Rylee Arnold may be a pro on ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ but can she master sewing? In this episode of “Good House/Bad House,” the dancer goes head-to-head with Good Housekeeping Institute's Associate Director of the Textiles Lab, Emma Seymour, as she learns to hand sew a button, thread a machine (after figuring out how to turn it on), and stitch fabric together. Watch as Rylee shares her favorite and least favorite fabrics to dance in, her dream celebrity partner, and whether she’s ready to start sewing her own looks for the 'DWTS' stage.
00:00Is mine not on? Maybe mine's not on. Let me turn her on.
00:04She wasn't on. Turn her on, that'll help. Okay, here we go.
00:07This is Good House, Bad House, where good housekeeping experts teach celebrities how to perform different household tasks just using our words.
00:15You find it? I don't know. It's not right, is it?
00:20I'm Emma Seymour, Associate Director of the Textiles Lab here at the Good Housekeeping Institute.
00:25And I'm with Dancing with the Stars pro, Riley Arnold.
00:28How are you doing, Riley? Doing so good. I'm excited, kind of nervous.
00:32Don't worry, I'll walk you through everything. Okay, perfect.
00:35Today we're going to learn some fundamentals of sewing. We're going to learn how to hand sew a button, thread a sewing machine, and even sew two pieces of fabric together.
00:43You ready to get started? I am so ready. Let's do this.
00:46First, we're going to hand sew a button. So you're going to want to pick out one of the fabrics right here, and you're going to match it to whichever thread matches that.
00:54I want to do pink. And obviously, these two go well together.
00:58Then you can pick whichever button you want. Let's do a cutie white button.
01:03You can pick one of the two needles. I think a smaller one would probably be better for this.
01:07Let's do the, oh, this is kind of hard to grab. Oh, okay.
01:11Okay. You want a long bit of thread. I'd say like around the length of your arm.
01:15I think that's a good size.
01:17And then you're going to want to grab your fabric scissors and just snip. Step ahead.
01:23Then you're going to want to thread the needle, and this can honestly be the hardest part.
01:28In like the hole? Yeah, right in that hole.
01:31Seriously? Let me know once you get it in there.
01:34Is there like a way to do this?
01:36Is, oh, I did it! I did it! I did it! I did it!
01:39Slay.
01:40All right, so you're going to pull it all the way through, and you want to pull it so the ends match.
01:44And then at the very end, you're going to want to tie a knot.
01:46I think it's helpful to fold it in half, like a little bit, maybe about an inch.
01:51It's a little cheat way to do it.
01:55Have you ever sewn any of your dance costumes or fixed any before?
01:58I have never sewn a dance costume, but that would be epic.
02:02But I've definitely rhinestone before.
02:04I love that.
02:05I know how to rhinestone really well.
02:07Me and my mom would be up till like so late rhinestoning all of my costumes growing up.
02:12It was the best.
02:13How's your knot coming along?
02:14It should look just like a knot right at the bottom.
02:17Yeah, there's a knot.
02:18Okay, perfect.
02:19On the underside of the fabric, you're going to want to push your needle through.
02:22So the knot is tight.
02:23When you're at the end, you can't pull the thread through.
02:28There we go.
02:31There we go.
02:32I think the fabric was just loose.
02:34A little loose spot?
02:35Okay.
02:36Then what you're going to want to do is then go through a hole of the button.
02:38Okay.
02:39So we're going to go down through the diagonal hole across from where the thread is coming
02:45up from.
02:47Okay.
02:48What's your favorite type of dance costume to wear?
02:52I absolutely love wearing fringe.
02:55That's so fun.
02:56Like there's just something about dancing in fringe that just makes you feel so confident.
03:00Which ones do you hate?
03:01I mean, sequins looks really pretty, but it hurts so bad sometimes.
03:05The amount of scratches that I have gotten on a sequins costume is actually insane.
03:10Wait, I'm slaying.
03:11That was really good.
03:12We're just going to trim that long thread that's still connected to the needle so don't trim
03:17anything else.
03:18You should have a beautiful button.
03:19It's a little stringy, but it's holding on strong.
03:22Let's check your work.
03:23Okay.
03:24Oh, this is great.
