8 Hidden Sewing Tool Features Every Sewist Needs to Know

What if I told you your favorite sewing tools can actually do way more than you think they can. From secret built-in rulers to the real reason your presser foot has this button at the side and a tiny circle. Today we're taking a look at 8 hidden sewing tool features that very often get overlooked. If you're new here, hi, my name is Yulia Govore. I'm a professionally trained seamstress and I share sewing tips and tricks that will help you sew better and easier. Now let's kick off today's video with my favorite new discovery that Wonder Clips actually have seam allowance markings. I have been using Wonder Clips for five years probably but until last week I never knew that these grooves at the bottom are not here randomly but they are in fact are markings for seam allowance. Now the Wonder Clips that I have have markings for five millimeter seam allowance, seven millimeter seam allowance and one centimeter seam allowance. Now these Wonder Clips are pretty old. They are at least five years old so perhaps the markings change a little bit but I do invite you to go ahead and check your Wonder Markings to see exactly what seam allowance yours have. This is a very very small feature but I never knew it until very recently. Now for the second hidden sewing tool feature I want to show you what this button on universal presser foot actually does. It's not a random button but instead it helps you sew past the bulky seam connections and starting seam where the fabric is very very thick. So how you want to use it if you are starting a seam where the fabric is very very thick you want to push the front of the presser foot so that the presser foot is at the same angle as the metal plate on your sewing machine and then push in that button. Start sewing and after you're so past the bulk the button will automatically release. This tiny button will help you sew past those thick edges and past those thick seam connections way easier and avoid skipped stitches. So if you haven't tried this already give it a try. And while I have my presser foot in my hands I want to show you what that there is a tiny circle marking on the presser foot and it will help you align fabric at the horizontal marking. So in this presser foot that I have the marking is exactly one centimeter from the needle. So when you're sewing and you're aligning the fabric edge with this circle and you pivot the seam the pivot will happen exactly one centimeter from the fabric edge. Not only that but also the presser foot length is exactly two centimeters length meaning that you can also use it as the pivot guide as well. So you just align the fabric edge with the presser foot edge, pivot the seam and the pivot will go exactly two centimeters from the fabric edge. Now this circle marking is specific to Brother machines and on my different Brother machines the marking is a little bit different. In some it's seven millimeters and in some it's one centimeter. So I do invite you to go ahead and check your presser foot for the exact measurements. And also if you're using a different sewing machine just check for that horizontal marking because I'm sure that your presser foot will definitely have some little something for you to make your pivot a little bit easier. Now that we are at the sewing machine I also want to show you that the sewing machine needle has this groove that helps navigate the thread. Now this is not a very useful tip per se but I find it so very interesting that this needle is so precisely engineered that even the groove has to be specific size so that it navigates your thread into the seam. And this goes to show you how important pairing the right size needle with your thread actually is. So the tip about the sewing machine needle isn't very practical but it is fascinating. But now I want to show you a very practical tip and a practical hidden feature of the bias tape makers. Now perhaps you also have a bias tape maker. This is one of my favorite sewing tools but a lot of sewers often do not know that this handle right here is meant to protect your hands from the steam of your iron. So when you're pulling the bias tape through the bias tape maker just make sure that this handle is unfolded and it helps keep you distance from the heat of your iron. Not only that but the bias tape maker also has this tiny opening right here that will help you navigate the bias tape and feed it through the bias tape maker. Now I want to share a little bit of the tip because in some fabrics, some very stubborn fabrics, this little opening doesn't fully help. So what I like to do instead with those very very stubborn fabrics, I like to take my hand sewing needle and take thread and tie a knot at the back. Then I push the needle through the end of the bias tape. Then I throw the needle through the bias tape maker and using the thread I can then easily pull out the bias tape. So if that little opening is not helping you, try this little trick. Now if you are like me, you perhaps also have accumulated quite a bit of thread throughout your sewing journey and I want to show you that in fact lots of lots of sewing threads have these secret placements on how to securely store the end of the thread so that it doesn't unravel. So in this little spool there is a very little groove at the top where you can simply wind your thread end around and it will stay very safely in place. But in some thread spools this solution isn't as obvious and for example in this serger thread you have to push the bottom then wind the thread around the groove and then push the bottom back into the place again and this way the thread end also will stay in place. This is a very tiny hidden feature but it does help me a lot in keeping my sewing space well organized. Now moving on to the hidden feature number seven. You also perhaps have the seam allowance gauge seam gauge and what I want to show you is that this width right here is precisely 1.5 centimeters width which is the most popular seam allowance width. So if you're marking your seam allowance you can use the body of the measuring gauge to mark precisely 1.5 centimeters. And for the last tip again about the measuring tape. The measuring gauge has this tiny circle right here and if you put a pin through it at the fabric surface and then set the desired length you can very easily create circular seams. So here are all eight hidden sewing tool features and I hope that you find something interesting and I also would like to hear from you what hidden sewing feature you have discovered. So please share it in the comment section below. Thank you so much for watching and I will see you next time. Bye!