The Correct Way to Use a Seam Ripper (with the Red Ball!)
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- Опубліковано 3 жов 2019
- Learn the CORRECT way to use a seam ripper! Usually people pick out one stitch at a time, and that’s fine, but if you want a fast and easy way to rip seams, you need to understand a useful trick of the stitch ripper: the little red ball.
Once you know how to use the ball on your unpicker, you can tear out whole lines of stitches in seconds! What a time saver!
I have used a lot of different stitch rippers over the years, and my favorite is this small Dritz ergonomic seam ripper: amzn.to/32YYxir * (This one is a different color, but it’s the same model.)
Want to learn lots more sewing techniques and tricks? Head on over to the FREE “Learn to Machine Sew” course for beginners at Cucicucicoo! Each of the dozens of technical lessons is pairs with a practical tutorial to practice and make something cool with what you’ve learned! www.cucicucicoo.com/2014/06/le...
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Oh my goodness. I love you lol THANK you. I’ve been using the long tedious way for years! So helpful!!!
Oh, I did the long tedious way for years, too!! Haha!
Me too 😂 Thank goodness for people sharing these videos 👏👏🇬🇧
50 years. I’ve been using it the wrong way for 50 years! 😫 thanks for the quick and clear tutorial!
Haha! I'd also been using it "wrong" for years, though not 50! Better late than never! (Though, in our defence, it's not like we were really doing it wrong. There's just that little extra trick to use if we so wish!)
OMG me too for more than 50 years. Now I finally know how to do it!
I'm glad someone knows exactly how to use the seam ripper, I've watched "professional" (so they say) seamstress post videos using the seam ripper improperly. They're clueless as what the red dot is for. Thanks for posting a video showing the proper way.
I thought that it would be a useful technique to show because it isn't shown often!
I had figured it out, but wasn't certain I had it right. So I researched it here. Thank you for posting this.
So glad this helped you figure it out!
Thank you! I am a beginner at sewing - I prefer the stitch by stitch just because I want to be careful with the fabric, but this video was very helpful!
Oh, well stitch by stitch is needed, too! You can't use this method all the time, just when you have a long straight edge stitched together.
OMAGAH!😱😂 I see the light! Decades of irritation solved in 3 minutes! God bless you & UA-cam.
🤣 I'm so glad that I've helped you with your revelation!
.......wow......never knew this.....no one ever taught me......one stitch at a time---that was me.
That was me, too!! 😁
Geeze, I wish I knew this decades ago! I can never complete a single sewing project without having to waste a bunch of time picking seams apart! I'm going to have to remember this.
To think I took sewing classes in school for 6 years, and in all that time, not a single teacher ever mentioned how to use a seam ripper properly. 😖
Awesome! Better late than never! And you're in good company. I don't think that anyone can finish a project without having to pick out seams!
WOW! Started seeing in 1963 and have never been taught this_apparently even the Home Ec sewing teacher didn’t know! THANK YOU!!!
😄 Did seam rippers have the little ball back in 1963? I have an old seam ripper that was my grandmother's and it doesn't have one. But maybe it just fell off, who knows!
@@cucicucicooecosewingandcra645 The one I still have from my 8th grade sewing in the 1960s has the ball.
As the "safety seam ripper" they start showing up in magazines with various ways to protect the cloth in the early 1900s.
I've read about using it this way but was too afraid to try it until I saw this. A big thank you for this tutorial
Hooray! I definitely suggest practicing first on a scrap piece to get the feel for it. So glad this helped! 💓
I just started learning to sew and every time I tried to rip multiple seams I used the pointy side and ripped into the fabric…this 4 minute video SAVED me!! Thank you!!!!!!
That is so awesome! I'm so glad to hear it! 🤩
Great tip but can be dangerous, if the seams are poorly sewn and the edges not finished etc, and you use a sharp seam ripper, it can derail and cut right through the fabric destroying everything (speaking from experience). I would really advice to somehow keep the "pulling apart tension" during the process, which will vastly minimize the danger of this happening.
That's a very good point, so thank you for bringing it up!
