Tips for Beginning Sewing by a Beginner Sewer

Last Christmas, I asked for a sewing machine. Only the last week or so have I worked up the courage to actually use it. So only about 11 months later. That’s less than year; not bad, eh?

It’s intimidating.

I felt like I would break something.

Just threading the darn thing made me feel like I needed some sort of engineering certificate. The last sewing machine I threaded was probably in 7th grade home ec, the culmination of which was an abomination they called “boxer shorts.” I personally called it “rag.”

So where does one really start? Let me, who is here in the same boat with you (or at best, in the next boat ahead of you puzzling out some rapids while reading a book* and checking a dozen or so different websites on how to puzzle out rapids) guide you!

Choose Your Weapon

I bought a book* to help me get started (Sew Me! Sewing Basics: Simple Techniques and Projects for First-Time Sewers). I chose that one for several reasons:

1. The majority of the projects appealed to me both aesthetically and practically. I didn’t want to make things that would sit around and gather dust: I wanted them to be useful right from the start. Pillow sham, pin cushion, phone case… They also looked modifiable: I could envision using a particular project and changing things to fit what I wanted.
2. It covered basic things, like a broad overview of fabrics, tools to get started, and sewing machine basics including a helpful checklist that guided me to choose my sewing machine based on the features I wanted (Singer Heavy Duty 4423*.)

But…there was one glaring omission on that list: It made no mention of a speed control. I mean more than that chintzy-feeling pedal on the floor, which seems like it would be easy enough to use: press the pedal harder to go faster and ease up to go slower. Just like a car, right?

Not quite. I wish I would have known how temperamental that pedal is. Press lightly to go nice and slow, but the machine just hums. Press a little harder, the needle moves a bit, then we’re back to humming. Press a little harder and suddenly we’re shooting across the fabric at light speed. Ohmygaaaaaa!

Not. Cool.

So, beginners, get you a sewing machine with something called a variable or adjustable speed control. It’s a slider or knob right on the machine that basically lets you limit the speed. Here’s a helpful article that talks more about that. If I had to do over again knowing what I know now, this would be the first thing I’d look for on a machine.

 

SIDEBAR

If, like me, you’ve already committed to a machine before knowing about the magical adjustable speed control button, there is hope. A little Youtube research by my husband gave me these little tips that actually are quite helpful:

• Before you press on the pedal, manually turn your flywheel enough to bring the needle all the way down into the fabric. Leave it there, and THEN apply pressure to your pedal. Something about the needle being down makes it easier for it to get going. Don’t ask me for the science behind it. Embrace the mystery.
• If, after you’ve pressed on the pedal, all you get is a humming machine that’s doing nothing, give your flywheel a little nudge and that should get it going. Sometimes I have to nudge it twice (maybe thrice) to get rolling, but that’s fine with me if it means I’m rolling along at a humane pace. I don’t need to murder my project. Or thread. Or fingers.

Weapon Chosen. Now what?

Arm Yourself

I think I’ve gone to Joann Fabrics every single day in the past week, for as I progress through my handy Sew Me! book, I learn of more and more things I need to continue.

ANOTHER SIDEBAR

At this moment, I’ve reached the sachet project. I got a little sidetracked after the pincushion when I received a roll-up pencil case I ordered on Etsy that was so poorly sewn it wouldn’t roll with even 20 of my 72 colored pencils in it. Having completed all of two sewing projects with decent results, I felt totally qualified to identify the problems with this case, and totally confident I could make something better. I knew about seams now, and simple hemming, and felt I could rock a basic straight stitch. Maybe it wouldn’t be perfectly straight, but I felt it would be close enough, and the case was simplistic enough that I could dissect the steps involved in making it.

So that’s what I did. I chose some cute fabrics, better elastic, learned a bit about interfacing, measured and re-measured and discovered the joy of disappearing ink, and painstakingly planned out and pinned and stitched and messed up and ripped out stitches and pinned and stitched and pinned 78 times over until… voila: Deb’s Improved Pencil Case That Actually Rolls Up And Even has Room For 6 More Pencils Because That’s Just How It Turned Out.

72 Happy Pencils

Quick and easy velcro closure.

Deb’s Amazing Case (left) vs. The Case That Apparently Had a Stroke (right)

What made mine work? Less aggressive elastic sewn in a carefully marked straight line with even spacing. Go ahead, click and zoom in and see the difference.

Back to arming yourself.

Whether you use the same book I am or a different book, maybe just go through and assess all the things it’s going to make you do and use. Write up a list, and spend an afternoon shopping! (Beware the remnant fabric bin. I have an addiction to remnant fabrics and cute prints. Slap a 50% off sticker on them, and there goes my well-planned shopping trip.)

Whether or not you’re following a book of projects, there’s some stuff I’d definitely recommend:

