Over at Sew Some Fun we are digging out our Sewing machine manuals, sifting through and checking out some of the neat things that our machines can do that we have never tried before. Now if you have no idea where your manual is, just google the manufacture of your machine and manual and there is a great chance that you will find the entire thing uploaded on the internet. If that doesn't work, just head on over to youtube (try not to get sucked down a rabbit trail of cat or sewing videos) and do a search for your machine.
I had a great time playing around with mine this week and here are somethings you might want to try. First up, I sewed on a button.
My friend Kelli says this ability alone is worth the price of the machine. Any machine with zig zag capability can do this. For a tutorial, check out this video. I found that a piece of scotch tape held the button in place and allowed me to sew it on in just a few seconds. Next up, have you ever tried out the machine darning settings?
My daughter tried this out on my machine when she was home for Christmas. Ten minutes with the manual and her favorite jeans were now reinforced where the fabric was thinning out. (For more tips on mending jeans and darning, check out this tutorial from Bernina.) My daughter has bought herself at least another year of wear on her jeans. I am sure that your machine came with a bunch of decorative stitches. Figuring out what to do with them can be difficult, but I decided to play around with some on this Wee Care gown.
A little water soluble stabilizer made a world of difference, but a piece of regular tissue paper would achieve the same result. You probably have a blanket stitch on your machine as well, and either of the ideas pictured below would be great.
I hope this gives you a little inspiration and encourages you to try some of the wonderful inspiration on your machine. Happy Sewing!