Basic Sewing skills
Knowing how to stitch, thread needles, replace buttons and mend seams is important to clothing care. Stitching is also used in many arts and crafts activities.
Threading Needles
Self-threading needles are generally the easiest to use. Before you begin, put your sewing supplies in a tray or shallow bowl to keep them contained and organized. Insert the pointed end of the needle into a stabilizer like a bar of soap, cork or Styrofoam block. Doing this holds the needle still and frees your hands to do the threading.
To make the threading easier, hold the needle near its eye and hold the thread near its end.
To locate the eye of the needle, hold the blunt end between your thumb and forefinger, then rotate the needle. Notice that the sides of the eye flare out. With the flared sides at 12 and 6 o’clock, the thread slot will accept thread from 9 to 3 o’clock, or left to right.
If you are sewing for the first time, it’s easier to use thick thread and large needles. However, adaptive devices such as needle threaders may require a specific thread thickness and needle size. Polyester thread is easier to work with than cotton thread. Coating the end of the thread with bee’s wax can make the thread easier to manage.
Self-threading Needles
These are the same as regular needles except they have a “V”-shaped opening at the blunt end.
Technique one
- Locate the “V” opening by feeling for the two blunt points that form the “V.”
- Position the needle, point downward, in a stabilizer (see above).
- Hold a section of thread tightly between both hands while lowering it between the points of the “V.” The thread is pulled down into the small space called the eye.
- Once the thread has snapped through the “V” opening, it is secured in the needle.
Technique two
- Hold the thread tightly in one hand. Hold your thumb and forefinger wide apart. Wind the thread around your thumb and forefinger.
- Lower the needle toward the thread, “V”-slot downward, until the thread snaps into it.
- Hold the needle close to its eye to make it easier to feel the sensation of the thread snapping into place through the “V” of the needle. You can also check by gently pulling up on the needle to be sure that the thread pulls back up with it.
Wire Loop Threaders
This threader consists of a small metal tab attached to a wire loop. The wire loop is poked through the eye of the needle. Once through the eye, it opens to accept the end of the thread and can then be pulled back through the eye. To make sure that the loop is through the eye, pull up on the threader to determine if the needle follows along.
Dental Floss Threaders
One type of dental floss is a nylon string with a loop at the end. It is designed to reach into small places between braces or dentures. It can also be used to thread needles in the same way as a wire loop threader.
“Witch” Threaders
This threader is like a small chimney that holds the needle with the eye downward. When you push the button on the threader, a small prod pushes the thread through the eye. People often find this type of threader frustrating to use. You need to use a needle large enough to accept the prod and the thread, but small enough to fit into the threader’s receptacle.
- Put the needle into the receptacle with the eye facing down.
- Then drape the feeder thread over the opening in the threader, where the prod catches it. If the thread is too taught, the prod will not catch it properly.
- To check that the prod has actually entered the eye, pull on the needle while the prod is still inserted. Continue pushing the button to keep the prod engaged, while feeling the front of the threader to see if the thread has been pushed through the needle’s eye and out the front of the threader.
Replacing Buttons
Knowing how to replace a button on your own is a very handy skill. It means you don’t have to wait to wear a piece of clothing until someone else can mend it.
Start by using large buttons and coarse thread. Practice on a piece of coarse scrap fabric before working on something you’re going to wear. If you have sufficient vision, try using contrasting colours of thread or yarn.
Begin by threading a needle.
Two-hole buttons
- Explore the button to find the flat side, as opposed to the side with a design or a circle around the rim. Buttons are generally attached to clothes with the flat side down.
- Identify where to attach the button by feeling for the old threads or for a bump where the button used to be.
- Place the garment flat on a table and button it up. This is another way to make sure that the buttonhole is in line with the desired button location. You can also mark the spot with a beaded pin. Or, if you can use a tape measure or have an adapted one, measure the correct location.
- Make sure there’s a good bulky knot at the end of the thread hanging from the needle. This prevents the thread from pulling all the way through the fabric when you bring the needle up through the garment.
- Insert the needle into the fabric from the back and pull it through until it is tight.
- Put the needle through the first hole in the button and string it onto the thread, flat side toward the fabric.
- Slide the button down the thread into position. Hold it tight and flat against the fabric so it can’t move or rotate as you complete your first stitch.
- Do this by feeling to determine the hole where the thread is coming up. Cover the hole with the thread through it with your thumb or index finger. We will call this hole number 1.
- Use the point of the needle to locate the open hole (number 2). Insert the needle, point downward, into the hole and push it through the hole and fabric.
- Pull the thread all the way through, finishing with a gentle tug at the end to be sure it is tight.
- To begin the next stitch, find the small knot of thread on the back side of the fabric as you continue to hold the button in place. Use the knot as a reference point to come up carefully again through hole number 1 for the beginning of the second stitch.
- Repeat as above several times, making sure to pull the thread through gently but tightly each time.
- Finish replacing the button by bringing the needle through one last time to the inside of the garment. Make three small stitches behind the button, more or less on top of each other. Then make a loop and pass the needle through it.
- Use scissors to cut off the excess thread.
An alternative to putting three small stitches on the inside of the garment is to make a “shank” to tie off the thread. To do this:
- Pull the needle through the fabric from the inside and bring it up behind the button without pushing it through the hole.
- The thread will be between the base of the button and the outside of the garment.
- Wrap the thread several times around the base of the button where it is connected to the fabric.
- Pull the needle through the fabric under the button to the inside and cut it with scissors.
Four-hole buttons
In the case of four-hole buttons, assign hole 2 to the position across from hole 1. Assign hole 3 across from hole 4. Stitch up 1, down 2, up 3, and down 4. Repeat this sequence several times, just as with two-hole buttons.
If you find this difficult, try to visualize a sort of four-dot Braille cell and use it to name the holes, Or, think of the holes being at 3, 6, 9, and 12 o’clock.
Sewing Alternatives
If you have no interest in sewing or can’t master the skills, here are some alternatives:
- Find out if your dry cleaner does basic sewing repairs like replacing buttons.
- Ask friends, neighbours, or a professional tailor or seamstress to do more advanced work for you.
- Arrange to barter services in exchange for sewing assistance. What favour could you do in return?
And a final note on clothing care…
The better you treat your clothes, the longer they’ll last. Get some good raingear to protect your favourite suit or jacket. And be confident about your orientation and mobility skills. Use your expertise to prevent food stains while eating or serving and to avoid mishaps when walking outside. Thinking about prevention will go a long way toward keeping your clothes in great shape.