10 Beginner Sewing Tips You Actually Need to Hear!
Once you’ve decided you’re going to give sewing a chance in your free time, it can be overwhelming to see how many resources are out there to help you out! YouTube is a great place to learn some sewing tips, but I’m often talking to my screen asking why they didn’t show the backside of the machine, or what that pocket looked like on the OTHER side of the garment so I can compare. Wanting to connect in person with other sewists was a huge part of creating this Winnipeg Sews community, I just don’t only want to be behind a screen, you know?
As you’re starting out and maybe looking at taking a couple workshops here at Winnipeg Sews, I figured I would collate a bunch of our beginner patterns/resources for our workshops in one place! So here’s the WS Top Ten:
#10: Take the time to learn your machine!
Whether it’s online, your manual, or in class at Hello, Machine, take the time to understand how and why your machine works. The interconnectedness of thread type, needle type, stitch type and fabric type will ROCK YOUR WORLD when it comes to making sense of “tension” issues.
#9: Choose your garment patterns based on what you actually want to wear!
Sewing is so expensive in time and money, you might as well have something you will love in your closet at the end of the experience. There is no point in purchasing low quality fabric to make things you don’t want or need just to learn how to sew. Practice the fundamentals on some thrifted fabrics like table cloths or sheets. Practice seam allowance until you can follow it consistently. Practice pressing to make sure you won’t scorch your fabric. Practice darts, welt pockets, top-stitching etc. on little squares before you put them in your suit pants. Practice small and sew big!
#8: Measure yourself as objectively as you can.
Many people find body measurements upsetting as they have a moral value equated to a certain number or size. Trying to keep moral value separate from size in your head doesn’t always work because society is full of reminders that you should define yourself via your body shape and size. Unfortunately, clothes just don’t fit properly if you don’t measure yourself and then you’ve spent all this time and money to make something too big or small. It’s demoralizing! Sewing sizes are different from mall sizes, so if you wear a 22, don’t just make a 22 without checking!
If you need to, try taking your measurements in an unfamiliar measuring system, metric or imperial. That can help unplug your brain from feeling a way about a size.
#7: Take the freebie!!
Not all pattern companies are created equal. When you find a pattern company you love, that fits your style AND your size (more on that in #6), check to see if they offer a freebie. This free download is often a great way to assess the company’s patterns and instructions. You’ll be able to decide if you like the way they explain sewing steps, if you prefer photos of steps or illustrations of steps and so much more! Some patterns have notches that don’t match up, or measurements that don’t make sense and you end up thinking it’s YOU! Without context, it’s normal to think we’ve made a mistake. Check through the FAQ page, read through the website to see if they talk about sizing/grading and who makes their patterns (ie: if they use a qualified professional pattern-maker or…. not). After using a freebie pattern (from Totes to Underwear as well!) you can decide if you like that designer enough to pay for their work.
#6: One Size is a lie
When purchasing a pattern, make sure it comes in your size! Some independent pattern companies (often referred to as “indie patterns”) have made a switch to include more sizes in their offerings, but not all of them. Check the size chart and make sure you can find your measurements on the chart! If you don’t see them there, you have a few options depending on how much energy you have. You can send them an email and let them know that you would have been a customer if only they provided your size. You can look for a similar pattern at a more inclusive designer. You can ask them if they’ll grade up to your size as a one-off. If you’re a straight sized sewist like me (sizes 0-18ish) you can help make sewing more inclusive by not purchasing patterns from companies that don’t have a size chart up to at least 60”, and sending them an email letting them know that you love their designs but will wait until more people can access them before purchasing.
#5: PDF vs Printed Patterns.
Digital patterns have taken the sewing world by storm in the last 15 years. Being able to print your pattern on your home printer immediately after purchasing it has revolutionized the time it takes to gain access to sewing instruction. Within an hour you can move through the planning, searching, buying and printing a pattern stage and move directly on to sewing.