Glad someone said this! It’s happened to me one too many times. I was hoping this video would explain how to prevent ripping the fabric
@@iamyogiBella I think you just need to be careful, hold the fabric taut and not go really long lengths at once. And if the stitches are super tight, better to avoid this because the fabric is pulled together more tightly.
Yes - pull perpendicular to the seam to expose the stitches more and DON'T try to be Zorro! I put a weight on one side of the seam and pull on the other as I rip.
I was never taught this process! Thank you for showing the proper way to use the seam ripper. 73 and have been doing it incorrectly all this time. Wow!
Well, don't worry- as long as you've been managing to pull out unwanted seams, you've been making it work just fine! 😀
O My!
God bless Cucicucicoo.
I was doing it the 'one stitch at a time' way
' a man 😎
Haha! Well, the "one stitch at a time" technique is useful and necessary at times, but glad that I could be of help to a sewing guy! There aren't loads of you and I love it when you surface! 😍
I've recently fell into a sewing rabbit hole and I weirdly enough figured this one out by experimentation. I found that trying to run the seam ripper along the seam with the sharp end kept puncturing the fabric. So I tried using the ball end which I was mostly convinced at the time was just an epoxy glob there to cover a sharp edge of the blade for safety. And wouldnt you know it, it worked so well for continuous ripping that I was begginning to realize it was by design. H ad always been meaning to google if it had a purpose, and behold it does.
Nice job figuring that one out on your own! Most people have no idea why it's there or, as you said, assume it's for safety!
I've been sewing for over a year. Recently got really into it. So glad I discovered this so early in the process 🤣
Haha! Glad you found it, but do remember that it isn't suitable to projects with complicated seams, only straight ones. We don't want you accidentally ripping into your fabric!
@@cucicucicooecosewingandcra645 good to know! Thank you
this technique is life changing. thank you so much!!!!
Woohoo! That's great news! 🤩
I was slowly picking open a wrong seam I had made, while working on a pillow case and I knew there had to be a faster way. Thank You!
Hooray! Actually, I used this technique yesterday while pulling open a pillowcase! There must be something in the air! 😁
Well done, was explained very clearly and simple. Thanks for this very helpful tip.
So glad that it was helpful!
TIPS: Use something to keep the seam stable, not flopping around. Before you rip, tug the fabric away from the seam to open out the stitching a bit.
Thank you so much! I was told some years ago what the red ball was for but, being the proud owner of a FORGETTORY, I forgot! I have written it on a label stuck to my seam ripper!
Foegettory! 😂😂 I love that! Great idea to write a note. I am always forgetting things, too!
Omg can’t believe I’ve been doing the wrong thing for YEARS😂
Haha! Believe me, you aren't the only one! I didn't know this for a long time, either! 😂
ARR YOU FOR REAL😭😭😭😍? Thank you soo much fir this trick God bless you 😭🙏🏻
😆 Haha! I hope that this trick is useful for you!!
Oh my goodness! Thank you! I have been using the seam ripper wrong for years! Plucking one thread at a time or using it upside down and tearing the fabric. Bless you for your video! You are going to save so many hours for so many people that were wasted!
Thanks! For the record, it is sometimes better to use the "pluck one thread at a time" method, so don't feel bad!
Thanks for this! Just learning how to sew. I appreciate it!
So glad you can use it!
you just saved my life!!!!!!!!!!! you just dont understand . thankyou!!!!!!!!!
😄 That's awesome! I'm so glad to hear that this made such a difference!
Wow 😂😂I’m glad I found you❤
Welcome and happy sewing! 😀
Dude. Thank you! That was incredibly helpful.
Awesome! So glad to hear it! 😊
This is perfect! It is exactly what I needed! Thank you for your time explaining this!
I'm so glad this was helpful!
Genius! I was told the red ball was to keep from stabbing fingers. Thanks for setting me straight!
