How to start learning to cut and sew. Tips: how to learn to sew on a sewing machine from scratch? Sewing machine with foot drive

Good day, beginner seamstresses! I only write on purpose beginners, without experience, since I often receive letters in the mail with questions: how to start sewing?, where exactly to start, if I didn’t even hold a needle in my hands? ..

Therefore, I decided to write this post as a continuation of my first article How to learn to sew from scratch? , and make a small selection of materials and videos specifically for very, very newcomers to this business.

So, if you haven’t held the needle yet, then you need to take it and hold it))) And make a few hand seams to understand that there is nothing tricky in this.

I will not now write smart things and terms about what a stitch is, etc. and so on ... but I'll just show you how they look and what they are needed for.

Basting seam

It is needed in order to connect two parts before we sew them on a typewriter. It is just necessary to sweep two parts for beginners, since the fabrics are shifted under the machine, usually the lower fabric is gathered relative to the upper one, so without basting you need to adapt and pull the bottom layer a little ( this is just my experience, it may be different on your machine). So still sweep away the details.

Seam "hand stitch" or "back needle"

This seam is used when it is not possible to make a seam on a typewriter (for example, the part does not fit under the needle), or you are working with slippery fabrics (with silk). This seam is no less durable than a machine seam.

For example: when I sew a hidden zipper into a skirt, 2 cm remains unsewn under the zipper at the bottom (this is a specially unstitched segment that we leave for the convenience of sewing in a zipper). And when the zipper is already sewn, it remains only to hem these 2 cm, and it is very problematic to do this on a typewriter. This is where help comes in. hand seam!

Overlock stitch

It is needed in order to overcast the sections of fabric so that the sections do not crumble. It is especially necessary in places where this cannot be done using a zig-zag on a typewriter or overlock.

Buttonhole stitch

Also, like the overcast seam, it is needed to process cuts and protect them from “shedding”. Compared to overcast, the buttonhole stitch is stronger and will not unravel immediately if you suddenly cut the overcast section, since each stitch is secured with a loop.

Blind stitch

This seam is used to create invisible seams, as a rule, the bottom of products (for example, skirts or dresses) from expensive fabrics (silk, wool) is hemmed with a blind seam, on which the line along the bottom of the product will spoil appearance(for example, it is also better to hem the bottom of the coat with a blind seam).

The thread is selected with this seam perfectly to match the product, and when making a blind seam, do not tighten the thread, it should go freely.

Seam "goat"

The goat seam is needed to process the bottom of the product, when the allowances on the wrong side do not tuck inward, but remain open. In this case, this seam both basts the allowances of the product and processes open sections. As a rule, they are used in cases of working with non-flowing fabrics.

I think this is where a small review of hand seams can be completed, since they will be enough for you to start with. Most likely you will use only a couple of them, but you just need to know about the existence of the remaining hand seams, since someday they will definitely come in handy.

How to learn to sew. Where to begin?

If you have just embarked on this wonderful creative path of sewing and creating beautiful things for yourself and your loved ones, be sure to watch this video below. It will dispel your doubts (if any) and give you even more confidence and faith in yourself and your strengths!

The process of creating any thing occurs in three stages:

  1. Creating a model in your head (saw in a store or on the Internet and wanted to sew for yourself, or wanted to sew something that you can’t find anywhere else ...)
  2. Building a pattern (find, download, buy or build it yourself, how to take measurements)
  3. Tailoring technology. If it is a SKIRT:
  • how to process the bottom of the product;

Learn to sew on sewing machine- this is a necessary thing, especially this occupation becomes relevant when there are small children in the family. They constantly grow out of clothes, tear things during the game, etc. Having learned to cut, you can create things with a machine of various styles and, thus, always be in trend. However, in order to do this, you need to be patient and set aside time for this activity.

