How to

Sew a Running Stitch

A running stitch is probably the most basic stitch there is! If you were going to draw something sewn, you might make a series of small dashes, right? Those dashes are running stitches. Try practicing on a scrap of fabric before stitching your project.

  1. 1. Push your threaded and knotted needle (see Thread Your Needle and Knot Your Thread) up from the back of the fabric to the front, then pull until the knot is snug against the back of the fabric.
  2. 2. Push the needle back down into the front of the fabric.
  3. 3. Bring the needle back up through the fabric, about one stitch length from where it went in. To keep your fabric from puckering, be careful not to pull the thread too tight.
  4. 4. Repeat steps 2 and 3. That’s the running stitch! Your sewing will look like a line of dashes with little blank spots between; turn it over, and it will look the same, since the same thing is happening on the other side.
Tip

The Long and Short of It

Where you push the needle in will determine how long your stitch is. Smaller stitches will join your fabric more securely, since there will be more of them, but longer stitches will take less time, since there will be fewer of them. For most of the projects in this book, we tend to think that 1⁄4 inch is a good length for a running stitch: not too big, not too small.

How to

Sew on a Button

There are two main types of button: a shank button has a little loop on the back to stitch through, and a shankless (or flat) button has two or four holes on its face that you stitch through. Both kinds are easy enough to sew on to fabric. Keep your newfound knowledge to yourself, though, or you’ll end up being your family’s designated button-sewer-onner!

Sewing on a Shank Button

  1. 1. With fabric marker or chalk, mark where the button needs to go. Thread your needle (see Thread Your Needle) and knot it (see Knot Your Thread). Then push your needle up through the mark from the back of the fabric.
  2. 2. Bring the needle through the button’s back loop and slide the button down the thread until the loop is up against the fabric.
  3. 3. Push the needle back through the fabric, very close to where it came up.
  4. 4. Bring your needle back up through the fabric, through the shank, and down into the fabric at least twice more to secure the button. Tie off the thread on the underside of the fabric (see Tie Off the Thread) and cut the thread.

Sewing on a ShankLess or Flat Button

  1. 1. Follow steps 1 and 2 for Sewing on a Shank Button, but instead of pushing the needle through the button’s back loop, push it up through one of the button’s holes.
  2. 2. Slide the button down the thread until it is flat against the fabric, then push the needle down through another of the button’s holes and through the fabric.

    Repeat steps 1 and 2 until you have sewn through all of the button’s holes at least twice.

  3. 3. Tie off the thread on the underside of the fabric (see Tie Off the Thread) and cut the thread.

    Here’s what it looks like if the button has two holes.

How to

Sew a Buttonhole (or Blanket) Stitch

Since the slit you cut for the button might stretch out over time, it’s good to reinforce it with a little bit of sewing. To do this, you will need to use the — wait for it — buttonhole stitch!

You’ll use the exact same method to work buttonhole stitch and blanket stitch. The only difference is that you may want to space buttonhole stitches closer together than blanket stitches. Both are nice-looking options for joining two pieces of fabric along the edges when your sewing is going to show — or when you want to show off your sewing! Try practicing on a scrap of fabric before stitching your project.

Sew a ButtonHole (or blanket) stitch

  1. 1. Thread your needle (see Thread Your Needle) and knot the thread (see Knot Your Thread). For a buttonhole, start at the right-hand side of the slit. Push the needle up from the back of the fabric and pull the thread through until the knot is snug against the fabric. For blanket stitch, you can hide the knot between the layers of fabric.
  2. 2. Bring the needle around the raw edge of the slit and push it up through the underside of the fabric about 1⁄4 inch to the left of the first stitch, creating a loop.
  3. 3. Pull the needle up through the loop, catching the thread so it stretches across the edge of the fabric, from one stitch to the next.

    The first stitch is always going to lean a little bit, instead of lining up like all the rest.

  4. 4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 to make even stitches. If you are working a buttonhole, stitch all the way around the hole, until you reach your first stitch. When you get to each corner of the buttonhole, push your needle up to make a stitch there, so you’re not stretching the thread from one length of the buttonhole to the other.

    Tie off the thread (see Tie Off the Thread) on the underside of the fabric and snip the threads.

