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Pro tip: stop pressing so hard when you're hand sewing hems
I was hemming a pair of linen pants last night for a friend and my thumb was killing me from pulling the needle through. I've been sewing since I was a kid and I always thought you had to push hard to get the needle through thick fabric. Then my grandma walked by and asked why I was fighting the fabric so much. She showed me how to use a thimble to push from the side instead of jamming straight down. Turns out I was bending my needle tips after every 6 stitches and just throwing them away. I went through a whole pack of 20 needles last month on one project. Now I'm using the same needle for 3 days and my hand doesn't ache after 15 minutes. Has anyone else had that moment where you realized a small tweak to your technique saved you tons of frustration?
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parker_bailey22d ago
I heard somewhere once that dressmakers in the old days used to keep their needles in a pincushion full of emery powder to keep them sharp. Sounds like you were just grinding them down the hard way instead. Glad your grandma set you straight, those little tricks make all the difference.
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