Learning to sew.. Need your help!!?

Question

I want to learn how to make clothing.. I have never done any sewing.. The closest I have done is cross stitching..

What should I start out with?? (hats, purses, etc.)

What kind of machine?? (Trying to keep it under $150.)

Should I take a lesson or two or is it fairly simple??

Last, what are three things that every sewer (not sure if thats even a word!!) should know??

Thanks in advance!!

Answer 1

Three things to know:



1. Use the sharpest cutting implement you can get. A rotary cutter (like for quilting) is good. You will also need good shears.

2. Be aware of the "straight grain of the fabric." The straight grain is the vertical pathway one thread travels from the beginning of your fabric piece to the other end of it. It's important for your pattern to be laid out on the straight grain so the fabric hangs correctly.

3. Mark all construction indicators. I have used chalk, carbon, tailor's tacks, and edge clips. They all work, so which one to use is a matter of personal preference. Without them, however, it is difficult to locate the correct points to "match up," particularly for a beginner.



I recommend a lesson or two. Your local community college's continuing education department or vocational department probably offers classes. If not, there's probably a local fabric shop that does.



I also recommend that you buy a copy of "The Bishop Method of Clothing Construction," by Edna Bryte Bishop. The original editions are best, but the more recent ones that were "updated" and revised by another author are okay. I have seen them for less than $5, including shipping, on eBay and Amazon. The styles will be horrendously out of date, but ignore that part and read about the techniques, particularly the techniques for altering a pattern to fit.



I recommend you start with an apron. You get practice in working with the straight grain of the fabric, matching points, and sewing a straight seam. A gathered apron will also give you practice in sewing gathers. Here's an on-line free pattern for an apron: http://www.sewingideas.com/downloadables/ApronAndPotHolder.pdf. You don't have to wear it--you can give it away or use it for a rag. The idea is to practice the techniques.



As to the type of machine: You can get an inexpensive machine at Wal*Mart or Sears. The last inexpensive machine I bought was a Singer, and it was a good machine 10 years ago. I can't speak for the Singer machines currently manufactured. What I would do if I were in the market for a machine is to go to the stores that sell machines and ask for a demonstration including the chance to try it yourself. I also would take lessons before buying a machine so I'd have a clearer idea of what I was buying.



You might think about taking lessons from a Bernina dealer, a Pfaff dealer, or a Viking/Husqvarna dealer. Their machines are NOT cheap. Some of them look as though they belong on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise. However, they do take trade-ins on their top-of-the-line and embroidery machines, and you might want to buy a reconditioned trade-in that's in your price range. That plan would get you a better machine for the same money as a bottom-of-the-line machine new at Wal*Mart.

Answer 2

You have some great suggestions already, but my advise is

1) start with a simple pattern of something you WANT or could use. so that when you finish you have something useful.

2) check out lots of machines and make yourself a list in your note book.

3) high end machines are wonderful and they do take trade-ins, which are refurbished and resold. (chance of a good deal_

4) don't buy too far above your ability because you don't be able to operate it. Buy a more advance model when you see you are going to stay with it.

5) check, ebay, local new papers, and ask Friends. I personally have 5 machines and recently gave away an old necchi but I haven't used in years. And still have an old singer and a kenmore and another singer and a brothers. Gave away the fancy serger becasue I could not work it. That machine hated me.

6) Buy fabric when you see some you like (if you have the money) because you may never see it again and your rating in Heaven is based on how much fabric you buy before you die.

7) Let friends who sew, know that you are taking up sewing they will love to help.

8) do not tell friends who do not sew that you are taking up sewing because they will give you requests for special orders.



9) You will never regret learning to sew. You can make your own cloths, to fit and make some wonderfully creative garments. You can do the pillows, drapers, table clothes, bed clothing, window treatments, decoration and seasonal items and some wonderful gifts.

Answer 3

Take some lessons. Learning to sew without any help isn't easy at all.

For a decent machine that isn't going to give you trouble you are going to need to spend more than 50.

