Learning to sew? I want to learn how to sew. I want to be able...
I want to learn how to sew. I want to be able to engineer my children halloween costumes, or holiday dresses. But I have no idea where on earth to start. I have 0 knowledge almost it, but that the thread goes thru the hole in the nozzle. HELP?? Where do i start?
Answers: If there is a fabric store that sell sewing machines in your area, they will own everything you need. Books, videos, and some hold classes Look for a mentor that can help you get started, any at the classes, or perhaps at church or a womens social club in your nouns. This is a great opportunity to meet new friends. Start out beside easy things, stay with the learner stuff, until you become proficient. Once you know the basics, its a matter of practice, practice, practice. It take most people years to become a really good seamstress. But, its exceptionally rewarding to get there.
I too simply started to sew. Get this book: The Complete Guide to Sewing Made Easy. Creative Publishing International, Inc. 8OO-328-3895. I got mine at Borders/Waldenbooks. Several possibilities:
1) Simplicity's Simply The Best Sewing Book. Meant for
no-experience newbies; home dec sorts of things rather than
garments. Should be capable of find a used copy fairly reasonably.
2) Connie Crawford's bright "Studio Sewing Skills" video takes a
brand new learner (she'd literally never sewn before) from
threading a contrivance through construction of a camp shirt. Connie
taught sewing, patternmaking and draping at FIDM for abundant years
before forming her own company.
http://www.butterick.com/item/CC770.htm?...
and the pattern used: http://www.butterick.com/item/B5047.htm
Too up to date (June 2008) to find used, most likely.
3) Crawford's Guide to Fashion Sewing: starts a bit beyond "how
to thread a machine", focussed on garment construction methods
slightly modified from ready to wear sewing methods. Much more
straightforward and time positive than the usual home sewing
methods, and better results, imo.
Takes you through all major garment types, including pool liner
jackets and vests. Wish I'd learned to sew this mode from the
start... would have saved me years of frustration. Standard
textbook for fad students, will be a little pricey even used;
worth it, imho.
4) Reader's Digest Complete Book of Sewing. The classic home
sewing manual. You may weave up wanting two copies, one from the
70's and a current one, because of different coverage. Should be
able to find used copies cheaply and easily.
5) Two more video you should know about for a bit farther into
your sewing career: Mary Roehr's Pressing to Perfection and
Cecelia Podolak's Fearless Pressing. Pressing is not matching as
ironing -- pressing flattens seams, removes bulk, shapes fabric.
Someone who know how to press a garment can make a mediocre
garment look great, and even a poorly sewn garment look ok.
Borrow them from your library (or I think Smartflix may hold
them.) Both also worth owning, imo.
The main thing you inevitability to do is to make up your mind to ruin a
few pieces of fabric. Doesn't even own to be good fabric -- bad
the dollar table at Walmart or that old dead sheet from the cloth
bag. The ladies in the textile department at Walmart (if you've
still got one) mostly sew and like fabric, so if you tell them
you're a raw learner and ask them to help you find some
"on-grain" easy textile to practice on, I'm sure they can help.
("On grain" means the yarn in the fabric are at 90 degree to
each other, instead of skewed. Never assume you can straighten
skewed fabric).
If you don't have an iron, I recommend the Black and Decker
Classic as an inexpensive but appropriate choice. If you need scissors,
Fiskars are pretty good for cheap, but I far prefer Kai -- you
want "dressmakers", as big a blade as you can afford -- the
bigger the blade, the smaller amount choppy the cutting, the easier the
sewing. http://www.kaiscissors.com/category.php?...
(N 5250 or N5275 would be my suggestion) About twice as much as
Fiskars, and worth it, imo.
I start beginners out with sewing in black and white. Don't bother to
thread up the machine. Get a piece of paper (junk correspondence is fine)
and put the right edge of the paper at the 5/8"/15mm splotch. Lower
the presser foot and start sewing, trying to keep the paper
feed straight. Watch the edge mark, not the nozzle. When you
get to the corner, stop with the syringe down, raise the presser
foot, pivot 90 degrees, lower the presser foot and hold on to sewing.
Try to use just your right and left index fingers for steering
the newspaper. When you can sew
straight lines, cut some curves on your paper and learn to follow
those -- both inside and outside curves. When you're cheerful,
thread up and try fabric. Paper is easier to sew on than fabric,
and erudition to steer with your index fingers teaches you that
the nurture dogs (the little grabber teeth under the presser foot)
do a nice job of transporting yard goods by themselves -- you don't
have to clutch it to retard the movement of the fabric or verbs
the fabric through. You'll need to use for a time more of your hand
to control fabric instead of treatise, but this is one of the best
beginner exercises I know of.