7 Essential Things You NEED to Know before you Start Sewing
Ready to learn how to sew? Or maybe you are ready to dive into the world of clothing customization? Here are 7 things you need to know before you ever touch a hand to your supplies!
1. Sewing is about putting the basics together.
I’m gonna give it to you straight. Sewing isn’t a skill that you can learn, perfect and check off of your imaginary “life skills” list overnight. But you can start learning the basics today.
And the basics will open you up to the fun and colorful world of sewing. A world full of possibilities. And I promise that for every basic skill that you conquer, your sewing possibilities will grow. You’re gonna love this part. There is no feeling like it.
But if you skip over these, it’ll show. Learning how to sew is a marathon, not a sprint. And the last thing I want for you is to get frustrated and quit. It is worth it to learn the building blocks, I promise.
Start with a straight stitch. And the sewing world, too, can be yours.
2. Always use more pins than you think you need.
When I started sewing, I learned a couple of basic skills and got a little OVER confident in those skills. I felt like I was the exception to the rule, I felt like only new sewers had to use pins.
Seasoned pros got to skip using pins and just sit at their machines all day, right?
Wrong. I was sooooo wrong. And boy did I learn that lesson fast! Let’s just say that I had to rip out way more stitches than I liked on a few projects.
And I never forgot to use pins on my projects again. Learn from my mistakes, my friend.
Use enough pins more pins than you think you need. You won’t regret it.
3. No matter how hard you try, you're gonna have to rip out stitches.
I wish I could magically wave a wand and never have to rip stitches out of my projects again.
But I can’t.
Sometimes your fabric is going to go places that it shouldn’t be. Your machine might skip a stitch. Maybe you pinned the wrong sides together and only realized it after you trimmed the threads.
It happens. And your gonna have to tear out stitches.
It’s okay. You’re human. Don’t let it slow you down!
4. Press in between every single step.
This is one of those steps that beginners tend to skip for a REALLY long time. You have to set up an iron and blah, blah, blah… It seems like a waste of time, right?
Yea, it does. But there is a method to the madness. Pressing gives you more control throughout your project. It’s like the secret sauce to making fabric behave the way you want it to.
Need your seams open? Press. Fighting to pin your hem? Press.
Use your iron to your advantage. It could be your saving grace one day. (That seems dramatic, doesn’t it?)
Lesson: When in doubt, press.
5. Fabric Care!
This might be one of the most important things you can learn in the sewing world. Every project you make is going to use some kind of fabric.
And if you don’t know how to take care of it, you might be flushing money down the drain. It might shrink or melt or further damage the fabric.
I could talk for hours about how to take care of different fabrics, but it all boils down to a few key things: Wash, dry, iron.
When you are looking at fabric in the store, the care instructions will be on one end of the bolt. I take a picture of the end of the bolt on my phone so that I don’t forget how to wash it when I get home. Some fabrics will be dry clean only.
Just follow the directions and your fabric should last for a very long time.
6. Take it slow. You will get better and faster over time.
Sewing is a details game. And when you take it slow you get more time to get it right. And the more you sew, the better you’ll get and the faster your projects will come together. Easy peasy.
7. Stick to classic cuts and prints/solids at first.
I had ZERO sense of style when I started sewing. So, I just picked fabrics that I liked on the shelf and got to my project.
The problem? I didn’t want to wear the print, I just liked it. What. A. Waste.
When you get started, start with classic cuts and solids/prints. A simple blouse, an a-line skirt. These pieces are going to stand the test of time. And you want to be able to wear your homemade pieces for as long as possible!
So here’s what I want you to do before you buy a piece of fabric. Think about the project and what else it could be worn with in your closet. For example, I try to stay away from browns and khakis when I’m looking for fabric. I just don’t own anything in those colors, so it doesn’t make sense to introduce the color with no potential for versatility. Capiche?
Sewing is an invaluable life skill. And once you embrace the basics, you’ll be able to create anything. Never again will you scramble to find a friend or a tailor to sew a button back onto your jeans. You’ll feel more at ease knowing that when it comes to clothes, you’ve got things handled! You won't regret learning how to sew!