Inside: A list of sewing bad habits many of us can’t stop. Which on the list are hard for you to break? Post meant as humor without judgment {haha}
**reposted from 2020** with a few more added to the list!
Have you ever had a sewing class? Or sewing teacher? He/she may have warned you again many of these sewing bad habits below, yet many of us still do them. Like any other bad habit we get used to doing something a certain way and it’s really hard for us to break. I’ve come up with a list of sewing bad habits and I’d love for you to add yours in the comments or share which of the list you relate to.
I’m not really looking for your horror stories {haha – let’s keep this light!}
Sewing Bad Habits
I know the photo above says not sew bad, but I’m sure we all have passionate opinions on this. Those of you who know someone who has swallowed a pin for example are probably more aware of “no pins in your mouth” than someone who doesn’t have personal experience with this.
This post is mostly meant in a humorous light, and I’m not judging anyone since I do many of these myself. Please add your bad sewing habits in the comments if you don’t see them here or leave a comment with the one that’s hardest for you to break.
- I think this one maybe the worst for most of us….. more SHOPPING than SEWING. Let’s put a positive spin on this one and call it support of small business owners and shop from them!
- Throwing Scraps and threads on the floor
- Pins in the mouth {aiyiyi!} SO convenient but probably not a good choice.
- Not cleaning up between projects leads to a huge mess that can be overwhelming.
- Leaving/laying scissors down anywhere.
- Not ironing seams {this is ME!!}
- Jumping from one project to the next – no focus
- Dropping pins on the floor and not finding them right away. {I’m SO glad I have wood floors where I sew!}
- Sewing over pins. {raises hand high in the air while typing!}
- Not changing needles often enough.
- Tucking pins into the clothes you a wearing and then forgetting they are there.
- Forgetting to close your rotary bade between uses.
- Cutting threads with your teeth. {I’ve heard dentists can tell this!}
- Using a couch or something similar as a pin cushion
- Bad posture {yes!!}
- Licking thread to thread through needle.
- Walking around barefoot in the sewing room {although I don’t wear shoes in the house so this is me}
- Threading the machine with it on {is there any other way? I need the light!!}
- Pulling out a stuck needle with your teeth {hello chipped tooth!}
- Not pinning before you sew {worst offender right here!!}
- Swearing at your sewing projects.
- Skipping steps we don’t deem important {probably never a good idea!}
- Sewing too fast.
- Distracted sewing or too late at night when you keep making silly mistakes.
- Last minute sewing, putting off a project and then having to sew all night to finish.
- Forgetting the world around you when you sew. {forget to feed your family etc…
- When you drop a pin an instinctively close your legs to “catch it”. Let it drop girl!!
- Marking fabric with regular pens
- Buying/saving patterns but never sewing them
- Saving scraps of fabric you know you will never use.
- Not pre-washing fabric {oops! sad times ahead!}
Okay!! What would you add to this list? I’d love to hear in the comments… And keep on sewing, stay safe and do what works for you! {haha}
Other sewing tips and tricks…
Sheila Robson says
Ho ho – you got me on almost all of them. How about saving even the tiniest fabric scraps that you KNOW will never be used; and not bothering to sew backwards and forwards at the beginning and ends of seams and then wondering why it keeps pulling apart. And saving so many free patterns on a spreadsheet, and ideas on Pinterest instead of going to bed, that you have more than you could use in your lieftime! (Maybe that last one isn’t expressed very well, but you probabnly get the gist.)
Emily says
HAHA!! these are all good ones!! I know so many tiny scrap savers ;o)
Leslie says
Oh I am a Pinterest idea saver of note x
Heather Williams says
Not pre-washing fabric (I mostly sew bags and purses, not clothes) š¬š¬
Emily says
OOOO such a good one!!
Karen says
Hahahaha — I’m not laughing at you, I’m laughing at myself! (If I don’t laugh about it I would cry …….) I bought some beautiful knit fabric, need I say “expensive” as well, and just sewed it up. I know better! After the first wash in which the shirt shrank, it also seemed to lose its shape. It became very wide! Yeah, I also learned my lesson.