How to learn to sew on a sewing machine: an introduction to terminology

Before you start sewing, buy an inexpensive machine - you can even use a used Seagull type. Do not try to immediately purchase an expensive electronically controlled device, as it is better to learn from simple models. Try to immediately understand the names of the terms associated with the typewriter:

  • foot - a part that presses the fabric so that it does not slip off while sewing;
  • bobbin - a special spool designed to wind threads around it;
  • shuttle - a moving hook that takes part in the process of weaving bobbins;
  • The thread guides are the little "ears" through which the thread passes when it is threaded.

How to learn to sew on a sewing machine at home?

It is enough for a beginner seamstress to learn the classic stitch, and then it is worth mastering the “zigzag” and overlock stitch. If over time the desire to work with the fabric does not disappear, get an overlock - a machine for processing sections of products and overcasting.

How to quickly learn to sew on a sewing machine?

Sewing is quite labor intensive. It will take time to hone your skills here. To make the process go faster, one desire is not enough. The following recommendations must be followed.

  1. Buy yourself special sewing literature, various fashion magazines, better Burdu with patterns. Learn and watch.
  2. Learn to sew using simple, cheap fabrics. It is not a pity to spoil them in case of errors, which will be due to lack of experience.
  3. Set up lighting next to the machine. Make sure that unnecessary things do not clutter up the table on which you will sew.
  4. Lay next to you necessary tools: scissors, needles with threads, tracing paper and 2-3 crayons, as well as a seam ripper.
  5. Sign up for courses

For many years I have been teaching classes at my ARMALINI sewing school for those who want to learn how to sew clothes quickly and beautifully.

When beginners come to my classes, I often hear statements that learning to sew quickly is unrealistic.

They collect a lot of information all over the world, where they will be intimidated by how hard it is to sew, and many are simply afraid to even take on the development of sewing.

Of course, it's not easy, it's not a snap of your fingers! But the mountain will be mastered by the walking one!

Templates work that it takes a long time to learn (at least five years!), That you need a super-duper sewing technique, that this is not given to everyone, that it is long and dreary to customize clothes and there is no guarantee that everything will work out, you will only spend a lot of time and strength and so on.

In fact, almost all of the above is not true! These are delusions!

To tell the truth, when I once learned to sew, it also seemed to me something fantastic, but I firmly decided that I needed it!

Therefore, the first condition is your desire and attitude!

If you take up the development of the sewing craft, then make an installation for yourself, fix it in your head that you need it!

It can become your favorite hobby, it can become your profession, just a favorite thing, but it is very important to really want it very much!

So that everything inside is on fire! When there is a drive, there is courage, then it will be pleasant and easy to master this activity!

Following. Take good care of your mistakes!

Do not dramatize if something does not work out! The one who does nothing makes no mistakes.

Any master who does his job at a high level has gone through this stage of mistakes. Everyone was wrong! And there were bad products too. Not without it.

The main thing is not to give up. The simplest thing is to say “probably not for me” ... and in some ways you will be right if you want to quickly give up and put your paws up ....

But I'll say it again, mistakes are normal when you're learning.

What's the trouble? Have you suffered losses of several hundred rubles? And what?! Is this a reason to quit? No, of course not.

You don't have to beat yourself up for mistakes. On the contrary, analyze your mistake and draw the right conclusions for yourself so that you don’t repeat this mistake in the future ...

It also happens that “kind” friends and relatives are reluctant to continue the business after failures. Don't listen to anyone! Continue what

started.

As the famous saying goes, it's better to do something and regret it than to regret not having done it.

It's easy to criticize. Let them try it themselves and see what happens.

And if we accept criticism, then criticism should be constructive, from a knowledgeable person. Therefore, be firm in your intention and stubborn in a good way.

Now about the sewing technique.

For some reason, some people have the opinion that you need to purchase the most expensive sewing machine and only it is possible to sew high-quality products on it.

Again a delusion. Certainly not the cost of the machine determines the quality of your product.