PROJECT

T-shirt Alchemy

Now that you know how to sew, you can recycle an old T-shirt into a cool oversize tank top, a sleeveless tunic, or (if you’re game to add fabric to the bottom) a cute little dress. It just takes a snip here, a snip there, and a couple of lines of stitches. Start with a BIG shirt! We recommend raiding a parent’s closet or making a trip to your local thrift store.

Reverse Appliqué (left), Cross-Stitch (middle), Appliqué (right).

What You Need

How You Make It

  1. 1. Turn the T-shirt inside out and smooth or press out any wrinkles. Lay the tank top on the T-shirt, up close to the neck of the T-shirt. With the chalk, trace around the tank’s armholes and neckline and up over the shoulders.
  2. 2. Pull back the side of the tank top slightly, position the yardstick straight down from the armhole to the T-shirt’s bottom edge, and draw a chalk line along it.
  3. 3. To create the tank top’s flared shape, mark a point on the bottom edge 3 to 5 inches outside each marked chalk line. Use the yardstick and chalk to draw a new line connecting this point to each armhole. These will be the side seams of the tank.
  4. 4. Thread the needle with embroidery floss (see Thread Your Needle) and knot it (see Knot Your Thread). Sew a running stitch on each chalked side seam and on each chalked shoulder seam. Secure the seams by starting and finishing your line of sewing with a few backstitches. Tie off the thread close to the fabric (see Tie Off the Thread), and trim the excess thread.

    Note: If you want to be extra sure the T-shirt stays put while you’re sewing, pin it along the side seam lines first.

  1. 5. Taking care not to cut through any of your stitches, cut out the tank top shape, cutting about 1⁄2 inch from the sewn seams and on the chalked line of the armhole.
  2. 6. Turn your new tank top right side out, and you’re done.

Or Else

To shorten the tank, simply measure, mark, and cut along the bottom edge before sewing. There’s no need to sew a hem, because T-shirt fabric doesn’t fray — and it rolls up a little bit in a way we love.

If you want to make a dress, lengthening is harder, but not impossible! Try sewing a wide band of fabric — cut from a different T-shirt — to the bottom edge of your creation.

Cut two bands longer than you need, then pin the wrong side of each strip to the right side of the shirt’s bottom. With a yardstick and chalk, extend the flared shape of the T-shirt down along the bands. Sew the bands on with a running stitch about 1⁄2 inch from the original bottom edge before trimming the bands and stitching down where the sides of the bands overlap.

Fancy It Up

Appliqué

Appliqué

Appliqué is a fancy way to say sewing on a fabric decoration. It’s a fun technique to add a little style and flair to your project. To get some more time with a favorite T-shirt you’ve outgrown, recycle it into a patch. Cut out the logo or name of your favorite summer ice cream spot, your team mascot, or the number from your sports hero’s jersey — then stitch it on to something else.

There are two ways to do it: you can either sew a cut-out shape on top of your dress or tank (or bag or shirt or jeans) or sew a cut-out shape to the inside of the item you’re going to wear — and then cut out the top layer to reveal a burst of contrasting color.

When stitching appliqué on top, we like to use running stitch, whipstitch, or blanket stitch. You can also layer multiple sizes of the same shape, if you like, but it’s easier if you first sew the varying sizes together before attaching them to your clothing.

Reverse Appliqué

Because reverse appliqué is more involved, we thought you might like to see how it’s done.

Reverse appliqué

  1. 1. With a fabric marker or chalk, draw or trace a simple shape, such as a heart or star or flower, onto your dress or tank (or bag or shirt).
  2. 2. From a different-color old T-shirt, cut a piece of fabric slightly larger than the shape you drew in step 1. Pin that piece behind your drawn shape, onto the underside of the front of your item. (The cut fabric will be sandwiched between the front and back of your item.)

    With embroidery floss, sew a running stitch around your drawn shape. Make sure you sew only through the top two layers of material, and not all the way through the back layer of your item.

  3. 3. Pinch the front of the shape to separate the top layer from the one beneath, and snip into it with sharp scissors, then snip all the way around the shape about 1⁄4 inch inside the stitched line, until the shape is cut free.
  4. 4. Remove the pins, turn the dress or tank top inside out, and trim off the excess fabric from the underside, leaving a 1⁄2-inch border. Turn it right side out, and you’re done!