I post sewing and crafting tutorials here at the Mermaid’s Den. I love making things and sharing them with you, so you can make them, too.
In this post, I’ll go over how to use a vintage Singer 185 sewing machine, the cute little mint green cousin to the Singer 99. I’ll cover how to clean and maintain it, as well as how to troubleshoot and get replacement parts as needed. Then I’ll walk you through the process of using this awesome little straight stitch machine!
This post contains all of my free tutorials for jewelry and small accessories. My tutorial on creating earrings from aluminum cans has been one of my most popular posts, but I have a lot of other cool jewelry tutorials as well, involving more aluminum cans, Altoids tins, polymer clay, resin, and more! Check them out and let me know which ones you’ve made or that you’re planning to make.
In this post, I'll show you how to reupholster an office chair with tufted cushions, so that it looks brand new. Many office chair tutorials only cover flat cushions, so this one will help you give your cushions some shape. The method I’m showing you involves a little bit of sewing, but you could skip the sewing and have the fabric slightly less fitted. I’ve added an update at the end of this post to show how the reupholstered chair has held up over the last two years of everyday use.
In this post, I’ll show you how to make an easy zipper bag out of handwoven fabric. You could also use regular fabric, but if you’re looking for sewing projects that use handwoven fabric, this one’s for you. When I started weaving, I knew I wanted to be able to incorporate my handwoven fabric into my sewing projects. This is a simple sewing project to get started with. Handwoven fabric is a little trickier to work with than store-bought fabric, but it’s worth it to be able to create your own unique fabric.
Here's a guide to finding cheap fabric for your sewing projects. Sometimes you'll find cheap fabric that's just as nice as full price fabric, and sometimes you'll find pieces that you can experiment on without feeling guilty if you mess up. I've seen a few posts on finding cheap fabric, so I'll try to add to what's out there without repeating too much, and I've included a list of other fabric-buying guides at the end of this post.
Last year, I did a post reviewing my top posts from 2017, so I thought I’d continue that tradition for 2018. Sometimes I know that a post is going to do well, and sometimes I’m surprised by how well something is received. Every time I think I have it figured out, my readers surprise me!
In this post, I’ll show you how to make some super easy embroidered ornaments. I used some of the fancy stitches on my sewing machine and some pretty rayon and metallic threads to embroider these felt ornaments. This post contains a free pdf pattern and a full tutorial for making these ornaments.
In this post, I’ll show you how to make your own reusable handmade produce bags or vegetable storage bags. These are an easy and quick DIY project that even a beginner can make. This will help you reduce your use of disposable plastic bags at the grocery store and adopt a zero waste lifestyle. I adapted this pattern from the drawstring lingerie bags I recently made to help wash delicate items in the laundry. These produce bags are also washable, in case you ever need to clean them.
In this post, I'll show you the best last minute sewing gifts to get on Amazon. With Amazon's two day shipping, you can easily get these gifts delivered before the holidays. I buy most of my sewing supplies online, and I've personally tested out everything I'm recommending here. I use all of these items regularly, and in many cases, I've spent a lot of time finding just the right tool.
Do you need help figuring out what to buy for the fiber artist in your life? In this post, I’ll go over my favorite fiber arts sellers on Etsy. Recently I’ve gotten into spinning and weaving, to go along with my previous hobbies of knitting, crocheting, and sewing. I’ve been buying a lot of stuff on Etsy lately—there are some amazing sellers who either make their own products, sell unusual products you wont’t find elsewhere, or have good deals on major brands. I’ve gone down the Etsy rabbit hole, and I’ll be your guide for the best finds!
In this post, I’ll show you how to make a lingerie bag in which to wash delicate or easily damaged items. I bought one of these, and it fell apart after a couple of washes—it just disintegrated and the zipper ripped out. So I decided to sew a sturdier one, while still making it pretty, of course! I made this one out of lace fabric, cord, and a drawstring toggle, since the zipper on the store-bought one caused problems. Read on for the free tutorial and pattern.
In this post, I’ll show you how to refashion a thrifted prom dress to make your own petticoat or crinoline. If you have a circle skirt or a full skirt with lots of fabric, a petticoat is helpful to give it some shape. This is a quick and easy project, and most thrift stores have a selection of old prom dresses, so it’s easy to find the materials. I bought a dress that was several sizes too small for me, but the tulle part of the skirt, which started further down from the waist, was just right for my petticoat. You could also buy a dress that was too big and just gather the tulle fabric more or cut out some of the excess fabric.
