Sewing Guide for Beginners in 2021

It is not too difficult to sew or hem, and if you want to learn it, there are multiple ways to make it happen. Whether you are looking to tweak your clothing or get some enhancement to existing home décor or sewing your clothes, getting a sewing machine is the best solution. It is also definitely a great hobby and can keep one busy for multiple hours in a day. Before you start your projects, you have to understand certain fundamentals and understand some sewing tips’ basics.

How to hand sew?

Simply picking up a needle and thread might seem hard, but with consistency and practice, you can achieve whatever you want. Most of the people cannot even reattach a button to their shirts. Not just sewing a button, even learning the stitching art in a straight line is quite useful and beneficial. You can stitch up your trousers or hem your skirts by just learning the basics of sewing.

Different kind of Threads for Sewing

There are a plethora of options when it comes to threads. They are available in different forms with different colors and for any particular project. It is often tempting to pick up a thread pack, but one must always go for the branded ones owing to their development and testing process. Any weak thread can break easily, which doesn’t make sense, especially when you spend so much of your time and effort on something. You can buy multi-packs of threads as beginner sewing tips, which come with basic colors to get them started.

How to use Sewing Machines

Sewing machines are not cheap products and are an investment. There are certain things that you need to take care of when choosing a device:

• Budget: The most important thing is to figure out your account. Once you know how much you are willing to spend, the idea becomes clearer. Beginners should go for something that is not too expensive because they are just starting and need to practice before investing majorly.
• Retail or online: Another important thing to figure out is where to buy the machine. Some of the companies provide free sewing lessons in retail stores. If that is something you want to go for, choose to buy it in a store. The sewing machines online come at a better price and provide various tutorials for learning how to sew.
• Simple and easier: It is completely up to you whether you want something simple or something fancy. Specific options are provided both online and in retail, and therefore, it is important to assess what truly matters.

Once you have purchased your sewing machine, the next step is learning how to use it. For that, you can learn how to change the settings and know what the various buttons mean.

Sewing machines come in a variety, and therefore, it is best to go with a user manual. It isn’t too hard to thread, but most beginner machines don’t come with too many settings. To start, get your device, take out the instructions guide, and sit on it. Just practice and be patient because learning how to sew takes time and patience.

Before you Sew

To get started, you need basic tips in sewing for beginners. Firstly, you will require basic stuff like fabrics, threads, a seam ripper, pins, scissors, and bobbins. These are necessary for starting and getting the beginners going.

Once you start reading through the manual, you will come across various things that are not known to you. Multiple terms like basting and bias are important aspects to work with, and if you are confused, then Sewing dictionaries are the go to mediums to go for.

Choosing a Needle for Sewing

The needle you choose is equally important as the thread because it will guide through the fabric quite easily. One has to make sure that the needle has the correct tip and comfortable length to hold it in your hand easily.

Now before you figure out certain sewing tips and tricks, brush the end of the needle over your finger, and in case you notice any rust or bends, it is time to get a new hand. Bent needles or needles with chipped ends can end up ruining your fabric and cause the thread to tangle easily. Like threads, needles also come in a variety, and you need a different hand if you are sewing with specialized fabrics.

Getting started with Sewing

Step 1: Firstly, cut a piece of thread that is almost the length of your forearm. If you miss it to a longer length, it won’t pull through the fabric and risk the thread getting tangled in the worst way.

Step 2: Now select your needle and thread. Once selected, you need to prepare for sewing. The first thing is to tie a knot at the end of the thread. You can follow various tips and tricks but tie a small knot towards the end of the thread.

Step 3: Now pass the untied end through the needle. You are really lucky if you get it done at once. Some people take a lot of time getting it through. Moistening the tip can help pass it through the eye of the needle, and if you are still struggling, you can tip off the frayed thread and attempt to thread the new, neater, and cleaner head again. If you are working too much, you can always find handy tools such as the needle threader to get the job done better and quicker.

Types of Hand sewing Stitches

1. Running Switch: This stitch is extremely handy for doing the topstitching to garments, fixing small rips, and mending clothes.
2. Back Stitch: This is a great switch for mending seams in garments or to hand sew a seam. The smaller the stitches, the safer and easier, is the sewing.
3. Cross Stitch: It is an embroidery stitch for working on a gridded fabric. Stitching these little crosses creates detailed scenes and beautiful ones.
4. Satin Stitch: A great stitch for embroidery work, satin stitch allows one to fill an area with tons of color. All floral projects are made easy as you can easily work in multiple shades to build a real effect.
5. Seed Stitch: This is a great stitch for beginners and helps fill the spaces effectively. Moreover, it works great for shading and adding tons of depth to the colors.
6. Split Stitch: Split Stitch is a great stitch for borders or outlines and works great to give a nice textured effect and add depth to your work.
7. Lazy Daisy Stitch: The Lazy Stitch is quick and easy to master and learn. But once you get the hang of it, you can easily stitch flowers in no time.
8. Feather Stitch: It is a delicate stitch but great for floral designs.
9. French Knots: These are pretty embroidery stitches that make the small knots look brilliant in every particular project. It is possibly one of the most satisfying stitches to make.
10. Bullion Knots: These are long knots that make for fantastic roses and add tons of depth to the embroidery work.

What are some basic Sewing Skills?

One of the most important things to do while learning how to sew and learning sewing tips is reading. When you have chosen a beginner sewing machine, make sure you read all the instructions carefully. If the information overwhelms you, take one step and start with learning the basic skills, which will help you understand the style better.

Some of the basic skills to learn are as follows:

• Learn how to thread your sewing machine with both needle and bobbin
• Learn how to take care and maintain the device well to make it last longer
• Figure out how to take measurements
• Next, learn how to pin a pattern to the fabric or try joining the fabric layers perpendicularly placing the pins.
• Then start cutting the fabric with long, smooth strokes.

For mastering seams, practice the art of sewing at an even distance from the edge of the fabric. Firstly, start by practicing with straight seams and then move ahead to the curves. Watch the edge of the material going directly to the right of the needle on the arcs, and that is the only point, which is correct for the stitch to be taken. But, this keeps changing with time.

Conclusion

When you are learning how to sew a machine, let the machine do its job. Don’t try to do too much pulling or pushing and guide it along to watch the needle perform its job. Moreover, do not worry about the machine not working, and learn to experiment with it. Make sure to keep all the scraps of fabrics to figure out new techniques and ways to create patterns. You can also try out the various features to learn how to make it work according to your needs and specifications.