Believe me, you can sew a chic product even on your grandmother's manual typewriter if you put your hands on this machine correctly.

The quality of the work depends primarily on the craftswoman who performs it.

Of course, modern sewing machines now have a bunch of different useful (and not so!) Functions that can greatly facilitate your work.

As a friend of mine, who works as a consultant in a sewing equipment store, says, you can drive in an air-conditioned car, or you can drive with the window open.

Expensive machines with many functions are just “with air conditioning”, a kind of sewing “Mercedes”)).

Old cars - “with an open window” .... but they reach the place!)). This I mean that do not try to get into debt by choosing the coolest seamstress for your use.

If your old Podolskaya copes very well with the lines, then maybe you should not rush to buy a new typewriter. In any case, you decide!

Here you can read

And I’ll say a few more words about the cut.

My dears, please forget about the "cut according to three measurements."

Somewhere, snatching out this phrase, they begin to intensively look for such a cutting technique. This is just a PR move. That's all!

By three standards, only a poncho can be well tailored. A product that perfectly fits the figure and follows the contour of the body cannot be built according to three measurements! Any cutter who is engaged in practice, not theory will tell you this.

There is another extreme that some people go to.

I quote: "Why reinvent the wheel when everything has already been invented by professional designers and published in magazines." This is about Burda.

No one is forcing anyone, “Burda” is suitable - sew, it is not suitable - look for alternative ways.

But in any case, to say that all the most interesting and thoughtful is in this magazine is not true.

Few people want to be attached to patterns that offer magazines of ready-made patterns.

And in recent years there is nothing to catch the eye at all.

Boring, monotonous, and often even on thin, thin models, you can see that the fit of the product is terrible.

Therefore, search, invent, invent, swim against the current!

Do everything that will help you improve your skills!

Try to combine the incompatible, put any experiments!

Perhaps this path will turn out to be a unique find for you. After all, often such a bold approach was applied to the products that we admire.

Courage to you, a flight of creative thought and successful finds in tailoring!

Discussion: 14 comments

    Thank you! for such encouragement!

    Answer

    To learn how to sew, you have to sew!

    Answer

    Linda, you are absolutely correct. Thank you for your support. Basically, we think so, and when you read your article, it somehow becomes easier on your soul and you want to move on.

    Answer

    Great tip for beginners! I myself have been sewing since I was 8 years old, starting on the “CHAIKA” made of chintz fabrics, overcasting the seams on my hands or zigzag, now I have excellent assistants PFAFF and Singer - yes, the quality of the products is different, but the experience is also richer! Thank you and good luck beginners!

    Answer

    please tell me which sewing machine is better how to choose a sewing machine for beginners

    Answer

    Do you have a master class on building a basic base pattern?

    I recently came across your site, it is very interesting and useful, but for successful modeling you need a good pattern, but where can I get it?

    Answer

Hardworking - a bright light burns through life, lazy - a dim candle

Building a base pattern - THE MOST CLEAR WAY (for beginners)

Good afternoon I would even say a beautiful day. Because we are finally starting a series of articles on tailoring for adults. We have already sewed a lot of things for little girls - both dresses and bodysuits are different - now we will sew for big girls. That is, for yourself. And since we have already practiced sewing, the fear of the pioneer has passed.

SO IT'S TIME TO TAKE A NEW FRONTIER. And by ourselves, with our own hands and our brains, master the wisdom of sewing according to real adult patterns. We will draw the base pattern ourselves - new the easy way(I spent more than one week to create this lightweight method for building a base pattern). And then we will sew a bunch of all sorts of dresses, tops and tunics.

No- I will not give you a single ready-made pattern!

I am not Madame Burda. I am Madame Klishevskaya.))) And the main harmfulness of my character lies in the fact ... That I will make your head work and give birth to bright and clear discoveries in the field of sewing. The easiest and most understandable of all arts. Trust me, it is.

Yes- sewing by yourself is very easy and simple!

