Terrific Tweezers!

March 15, 2022

I do love a sewing tool and tweezers are up there as one of my favourites. Here are some of the ways that I like to use tweezers when sewing.

1. Threading an overlocker or sewing machine.

This is probably the most well known use of tweezers. I always have a pair of them hanging on my overlocker. Why? Because it's much easier to thread an overlocker with a pair of tweezers as you can grab the thread and get in hard to reach places, whilst holding the thread steady. Threading needles on both a sewing machine and over locker can also be easier with tweezers as I find it increases accuracy.

2. As a stilletto. When sewing a pair of tweezers can make a great alternative to a stiletto for manipulating fabric that is near to the needle as it passes through the sewing machine. You can hold the tweezers together or apart, but either way the fine point of the tweezers helps to hold the fabric. It's also a lot safer as fingers don't need to get as near to the stitching needle. Here are a couple of examples of fiddly sewing jobs where I find tweezers useful.

A. Attaching gathers is a good example. Whether it's bringing the two layers together, pulling up a gathering stitch or smoothing out the gathers as you sew tweezers help to make the job easier.

B. Attaching an outer curve to an inward curve.

Again there's a few different ways you can use your tweezers here, as a stilletto, or to hold the two layers together or pull the top or bottom layer in line. Once you remove the pin before it goes under the presser foot you can actually keep the two layers clamped together as it passes through, increasing sewing accuracy.

3. Starting the turning of a loop with a loop turner. I like to use my tweezers to start off the turning of a rouleau strap with a loop turner. The beginning of this process can be a bit fiddly and hard to get going. I find it easier to use tweezers to clamp the outer fabric and gradually pull it over the fabric that needs to be pulled inside the tube, whilst pulling on the loop turner at the same time.

4. Unpicking. Tweezers are a great tool for removing all the little threads in a garment after unpicking. I find using tweezers quicker and more efficient than fingers alone.

5. Cleaning the bobbin area under your machine. Whether it's fluff or a thread, tweezers make pulling these things our much easier as sometimes fingers are just a bit big for the job.

6. As a point turner. If you are like me you'll often be searching for your actual point turner and instead reach for other tools (like scissors - potentially dangerous!!). I think that tweezers are good at this job and also a fairly safe bet that you won't end up with a hole in your project. You'll need to hold the tweezers closed whilst you do this.

7. Turning corners. If you are like me and you like to turn corners with hemostats (see image below) or you fancy giving it a try then tweezers work as a great alternative.