Becoming Best Friends with your Seam Ripper

Okay, perhaps best friends is a bit of a stretch, but today I want to share a sewing tip that will {hopefully} help you to not dread using your seam ripper any more! It is, after all, one of the most necessary items in your sewing tool box!

It is never any fun to have to take out all your hard work, but it is sometimes necessary. I am a bit OCD about having everything come out perfectly or at least as close to perfect as possible! =) So, my seam ripper and I have had lots of quality time together over the years. This is the simplest, easiest way I've found to quickly rip out a seam.

Lay your piece out so you are looking at one side of your seam.

See all the little individual stitches?

Slip the point of your seam ripper under one of those stitches and break the thread. Don't pull on it or anything, just break it.

Now break stitches all the way down your seam, about every 5 or 6 or 8 stitches apart. The smaller the stitches, the more often you'll need to break one. My stitch length dial was set on 8, so these were a bit longer stitches.

Now flip your piece over and observe the seam from the other side. On this side, it is still looking untouched.

Grab the end of the thread (loosen a couple of stitches with the seam ripper to get you started if need be) and pull gently. Because the stitches are broken on the other side, this thread should pull right out with a little tugging.

If it doesn't pull right out, just flip everything back over and break another stitch in the offending spot.

Now all you should be left with is some shorter stray threads to pull out.

If these threads are too tiny to grab, or you had a large seam to rip out, you can use a lint roller to collect these threads. Works like a charm!

Your seam is now completely ripped out!

I hope that was as simple and easy for you as it is for me! =)

Lets chat about our seams ripper. Do you have a love/hate relationship with that little tool? Do you find yourself using it often? What other tips would you like to see me cover in our sewing series?


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