Tutorial - Easier seam picking for tight seams

I am probably not the first person to do this. But I thought I would share the info anyway as it really does help me. With my recent eye surgeries, I have had a heck of a time unpicking a seam when a mistake was made (I do that a lot!). It's better now that I have new glasses and can tell what I'm doing now lol. 

Sometimes for whatever reason, usually when sewing something thick or unruly, the sewing machine likes, let's call it "stall" a little bit which of course tightens your entire seam up to a stitch you can barely see anymore. 

Then you dread it, when you realize that you have to undo it all and make a correction. 

Well, over the years I have learned a small work around for this problem. I will call it the "tug and pop" method. 

Tug: So there it is, so tight you don't even know where to start unpicking it. Sigh, then grab the magnifying glass or whatever you prefer to use and at about an 1 inch (2.5 cm) away from the area you need to undo, try to find at least one or two stitches that are willing to come free with your picker. The trick here is to NOT BREAK the THREAD TAIL. Your thread tail can be on either side; right side or wrong side of the fabric. Just do whatever works best for you. Once you have a small thread tail long enough for you to grab with your hand you can start with the "pop" portion of this method. 

 

Pop: You've got your thread tail, now what? Very gently so that not to break it, pull on your thread tail. You should at some point feel or even hear a small "pop" which is the thread from the other side popping up and creating a small loop on the side where your thread tail is. With your picker, carefully pull up the loop to bring the thread up from the other side. Pull the loop out so that you have the thread from both sides showing on the one side. 

Repeat again, tugging then popping, until you get your nasty tight seam undone. And that is really there is to it. 

I usually only do this method when nothing else works. It is a slow process, but it does get the job done... eventually.

Photos and written content are copyright Judy McLean

If you would like a printable PDF copy of this tutorial, it is available as a digital download for just $2.50 here.