4 Things You Might Not Know About Sewing!

I’ve been keeping a list of a few random sewing facts that you might not know! Aha! moments or those crazy things that most people do not know about sewing.

1. And let us start with this, did you know that there is a hidden needle holder in the spool threads?

Not all brands have this, but Gutermann do, and there are many others that do too. Now you can take your needles with you travelling and just pull the thread and not end up with a nasty mess. And well, it’s a little bit dangerous sometimes, right?

This is going to be the biggest mind-blowing moment ever, because it was for me when I found out.

2. Did you know that when you lift the presser foot, it releases the tension discs on the sewing machine and therefore allows you to pull your thread through the sewing machine easily?

So, when the presser foot is down, the tension disks close and add tension to your thread, that is how your stitches stay nice, even, and consistent. When you lift your presser foot, these disks release. And that is when you can pull your thread through.

3. Did you know that there is a difference between scissors and shears? I remember being shocked that I did not realize this already.

Scissors are two blades like knives that cut each other. They are straight blades that chop. While dressmaking shears, on the other hand, one of the blades is a straight knife edge and the other one is a serrated edge.

The serrated edge facilitates a better cutting and gives you more control and it stop that fabric from slipping.

4. Did you know the meaning of “to be on tenterhooks” comes from sewing? 

A tenter is from a time long ago in the early days of fabric production. It is a wooden frame that fabric would be stretched out on to dry. So, whenever lengths of fabric were washed, dyed, or they were wet for any reason during the process of manufacture, the fabric would need to be stretched out on a big frame, the tenter, so that it did not shrink.

And so the meaning is to be stretched, or to have tension. I would be very curious about your score out of four? How many did you know? What other weird, random things, random facts about sewing that we might not know? Do share them!