Right from scratch, you will get more and more beautiful and well-tailored things.

Moreover, you will do everything yourself, without a state of hypnosis, but in a sober mind and bright memory. YOU will DO it - moreover, you will UNDERSTAND what exactly you are doing.

I will reveal to you the secrets that I know. Moreover, I will teach you to discover more and more secrets of the world of sewing and modeling clothes yourself.

I will not lead you (blind and stupid) by the hand in the chaos of letters and numbers indicating the intricacies of the numerous lines of the pattern drawing. NO, I WON'T TAKE YOU HERE:

Well, you must admit, one such picture can catch fear and make a girl doubt her own abilities, who really wants to make a dress- But not very friendly school years with geometry and drawing. Even I - who loves both of these school subjects - beat around the bush for several years - not daring to start delving into the construction of such a drawing: “How long does it take to draw this, and you need to calculate everything correctly and not get confused in the letters ... ".

And, nevertheless, today we will draw a pattern.

We will draw a base pattern (you can see a piece of it from above.))))

But - do not rush to get scared - we will create our pattern a little differently. Away from the engineering and design method - and closer to human understanding.

We will draw one with you - only one and only- pattern.

And then from it we will create more and more new models of dresses. And it will be very easy and simple.

  • No obscure formulas
  • No messy calculations.
  • And without the letter-number cobweb.

Well, how? Have I removed a bit of your concerns?

I now relax - we will not start drawing right now. To begin with, we will take a pleasant walk through the pattern. The purpose of the walk is to get acquainted, make friends with the pattern and remove the last doubt that you can sew any dress.

So ... what is a pattern - the basis?

To put it figuratively, it is a cast from your body. This is your personal imprint. Any thing sewn according to YOUR base pattern will fit perfectly on YOUR figure.

Yes, you heard right - ANY THING can be sewn on the basis one single pattern. All-all models of dresses - are born, modeled, and sewn from one source - this is a base pattern.

I will now prove to you with an example. Even on three examples - in the form of photos and pictures.

Here is the first photo (below). Our base pattern is, in fact, your sheath dress (the one that fits perfectly on the figure). Dress made according to your pattern based, will repeat all the bends your his body. This simple sheath dress is sewn according to the usual pattern-base. You see, it's like a plaster cast of a girl's figure.

And today, having drawn a base pattern, you can safely cut on the fabric - and you will get such a dress. The only thing you can change the neckline is by giving it the shape that suits your face shape.

All other (any, any) dress models are just a modification of a sheath dress - fantasies on a free topic.

That's how it works in the fashion world.

One day the fashion designer thought...“But what if the bodice of the dress at the top is held on the shoulders by a round yoke (yellow outlines - fig. below), and the bodice itself is made in the form of overlapping opposite triangles (red outlines - fig. below). The result is what we see in the photo below.


Beautiful? Beautiful! What did the fashion designer base his fantasies on? On a base pattern. And you can come up with something of your own. We - women - just a lot of fantasy.

By the way, since we're talking about round yoke- on this site there is already one of my articles on the creation and

And another fashion designer thought: “But what if you give the sheath dress a looser cut - make it wider. And make the line of the shoulder longer so that it hangs on the arm. And finally born new model(photo below) - also very beautiful. And very simple.

You can do that too. If you will UNDERSTAND what the base pattern consists of. And by what laws does it exist.

That is why I don't want to stupidly give you instructions on creating a base pattern (such as “draw a line from point P6 to point P5 and mark the place where it intersects with line X with the next point ...” - ugh!).

I want to wake up in you chuechka. I want you to feel the pattern, to know its soul. And learned to see what a simple drawing hides behind a photograph of any, even intricately tailored, dress.

Therefore, for the next 30 minutes we will not draw anything - we will walk along the pattern itself. Let's get acquainted with all its elements - find out what each line is for, and why it is located exactly here and drawn that way.

