What Every Beginning Sewist Should Know

I’m a self-taught sewist, which means I learned a lot of things the hard way. It seems as though there are some sewing facts you’re just expected to know, so they aren’t even mentioned in most sewing books or written on patterns. I thought it would be helpful to go over these basic sewing tips in one video for beginning sewists.

FABRIC

Let’s start by talking about fabric. Most fabric is bought off a bolt that is either 36 inches, 45 inches, or 54-56 inches. 45 inches is most common for fabrics like quilting cotton, so purchase that size if a project doesn’t specify the bolt length. Some projects call for “fat quarters.” These are pieces of fabric cut to about 18 x 22 inches.

When buying fabric, be sure to read the care instructions on the bolt. You may find it helpful to take a picture with your phone.

When buying a natural fabric like cotton, I always wash and dry it before cutting, as it can shrink. Most synthetic fabrics, like fleece, won’t shrink so they don’t need to be pre-washed.

You’ll notice that your fabric has a border with little holes punched in it. This is called the selvage and you don’t want to use this in your project, as the weave and tension is different from the rest of the fabric. Trim off the selvage when cutting your fabric. Your pattern may have instructions about cutting with the grain, or cutting on the bias. The grain of the fabric runs perpendicular to the selvage. The bias is the diagonal grain, at a 45 degree angle to the selvage. Fabric cut on the bias has more give to it and will stretch some when you tug it. This means it’s good for going around curves, and for draping.

When cutting fabric, it’s best to use dedicated fabric scissors. Even if you can’t afford a fancy pair, it’s worth buying an inexpensive pair of 8-inch scissors that you reserve only for fabric. When cutting out paper patterns, use a different pair of regular scissors so you won’t dull your fabric scissors.

If you plan on doing a lot of quilting, you’ll want to invest in a rotary cutter, clear quilter’s ruler, and cutting mat.

STITCHING TIPS

When I first started sewing, I went two years without bothering to learn about all the accessories that came with my machine. I sewed baby bumpers without ever realizing I had a walking foot… I didn’t even know what a walking foot was! Take the time to learn what each sewing machine foot is for. Check your manual to see what that funny-looking stitch is all about. These are things that were invented to simplify the sewing process and make it more enjoyable, so take advantage of them.

Pay attention to what your machine is telling you. If you’re sewing and hear a thumping sound, stop and check your bobbin. If the fabric is hard to feed through, stop and check your tension. If the thread is strained or snapping, stop and rethread the machine, not just the needle.  Yes, it’s tempting to plow on ahead to finish your seam, but if you ignore what your machine is telling you, you’ll probably find a mess on the back of your project and you’ll waste a lot of time unpicking it.

Don’t sew over pins. I used to in the beginning, because no one had ever told me not to. But I found that sewing over pins can lead to broken needles, and once I damaged my bobbin case when the needle hit a pin, and it had to be professionally repaired. Besides, sewing over pins can cause puckering in your finished project. So slide out the pins as you come to them.

PROFESSIONAL PROJECTS

This next tip is really, really important, makes a big difference in how professional your finished project looks. When you sew fabrics right sides together and the next step is to turn them right side out, you need to clip and notch the seam allowance first. If there’s a corner, snip off the excess fabric at a 45 degree angle, being careful not to snip your stitches. If there’s an inward curve or corner, clip the seam allowance with a straight snip. If there’s an outward curve, notch it by cutting a V.

At first I would forget when I was supposed to clip and when I was supposed to notch. I had a friend remind me to “Notch your mountains!” So immediately I thought of a Nacho Mountain. It’s silly, but I haven’t forgotten to notch curved mountains since!

The second most important thing you can do is to press or iron frequently. Some tutorials leave the instruction out entirely, assuming that you already know you’re supposed to press. Pressing will give you crisp seams and will make the various pattern pieces fit together the way they should.

The exception would be synthetic fabrics that can’t be ironed. However, you can get a crisper seam on those projects by rolling the seam between your fingers to define it.

Depending on the project, an additional step you might consider is topstitching. When you turn a project right side out, you have a hole remaining that you pulled the fabric through. If you want it to be invisible, you’ll need to hand-stitch it with a ladder stitch. But most projects call for you to machine-sew it shut close to the edge. It does the trick, but it doesn’t look very professional. However, if you continue to topstitch all the way around the project, it defines the seam and is a nice finishing touch.

I do my best to point out basic steps like these in all of my tutorials, but not everyone does, so I hope this post has given you a heads-up. If you have any essential tips for beginning sewists, please add them in the comments!