Sewing For Dummies Cheat Sheet

When I was new to my career, there was information I wished I could get my hands on as I was learning more about the craft. (I’m talking about inside-the-industry information — way past what I learned in college). The information in this Cheat Sheet is what I was thrilled to learn (and have often forgotten until I was ready to put it in to practice). Some of this information is stuff I never would have thought of unless someone told me about it.

First, there are the sewing machine needle size and fabric charts. Who knew there were so may sizes and varieties? These charts make for a handy reference when you’re starting a fleece throw or putting in an elastic-waistband for a set of pj’s.

Next, is “10 Tips for Mixing Prints,” so whether you are putting together an outfit, decorating a room, or a creating a quilt, this information gives valuable guidelines for mixing prints so your result will scream, “I really know what I’m doing!”

Finally, you’ll see “Bedroom Redesign Made Easy,” which includes approximate sheet, duvet, and bed pillow sizes. When you want to make a new duvet cover or sham, you’ll have the measurements you need at your fingertips.

Sewing machine needle size and fabric charts

Use this table to help you decide which machine needle size is best for the type of fabric you want to work with.

Needle Sizes for Specific Fabric Types

General-purpose sewing machine needle point types

Use this table to match your fabric with the appropriate needle point type. Many more point-styles are available, but these are the most common.

Needle Point Types for Specific Fabrics

10 tips for mixing prints

Remember when Mom told you not to mix a print with a plaid or put polka dots with stripes? If you follow this rule, stop. Pick up any decorating or fashion magazine and see how many beautifully dressed models or decorated rooms break this rule. Here, I give you tips for how to mix prints.

Sticking with one base

Years ago, I found a new sofa on sale that I thought would go with my carpet. Both had shades of mauve and blue. (It was the 1980s — what can I say?) When I put the sofa fabric together with the carpet, something looked wrong. I later realized that I was putting a warm color base with a cool color base. Even though the colors running through the sofa and the rug were similar, they clashed and the sofa looked “dirty.”

Prevent this dilemma by keeping the same color bases together in your home.

Running a background check

When combining print fabrics in an outfit or room, make sure the background color of each fabric is the same. If the background of one print fabric is white, the background of the other coordinate fabrics should also be white. If the background of one print is off-white or cream, the background of the coordinate fabrics should also be off-white or cream. If you mix crisp white backgrounds with off-white or cream-colored backgrounds, the off-white fabric looks dirty, even though it isn’t.

Going solid and saving money

Stick with a solid-colored fabric for your big-ticket fashion or upholstered pieces. In fashion, this means a blazer, suit, or pair of dress pants. In home decorating, this translates to your sofa or loveseat. The fabric may have several colors and shades of color woven into it in a pleasing texture, but when you stand back and squint at it, your big-ticket item should look like a solid color. If you choose a fabric with an obvious print, you may tire of it before it wears out or is ready for the secondhand store. So go solid, accenting with trendy print fashion or decorating accessories. Replacing accessories to update a look is easier and less expensive than replacing the main large-ticket item.

Mixing ’n’ matching manufacturers

Whether your project involves teaming up several prints or mixing and matching prints in a room, you can use fabrics from different manufacturers as long as they have the same colors and backgrounds. I once paired a large-scale black-and-white floral print with a ½-inch black-and-white gingham check. Different manufacturers made both fabrics, but they looked great together because the colors were the same and the scales of the prints were different. (See “Weighing the scales” later in this cheat sheet for more on mixing differently scaled prints.)

Staring down your prints

When mixing patterns, stand back and squint. Depending on where you stand, small-scale prints look almost like solid-color fabrics, which can affect the overall color scheme in a room, on a quilt, or in an outfit.

For example, a small red-and-white checked fabric can look like a lighter shade of red— or it may even look pink — when you stand back eight feet. And, although the red of the small check exactly matches the larger red tulip in another fabric, the colors may not look like they match when you check them out from across the room. You may need to choose a slightly different shade or a slightly larger scale print to accomplish the desired look.

Weighing the scales

When mixing different patterns such as florals, plaids, or polka dots in the same project or room, don’t use designs that have the same scale. From across the room, two fabrics with the same color scheme that are both printed with 3-inch flowers look almost the same. For a more interesting contrast, combine scales and patterns. Use a small-scale print with a mid-scale print of a different pattern; for example, try a ½-inch flower print with a 1 ½-inch windowpane plaid that has the same colors as the floral.

