Buttons
Organize loose buttons by stringing them on twist ties, then simply
twist the ties to prevent them from falling off.
Update a blouse or jacket by changing the buttons.
Sew buttons on with nylon fishing line or dental floss. If you need a different color, finish the job by using a little matching thread to cover the white.
Creases
To remove creases from permanent-press fabrics, use two to three
tablespoons of white vinegar to one or two cups of water. Soak a cotton pressing
cloth in the solution. Squeeze out excess moisture. Place cloth over the crease
or wrinkle, and press with a hot iron.
Hemming
To get rid of hemlines when lengthening blue jeans, color over
the hemline with a blue crayon. Cover your ironing board with newspaper or cloth,
and iron in the crayon color by pressing the jeans wrong-side-out.
To get rid of crease marks when lengthening clothes, dampen the crease mark liberally with white vinegar. Place a damp cloth over the crease mark and press with a hot iron.
To do a quick hem on a pair of blue jeans, turn them up and tape with silver duct tape. It lasts through many washings. If the blue jeans shrink a little, simply tear off the duct tape and re-do.
Patterns
If you have a sewing pattern that you will use often, transfer
the pattern and all the markings to non-fusible lightweight interfacing. It will
last a long time.
Pinking Shears
To keep shears sharp, cut through a sheet of folded aluminum
foil or coarse sandpaper.
Pleats
To change pleats in slacks, dip a cloth in a solution of 1/4 cup
white vinegar and 2 cups water. Wring out thoroughly and cover the old pleat. Press
with low setting on steam iron.
Pressing Cloth
Dampen a brown grocery sack, and use it as a pressing cloth.
Quilts
Use an old blanket as the batting for a quilt.
Sewing
Leftover rickrack, binding, elastic, etc. can be wound around an
empty thread spool and secured with a straight pin.
When basting, thread the needle, but don't cut the thread from the spool. This way you won't have to keep re-threading the needle.
Thread
To prevent tangled thread when sewing by hand, knot each strand
separately instead of knotting them together.
Trash
Tape a small bag to the sewing table to get rid of the pesky threads
and scraps. When the bag is full, just throw it away and replace with a new one.