PDF patterns come to your computer directly after purchase in a couple of different ways: zip files or individual downloads. Zip files are folders with all the files inside that you download and extract on your computer. Inside the zip file you’ll find all the individual downloads. For each PDF pattern you buy you’ll likely get all or most of these files:
Instructions (Sometimes this file is just called the pattern name like “Daisy Dress Pattern”
Letter format (Daisy Dress Pattern - Letter sized or Print-At-Home)
A4 format (Daisy Dress Pattern - A4)
A0 format (Daisy Dress Pattern - A0) - this is a large size paper that is 3 feet by 4 feet
Copyshop format (Daisy Dress Pattern - Copyshop) - this is formatted for 36” wide paper and will be printed to the length of the pattern, it doesn’t stop after 4 feet like A0 does.
Projector format (Daisy Dress Pattern - Projector
When printing your PDF files at home you’ll open them in Adobe Reader (this is FREE you do NOT need to pay for Acrobat), and then click print. Make sure your scaling is correct at Actual size or 100%! Print your test page to check then if it is correct, print all your pages and start gluing/taping them together where indicated on the page.
When sending your PDF patterns to a copyshop (like here at Winnipeg Sews!), you’ll pay either by A0 sheet or by the foot of the paper used.
Printed patterns are also available and come packaged with the pattern on tissue paper and an instruction booklet inside. You can purchase them from individual companies or through third party retailers like fabric stores. The printed patterns are often a few dollars more than the PDF patterns, but keep in mind the cost of printing and assembling the PDF before you automatically go that route! It’s not necessarily cheaper.
There are some companies that offer their printed patterns ONLY in the smaller size range, so if any of your measurements are over 44” then double check that you’re buying the right pattern. Often the larger size range is only provided in PDF format and it’s on you to print and assemble it or pay for it to be printed.
#4: You only need the basics
Yeah, you need a sewing machine that can sew a straight line and a zig zag. You need a variety of needle sizes and types, some good scissors and some sharp pins. For real, you don’t need a serger, loop turners, purple thangs, specialty anything until you decide that sewing is IT for you.
#3: Actual beginner patterns
You’ll notice that the vast majority of patterns are labelled beginner. It’s the largest market and companies don’t want to miss out, but let’s define beginner shall we? No one seems to be on the same page as difficulty (as assessed in many, many, many classes) varies from one “beginner pattern” to another. Here are a few patterns that people in class have sewn successfully over and over:
Anna Allen Pomona Pants - Hip sizes up to 51"
Elizabeth Suzann Florence Pants - Hip sizes up to 61"
Elbe Textiles Fremantle Pants - Hip sizes 32”-61.5”
Peppermint Pocket Skirt - Hip sizes to 57.5”
Cashmerette Concord T-Shirt - Chest sizes to 62”
Helen’s Closet Jackson T-Shirt - Chest sizes to 63”
#2: Sewing is like driving
Remember when you learned to drive (or learned anything that required intense hand/eye coordination)? If you were anything like me, you took every opportunity available to test out the car again and again, and nailing the transition from clutch to gear to gas for the first time was like magic!
Learning something new as an adult is very different. We’re accustomed to being accomplished, skilled and probably good at most of what we do in life. Coming at sewing with a perfectionist/production driven mindset can be challenging as there’s a bit of a road between wanting to do something and understanding how it’s done and we aren’t in that same excited, “yes! I could try this all day” mindset. The foot pedal is your gas, your hands steer the fabric and it’s just as important that you know how to clear a birds nest jam as it is that you know how to fill up with gas, because it’s gonna happen. Stay the course, keep the momentum and remember that it’s much easier to build memories when you’re having a good time. Being part of a sewing community can be really good for keeping your motivation high!
#1: Clothing liberation
There has been a lot written about how doing something with your hands (like sewing, knitting, crochet, embroidery) helps bring about a state of mind that is conducive to calm and meditation. I don’t know about you, but I am fully present when I’m sewing. My brain and body are integrated because if I lose focus and start thinking about random other things I will for sure stick myself with a pin, cut through the front of my shirt or have some other type of injury. This is why there's a “no sewing after 9pm” rule in so many homes. Be your own liberation. Being embodied through your sewing practice and relishing that embodiment as you wear something you made with your own hands is a new kind of fashion freedom.
But the results are more than clothes. It’s a shift from fast to slow, from production to process. It’s a new way of thinking about your life through clothing that connects you to the earth and a community in a way you never quite thought it would.
Happy Sewing!