Sewing

[Guest guest4729]

Does anybody out there have advice or basic patterns or tutorials for someone just learning how to sew? My Christmas present from my mom was a sewing machine since she knows I've been wanting to learn for awhile but now that I have one...I don't quite know where to begin.

Any help would be super duper awesome because I'd love to start making things as soon as possible. I love learning new crafts but sewing takes it to a whole new level. lol

['Roos]

So I started sewing in the historic costuming community. If you have a particular type of clothes you want to sew (steampunk, medieval, vintage, etc) then you may be able to find a 'stitch n bitch' group near your house. I didn't used to use patterns at all, ever, and now I've gotten into using them quite a lot for vintage stuff.

If you've never sewn before, go to the library and check out some 'how to sew' books, which should have some information on basic stitches, when to use which, terminology (which can be AWFUL and confusing), and pattern construction. Then go to the store, get some on-sale fabric, a simplicity 'easy to sew' pattern, and take it home (you shouldn't try anything more complex than the 'easy to sew' patterns at the beginning, unless you have a helper. Some companies make wonderful directions so even the most complex patterns are doable, and some are just arcane at the best of time. Make sure to check the back of the pattern for your size (bring your measurements - they're no the same sizes as dresses in the store!) and get everything it says you need (interfacing, buttons, zippers, etc).

Then there's a steep learning curve, if you're by yourself. I'm not going to lie - it can be really frustrating sometimes. But read the directions over several times. Make sure you understand why you're doing each step, and can kind of visualize it with your pattern pieces ("okay, so I sew this and this, and then turn it out and baste on this"). Also, START WITH NON-PATTERNED FABRIC! Get something without stripes, plaids, and if you can manage it, without a 'right' and 'wrong' side to the fabric. This will make you want to cry less. If you have specific questions feel free to pm me - I sew a TON now.

[Guest guest4729]

So I started sewing in the historic costuming community. If you have a particular type of clothes you want to sew (steampunk, medieval, vintage, etc) then you may be able to find a 'stitch n bitch' group near your house. I didn't used to use patterns at all, ever, and now I've gotten into using them quite a lot for vintage stuff.

If you've never sewn before, go to the library and check out some 'how to sew' books, which should have some information on basic stitches, when to use which, terminology (which can be AWFUL and confusing), and pattern construction. Then go to the store, get some on-sale fabric, a simplicity 'easy to sew' pattern, and take it home (you shouldn't try anything more complex than the 'easy to sew' patterns at the beginning, unless you have a helper. Some companies make wonderful directions so even the most complex patterns are doable, and some are just arcane at the best of time. Make sure to check the back of the pattern for your size (bring your measurements - they're no the same sizes as dresses in the store!) and get everything it says you need (interfacing, buttons, zippers, etc).

Then there's a steep learning curve, if you're by yourself. I'm not going to lie - it can be really frustrating sometimes. But read the directions over several times. Make sure you understand why you're doing each step, and can kind of visualize it with your pattern pieces ("okay, so I sew this and this, and then turn it out and baste on this"). Also, START WITH NON-PATTERNED FABRIC! Get something without stripes, plaids, and if you can manage it, without a 'right' and 'wrong' side to the fabric. This will make you want to cry less. If you have specific questions feel free to pm me - I sew a TON now.

That bit of advice was actually extremely helpful for some basic dos and don'ts. I'll look online to see if there are any local sewing groups, clubs or whatever. I love Steampunk style so maybe eventually I'll get into that. Right now I'd like to make basic skirts or even shirts if possible. I know I can do it, it just takes discipline and patience. That's why I swear a lot - gets out my frustration without the urge of breaking things. Hehe.

[Oogiem]

I taught myself to sew and I'm still not very good.

In addition to the useful tips I'd say be sure to pick something you like for your first projects. Even if it's way too complex, if you want the final garment you'll stick it out and learn how to do it. Also don't be afraid to rip things out several times until you are satisfied.

I tried to learn on simple skirts and blouses but it never stuck because I just flat couldn't get interested in learning on things I knew I'd never wear. But give me a pattern from Reconstructing History, or some hand woven fabric and I'm good to go even if it *is* beyond my current skill level. I have several partially done things that are on hold because I need to learn how to do something to finish it.

