The world of sewing is very large, because in sewing there is so much you can do. With all the stitches and techniques there is a lot to learn. And this post is about sewing for beginners.
This is a beginner’s guide to help you get started on your sewing journey. While there is a lot to learn about sewing, you really don’t need to know that much about sewing to get started.
You really just need to know the basic skills. And sewing is a great way to customize your wardrobe and to make handmade gifts, plus it’s also a valuable skill.
If you’re wanting to start sewing clothes on your own sewing machine here is a post I did on sewing your own clothes. “How to Start Sewing Easy Clothes for Beginners.“
And one of my favorite things to sew is quilts. There are a lot of beautiful quilt patterns out there to make. The great thing about sewing is that there is a lot of easy sewing projects that just need basic sewing skills to make.
Here is a great beginner project that I did a tutorial in, “How to Make DIY Scrunchies: Free Sewing Tutorial.“
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Sewing Supplies to get Started
- Sewing machine
- Thread
- Scissors
- Fabric
- Seam ripper
- Pins
That all you need to get started, it may not seem like a lot. But, to get started sewing you just need these few things. I think a lot of the time we think that we need a lot of stuff to start a new craft. But, if you don’t know if you’ll enjoy the craft, you don’t want to buy a lot of things you may never use.
A sewing machine is the top thing you’ll need to start sewing, unless you prefer hand sewing. In that case you’ll need hand-sewing needles instead of a sewing machine. And here is a post I did on helping you find the perfect sewing machine, “The 5 Best Affordable Sewing Machines Under $200.”
Thread comes in many different brands and types and colors. What I’ve learned in sewing is that you do not want to buy cheap no-name thread, because over time cheap thread can mess-up your machine. And here is a post I did on sewing thread, “The Best Thread to Buy for a Brother Sewing Machine.”
The scissors you use for cutting your fabric pieces need to be fabric scissors. Because fabric scissors will cut out the fabric without damaging the fabric, and these scissors will usually cut through layers of fabric.
Fabric is my favorite sewing supplies to buy. There are many different materials to choose from, but it’s always a good idea to start practicing on cotton fabric. Because cotton is one of the easiest fabric to sew and there is a lot of free sewing patterns for cotton fabric.
Seam rippers are a handy tool when you make a mistake in sewing. Because I still make quite a few mistakes that a seam ripper come in handy for. A seam ripper is for removing the stitches that you shouldn’t have made.
Sewing pins are what you use to hold together the fabric before you sew it. These are very helpful for holding the fabric where it needs to be held together, so it doesn’t slide. Just be sure to remove the pins right before the presser foot to keep you from breaking the needle.
Getting Started
The first step after getting all of your supplies ready is to wind your bobbin and thread your sewing machine. If your hand stitching all you have to do is thread you needle.
I have a couple of video tutorials on how to wind you bobbin and thread a sewing machine that I’ll put on the bottom of the page. But, your sewing machine manual will tell you how to thread your sewing machine and on the sewing machine there is usually a diagram to help you.
After you’ve threaded your beginner sewing machine the first thing I did was practice sewing. Practice sewing a straight line on a piece of scrap fabric and just get familiar with your machine. Practice just the basic techniques of starting and stopping sewing a seam.
After you’ve practiced and got the basic stitches (straight stitches and zigzag stitch) down, next is to start a real sewing project. First projects should be simple and easy for beginner sewers. Pinterest is a great place to look for easy beginner sewing projects.
I know it’s really tempting to want to start with a elaborate, big project. But, in the long run starting with smaller, easier projects will save you a lot of frustration and help you to enjoy sewing a whole lot better.
Sewing Terms
In this beginners guide to sewing I’ll show you a few sewing terms you’ll run across in your new hobby.
- Seam allowances: This is the amount of fabric you have between the cut edge of the fabric and where you need to sew.
- Presser foot: This is the part of the sewing machine that holds down the fabric. And there are many different types of presser feet out there.
- Bobbin: This is the small spool of thread that goes in the bottom of the sewing machine.
- Bias: Cutting on the bias means you cut your woven fabric at a 45 degree angle, instead of cutting it straight up and down.
- Bias tape: Bias tape is strips of fabric used for binding the edges of quilts and other sewing projects.
- Feed dogs: These are those little teeth like things that are under the presser foot of a sewing machine.
And these are just a few of the sewing terms out there. There are many, many more and I just put a couple of the ones that I think are the most common in sewing.
Thank you for reading this post on sewing for beginners. I hope that you enjoyed this post and that it helped you understand and want to start sewing.
