sewing school
Here I've collated all the resources you need to learn how to sew!
From picking a machine and threading it, to understanding the difference between fabrics and what the heck a French seam is, let me teach you - it's not as hard as you're imagining, I promise.
STEP ONE - CHOOSE A MACHINE
This is going to sound cliché, but the best sewing machine, is the one you have/have access to.
One day, after thinking about it for years, I posted on my instagram stories asking if any of my friends had a sewing machine laying around they didn't want. Lo and behold my friend Whitney who lives in my neighbourhood replied saying yes, come get it! The machine is probably the cheapest one you can buy on the market and it has served me so well.
You don't need anything fancy to get started, yeah maybe one day when you've got 500 sewing hours under your belt, you might want to upgrade to an automatic threading machine, or one that has a hundred decorative stitches, but right now all you need is a straight stitch, a zigzag stitch and MAYBE a button hole option. So jump on marketplace and find yourself a bargain and see if you even like sewing before you invest in a boujee piece of equipment.
STEP TWO - THREAD THE MACHINE
Did you know, there are actually so many different types of threads? And while I'm all for recommending the cheapest option or thrifting where possible, I do usually spend money on quality threads because it is something that ACTUALLY makes a difference in your sewing experience.
Cheap threads that come in bulk packs/colours can be very fluffy (for lack of a better word?) and for that reason, they fray, they catch in your machine and they snap voluntarily. You might be wondering why your stitches aren't working properly and this could be a contributing factor. So choose a reputable thread, something that matches your fabric (I can recommend Guterman & Birch brands available in NZ).
The manual for your sewing machine is your new bible, keep it close, annotate it and take it seriously, it really has all the info you need! Including, how to thread the machine. Every machine is different so I can't tell you exactly but in this video I demonstrate how to thread on my machine and yours should be relatively similar.
STEP THREE - TENSION? IS THIS AN ENEMIES TO LOVERS ROMANCE?
You might have heard the word tension before, and no we're not talking about the rising angst and emotional burn between your two favourite fictional characters. Tension in this case refers to how tight or loose your thread is stitching on the machine. You can set the tension for your top thread (the thread that comes from the top of the machine) and you can adjust the tension for the bottom thread (the one that comes from the bobbin) though the latter is not required very often.
Once the machine is threaded, we need to learn how to actually start a stitch and then figure out the tension. The tension will depend on your machine but also in big part, the fabric you are using. Get some scrap fabric and let's practice. Use your machine's manual to understand which dial refers to the tension and which one refers to the stitch length. Start with both the tension and the stitch length set at around 3, or whatever your manual suggests. Watch this video to get started using your mahcine.
video
coming soon
OK - SHOULD WE SEW SOMETHING?
I'm a huge believer of learning on the job, my first ever sewing project was definitely not appropriate for my skill level, but I think you should make something that interests you rather than a tote bag you're never going to use.
The number one tip I can give you is to have patience. Remember that sewing is 50% prep, 30% ironing and 20% actual sewing. I've linked some projects below that I think make for a great first project.