When I decided I wanted to make a quilt top I didn't pick something simple. I picked Around the World pattern with all vintage fabrics to go with our guest house. I was glad I had extra fabric as I had to redo several sets of things before I was happy with my seams. Now the top is done and my next task is to learn how to do the actual quilting.

BTW for steampunk Kass at Reconstructing History has a lot of suitable patterns and I've found her instructions pretty easy to follow if you read them entirely first.

ALso FWIW I tend to do best winging it, it's like how I knit, cast on and take off. But you may find you do better with specific patterns.

[VintageGeek]

Like Oogiem, I taught myself to sew (and knit and crochet too) and I'm not awesome at it, but I still love it.

Craftster.org

Ohmystars.net

cutoutandkeep.net

threadbanger.com

All four of these sites are LOADED with inspiration and easy-to-follow tutorials. Not really any "patterns" to be had, but when it comes to sewing clothes, I found it was easiest to start by tailoring or altering existing garments to change their look or fit. That allows you to start with cheap material too, since I know you've said you're on a budget, and I know it's a very solid foundation in the Steampunk community, since so much of the attitude behind the movement itself is based on finding cool stuff and making it work for you.

A few other tips for just starting out:

1. Buy cheap fabric to start with. You'll be tempted by all the fancy brocades and stuff, but your best bet is to start off with nice simple cottons and stuff.

2. Ribbed and other knit fabric is MURDER to knit with if you don't have a ball-point needle for your sewing machine. It has a blunt end so it just slips between the knit stitches that make up the fabric, instead of trying to cut through it with a sharp point.

3. Start off with simply constructed things like bags, pillows, etc. Use these projects to get really good at "reading" your machine. It's like a car or a computer. Sometimes you have to know just the right way to work with it to get it to work with you.

4. There will be books at the library you can look at, and also estate sales and thrift stores are great places to find some awesome vintage pattern books and "how to" books and magazines.

I am so excited for you!!! You're gonna have a great time. Sewing something you can actually wear outside the house is a pretty phenomenal thing.

[Atalan]

Muslin cotton is the stuff to start on. And to keep in mind for later when you're trying to make something without a pattern and need to test it out...

Later on, always surf the online fabric stores, they have the best deals (eg: Shetland wool for $7.99/yard here: http://www.fabricmartfabrics.com/xcart/Shetland-Wool-7.99/ )

[Grosby]

Oh I got a sewing machine last year! I love it! One of my main reasons to lose weight was to combat the price of material I'd need to make my own clothes *snort*

I'm self taught, there are tutorials all over the 'net for just about anything - my favourite thing to do is repurpose, it's easy to do and it doesn't matter if you screw up because you didn't just spend a $20/yd for material... just go into your closet, find some article of clothing you're not wearing and google "Repurpose -blah- tutorial" and see what comes up

[Guest guest4729]

It's a shame that most of my clothes already fit, but I have some oversized t-shirts I sleep in. Perhaps one of my first projects will be resizing them so they fit better and aren't 3 times larger than me. They aren't really something I need to keep around, so if I screw up I can just throw it away or something. They're pretty light weight and cotton as well.

@VintageGeek - I've been to a few of those website in passing but never really looked past a page or two because I didn't have a sewing machine. Now that I do I can actually make fun things. Yay! So exciting!

Now here comes the motivation part...sometimes I get deterred easily but sewing allows for so much creativity that I don't want to give up on it before I even begin. lol

[VintageGeek]

Definitely start small then. Little bitty steps - if you try to take on something too big at first, or too far beyond your current skill level, you're likely to get frustrated. I know I do. But I also get frustrated doing projects that are too easy. So it can be tricky to find the right project. Make sure it's fun, first and foremost.

[IrishAmazon]

Jumping in to offer my two cents...

This is the best blog post I've ever read for a beginning seamstress: http://www.dressaday.com/2008/02/the-dress-a-day-guide-to-learning-to-sew-part-one.html. Actually, her whole blog is worth reading, but start there!

I also highly recommend the Reader's Digest "The New Complete Guide to Sewing." Amazing reference book for all kinds of techniques. I've been sewing since I was 9 years old, and I still refer to this all the time when I hit a snag and need a little help.

Sewing can be incredibly frustrating to learn by yourself, so set yourself up for success as much as possible - give yourself plenty of time to finish projects, choose easy-to-sew fabric to start with (can't really beat basic woven cottons for this), and find places to seek out help when you hit a stumbling block -online tutorials, a sewing group in your neighborhood, classes at the local fabric store. Because for all the frustration when you're up at 1 AM wrestling with a zipper that just won't %#$*ing lie flat, nothing beats the feeling of swanning around in an awesome new dress and being able to tell people that you made it yourself.