Karen
Amanda Corbet says
I’m definitely guilty of not changing my needle often enough and I’m pretty sure I should clean my machine much more often than I do…
Emily says
Yes! Machine cleaning/service!!!
Linda Bishop says
Hi,
I can say a few of those I know I do without thinking. I buy fabric for a project and then have trouble finding the pattern. I put patterns in a safe place but always have to hunt for them. There never where I think they should be. I need to find a much better filing system for patterns.
Karen says
I can empathize with you. I have never been an organized person and now that I am trying to become one, I have a royal mess. All my sewing stuff is in one place — a good start I think — however finding what I need in that disaster is frustrating.
Karen
Lourie says
Tip: I may be a bit OCD, but I put my patterns into totes, with lids. Theyāre in categories, in the bins. Such as womenās in one, girlās in another, costumes in another, etc. I take pictures of each pattern, front, and back. Then, I put the pictures into categories, on my computer, so I can look at them, if Iām looking for something in particular. I also keep a list, of my patterns, in my phoneās notes, so when I go to buy one, I can see if I already have it, and not get duplicates.
Barbara Reissen says
I just spent nearly $150 on five pieces of the most beautiful linen I’ve ever seen. Now, after prewashing them, they are hanging in my sewing room waiting for the “perfect” pattern. I am guilty of sew many other items on your list. I should frame it and hang it in my sewing room!
Thanks for the laughs!
Paula Crebbs says
Oh my. I am guilty of several. My worst is already mentioned and that is putting off sewing until last minute before its due and then trying to hurry. This is inevitably when my machine will give me the most grief and I will make mistakes. You would think I would learn by now but I still do it….sigh
Barb says
I can’t thread a needle without licking the thread first; it just won’t thread any other way! Why is that bad?
Elizabeth Burnette says
I came here to ask the same thing!
Savannah says
I think because it is supposed to make the threads swell, and make it harder to thread the needle.. but I still do it every time anyway.
Zuzanna says
Yelling at my, “Stupid, Dumb, Mindless, etc., etc.,” sewing machine. Hearing from the other side of the room, “I believe it has neither the ability nor capability to be … etc., etc.,” in a dead pan tone of voice. My husband had my boys chiming in, too. Ah, yes…. š
I enjoyed this post immensely. I can honestly say I have been guilty of most of them, although, thank-fully, not all in one day!
Zuzanna says
edit: sorry ability nor capacity -“It has neither the ability nor the capacity …”
Z
Deborah says
Every. Last. One. Been sewing 53 years and I am guilty as charged! Had a good laugh! Thanks!
Kathy Clayton says
Move all electrical cords away from where you are using a rotary cutter. Yes, I cut the electrical cord to my machine, burned a hole in the blade of my rotary, burned a hole in the quilt (i was squaring up the quilt, next step was the binding), sparks flew an scorched the nice white border. Also tripped. The breaker leaving me in the dark and no electricity in Ā½ of the basement! Stay safe!
Charsetta Conway says
Oh my!!!
Charsetta Conway says
My high school teacher always yelled at me for this one all the time. I would space the pins so I thought the needle would just jump over them. In fact the needle would hit them and she would yell take those pins out before you break the needle lol. It would drive her crazy. My very worst one is not changing my needle often. I had to laugh at quite a few of them that I do. I remember giving my sister and niece the evil eye when they were trying to get me to throw my scarps out. Happy sewing guys and dolls!!
Linda says
Iād comment but i have to go change my needle š!!
Paula Crebbs says
I will say that I do save fabric scraps and do NOT see the problem with it because I use them for many many things from dollhouse items for my grandchildren’s dollhouse to small personal accessories. The best use I have found though came from a seamstress that was very much involved in “Green” sewing and not being wasteful. What she couldn’t use for the aforementioned she would use to stuff pillows or children’s toys with. I found that I had some pre-quilted and already lined with batting fabric that I sewed into a simple square pillow case which I then stuffed with all my tiny fabric scraps too small for other uses. It took 2 months to fill it but I was so proud to have not thrown away a single scrap. I kept a tote bag next to my sewing machine that I added the bits and pieces too as I trimmed seams etc and threw them in there.
Suzanne Bradley says
I made my own sewing ham and seam roll stuffed with scraps and a unicorn for my new grand-daughter so I too am guilty of saving the tiniest pieces of fabric. Still have loads left…..