• Dritz Disappearing Ink Marking Pen, Purple  (I found a fine-point version of this at Wal-Mart, which is great for precision, but the one I linked is less pen-y and more marker-y and I found it glides over fabric a lot better.) Does the ink *really* disappear? you ask. It really does. Sometimes a little too quickly before I can finish cutting. Also worth noting, if you iron AFTER marking, the ink will show back up. A wet cloth may rub it right off again; if that doesn’t work, have no fear. Wait a little while and it will disappear again. Test it on your fabric before marking away though. Better safe than full of random purple lines. What about chalk? you ask. I tried tailor’s chalk. I’m usually not a huge fan, though I do use it when I need my marks to last longer. I find the triangle kind to be imprecise and difficult to make accurate marks with. I may just need to get a chalk cartridge pencil.
• People say buy a whole bunch of different rulers. If I were you, I’d just start with a decent square, something like this.  I have this set, and I love them. I did a lot of my first projects without a square. I’m not a quilter; I actually have ZERO interest in quilting, and even though these are called “quilter’s rulers”, they have become invaluable to me for quickly and accurately cutting out pieces for any kind of project. They have a little height to them to so you can butt your rotary cutter against them (versus having to mark a line, and then switch to a thicker ruler to make the cut.) They save me so much time!
• Self-healing cutting mat. For sure. I have an 18×24 one from art school so I didn’t have to invest in that myself right away. My husband did get me a huge one (36×48) for Christmas, and I LOVE it. If you have the space and budget for a large one, go for it! (I currently don’t have the space for my huge one, but I have it anyway and still love it.)
• Rotary cutter. I already love mine and it’s only been a few days. It’s so much faster than using scissors. No, it’s not ideal for tight corners, but you can do the longer bits with the rotary cutter and the tight spots with scissors.
• Scissors. Did you know cutting paper dulls scissors? Neither did I. Get a dedicated pair of scissors for fabric only. If you’re looking for the name to get, I think it’s Gingher, but they come with a price tag. I’m doing fine right now with a pair of Fiskar’s, and they have that funky pattern on them so it’s obvious they’re my fabric scissors. EDIT: I’m no longer thrilled with these Fiskars. Why? Well, you know when you cut something using the full length of the scissors, and at the very end, instead of cutting, your fabric/paper/whatev bends instead? That’s why. I switched to using these Westcott Titanium scissors. They cost a fraction of what the Fiskar’s cost, and they’re pretty awesome, especially considering they’ve been used to cut way more than fabric before I started using them, and yet they cut all the way to the end.
• Thread. Duh. I should have this at the top. What brand is good? you ask. I asked that same question and actually had to dig around a lot for some reason. So here I am in that boat ahead of you giving you the quick answer: Gutermann, and Coats and Clark. Here’s what I bought to get me started: Gutermann 26 Spool Thread Box. Nice variety there, nice all-purpose thread, plenty on each spool to get you started, and doesn’t cost an arm and leg. FYI: thread matters.
• Straight pins. Definitely get pins. Maybe get some that are all metal or have glass heads and no plastic. You can iron over those without the threat of meltage. As an alternative to pins, there are clips. I haven’t used these yet, but I got a coupon for a free set with my presser foot set I got for Christmas, so I’ll be giving them a try soon.
• Iron, one that makes steam and has the ability to make NO steam. Ours was having death throes, so I got this: Chi Steam Iron (Got a Target nearby? They might have it for the same price. That’s where I got mine so I didn’t have to wait for it to ship.)  You may hear namedrops like Rowenta from people who sew way more and way better than I do, but comparatively they didn’t get better reviews so I skipped the pricetag. And I like the Chi. Oh, get an ironing board if you don’t have one.
• Hand-sewing needles. Get a variety pack. They’re not expensive.
• A bunch of bobbins. You’ll be winding lots of those with each different color thread you use. Sometimes they come in a storage case. I’d say go for it; then you have a place to keep all those wound-up bobbins.
• 

  Behold: Pin cushion. Fun to make.

  I’d say get a pin cushion, but those are pretty fun to make (photo included to entice you.) So get batting (stuffing) instead and find a tutorial to make a pin cushion. (The one in the book I’m using has you use embroidery floss too, and a button to dress it up. You can get a bag of random buttons for 99 cents at Joann’s.)

• Fabric. The remnant bin is your friend when you start. Like I said, 50% discount on stuff we’re likely to screw up anyway is a pretty nice deal. Start with woven cotton. Avoid stretchy fabric (knits) until you feel more brave. I haven’t worked with knits yet as I’m told they’re difficult to work with, but I’m sure I’ll have more to say about that later when my bravado tells me I’m totally ready when I’m totally not.
• A wooden dowel (if you’re feeling cheap.) These aren’t even a dollar. Most craft stores have them. Mine is 0.25″ diameter and I use it for helping turn things inside out, poking corners to make them nice and defined, it helped me with rolling the elastic on my pencil case, helps me grab the loop of thread behind the needle when I’m threading my machine, neatly punches through stickers on the ends of spools of thread, and who knows what else. If you’re feeling splurge-y, I’m a big fan of the Tube Turner Set. When you encounter your first tube that needs to be turned right side out, you’ll be grateful for those tools.

Okay, armed. Now what?

Make Something Ugly

Seriously. Just take a square of fabric, iron it, sit at your machine, Read The Freakin’ Manual, learn how to wind a bobbin, how to thread the machine, and just start playing. Maybe sew 2 squares together. Change the type of stitch you’re using. See if you can sew a straight line. Maybe a curve. Maybe a corner. You’re not trying to impress anyone right now. You’re just learning about your weapons and armaments. No pressure. Make a mess.

My Something Ugly turned into a tiny bag with a laughable hem that I kept some bobbins in. Now it serves as a cover over my rotary cutter blade. I plan to add a snap to it to keep it in place over the cutter.

My Something Ugly is where it all started.

Now I have a pillow stuffed in a pillow sham I made that I’m currently chilling on, an adorable pin cushion, and a pretty sweet case for 72 colored pencils that works so much better than 3 flimsy plastic trays stacked inside a metal tin.

Next up: those sachets, a stuffed cat-that-I-will-make-an-owl-because-I’m-a-graphic-designer-and-I-can-change-things-like-that-and-owls-are-cooler-anyway, and another deviation from the book that will be 8 small storage boxes for jewelry that will fit in my bathroom drawers. Because somehow, finding something like that to buy has been impossible.