03:25Oh, yours is flawless.
03:27No, yours is really great.
03:29This is awesome.
03:30I love it.
03:32Next, we're going to move on is to threading a sewing machine.
03:35Oh no.
03:36You're going to want to get the machine in front of you.
03:38Rotate it towards you.
03:41We're going to start with the spool pin up at the top.
03:44This one.
03:45I see.
03:46Pick one big spool and one small little bobbin.
03:49We're going to do a little light pink cutie blush moment.
03:53Love it.
03:54So we're going to start with the big one first.
03:55Okay.
03:56Oh, so we're not doing the little.
03:57We're going to do that next.
03:58Okay.
03:59We want the thread to be coming out the back towards the rest of the machine.
04:03So it's like wrapped around.
04:06There's a little metal latch.
04:08So you want to make sure you pull it all the way in.
04:10And then you want to go see the number two down.
04:12I see two.
04:14Then to three.
04:15I see three.
04:18And then pull it up to the opening on the left.
04:22Uh-huh.
04:23Locate your needle.
04:24You'll feel a little lever in the back.
04:29You find it.
04:33I don't know.
04:35Lever?
04:36Oh, this?
04:37It should just be a little lever.
04:39It's not on the very back of the machine, but on like the side under there.
04:42It's not right, is it?
04:44Look at where the needle is.
04:45Okay.
04:46And then you look to the right.
04:48You should see a little tab like sticking out.
04:50Oh, there she is.
04:52And you put that down.
04:53Oh, nice.
04:54Perfect.
04:55Okay.
04:56So that controls the foot.
04:57Okay.
04:58So now we're going to thread the needle.
04:59You're just going to stick that right through the little hole.
05:00It should be at the bottom.
05:01Okay.
05:02Here we go.
05:03Come on, Riley.
05:04Have you gotten yours?
05:05Yes.
05:06Oh.
05:07You got this.
05:08Just missing it.
05:09Where is the hole?
05:11I did it!
05:14Yay!
05:15Okay.
05:16Do you know what a bobbin is?
05:17I don't know.
05:18Okay.
05:19So that's what we're going to be threading now.
05:20We're going to be threading the bobbin.
05:21So that's this little piece that's fully threaded.
05:23Okay.
05:24So I'm grabbing the small one.
05:25Yes.
05:26This type of machine has what we call a drop-in bobbin.
05:28You're going to stick that right there.
05:31Closest to you, there's a little silver hook.
05:34You're going to pull the thread through that.
05:37And then you're just going to wrap it over and then it'll pull tight.
05:40You're going to see your thread in the back.
05:42That is from when we thread the top of the machine and the needle.
05:45Yes.
05:46So we're going to grab that thread in our left hand.
05:49And keep it loose.
05:50You don't want to pull it tight.
05:51The first thread?
05:52Yes.
05:53The first thread.
05:54Okay.
05:55Got it.
05:56It's going to be a big circle.
05:57We call that the hand wheel.
05:59Found the hand wheel.
06:00Twist the hand wheel towards you.
06:02Towards.
06:03And then it should bring the thread across the bobbin.
06:06You're just going to give it a little pull.
06:08And then it pulls the bobbin thread.
06:11That's crazy mechanics.
06:13It can be helpful to use like a needle to help you pull it out.
06:17And then you should have a little loop where it's pulling the bobbin thread.
06:21I'm so lost.
06:24Okay.
06:25Do you want to start over?
06:26Yeah.
06:27Okay.
06:28So we're going to take the bobbin out.
06:29Reset.
06:30Oh, geez.
06:31Wait.
06:32There's a thread sticking out of where the bobbin was.
06:33Did I do it?
06:34So what that means is that you got like halfway there.
06:37Okay.
06:38We didn't quite finish it.
06:39Let's take her out.
06:40Okay.
06:41So you're going to pull that out the back.
06:42You basically want the thread to basically wrap around the bobbin.
06:45And then that pulls the bobbin thread up.
06:48And then you should end up with a little loop.
06:50Oh.
06:51Do you see that loop?
06:53Yes.
06:54Okay. Perfect.
06:55So now stick your hand sewing needle through that loop.
