2021 Comments

5 Tips for Costume Sewing (and how to do it on the CHEAP)

It’s no secret around here that I looooove costume sewing! I’ve been making DIY Halloween costumes since my kids were little tykes and I’ve shared pretty much all of them here with you over the years. But today I wanted to share some tips and tricks for sewing Halloween costumes that I’ve picked up that have made costume sewing both easier and cheaper. You CAN DIY your kids’ costumes, and your own too!

If you want to DIY some home made costumes this year, but don’t know where to start, how to find costume fabrics, how to do it frugally, or how to find patterns for that obscure cartoon character your kid wants to be — you’re in the right place!

I’ve been having some fun over on my YouTube channel lately, so in addition to writing these tips here, I created a video with my costume sewing tips too! Enjoy :)

costumes, Fall, Halloween, tips and tricksNikki SchreinerOctober 5, 2021 Comment

Secrets to Fabric Shopping at Hobby Lobby: Updated for 2021!

If you’ve been following along with me here or on Instagram for a length of time, you’ll have noticed how many of my fabrics I get from Hobby Lobby. I am lucky to live very near to one currently, which hasn’t always been the case for me, and may not be in the future, but I’m thankful for it now! Not only is JoAnn not as conveniently located for me, I almost always leave there frustrated, so I rarely ever go. Hobby Lobby, on the other hand, I have had great success with for fabric shopping! Hobby Lobby sells such nice fabrics and I’m willing to bet they have way variety than you think!

sewing room, sewing tools, tips and tricksNikki SchreinerSeptember 20, 2021 Comments

Do I Really Need a Serger?

If you’ve been sewing for awhile and don’t already own a serger, you may have wondered, “what the heck is a serger and do I really need one?” Also known as an overlocker, a serger is a special sewing machine that finishes raw edges of fabric neatly, to put it very basically. A serger is a great companion to a regular sewing machine, but it’s definitely not necessary for everyone and is more useful for certain genres of sewing than for others. Can you sew pretty much anything without a serger? Yes, you absolutely can! But there are some great reasons to add a serger to your sewing table, which I’m here share with you today.

tips and tricks, sewing toolsNikki SchreinerJuly 8, 2021 Comment

How to Sew Buttons By Machine

I’m a part of a few sewing groups online and the thing I see people avoiding most when it comes to sewing skills is buttons and buttonholes. As for the latter, many sewists avoid them because they’re genuinely afraid of them, and while I have a longer post in the works about how to overcome your fears and start sewing buttonholes like a pro, that’s not what I’m going to talk about today. Today I’m going to spill a secret about sewing on the buttons themselves.

sewing tools, tips and tricks, tutorialNikki SchreinerApril 1, 2021 Comment

Quick Tip for Pattern Hacking Pockets

I have a little tip to share today that I actually got from Emily Hallman Designs and it also turns out my mom’s been doing this for awhile now, so I’m behind the curve, but it’s worth sharing, even if I’m late to the game!

Read on for a quick tip for pattern hacking pockets!

fashion sewing, tips and tricksNikki SchreinerMarch 18, 2021 Comments