I am going to be honest about this: I am by no means an experience seamstress and I always have a hard time sewing a straight line, especially when I am using a machine. I know HOW to sew a straight line with a sewing machine, but I am just not very good at it. Experienced sewists have a lot of practice with their machine. Much like a race car driver knows their car very well, sewists know how to whip their machine into shape. Me? I feel like mine is always betraying me. Plus, it can be hard to keep track of your seam guide.
How to Sew a Straight Line
If you need help sewing a straight line on your sewing machine, use painter’s or washi tape to help you out. Once you know which seam guide you are going to use, tape a strip of tape along that line. This way you can keep track of your seam across a wider area.
This tip is insanely helpful for people who are have a hard time focusing or find themselves squinting while sewing. You can easily follow the guideline you set own. Plus, the beauty of painter’s tape and washi tape is that they do not leave a mark! This means you will have no residue left on your machine!
Plus! How to Sew a Straight Line
with Your Machine
Need help learning how to sew a straight line on a sewing machine? Check out our brand new tutorial on AllFreeSewing.com! With this week’s smart sewing hack and this tutorial, you will be sewing straight lines in no time.
Know some sewing tips and tricks that you would like to share?
Comment below and we might feature your trick here on Seams and Scissors! A great sewing hack can make a world of difference and there is absolutely no reason to keep them to yourself. Interested in writing a Sewing Tips and Tricks Tuesday post for us? Go ahead and email us at editor@allfreesewing.com or click here to submit your idea.
What helps you sew a straight line?
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Hi as a sewing instructor I found a little trick to help with staight line sewing. Its a magnet seam guide that attaches to the throat plate and when you bump the fabric against it, it will not allow you to go over and give you a perfect or great straight seam. This works better than tape for the persons that think the foot pedal is a gas pedal, LOL……. Both are affective and great for whatever level of sewer you are. It works on all sewing machine even computerized ones it does not effect the machine at all. I have three computer machines and I have no problem especially on my Viking, Babylock or Bernina. Thanks for these wonderful tidbits keep them coming.
When sewing I always use a sewing magnet to sew straight… I Love it !!!
WHERE CAN I GET A SEWING MAGNET?
Home-sew.com online offers them cheap if you like ordering that way. Their prices are pretty good exvept for yhread.
Very nice soft colours. Congratulations on being early with your blckos. I’m always trying to catch up but being part of this blog helps a lot, very encouraging. I like seeing the fabrics that everyone else has chosen and how different each quilt looks.
When you don’t care how straight the stitching line is, it miraculously goes along very nicely! I’d say it’s practice, practice, practice!
I’ve used one of those seam magnets before. It worked great to keep me sewing a consistent seam width, but it messed up my watch! Never could tell what time it really was. Crazy.
I find that looking where i want to end up instead of where I have been helps me sew a straight line.