You will need to learn how to use a sewing machine and how to read a pattern. Try Simplicity's "Sewing for Dummies" patterns. Start out with just making a seam and learning to sew straight. Then a pair of PJ bottoms is a good first garment to sew.

Answer 4

A singer or brother are both very good sewing machines to start with.

Go to your local library for books on sewing.

If you know of someone who could help you with your sewing by all means use there help.

Start out doing something small until you feel comfortable with what you are doing. Then move onto bigger things.

What every sewer should have are good shears for cutting, plenty supply of needles and patience when sewing for the first time. I still want to add one more thing and that's an iron for pressing open your seams. For some reason when taking sewing in Home Eco. class it has stuck with all these years.

Good luck and enjoy your new hobby.

Answer 5

Take some scraps of the fabrics that you plan to use (wovens are easier to start with than knits but a good stretch stitch on your machine will help a lot) to a sewing machine dealer. Tell them that you want to look at their used machines.



A good dealer may offer classes (for a fee) and can understand that if the used machine you buy today gets you interested in sewing, there is a very good chance that you will come back to them to buy a newer machine as soon as you can afford it.



The used machines should be cleaned & oiled before being sold - so sit down and try out the machines to see which ones sew well on your fabrics. After sewing from one corner to the opposite corner on a five inch square (on the bias) try to pull the two corners to see how long it takes the stitches to break. Turn back one layer to see how the stitches look (that is what will be showing from the outside of your garment).



Readers' Digest has some very good BASIC books - one came out in the 1970s, one in the early 1990s, and a third more recently. Used bookstores (or Amazon) may have a copy at a smaller price - any will work even if the suggested projects are a bit dated.



Three things?



Buy good fabric, good needles, and good thread - you can't make a good project with bad materials or bad tools (same thing with cooking - rancid butter and old eggs will not make nearly as tasty a cake). Ask a man if HE'D use cheap tools and warped wood to try learning how to do woodworking (if he says yes, don't ask him to build you a bookcase).



Even experience sewers end up ripping out stitches some of the time. I've been sewing for over thirty-five years - I've worn out a few seam rippers in my time!



Third, sometimes it's just like the line from an old country & western song, sometimes you have to walk away from the sewing machine table for a while. It is a mistake to cut fabric when tired (and cutting the project too small is the hardest thing to recover from) or sew along the correct seam line when you are tired (guess when I do most of my ripping out?).



(Singing "know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, know when to run".)



Quiltropolis and Yahoo have groups that might have the same interests and even a member in your area to talk to. The local fabric store may also have classes.



Simple project that might come in handy right now - pillow cases, fancy aprons, and drawstring bags for gifts. Same project with a zipper and you have a bag to keep your makeup in or put in your suitcase for toothpaste, toothbrush, and shampoo.

Answer 6

Try a Brother & love it. Make sure it sew straight & zig zag. After that, the options are endless. I would avoid an electronic machine as a starter, manual machines are much more straight-forward. However, if you see yourself doing lots of fancy embroidery, then that may be the way to go. Try www.epinions.com. It's a consumer based sited where people write reports on 1000's of different products.



Also, the best garments to start out with are



* Simple elastic skirts



*Straight jumpers



*Scarves



*Vests with buttons



Do NOT try



*hats



* purses



*zippers



*pants



*jackets



*shirts



unless they are incredibly simple patterns, because they can be complicated. Don't forget--just because your project is smaller does NOT mean it will be simple. In fact, some of the smaller garments are the most complicated.



I sewed for years, and I eventually built my way up to blouses, jackets, pants, vests, formal dresses, purses, etc.



Keep at it and have fun! It is a great hobby!

Answer 7

I agree with Love2smile. I've been sewing clothes for years, and have picked up tons of tips and techniques from books, but only after getting the basics first in a class. It is really worth it to take a basic sewing class with an in-person instructor when you're beginning.

Answer 8

Yes, sewer's a word... though I prefer "those of us who sew", and some people like "sewist", which lands with a dull thud on my ear.



