Sewing is a craft that has been in practice for thousands of years. This craft involves attaching pieces, most of which are fabrics by stitching them together with a needle and thread. This is one of the most useful and essential skills to have but can be very intimidating to learn.
Sewing helps us to connect with the people around us, in addition to creating lasting and amazing memories through shared tricks and tips that can be shared for years to come. Besides, it’s a hobby, which allows you to have unique items, all crafted by you. It helps to unleash the creativity within—whether you choose to make clothing, blankets, pillowcases, phone pouches, or gifts—the thing is, whatever you make is something you or your recipient will treasure.
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What essentials do beginners need to start sewing?
Basically, these are the equipment newbies need before they start sewing. The good thing with sewing is that it’s an accessible craft for anyone to try, and it doesn’t need a lot of supplies to start—whether you need to stitch by hand or a sewing machine.
Most supermarkets and craft shops have basic sewing kits that you can use to mend clothes from home. However, if you want to perfect your sewing skills, it’s advisable that you assemble your personal sewing kit.
Although you might not need all the items listed here, they might come in handy when you start sewing. The following are some of the things you should have in your sewing kit:
- Needles
- Pins
- Thread
- Sewing scissors
- Pincushion
- Pattern weights – they prevent the fabric from moving around when cutting out a pattern. This is also something that you can make on your own.
- Needle threader
- Measuring tape
- Rotary cutter – this tool makes it easy for one to cut their pattern pieces
- Seam ripper – helps to pull out seams—it’s a useful tool when planning to re-use fabric or in case you make a mistake when using a sewing machine.
- A sewing machine (manual or electric)
- Fabric markers – they come in handy when you want to mark patterns on your fabric
Learn sewing patterns
Sewing patterns are the instructions that direct one on how to assemble different pieces of fabrics to create the desired item. They give a guide on how to make accurate measurements, cut the right shapes, as well as the sequential steps needed to create an item.
Most sewing patterns like the custom sewing patterns by Fayma come with clearly marked and displayed ability levels. So, you should look for beginner sewing patterns in your case. When it comes to sewing patterns, you have paper patterns, which are more traditional, and the instructions are printed on a large piece of paper. Also, you have PDF or digital sewing patterns, which you can print and assemble.
So, depending on what you want to make, you can choose to follow along without printing the pattern. However, if you are making a clothing item, ensure that you take measurements of the person who will be wearing the item since most patterns follow standard measurements and sizes.
Start with the easiest sewing patterns
When learning how to sew, it can be very tempting to jump into the most technical projects right away. However, it’s advisable that you start with something easy or small and then progress to the most technical or complicated patterns.
One of the easiest things that you can learn to make as a beginner is a simple cushion cover. You should try out this as it allows you to exercise your basic sewing skills and complete your first pattern very fast. Cushion covers are very easy to make, and there’s a chance that people will notice the mistakes that you make when sewing them.
Here are a few other things that you can consider sewing as a beginner:
- Straight lines – these very easy to sew, which makes them a good place to start
- Less complicated items, which don’t require a lot of embellishments and frills
- Household items are other simple projects to start with. Please note that it can be a bit challenging to make clothing items when starting. So, start with items like blankets, burp cloths, or key fobs.
If you are wondering where to get beginner sewing patterns, don’t fret anymore. There are plenty of resources online where you can find sewing projects for beginners. YouTube is one of the places where you can easily learn how to sew different patterns.
Choosing a sewing machine
The following tips will help beginners to choose a sewing machine:
- Check your budget – do you want a low-budget sewing machine or do you have more disposable income for your sewing machine? Knowing this will take you to the next step.
- Do you want to order online or buy locally? Some companies do provide free sewing lessons if you purchase a machine from their store. If this sounds interesting, then consider buying locally. When you buy online, on the other hand, you are more likely to find better deals. So, if you are willing to learn how to sew online, buying online is the best way to go.
Lastly, do you want a basic machine simply because you want to get started with your lessons or do you want a machine with all the bells and whistles? Both options are good—but being simple is always the best when starting. Or, are you searching for a specific brand or a special feature you need in your machine? These are some of the things that you should consider before purchasing your machine.
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