After such a "cognitive walk" you will feel the joyful clarity of understanding of everything-everything-everything. It's as if you've already drawn basic patterns many times. And take up the drawing with the feeling that this is a couple of trifles. Ha! Delov something!

As the wise man said: “We are afraid only of what we cannot understand and explain logically. But as soon as the thing that frightens us becomes clear to us, it ceases to cause fear in us.

So let's go and tame this "terrible beast" - a base pattern. Tame and draw in 20 minutes. Yes, yes, in 20 minutes - because after a walk - the pattern drawing will seem to you an old and well-known simple pattern - like a grid for playing tic-tac-toe.

Where does the base pattern come from?

So where does the base pattern come from - usually it is obtained from such a drawing:

The drawing contains half of the back part + half of the front part.

We will also draw a similar drawing with you - only more simply and clearly.

And what are these halves for, and where to apply them - now I will clearly show everything.


Here (!) I dug up a wonderful sample - below - in the photograph of a black and white dress, our halves are very clearly visible - and half of the back, and half of the front. So to speak - clearly and clearly.

Yes, in the Potnovsky language, the halves are called “shelves”. Today we will draw these very shelves of the front and back. But first, let's take a closer look at what elements each shelf consists of. And most importantly, I will tell you what each element is for, what it serves.

To make everything as clear as possible, I will illustrate each of the elements both in pictures and in photographs of real models of dresses.

First, let's get acquainted with two obscure words: TRUCK And ARMHOLE.

Of course, you may know them. Or maybe not. My job is to introduce you.

So, get acquainted - PROYMA

When drawing a base pattern, you will create exactly that bend and size an armhole that fits you—when the armhole doesn't pull or dig into your arm.

That is, the pattern base contains admissible minimum size armholes. You can model the armhole to your taste, any configuration. But your fantasy armhole should not be less than on the base pattern. That is, an armhole on a pattern basis - These are the limits beyond which your imagination should not intercede.

Your model armhole can be arbitrarily larger - but it cannot be smaller than on the base pattern. More - yes, less - no - otherwise it will dig into the armpit. Here is a rule in modeling designer armholes.

Now let's get acquainted with the tucks.

BACK PATCHES - shoulder darts + waist darts

Here in the picture above, I wrote everything about the back darts - and in the photo of the dress you can find 2 waist darts - one to the right of the zipper, the other to the left of the zipper.

But you don’t see the shoulder tuck on this dress. And on many dresses, too, it is not. Because for convenience and beauty, this tuck is transferred from the middle of the shoulder to the zipper (or along the edge of the armhole, where the sleeve will be, a corner is simply cut off). That is, the excess fabric is not pinched at the middle of the shoulder and is not sewn inside the tuck. And the extra fabric cut off in a corner at the edge of the shelf, where the zipper is sewn in, or at the edge of the armhole - where the sleeve will be sewn in.

Also, darts are optional if you sew from stretch fabric - it itself repeats the curves of your body and shrinks both in the shoulder area and in the waist area.

Next, let's get to know… HALF FRONT darts

Oh, you could write a whole poem about her.

I thought for a long time how to explain it more clearly - what it is for and what laws it lives by. I thought and thought ... and came up with.

The fact is that a woman has breasts.))) That is, the front of an adult girl is no longer flat. This means that the dress in the chest area should be convex. The tuck on the shoulder of the front gives the dress this very bulge in the chest area. Now I will show everything in pictures. How does this happen.

For example, we have a flat piece of fabric, but we need to make a convex piece out of it. To do this, you need to make a tuck on it. For example - this flat circle of cardboard, with the help of a tuck, will now become convex.

And here is how the chest tuck creates a bulge on the front detail

You noticed that the top of the bulge (that is, the peak of our round pyramid) is at the point of the tuck. Pay attention to this. Because when we draw a tuck for the chest, the tip of our tuck will be at the top of the chest(where the nipple or dome of the bra is usually located).

