The Mermaid's Den

May 15

May 15 Grainlines and Sewing: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know

When I first started sewing, I had trouble remembering which way my pattern pieces were supposed to go on the fabric, where the grainline was, and which side had the selvedge. For the first pattern I sewed, I didn’t even realize that the pattern pieces needed to be oriented a certain way on the fabric (see the lessons I learned in my first year sewing for more helpful tips)! If you’re in the same boat, you might be struggling to understand these things, too. Read on because all of this will become much clearer to you over the course of this post.

Apr 17

Apr 17 Keep Busy, Learn New Things, Support Small Businesses

Beth

Fiber Arts, Frugal Crafts, Product Review, Sewing, Shopping guide

As we try to stay sane while at self-quarantining, I’m sure we’re all looking for things to do. If you can keep busy while learning new things and supporting a small business that might be struggling right now, all the better! In this post, I’ll go over some of my most recent purchases and some of my all-time favorite purchases that I think you should check out. My Etsy buys are helping me to occupy my time at home and enjoy doing various creative endeavors.

Mar 19

Mar 19 How to Make A PVC Niddy Noddy

Beth

Easy DIY, Fiber Arts, Frugal Crafts, Handspun, Spinning Yarn

In this post, I’ll show you how to make a niddy noddy out of PVC pipe. This costs around $5, and it only takes a few minutes to assemble once you have your parts. The best part is that you can use this for dyeing yarn, setting your handspun yarn with steam, or just holding your skeins of yarn before you wind them into balls. Wood niddy noddies would warp or get moldy if you consistently get them wet, so the PVC version is a more frugal option as well as more versatile.

Feb 19

Feb 19 Can You Use Arm Knitting Yarn for Spinning?

Beth

Product Review, Fiber Arts, Spinning Yarn

Lately, I’ve seen bulky arm knitting yarn everywhere, and I thought, that looks a lot like the roving I use for spinning. In fact, I’ve even seen sellers tweak their keywords to make spinning fiber pull double duty as arm knitting yarn! But there are also some dedicated yarns made specifically for arm knitters, and it looks like lightly twisted spinning fiber. So I got some to test out whether it would work as spinning fiber or whether it was processed in such a way that would prevent it from being spun. In this post I’ll go over everything you need to know about using bulky arm knitting yarn with your spinning wheel.

Feb 8

Feb 8 Comprehensive Buttoneer Review

Beth

Sewing Hacks, Sewing, Product Review

In this post, I’ll review both versions of the vintage Buttoneer, go over how to find replacement fasteners for the vintage Buttoneer, and examine how it compares to the modern Buttoneer.

Dec 15

Dec 15 The Best Craft & DIY Kits on Etsy

Beth

Easy beginner project, Fiber Arts, Product Review, Sewing, Shopping guide

I love doing crafty things. But sometimes when I have time to sit down and work on a project, I just feel overwhelmed by choices and decisions. Sometimes I just want to sit down and make something without all of that extra planning that goes into starting a project from scratch. I started buying craft kits from Etsy, so that I’d have a self-contained projects, instructions, and supplies all together. You could buy these kits to make for someone else for the holidays, or you could get these kits for someone who wants to make them. Or you could get them for yourself!

Oct 8

Oct 8 Shoe Repair and Waterproofing

Beth

Easy DIY, Everyday Mending, Frugal Crafts, Zero Waste

Do you have a favorite pair of shoes that is falling apart? Soles coming off, water leaking through, scuffs and scratches? In this post, I’ll show you how to repair your shoes with shoe glue and also an easy way to waterproof your shoes. The shoe glue can fix soles that are coming away from the shoe, and the waterproofing shoe grease can keep your feet from getting wet. This is an easy, cost-effective way to make your shoes or boots last a little bit longer and give them new life.

Jul 13

Jul 13 Free Embroidery Pattern and Embroidery Tutorial

Beth

Free Sewing Pattern, Embroidery

Do you want a free daffodil embroidery pattern? Scroll down to the end of the post for a free pdf embroidery pattern to download. I digitized a vintage embroidery pattern that I found, and I have a few more that I’m working on, so keep an eye out for future posts if you like free embroidery patterns. The top of the post will cover some tips for free motion embroidery on a sewing machine. You can sew this pattern by hand as well.

Jul 3

Jul 3 Easy DIY Zero Waste Handkerchief

Beth

Do you want to reduce your spending and make something environmentally friendly? In this post, I’ll show you how to make some easy zero waste handkerchiefs that will help you stop buying disposable paper tissues. It’s a quick, no-sew project (with a sewing option provided if you prefer to hem them).

Jun 16

Jun 16 The Easiest Way to Thread a Needle by Hand

Beth

Sewing Hacks, Sewing Tips, Sewing Tutorial

In this post, I'll show you the best sewing hack I've ever discovered to help you easily thread a needle by hand. You don't need any special tools or extras—just your thread, needle, and hands. You'll learn how to thread a needle quickly and easily every time. This works for all kinds of hand sewing: mending, embroidery, bead weaving, needlework, etc. This post has a video tutorial as well as a step-by-step written tutorial with photos.

May 12

May 12 Simplicity Easy Lock Serger SL800

Beth

Vintage Sewing Machine, Sewing Machine, Serger, Repair & Reuse, Restoration

In this post, I’ll show you how to clean, oil, troubleshoot, repair, and use a vintage Simplicity Easy Lock Serger SL800. I’ve seen vintage sergers in other people’s collections, and I always felt a little jealous, but I had never come across one until recently, and then I found two in a row! While I have a modern serger, many people swear by vintage sergers, which were built to last, with all metal parts, as opposed to the plastic used in and on most modern sergers. I paid $5 for this one, which is much cheaper than the hundreds you’ll pay for a brand new serger.

Apr 14

Apr 14 How to Remove Fused Residue from Your Iron

Beth

Sewing Hacks, Sewing Tutorial

In this post, I’ll share one of my favorite tools for easily cleaning any sticky, fused residue off of your iron. Fusible fabric, interfacing, and hem tape make sewing so much easier, but they come with the downside of sometimes accidentally sticking to your iron. No one wants to have a gunky iron with melted interfacing, foam, felt, wonder tape, or webbing on it. Here’s how to remove it!