Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Margrete on June 4, 2014 at 12:24pm

Hi, Laura, you have a lot of fun ahead of you! ;)

First, sewing simple things is a good thing to begin with when you are starting out, recommended I'd say. I did that too, e.g. a tote bag, and a little makeup purse. You get to know your sewing machine, different seams, putting in a zipper, etc.

Unfortunately, I can't recommend the book I used to get started, as it's in Norwegian, but as far as content is concerned it had info on fabrics (including what's suited for what garments), sewing techniques, taking measurements, constructing various garments, making variations (e.g. different style skirts based on the basic), zippers, collars, etc. I'm sure you can find something like that in English.

I also recommend an intro course if you can find that near where you are, I learned a lot from that!

One other thing I did in the beginning was ordering a lot of swatches, as all the fabric names didn't mean much to me, just to get a feel for what they were like. Helpful wrt. deciding what kind of fabric to use for different things. If you live close to a good fabric store, you can go and have a look too. I must say though, that I personally often find that it's hard to find things in stores, and have found it easier to find what I want online (ordering swatches before ordering what I need).

I'm very happy with my Singer Fashion Mate 7256. Easy to get started with and easy to use (I hadn't touched a sewing machine in 20 years or so!). I'm sure there are decent used sewing machines to find too.

I'd say just jump into it. I just try, even if I don't exactly know what I'm doing. I always make a muslin (trial garment in a cheap fabric), especially when I try to use vintage patterns, so that I find out if I need to make adjustments before I cut the actual fabric. Also, if you have to rip up a seam (even a couple of times!), it usually no big deal, so making some mistakes as you go along (with the sewing) is no disaster. :)

You can find the very first things I made posted earlier in this group. I'm struggling to find the time for sewing, but I have a couple of ongoing projects, some 40s slacks, and a 50s shirt. And lots of other patterns and fabrics lying here... sigh! :)

Good luck!

Permalink Reply by Margrete on June 7, 2014 at 4:33am

Yes, they usually charge for swatches, but it shouldn't be too expensive. I'm so lucky that the shop I use gives me a discount relating to the number of swatches ordered if I order fabric within a certain time (not US based). It's worth it, because it's hard to tell how it looks and feels without seeing/holding it. If the fabric is a one time stock, though, you need to be quick after you've checked it out so it doesn't become sold out while you're deciding. Happened to me.

Making a quilt sounds great, but like Chelsea and Kayla mention below, a circle skirt is actually very easy to make. So when you become comfortable with your machine you'd absolutely manage that. If you google circle skirt calculator, you will find help wrt. how to cut, how much fabric you need, taking into account your waist, length of the skirt, if you want full circle, 3/4 or 1/2, and the width of the fabric you want to use. I'm sure there are youtube tutorials you can follow as well as you go along. :) Some cotton fabric, I'd recommend sateen, would be great for this. (EDIT: Here is a helpful post on circle skirts).

Kayla also mentions fabric scissors, which is important. A lot of these are expensive, but to start with there are cheaper ones that work just fine (I got mine at Ikea). Just remember to never use them for anything else, or they will quickly become dull. :)

Permalink Reply by Chelsea Renee on June 4, 2014 at 1:25pm

I found circle skirts to be a pretty easy start http://www.danamadeit.com/2010/09/the-circle-skirt-tutorial.html.
I'm self-taught sewer myself and I highly recommend YouTube for any question you have. Also there are plenty of craft blogs out there.

For sewing machines I have a http://www.brother-usa.com/homesewing/ModelDetail.aspx?ProductID=CS... and it's a pretty solid machine but tbh I wouldn't buy it again due to the fact that I hardly ever use the embroidery functions.
Joanns will also carry decent fabric. And I haven't bought fabric from them but I got horse hair braid from voguefabricsstore.com.
Hope this Helps!

Permalink Reply by Kayla Brewer on June 4, 2014 at 5:51pm

Circle skirts are an awesome jumping off point. If you'll be doing any work with patterns, I'd reccomend a rotary cutter and mat. They make cutting your fabric a breeze. Great fabric scissors, like Ginghers are very helpful. I have a Brother sewing machine from their Simplicity line. I really like it. I've never come across a stitch I needed for clothing that it didn't have.

For beginners I love the book SEW: Sew Everything Workshop. It comes with patterns for all the projects and has lots of helpful info. YouTube is the best if you've got no one to watch and don't feel like shelling out dough for a class.