06:59And then push it away and it'll pull that bobbin thread out.
07:03Yes.
07:04I'm so proud of you.
07:06I could cry.
07:07I did it.
07:09Yay.
07:10Yay.
07:11You have your machine perfectly threaded and now we're ready to move on to the last task,
07:16which is going to be to sew two pieces of fabric together.
07:19Okay.
07:20Your machine's threaded with one color, so you want to pick the fabric that matches.
07:23Okay.
07:24So we're going to sew the two ends of this fabric.
07:26I see.
07:27You want to make sure your presser foot is in the raised position to start.
07:31It is raised.
07:32So you want to have it so your needle is starting at the back.
07:35Going long or like wide?
07:37We're going to sew the long side.
07:39Slay.
07:40You're going to drop the presser foot.
07:42So remember that lever from earlier?
07:44Yes.
07:45Yes.
07:46Then we lower it.
07:47And so the presser foot is on the fabric.
07:48Oh, the presser foot.
07:49Yes.
07:50So that little lever that we like.
07:52Got it.
07:53I heard it.
07:54I heard it.
07:55So then we're going to do is then press down on the pedal and we're going to hold the fabric,
08:00gently glide it.
08:01Basically let it move.
08:02So we don't want to be yanking on it.
08:03We don't want to be pushing it either.
08:04Oh no.
08:05Is mine not on?
08:06Maybe mine's not on.
08:07Okay.
08:08Let me turn her on.
08:09She wasn't on.
08:10That'll help.
08:11Push down on the pedal.
08:12There you go.
08:13I am not staying in a straight line with this one.
08:26Do you think you're now ready to just sew your own dance costumes this season?
08:30Yeah.
08:31It might take me like the whole year to do one, but I think I could do it.
08:36Heading into your third season of Dancing with the Stars, what is something you're really
08:40confident about?
08:41I feel super confident in my dancing this season and my choreography.
08:46I'm just excited to try new things this year and just to experience a whole new season.
08:53Do you have a dream celebrity partner?
08:55I mean, I will always and forever say this, probably since I was like a baby, but Justin
09:00Bieber.
09:01I mean, that's like reaching for the stars, but that's my dream partner.
09:05You're a Belieber.
09:06Yes, I am.
09:07Absolutely.
09:08So when you're done, the needle should be down in the machine.
09:11Uh-huh.
09:12So then you're going to just take the hand wheel and turn it towards you.
09:15And then you're going to lift the presser foot.
09:18You're going to pull the fabric out.
09:20And there's a handy little thread cutter on the side.
09:23Okay.
09:24So you can just pull it up and cut the thread right there.
09:26If you see it.
09:27Both threads?
09:28Yes.
09:29Why is it so tough to take out?
09:31So the thread cutter is on the side of the machine.
09:33It's just more convenient than pulling out your scissors every time.
09:36So if you pull it up, it'll just cut the threads off.
09:38You're right.
09:39It is more convenient.
09:40The scissors are too big.
09:42So the thread cutter is like a little nub attached to the machine.
09:45Oh.
09:50I'm so dead right now.
09:51Oh, it's up here.
09:52I see it.
09:53So it's like a little cut.
09:54So that way it's just a little bit of a knife.
09:56So you can just cut the threads without having to grab the scissors.
09:59Yeah.
10:00That's so much nicer.
10:01So nice.
10:02I did it!
10:04Yay!
10:05I'm so proud of you.
10:06It's a little armband.
10:08Hey.
10:09That's the start.
10:10All right.
10:11Let's swap.
10:12Yours is so much cleaner than mine.
10:13No.
10:14Yours is beautiful.
10:15Look how perfect that is.
10:16Yay!
10:17I love it.
10:18So fun.
10:20How'd you feel like that went?
10:21I felt really good.
10:22That was honestly very therapeutic.
10:24The only part that like stressed me out was trying to thread this machine.
10:27But now I know I think I need to take a video and like go home and study.
10:31Because I kind of want to start sewing.
10:32I feel like it's fun.
10:33Thank you so much, Riley, for being here.
10:35You did a great job.
10:37I had so much fun.
10:38And make sure to catch me on season 34 of Dancing with the Stars every Tuesday.
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