Well, I'd say that's definitely a good side effect, too! 😄
omg thank you sooo much!! This is so helpful!! I’m a new sewer so it was hard to use! You made it so easy!! 💕💕
First off, welcome to sewing! Second off, I'm so glad that I could help!
if no red ball, can glue on a red size 8/0 seed bead which will separate the two sides of the seam a little more, which I like. Great video!
@@cheriesnakedancer3293 that is such a great idea! I would never have thought of that. Thanks for letting us in on your tip!
Wow! That's just awesome...
Thank you so much. 😊
Hope it helped you!
Well this was extremely helpful! I’ll be using the ball up technique now for when I have to pick floss from embroidery projects! THANKS!!
Great I'm glad it'll be useful! Just make sure you use it only when there's a long straight line of stitches that you can just rip right through 🙂
Thank you! This is a helpful.
Amazing! This will save me so much time. Thanks so much for this video.
Hooray! I always love saving time!!
Thank you! This makes so much sense.
I hope that this trick comes in handy for you!
SO. INCREDIBLY. HELPFUL!! Thank you so much!!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Woohoo! I'm so glad that this tutorial helped you so much! 😃
This worked perfectly. Thanks so very much.
Wonderful! So glad to hear it worked!
Mind BLOWN!!!!! Thank you so much!!!
😄 awesome!
I just can tell you’re a good person based solely on this video! 😂 Thanks so much!
Haha! Why, thank you! I hope that means that it's a useful tip for you! 😁
in sweden we have a subject called textile, where we are specifically taught how to sew. obviously not even my trained teacher knew this, because we were taught in the painful and time consuming way. either that or she just wanted to see us suffer 😭
😂 Well, this does work a lot faster, but only works for straight lines and also you have less control, so it's important to know how to pick them out one by one, too.
Ahhh what a brilliant bit of info! I had no idea, thank you :)
Sewing holds lots of little secrets! 😁
This is such game changer! Thank you so much! I call it 'unzipping' a seam, since that is what it feels and sounds like when you do it!
I love that, "unzipping" a seam! Such a perfect way to put it! 😀
Youre a life saver!! Thank you!!
Wow, thanks! I'm so glad to hear that it was so helpful!
This is amazing. Giving a try right away.
Let me know how it goes!
Yeah what Casey said...genius!
thanks!
I'm so glad you find it useful! 🥰🤩
This is AMAZING! Thank you!!!!
It's actually really fun to use this way, too! 😄
Thank you! I needed a 1st timer lesson. :)
There's always a first time for everything! Have fun!
Blessings From Texas🤠
Thanks! 💜 Hope this was useful for you!
Thank you for this video!
Hope it's useful!
That's amazing, thank you so much!
Enjoy your new skill!!
Fabulous! Thank you!!
You're welcome! Hope this was useful!
Thank you this was helpful!
I'm so glad to hear that! Happy seam ripping! 😀
Amazing.... Thank you so much for this wonderful tips
I'm so glad you found it useful! Happy seam ripping! 😄
This change my life forever!
Yay!! 😄🤩
I saw Angela Wolfe demonstrate the correct way to use the seam ripper abt ten years ago. It was news to me!!!
However, whenever I try doing it this way, no matter how careful I am, it always ends up cutting into the fabric; then I have a w(hole) new problem!
I also tried using the Havel’s style seam ripper, exactly the way they say to use it, and I still had the same problem. Some stitches are just so tight, especially in ready to wear, that you just can’t get those stitches out w/o damaging the fabric. I’ve been sewing for 50 years. I usually end up doing it the slowpoke way, bc I’d rather take longer and not have to figure out how to repair a hole in the fabric.
Lastly, why do people so often say, “unpicking”? You’re not UNpicking; you’re UNsewing; or actually PICKING out the stitches. UNpicking would be like REsewing. I think someone must have misspoken on social media, and everyone picked up their bad grammar! 😂
Haha! That is such a good point about the word "unpicking" and I think that I have also probably said that at some point. Thanks for pointing that out!
Anyway, I am with you in that I usually do it the slowpoke way, too. In real life there aren't a lot of situations in which this quick trick would actually work, and even in ones when it would in theory, for example unpicking the whole side seam of pants, it doesn't work because there are multiple lines of stitching, for example straight stitching plus overlock. But it's still a useful skill to know for the few times that it could come in handy!
