Beginner Friendly Sewing
Do your 2024 Resolutions include learning to sew? Up your sewing skills? Sew with knits and other “scary” fabrics? Keep reading for some tips and tools to help get you moving in the direction to master those resolutions!
Everyone learns differently, first we will share some beginner friendly books, a few wonderful On-line Courses, some helpful websites and sources for all the vocabulary. Buckle up, we are here to help you master a few new skills so you can enjoy sewing garments that fit you and you are proud to say, “Thanks, I made it!”.
Skill Building Books
If you learn best by reading, re-reading and having a written resource to check when you start your project, I get you! Having a place to tag, write notes and pull out when your brain is not retaining all the details…makes a book an excellent resource for learning. We have a few of our favorites that many sewists keep handy to refer to during their journey.
- Reader’s Digest Complete Guide to Sewing – First published in 1978, Reader’s Digest’s popular Complete Guide to Sewing has become the standard stitch-and-seam reference book for both beginner and seasoned sewers. This has been refreshed a number of times to keep current with the current sewing trends. You may find this one in many used bookstores or websites.
- The Colette Sewing Handbook – Before there was Seamwork, there was Colette. Sarai, the founder, has always called Colette/Seamwork patterns “Patterns that Teach” from the very beginning and her Sewing Handbook is no exception.
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Merchant & Mills Elementary Sewing Skills AND the companion Merchant & Mills Workbook are the quintessential home classroom set. You can work through classic skills from how to tissue fit a pattern to how to set in a sleeve. It’s truly one of the best modern sets for real skill building.
- Fast and Easy Fit – Easy Pattern Alterations for Every Figure by Sandra Betzina. Sandra has a solution for most every fit issue, and includes easy to understand adjustments to help you have success sewing for your body.
- Sewing the Curve Enjoy the latest book from Jenny Rushmore of Cashmerette Patterns. Jenny focuses curvy fit issues, sizes 12 through 32. You will learn everything from threading your machine to completing your first garment that fits and expresses your style. Bonus, this book includes six patterns to get you started.
Skill Building Online Classes
Online classes are amazing when you need that 3D, in-motion visual, not to mention there’s just no reason for a hobby sewist to memorize the construction of a tower placket or an invisible zipper insertion. Here’s just a few of my favorite video-based resources from beginner friendly to serious skill building.
- Seamwork Learn To Sew – The Seamwork crew takes away the “analysis paralysis” that sets in on where to start, and takes you through what you really need to know to get started. “One time payment, access forever.”
- Sew-it-Academy is taught by Mimi G. – There are options to select Womenswear, Menswear, or Kids Only. This course starts with the basics and builds your skills. This is a monthly subscription, but you can opt for a free trial and at the end you will receive a discounted monthly rate!
- Creative Live – Creative Live has some sewing industry heavy hitters like Pati Palmer and Marta Alto teaching their fitting and alterations methods (heard of the pants fitting craze Top Down, Center Out? It’s basically Pati & Marta’s tissue fitting.) They also have indie favorite Christie Haynes teaching how to sew a dress, and they have very, very beginner friendly options such as the aptly named How to Sew Your First Skirt and Understand Patterns. Creative Live has the option for a subscription OR to buy classes outright.
- Craftsy – Oh, Craftsy. How I love thee. Craftsy has some really, REALLY great classes. Want to sew knits but just with your sewing machine? Meg Elwee of Sew Liberated fame was one of the earliest instructors on Craftsy with 3 knit class options, all done on sewing machine, such as this Hoodie sew-a-long with pattern I’ve made a dozen times. There are Alabama Chanin classes for that project you can take to sewing social meet-ups, coffee dates, or lunch breaks. If you’re ready to for more advanced projects, you can customize your dress form (if you don’t know, always buy a dress form in the size DOWN so you can “pad out” to your size) or start your pattern making journey with Suzy Furer’s Skirt Sloper. I own all of Suzy’s classes and can’t recommend her enough. Craftsy has both purchase and subscription options.
- CreativeBug – Almost identical to Craftsy in talent line-up and class line-up. I’m a huge fan of Sanae Ishida’s style and creativity mixed with frugality. Or maybe it’s time to refresh that skivvies drawer with Madalynne Intimates. Leisl Gibson’s classes alone range from how to stay-stitch to creating jewelry with smocking samples! The downside, if you find it a downside, is that Creativebug is subscription model only.
- YouTube – last but certainly not least is the platform we all know, YouTube. There are many, many greats on YouTube, such as entire series like the Palmer-Pletsch method with Pati and Marta. YouTube is free or you can buy the Premium subscription to skip the annoying commercials. Some content is locked unless you’re a Patreon or Discord member (supporting the creator in another platform). Anita by Design is a popular modern content creator, while Bernadette Banner shows us how to hand sew like yesteryear or even use a treadle. YouTube also has settings where you can slow down or speed up the video, and turn on captions.
Other Favorites
- Sewing Studio Beginner Friendly Fabrics – We have a whole section in the Studio of beginner friendly fabrics to make it easy to shop. It can be too easy to get “analysis paralysis” when shopping, especially online, so we made it easier for you.
- Online Fabric Glossary: Panda Silk. I don’t know why Panda Silk has this extensive glossary, but I know I have it bookmarked. It’s great when someone says, “I found an amazing Plissé deadstock from Marc Jacobs” and I can rush to look up what that means. All joking aside, I have really found this glossary exciting. I love their site and information about silk (and pandas).
- Fabrics A to Z – By Dana Willard of Made Everyday. Dana always has a great fresh blog. I group Dana together with the other 2010’s blogger mavens like Made By Rae, Aesthetic Nest, and See Kate Sew who made early, simple PDF patterns that often worked with quilting cottons. Sort of home-maker blogs but really elevated design and photography. When Dana released her book in 2012, I jumped on it and still hold it dear today.
- Sew Camp – The absolute queen of sew camp is of course Jennifer and Camp Workroom Social (not to mention Jennifer’s hilarious YouTube channel [please check her darts video] and NYC Workroom anytime.) But there are other sewing retreats. Maybe even one local to you? Check your neck of the woods, including religious camp cabins. They often host makers’ retreats and always welcome new faces, secular or otherwise as long as you follow their housekeep rules. Sometimes your local hotels will know of sewing retreats or events, your closest Frocktails host may know, or even your local fabric or yarn stores. Check retirement centers, immigrant social collectives, libraries, and community colleges. Check around. Be Sewcial in person.
- Local Classes at your favorite Fabric Shop – make sure you check to see if your local fabric shop offers classes. The talented staff often teaches sewing basics, or project specific classes, you might also find there is a special evening or weekend time slot dedicated to allow use of the space and machines for a small fee…and what a terrific place to meet other locals with an interest in sewing.
What Are Your Resources?
Do you have go-to resources that you love? What are your favorites that the world needs to know about?
This blog was originally posted on January 1, 2024.