Start out by learning to sew straight lines and smooth curves on paper --- it's easier than handling fabric. When you've got basic skills mastered, move on to potholders, placemats, totebags, pillowcases if you've got to gut it out on your own -- but I highly recommend at least a beginning class in something -- t-shirts or tea cozies or whatever they're teaching, because there are some issues for most people in learning how to choose fabrics, lay out patterns properly, etc. If you can't find a beginning class and can't find someone to at least supervise your initial efforts, I'd suggest Connie Crawford's Studio Sewing Secrets DVD, which starts with learning to thread the machine and moves through all the basic garment techniques: http://www.butterick.com/item/CC770.htm??tab=connie_crawford&page=3



Sewing is not something you pick up in the afternoon.... it can be a life long journey of creativity if you so choose. Over the years, I've drifted from hand embroidery to clothes to custom outdoor gear to clothes to pattern drafting and draping to general sewing to quilts to clothes to technical textiles to....with many, many stops in between. There's always room for a creative project when the mood strikes, always room for something simple, and always a bunch of repairs to do.



Things to remember:

--grainline, grainline and grainline

--if you rip it out three times, back away for awhile -- this is not the project for you for this instant.

--patterns are not always right

--cheap fabric, cheap interfacing, cheap thread are wastes of your time and money. Good quality doesn't have to be expensive, but sewing works so much better with good stuff.

--precise cutting makes precise sewing easier which makes everything look better.



http://www.sewing.org http://www.asg.org



Beginner sewing machine rant:

http://www.cet.com/~pennys/faq/smfaq.htm



What I want for beginners in sewing:



- a machine that doesn't scare you

- a machine that isn't balky (cheap new machines are often very

balky or need adjustments often and are rarely repairable --

just too frustrating to learn on!)

- very good straight stitch

- good zigzag (4-5 mm is fine, more than that is gravy)

- a method of making buttonholes that makes sense to you

- adjustable presser foot pressure (which helps some fabric

handling issues)

- accessory presser feet that don't cost an arm and a leg

(machines that use a "short shank foot" typically handle

generic presser feet pretty well. Some brands of machines use

proprietary or very expensive presser feet)



If the budget stretches far enough:



- blindhem and stretch blindhem stitches

- triple zigzag (nice for elastic applications)

- a couple of decorative stitches (you won't use them nearly as

much as you think)

- electronic machine because of the needle position control and

because the stepper motors give you full "punching force" at

slow sewing speeds -- mechanical machines often will stall at

slow speeds.





Please go to the best sewing machine dealers around and ask them

to show you some machines in your price range, *especially* used

machines you can afford. You'll get a far better machine buying

used than new, and a good dealer is worth their weight in sewing

machine needles when you get a machine problem -- often they can

talk you through the problem over the phone. While you're trying

things out, try a couple of machines (sewing only, not combo

sewing-embroidery) over your price limit, just so you can see

what the difference in stitch quality and ease of use might be.

You may find you want to go for the used Cadillac. Or you might

want the new basic Chevy. Might as well try both out.



Suggested reading: John Giordano's The Sewing Machine Book

(especially for used machines), Carol Ahles' Fine Machine Sewing

(especially the first and last few chapters) and Gale Grigg

Hazen's Owner's Guide to Sewing Machines, Sergers and Knitting

Machines. All of these are likely to be available at your public

library.



Used brands I'd particularly look for: Elna, Bernina,

Viking/Husqvarna, Pfaff, Singer (pre 1970), Juki, Toyota



New "bargain brand" I'd probably pick: Janome (who also does

Kenmore).

Answer 9

You are probably tired of looking through stacks and stacks of projects on woodworking in magazines and books of all kinds for some instructions on how to do a certain project. Here is a site which offers 16000 plans https://tr.im/A5Gtg

How would you like to have woodworking plans (actually thousands of them) available to you anytime you wanted them. It would be so easy when you do not have to paw through all kinds of old magazines but have it right there at your fingertips.