"Some stitches are just so tight, especially in ready to wear, that you just can’t get those stitches out w/o damaging the fabric."
I expose the stitching on one side of the seam and use the ripper to cut the thread every few stitches and pick out the short chunks. The thread on the other side will pull off.
@@lazygardens yes, I do that, too! Thanks for specifying it!
@@lazygardens Thx for that. New Q: how do you copy and paste a UA-cam comment, like you did when you quoted me? When I try, it won’t allow me to copy anything. Yet some ppl post links in their comments that aren’t clickable. Thx.
@@susanmei9980 "how do you copy and paste a UA-cam comment, like you did when you quoted me"
I select the text and copy with my browser, paste it into my reply, type in the "" marks.
I'm using Firefox on a desktop computer. If you use a phone app it may act differently.
Super helpful!!
I hope this saves you lots of time and fruatration! 😀
THANK YOU FOR THIS!!!!
You're welcome! Happy sewing... or un-sewing! 😁
OMG. I did not know this. Game changer.
Yes! It really is and I'm glad it'll change your game, too! 😃
I've been using this tool wrong for a long time! 😪 Bless you for fixing that!!!! 💕💕💕
Well, of course you can use it the other way, too, stitch by stitch, but this is a fast alternative!
super helpful thank u
So glad it was useful for you, Karen!
Game changer!! ❤
Yes! 🎉🌟
Awesome! First day sewing herr
Fabulous!
Thank you!!
You're welcome! Hope it's useful!
THANK YOU!
Hope this is useful for you!
👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 thank you!
You're welcome! Hope it helps!
Here for the info; staying for the great channel name lol
Haha! Thanks!
Thanks Not only have I been using it wrong but when you use the pointed end it tends to cut your fabric as it goes through the points sticks and thank you so much again
Yes! I also learned that the hard way! 😅
Thank you so much!
Hope it's useful!
@@cucicucicooecosewingandcra645 Yes, it really was, I was actually amazed. I sent your video to a friend who is a newbie like me. It is very good information and I thank you very much. I’m subscribed!
@@idontcare1481 Hooray! That makes me so happy!
nahhh. been using it the wrong way this whole time.. thanks for the video
Haha! Well, it's not like the other way is the wrong way, but this is a cool trick to know!
I used to spend the whole home ec class time ripping out stupid seams the teacher didn't like. WHY didn't she teach us how to do this?? 😤
Haha! Maybe she just wanted to eat up more class time? 😅
I found it useful
Wonderful, I'm so glad it helped you!
Wow, excellent. I would always do that but not with the little red ball in between the fabrics. So the pointed part in between the fabrics will always get caught and had to be careful not to rip the fabric.
Exactly! So putting the ball in there protects the fabric!
Wow I didn’t know ty
Hope this is useful for you! 😀
I use my right hand to hold one piece of fabric, my left to hold the other and I manipulate the seam ripper with my third hand.
Haha! Good tip, I'll keep it in mind! 😂
I'm about @ 1:15 in the video, and I think I know where this is going...
I JUST started sewing, like touched a sewing machine for the first time afew days ago lol but I I have dismantled an entire skirt to customize it abit.
But I have a feeling I'm going to be extremely lucky and happy to have found this video so early in my sewing adventures lol
Edit:this went right where I thought it was going lol that's how I did it before, just with ths other side, so I kinda stabbed holes into the fabric lol
Haha! Usually I say "better late than never", but in your case it doesn't even have to be late! Glad to hear that it'll be useful!
I love you
😅🧵
@cucicucicooecosewingandcra645 I've been using old clothing for other purposed. Most of them have very finished edges, sewn, and then I think they've also been surged as well, so it's like taking three seems apart. Is this method likely to work on these seems? I've been trying but it doesn't seem very successful. Any tips would be so greatly appreciated!!
