When you first learn how to gather you usually learn to do basting stitches and pull them. And even if you do two rows, and are super careful, threads still break. So frustrating! This cheater gathering technique is genius and makes gathering yards of even the heaviest fabrics a cinch. It’s my go to method for gathering skirts for dresses, costumes and even home decor projects! Pretty much anything larger than a puffy sleeves get’s this gathering method in my book.

Learn how to gather with this easy trick!

A few months ago a friend was complaining about the hours she had just spent trying to turn a bunch of thin fabric straps she was using for a DIY project. If only she had known about my absolute favorite sewing tool ever. It’s a loop turner. And seriously it’s the magic wand of sewing. One of the main tricks it can help with is quickly and easily turning fabric straps BUT it does so much more as well.

See how to use a loop turner for turning fabric straps and tubes and check out all the other cool things you can use it for! If you don’t already use one in your regular sewing life you are missing out.

Can’t find the perfect fabric for your project? No worries you can use heat transfer vinyl to MAKE your dream fabric. If you haven’t tried this stuff, it’s washable vinyl that you can iron onto fabric. You can make the ultimate fan inspired creations all the way to sporting necessities. This little technique is one of my all time favorite tricks to sprucing up my handmade creations.

Learn How to Use Heat Transfer Vinyl at Rae Gun Ramblings!