Follow these guidelines to mix your home décor prints in high style:

• Use only one large-scale print with a large repeat per room. (The repeat is the distance between the same design along the length of a piece of fabric.) A 15- to 24-inch repeat is considered large. Using more than one large-scale print confuses the eye.
• Use the same large-scale print in only one to three areas in the same room.
• Complete the room using solid-colored fabrics and smaller-scale accents such as florals, stripes, or plaids on throw pillows or an ottoman.

Trying before you buy

When I see a fabric that I love for a possible fashion sewing project, I usually just imagine what I can make from the fabric and buy the necessary amount. But when it comes to home décor projects, which require more yardage and may be expensive, I ask the fabric salesperson for a swatch of the fabric to take home and see it in the natural light and against the tile, carpet, and wall color.

If you try this and still can’t tell if this fabric is “the one,” buy a square of fabric (if the fabric is 54 inches wide, buy 1 ½ yards of it to make a perfect square), drape it over the sofa or chair, and live with it for a couple of days. See what it looks like in the morning, afternoon, and evening light. If you still like it, buy what you need for your project. Besides getting a chance to try out a fabric in the room before making a serious commitment and buying several yards, you can hem your sample square and use it as a table topper that works on any size table.

Relying on a collection

Puzzled by prints? Some fabric manufacturers make it easy on you by designing collections of companion fabrics that work together. When making a fashion sewing project, look at how the fabric store has teamed up the fabrics. If you’re making a quilt, look for fabric collections called fat quarters, which are quarter-yard fabrics grouped together because they’re designed to be used in the same project.

When it comes to home décor projects, many manufacturers create fabric collections that are perfect complements. Using these fabrics, you can successfully create a pulled-together look in a room and have the color flow effortlessly from one room to the next.

Buying more, using less

You’ve heard that less is more, right? That rule applies when planning the number of fabrics for your next fashion sewing project or when sewing for your home, too. After you choose the color scheme and fall in love with just the right primary fabric, find two (not four or five) others that work with it.

Buy enough of each fabric for the coordinating projects you plan to make this month and may want to make next year. For example, I know that pants take about 1 ¼ to 1 ½ yards depending on the width of the fabric. If I find fabric that would make great pants, I buy that amount to use at a later date. If I need to match a plaid, print or stripe, I buy a little bit more, so I can match the design. It’s a real bummer when you don’t have enough!

Manufacturers frequently drop fabrics from their lines, and dye lots vary, so getting all your fabric at once is the only way to make sure you have enough. When inspiration strikes, you’ll already have the fabric you need to make a new throw pillow to replace the one the dog ate, another table runner to take over for the one that has faded with many washings, a new throw so you can throw away the one with the coffee stain — you get the picture.

Consulting a pro

If you’re still unsure about whether one color goes with another or whether the colors you choose create the mood you’re looking for in a room, consult a local interior designer, decorator, or color specialist. When checking someone out, get professional references and see what kind of schooling they’ve had.

Bedroom redesign made easy

Making a new duvet and pillow sham is easy when using flat bed sheets. The fabric is washable and wide enough so no piecing is necessary (as would be the case with traditional 45-inch fabric). Plus, you can find a lot of attractive sheet choices at your favorite thrift stores for a fraction of buying new. Depending on the size bed you’re redecorating, use the sizing below to help you shop for what you need.

Mattress sizes

These measurements are helpful when making a bed skirt.  Note that the first number is the width and the second number is the length.

• Twin: 38 inches by 75 inches
• Full: 54 inches by 75 inches
• Queen: 60 inches by 80 inches
• King: 76 inches by 80 inches
• California King: 72 inches by 84 inches

Flat top-sheet sizes

Keep these sheet sizes handy as you prepare to make a duvet:

• Twin: 66 inches by 96 inches
• Full: 81 inches by 96 inches
• Queen: 90 inches by 102 inches
• King: 102 inches by 108 inches
• California King: 102 inches by 112 inches

Duvet sizes

Before cutting into your sheet or fabric, measure the duvet going inside the cover you make. Although there are some standard(ish) sizes, they do vary from manufacture to manufacturer. Note:  the first number is the width, the second number is the length.

• Twin: 68 inches by 86 inches
• Full: 78 inches by 86 inches
• Queen: 87 inches by 95 inches
• King: 90 inches by 102 inches
• California King: 90 inches by 108 inches

Bed pillow sizes

The standard bed pillow sizes determine how much fabric you need for your pillow projects.

• Standard: 26 inches by 20 inches
• Queen: 30 inches by 20 inches
• King: 36 inches by 20 inches

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