There's a different way to pull out serger seams in a really easy way. Check out this video to see how: ua-cam.com/video/uU_GM4JIy_U/v-deo.htmlsi=C9p6MqfMWQqNI2Gz
@@cucicucicooecosewingandcra645 O My Goodness!!! Thank you!!!
@@JCMercyGrace my pleasure! I know what it's like to try to unpick serger seams without knowing that method; it makes you want to pull your hair out! 😉
Nice and thank you. I am missing the red ball. did it fall off? Can I still use it without the red ball? do I need to buy a new one?
You don't necessarily need to buy a new seam ripper if it doesn't have the ball (it might've fallen off, or it might just not have had it in the first place, though most do). However, I wouldn't try this trick without it because it protects the fabric.
Do you have any videos on that tool on how to remove a patch from a leather jacket?
No, sorry 😕
This isn't working for me at all... I've tried so many times but the ripper just gets stuck and doesn't flow through. Do I pull the fabric tighter or leave it looser? Is it a feel thing? I used my clover which should be my sharpest one. TY.
First of all, make sure that it's a straight line of stitching. This won't work if it isn't straight. Then, with your non-dominant hand (left for me because I'm a rightie), hold one end of the fabric (where you've started picking open the stitches) close to your body and position the rest of the fabric straight in front of you so you can just push through. If you have a clover seam ripper which isn't really old or worn out, it should work fine. But if it isn't, don't insist because you could risk tearing through the fabric if it doesn't just slip right through. Good luck!
Well dang where have you been all my life???
Haha! Here I am!
Very helpful. i've used the other side that way, duh!!!!
Well, it is difficult to know which way to hold it if you don't know why that little ball is there in the first place! Better to know late than never!
Wow 🤩……..
Hope this is useful for you!
@@cucicucicooecosewingandcra645 yes……. Obviously🤩🤩
😮
👍🏼👍🏼
So is there any possibility that the blade could cut through any of the fabric?
There's always a possibility, which is why it's best to do this only on straight cuts (not curves) and to hold the fabric in such a way that it's straight in front of you. Also, I would suggest doing short stretches at a time, not a really long one.
@@cucicucicooecosewingandcra645 thanks i needed this video to jog my memory 😉
😲 I have been using this the wrong way
Well, as long as it works, there's no "wrong" way. But there is an easier way! 😄
My seam ripper has lost its sharpness. How do you sharpen a seam ripper... please
Oh dear, I don't know if it's possible because it's so small and inside that curve.
when i did this i accidentally cut the fabric😕
Oh no! That can happen if the fabric isn't held perfectly straight. Actually, I did that myself this morning (but it was also because I didn't care about the fabric, as I was only trying to salvage the trim, so I was working quickly). I hope this didn't ruin your project! 😓
Wow. OK. I thought the little red ball was decorative. My mom has sewn forever and she didn't tell me! Of course, she uses a razor blade to rip seams!
Haha! There are actually special seam rippers that are like razor blades, so she's not so off in doing it that way!
I have tried this and actually had the cutter cut thru the fabric at the sewing seam ruining the whole piece of fabric. Not worth it.
Yikes, I'm so sorry that happened! If you keep the woven fabric taut and pulled apart, it shouldn't happen, but unfortunately things can go wrong at times. 😫 I hope that you're able to salvage the work somehow!!
I was afraid i was using it wrong. I was not. 😁
Haha! Well done! 😄
Me to 50 years wrong 🤩
Lol! Well, none of us ever finish learning, do we? 😀 Glad it was of help!
😱
Haha! I hope that's a good "shocked face"!
@@cucicucicooecosewingandcra645 yeah absolutely!!! I didn't realize this entire time!!!!
um i just made a hole in my fabric
Oh no! You still have to be careful and hold the fabric so that it's straight and that the point of the seam ripper doesn't accidentally poke into the fabric.
The music makes it impossible to hear what you are saying.
Sorry that it's hard to hear. I've started putting the volume of the music in my videos lower so as not to create any issues.
Just ripped my fabric
Oh no! Maybe you tried to rip through too much fabric length at once? Or perhaps it wasn't a perfectly straight line of stitching?
🤦🏽♂️😂