There are also a ton of great sewing blogs out there if you need a little motivation. Nothing like seeing what other amazing women have created to give you a kick in the pants when needed. In addition to A Dress a Day, I also love Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing

[bananandrea]

I don't have much advice- My mom taught me to sew as part of my homeschooling...

But I just wanted to say- Good luck! It's really fun and I enjoyed it!

I agree with the person that said don't hesitate to rip seams and redo it until it's just right. While frustrating sometimes it's worth it. And it helps to take out your anger by ripping the seam lol

[Guest guest4729]

Jumping in to offer my two cents...

This is the best blog post I've ever read for a beginning seamstress: http://www.dressaday.com/2008/02/the-dress-a-day-guide-to-learning-to-sew-part-one.html. Actually, her whole blog is worth reading, but start there!

I also highly recommend the Reader's Digest "The New Complete Guide to Sewing." Amazing reference book for all kinds of techniques. I've been sewing since I was 9 years old, and I still refer to this all the time when I hit a snag and need a little help.

Sewing can be incredibly frustrating to learn by yourself, so set yourself up for success as much as possible - give yourself plenty of time to finish projects, choose easy-to-sew fabric to start with (can't really beat basic woven cottons for this), and find places to seek out help when you hit a stumbling block -online tutorials, a sewing group in your neighborhood, classes at the local fabric store. Because for all the frustration when you're up at 1 AM wrestling with a zipper that just won't %#$*ing lie flat, nothing beats the feeling of swanning around in an awesome new dress and being able to tell people that you made it yourself.

There are also a ton of great sewing blogs out there if you need a little motivation. Nothing like seeing what other amazing women have created to give you a kick in the pants when needed. In addition to A Dress a Day, I also love Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing

Thanks for the links! I'll be looking into some beginners sewing books and see if I can find a cheaper one. I'm on a tight budget and I know I still need a few things to use to sew (like a seam ripper, for example.) I think I might look around to see if any craft stores offer sewing lessons or basic training. That would help a ton.

[sashi]

I don't have much advice- My mom taught me to sew as part of my homeschooling...

But I just wanted to say- Good luck! It's really fun and I enjoyed it!

I agree with the person that said don't hesitate to rip seams and redo it until it's just right. While frustrating sometimes it's worth it. And it helps to take out your anger by ripping the seam lol

I've been sewing since I was a child, so I can't even really remember how, exactly, I was taught (my grandmother was a seamstress and taught me -- I made all of my own Barbie clothes!).

I have to agree with what everyone else has said here -- especially about not hesitating to rip out seams. I also agree with learning the terminology. I "taught" my boyfriend how to sew by telling him to RTFP, although I did help him out with laying his pattern out for cutting and explaining what the million different stitches were.

Good to see NF has so many seamstresses representing! I make all my own costumes, and once built 3 corsets one summer for me and my friends to do our version of steampunkesque Clue.

[Guest guest4729]

I've been sewing since I was a child, so I can't even really remember how, exactly, I was taught (my grandmother was a seamstress and taught me -- I made all of my own Barbie clothes!).

I have to agree with what everyone else has said here -- especially about not hesitating to rip out seams. I also agree with learning the terminology. I "taught" my boyfriend how to sew by telling him to RTFP, although I did help him out with laying his pattern out for cutting and explaining what the million different stitches were.

Good to see NF has so many seamstresses representing! I make all my own costumes, and once built 3 corsets one summer for me and my friends to do our version of steampunkesque Clue.

Oh I love corsets but can't afford them myself. I would LOVE to be able to make them one day! That would be amazing.

[sashi]

Oh I love corsets but can't afford them myself. I would LOVE to be able to make them one day! That would be amazing.

I couldn't afford them either and most of the ones off the rack wouldn't fit me. It was a fun project, though. I've even got all the parts to make me another one or two, but I just need time.

[Guest guest4729]

I couldn't afford them either and most of the ones off the rack wouldn't fit me. It was a fun project, though. I've even got all the parts to make me another one or two, but I just need time.

