Start Your Sewing Journey: My How To Tips & Resources!
So you added “Learn To Sew” to your goals for the year! Your vision board has pictures of fun garments you want to make yourself. You have a sewing machine tucked away in the top of your closet….but you just haven’t STARTED! Well, you have come to the right place….welcome to my SEWING CLASSROOM🪡 Here I will be sharing all of my tips, tricks, and how to’s that I believe are vital to the success of learning how to sew.
As someone who has been sewing for about 20 years (basically since I started taking an interest in clothes and fashion) and as a past fashion design teacher ( I taught high school fashion design for 4 years) I have seen every level of sewing skill in a student and I have also see them all succeed at creating something they are proud of and learning the skills needed to become a VERY (if not somewhat) confident SEWIST!
1️⃣ Just START
The first place you have to start is getting a sewing machine !
While there are many machines on the market at all different price points, you shouldn’t have to pay more than $250 + for your first machine. You can even find one used on Facebook Marketplace or get one of the lower grade beginner models from Brother, Singer, or Janome. You can checkout some of my top budget friendly beginner machines HERE
Aside from getting a sewing machine, the key to learning anything is to simply first START!!
Sewing can definitely seem scary and intimidating, but I guarantee you that once you start learning you will discover how much you LOVE it! When I taught High School fashion design, one of my favorite and the most rewarding things was seeing student have their lightbulb moment of learning to sew and falling in love with it!
A great place to start is…
learning to thread your sewing machine & make a bobbin & thread a bobbin (click the links for video tutorials)!
Understand various sewing terms so that you can be fluent in “sewing speak”! Here is a video where I explain them all.
My TOP Beginner (and budget friendly) Sewing Machine Recommendations:
You can read more about why I reccommend each of these machines in THIS INSTAGRAM Post!
Don’t forget the TOOLS of the TRADE! Here are the basic sewing tools that you will find helpful as you start out:
Sewing Tools To Start Out:
Fabric Scissors
Rotary Cutter
Cutting Mat
Iron
Seam Guage
Seam Ripper
Tape Measure
Magnet Pin Holder & Pins
Fabric Pens (Frixion Pen)
2️⃣ Define your WHY
Motivation to learn a new skill is often rooted in a reason WHY…so answer the question of WHY you want to learn how to sew! Do you want to...
Learn to sew your own clothes
Make clothes for other people
Make small sewing projects
Make home decor or bedding
Be more sustainable & ethical
Turn it into a business
Teach others
Etc...
(Your WHY will be the motivation to keep you pushing forward to grow and inspire your creativity along the way!)
3️⃣ Find & Use your RESOURCES
The internet and social media are a wealth of knowledge when it comes to learning to sew! Pretty much anything you want to learn you can google and find blog posts & videos that walk you through all the steps.
RESOURCES:
YouTube (especially sewing creators)
Books
Instagram (find the sewists)
TikTok
Start saving videos, profiles, and books that you can come back to when you have questions or resources that you use to start your journey!
Checkout my YouTube channel for multiple playlists & videos for Beginners & Sewing Education!
4️⃣ Be intentional & set aside SEWING TIME
Sometimes it is hard to find time in a busy schedule to learn a new skill, so if you really want to learn to sew you have to be intentional!
TIPS For Creating Sewing Time: ⏰
Pencil in sewing time to your calendar so that you see it throughout the week.
Instead of sitting on the couch to watch a show, choose to sew instead (or multitask)
Learn 1 new stitch / skill a week
Set an alarm for a certain time every day that reminds you to go sew :)
Sew for just 15-30 minutes (if that’s all the time you have)
Sew during Naptime (for all you moms) or sew for a bit in the evenings.
As you get lost in sewing over time, you will realize how easy it is to sew for hours on end and loose track of time!
5️⃣ Build a foundation of Basic Sewing Seams
Before you start any big sewing projects learn some of the basic seams, seam finishes and sewing techniques. This will give you a foundation of knowledge to understand construction when you are following the directions for a project. I created a Seams & Seam Finished sewing packet that will teach you everything you need to Know! You can find the packet on my Etsy & the video tutorials on my YouTube
Checkout my Seams & Seam Finishes Packet (get it on ETSY) that I created when I was teaching Fashion Design. This packet is designed to teach you the basic sewing seams & finishes used on many beginner (and even intermediate) projects. Complete the packet & gain confidence in your skills! The packet comes with directions & video links to tutorials.
6️⃣ Grow your skills with SMALL projects
Don’t dive head first into a complicated piece of clothing (unless you really want to give yourself a challenge)! Start small and get confident in growing your skills and following directions and patterns for fun projects you can get excited about!
Small Projects I would recommend:
Basic Tote Bag ( here are a few examples & patterns: option 1, option 2, option 3)
Zipper Pouch (here are a few examples & patterns: option 1, option 2, option 3)
Key Fob (here are a few examples & patterns: option 1, option 2, option 3)
Scrunchie (here are a few examples & patterns: option 1, option 2, option 3)
Book Sleeve (here are a few examples & patterns: option 1, option 2, option 3)
Pillow Case (here are a few examples & patterns: option 1, option 2, option 3)
(Many of these project have FREE patterns you can find online by just searching Google or YouTube.)
7️⃣ Branch out and sew an easy garment
After you are feeling confident about basic seams & following directions for sewing projects, branch out and sew your first garment!
Beginner Garments I Would Recommend:
Pajama Pants (checkout this pattern)
Boxer Shorts (checkout this tutorial on my YouTube or this Pattern)
Elastic Waist Skirt (checkout this tutorial or this pattern)
Tie Front Top (checkout this tutorial on my YouTube or this pattern)
Apron (checkout this pattern)
(Many of these project have FREE patterns or step by step tutorials you can find online by just searching Google or YouTube)
You can also support Indie Pattern designers by purchasing their patterns on Etsy! Many Indie Designers have great beginner projects & tutorials.
8️⃣ Don’t Stop…JUST KEEP SEWING
You have your “sewjo” so don’t stop! Keep sewing and creating things that you love!
By now you probably realized how much you LOVE sewing (and you get the hype) so use that passion and keep growing your skills with each project, challenging yourself to keep learning new things.
Questions to ask yourself as you continue learning:
What do I want to learn to make?
What sewing skills do I need to know in order to make that project?
How can I learn that sewing skill? (go back to your resources)
What is my Ultimate GOAL of something I want to sew in order to feel truly accomplishes? (maybe its’s a quilt, a dress, a jacket, etc.)
9️⃣ Believe that you have the talent & don’t compare yourself
Sewing is a PROCESS! It will take time for you to fully become confident as a sewist, but don’t let that deter you from being creative! There is so much to learn, and as you create and sew each new project or item of clothing you are learning more and more skills that are growing your talent!
One day you will sew that DREAM project you never thought you could and that will be the day that makes all the late nights of sewing worth it!
You are about to become another one of the sewing girls👏🏻💕
If you are looking for additional resources I have multiple videos and playlists on my YouTube channel that teach you beginner skills! You can also find the seams and seam finished sample pack on my Etsy (this is a fabulous learning replace for you)