Am also guilty of so many of the above, particularly buying fabric because I like it rather than because I have a project in mind. So many patterns too – many of which I will never make for myself but might for my grand-daughters when they’re older! (Might being the operative word!). It takes me a long time to ‘nail’ a pattern too as I have many fitting issues so I know I have more fabric than I’ll use in the rest of my lifetime..
Dee Kay says
OMG….Paula! That is an exceptional idea. My two dogs have plush beds with 2 mattresses in each. They are constantly breaking down the stuffing and making it go flat. I buy the poly fill, but ya know, I hate buying the synthetic stuff that won’t ever break down. I use mostly natural fibers in my sewing, and I am going to start saving every single scrap and using it to stuff their beds
One thing I have noticed over the years, is that after I wash their bedding, their WoolRich, 100% cotton thick blankets that go in their beds are so easy to wash and they stay clean smelling longer. The synthetic material bed covering smells fine out of the wash, but within a week or two, it smells gamey again. So the synthetic materials are hanging on to oils more so. I suspect if I fill their beds with natural materials, they will wash up better and stay clean smelling longer. Win-Win-Win, because no one wants their home to smell like a wet dog. Am I right? LOL I love my dogs to death, but stink dogs beds are double yuck! Thanks for the tip!
Leslie says
Oh my word had such a good laugh because I thought I was the only one with bad habits. Thank you for a lovely read and the joy. Happy sewing ladies x
Violet says
I never ever place my pins properly… it’s a little bit annoying, but I haven’t been able to change anything. I keep saying to myself that it’s because I’m left-handed, but I don’t really believe it. :)) I actually place all my pins parallel to the raw edge of the fabric and ALWAYS with the plastic head toward the sewing machine, so it’s difficult to remove them… LOL.
Karen says
Hahahahahaha — I hear you! Its a really bad habit and I did it for years. By the way, I am right handed so I don’t think its just lefties that do this š I took a quilting course about 15 years ago and was present when another sewer ran over a pin and her needle broke ….. the end went flying. Fortunately it didn’t hit her or anyone else, but the instructor was very upset. After seeing what happened and hearing about what the worst scenario could have been, I stopped putting my pins in that way. Since that time I have switched to using clips whenever possible and they are very obvious as you sew along a seam š Anyway, I did sew the way you do for close to 40 years before an experience and a wise person helped me change my way of doing things. Had this event not occurred, I would likely still be using the same method!
Sheila Robson says
Not clearing up properly before started a new project or stage, and then cutting through something I didn’t mean to. You don’t do this too often, but once is enough.
sandy says
I can say some of these I never heard of doing, but I am very guilty of some. Does anyone else have this. I sew but not many around me do. When people clean out the old sewing stuff from grandma or whom ever, they say “ohhh Sandy would love this.” I get many box’s of sewing supplies each year from random people. Some of it is vintage and really cool and have become useful or on display. Some is just garbage sadly. But the worst thing is I can’t get ride of patterns. I love patterns. I keep them in a filing cabinet, somewhat organized. I love looking at them and tracing them to sew them up. I very rarely use the actual pattern for sewing.
Linda says
Dentists can definitely tell you are a teeth thread cutter. When I first went to my dentistā¦he said āyou have a little groove in your tooth, we donāt see that very often anymore, it used to mean someone. Was cutting thread with their teethā Busted!! I try not to do that anymoreā¦but teeth are much more conveniently found than scissors!
Marie says
Hi Emily, Having sewn for sixty odd years at one time or another I’ve displayed every one of the bad habits listed. Through the years, happily I’ve corrected most of them. My biggest fault now is that I support my local fabric and hobby stores to well. I have more fabric than I will ever be able to sew and I still buy more. Bad habits: I too place the pins (when I use them) perpendicular to my fabric with the heads heading away from the machine though. I worked for a short while in a sewing factory if you are familiar with them you learn to sew fast and without pins. I’m happy I learned that if nothing else. I love your column and certainly did enjoy reading this one.
Marabeth says
Big no no, pulling thread out of the machine at the spool instead of cutting the thread and pulling from the needle.