If you ever get to it, make me one and send it my way! Haha. I wish. I would love to own a corset but they're very expensive and if you order one online you never know if it'll actually fit or not. Most of the corsets that would fit me everywhere are for women with large chests - that's WAY more than I've got! lol

[Oogiem]

I would love to own a corset but they're very expensive and if you order one online you never know if it'll actually fit or not.

I have a set of stays I bought but you can find good patterns for various era corsets on-line and lots of places to get the bones to fill them with. Cable or zip ties make great corset bones and hemptraders.com has decent canvas for the actual fabric parts.

I know I said it before but go check out reconstructinghistory.com and look at her patterns and also her free articles. Lots of useful stuff there. Truly Victorian also has nice patterns suitable for Steampunk

[Guest guest4729]

I have a set of stays I bought but you can find good patterns for various era corsets on-line and lots of places to get the bones to fill them with. Cable or zip ties make great corset bones and hemptraders.com has decent canvas for the actual fabric parts.

I know I said it before but go check out reconstructinghistory.com and look at her patterns and also her free articles. Lots of useful stuff there. Truly Victorian also has nice patterns suitable for Steampunk

Ugh, those are some expensive patterns. Perhaps when I become a bit more advanced with sewing I'll reach out and try some of those things. Until then I think I'll be patient and not get ahead of myself with the sewing. Gotta work up from the basics!

[sashi]

I lovelovelove Truly Victorian.

Funny you should mention zip ties since I used those in my mock-ups.

Awsd, when I made the ones I did, I had to custom fit them. There are a few online retailers that do custom orders (you send in a bajillion measurements, they send you a muslin mockup for fitting, you make comments, send it back, etc.). They're really pricey though.

[Oogiem]

Ugh, those are some expensive patterns.

true but they are full size on heavy paper so you can reuse them a lot, they have all sorts of historical notes included and are very accurate or at least explain why various choices were made in the pattern.

[Guest guest4729]

true but they are full size on heavy paper so you can reuse them a lot, they have all sorts of historical notes included and are very accurate or at least explain why various choices were made in the pattern.

Perhaps when I have more money I'll look into them, especially if I get really good at sewing and would like to make my own Steampunk gear. I'll bookmark it.

['Roos]

I did a lot of corsets/bodices in my day, but I did mostly earlier period ones (1550's english mostly) which require a bit less 'expertise', I think, as opposed to the victorian and later ones.

[caithnard]

Corsets that require less structure (i.e. ones for a costume that aren't shape-altering) are actually pretty simple to make once you have some sewing experience under your belt. They are little counter intuitive since they're pretty different from other types of clothing (at least, different from the other type of clothing that I make), but once you get the hang of it, they're fast. I think I made around 15 corsets last year for various costumes and was able to make them very quickly in the end.

In addition to the websites mentioned, I'd suggest checking out http://www.burdastyle.com/ . If you have a particular type of clothing you want to make, you could also try buying something similar at the thrift store, seam ripping it, and looking how the pieces fit together.

['Roos]

Oooh - I love Burda patterns. I have two pairs of pants from an altered pattern of theirs and they fit just as measured. Also, really easy instructions (generally).

[Asuria]

Start with something easy like a tote bag, just to learn how your machine works and what it can do. If you want to start with clothing straight away, try a simple a-line skirt. But before you start any project, get to know your machine. Try all the stitches, read the manual,... It's so important to know what you are working with. I know my machine inside and out. Literally. I do most of the maintenance myself.

Fabric

- When you start sewing, use cheap fabric. Either fabric you find in a thrift store or old curtains.

Patterns

- Simplicity has a line of easy patterns for $0.99. (www.simplicity.com)

- Colette Patterns has a beautiful, beginner a-line skirt pattern (love it!) (www.colettepatterns.com)

- Burdastyle has a ton of free patterns for bags, dresses, skirts, blouses,... (www.burdastyle.com)

Books

- More craft related, but very good to start learning to use your machine: one yard wonders by Rebacca Yaker and Patricia Hoskins

- Another fun one: Sewing in a straight line by Brett Bara. It's a bunch of projects in which you only have to use a straight stitch. Anything from pillow cases to skirts.

- I've heard good things about this book, but don't own it myself. It's a good book for beginners apparently: Sew everything workshop by Diana Rupp

- A general sewing book is always a good thing to invest in: The Sewing Book by Alison Smith.

Oh! And I just came across this in my feed-reader: Tilly from http://www.tillyandthebuttons.com is doing a "get to know your machine" blogseries.