Remember that sometimes you measured a dress in your size in a store, which somehow strangely warped on your chest - this is because the tuck in the dress was directed with its tip past top of your chest. Here the chest did not fit perfectly into the bulge of the dress. Not under your breast shape, this product was cut at the factory.

But that is not all, what I want to say about the chest tuck.

The fact is that in almost all dresses this chest tuck is located not on the shoulder- A on the side just below the armpit. It's made for beauty. The tuck on the shoulder is more conspicuous, but on the side, and even covered by the hand, it is not noticeable.

When creating a base pattern, we draw a chest tuck on the shoulder only because it is more convenient to draw it there from the point of view of building a drawing.

And after the drawing of the base pattern is ready, we very easily and simply transfer the tuck from the shoulder area to the axillary area. Do not think that for this you need to make new drawings. Nope, everything is simple here - how to open a carton of milk - one minute and that's it.

Here, in the picture below, I schematically depicted transfer of the chest tuck from the shoulder to the side seam at hand.

Well, do you already feel how you have grown wiser in these 15 minutes?))) Whether there will be more ... We continue our walk along the pattern and now we will get acquainted with the lines. horizontal lines

CHEST LINE

The first acquaintance is the line of the chest. (A beautiful dress, isn't it? We'll sew it with you. Don't even hesitate)


The chest line is the most wonderful line on the pattern. It is so convenient to navigate it when drawing a base pattern, because:

  • We know that we finish drawing the waist tuck of the back on the chest line.
  • We know that we finish drawing the waist tuck before reaching 4 cm to the chest line.
  • We know that the shoulder tuck is the front - we finish drawing on the chest line.
  • We know that the lower edges of the armholes also run along the chest line.

Well, no, of course, you don't know that yet. I will give all these simple rules when we start drawing. And for now, I just want you to know that when drawing many elements of the pattern, you can simply focus on the line of the chest (and there is no need to painstakingly put down these alphanumeric dots).

As you can see, there are a lot!! Therefore, go ahead - learn, sew and enjoy life)))

AND WHAT SHOULD I DO NEXT - WITH THE PATTERN BASIS? - you ask

And we will begin to sew according to the pattern-base of TOPS. Namely tops, T-shirts, tunics and then dresses.

You ask: "Hey, why not just dresses?". I give the answer to this question already in the first article of the cycle, so to be continued)))

Good luck with your sewing!

Many housewives and novice needlewomen want to learn how to sew and embroider on their own at home, but do not know where to start this, in their opinion, a difficult process. The desire can arise due to various reasons: the economic crisis, lower expenses for buying and repairing clothes, acquiring new skills and hobbies. Regardless of this, the learning process will not change. It is important to understand that sewing yourself is not difficult and is not shameful. With the help of the skills acquired after training, you can understand how to sew clothes yourself and what sewing from scratch is.

Why it's good to know how to sew

Any housewife should be able to sew and repair minor damage to clothes. Once upon a time, girls were taught this in labor lessons. Today, these practices are increasingly being overlooked because they have become irrelevant. Girls can learn this either at home or in special courses or circles. Despite all this, independent sewing has many advantages, including:

We sew for ourselves at home

  • The acquisition of an interesting, useful and unusual hobby. At modern people Hobbies include watching movies, listening to music, playing computer games. What is the use of this will be considered in the following paragraphs;

Self-sewing is an interesting hobby
  • To attract attention. It includes not only praise from girlfriends and strangers, but also winning the heart of a man. It's no secret that women often change their wardrobe just to please the men they love;
  • "Compatibility". Hand-sewn clothes will fit perfectly and look better on the figure, because they are made taking into account all the parameters and features of the needlewoman;

Perfect fit suit
  • Saving. From time to time, prices jump and simple synthetic "cloths" in the store are sometimes expensive. In this regard, independent sewing is becoming a very relevant idea that can save money and time. If everything is clear with money, then over time it’s not, because it takes longer to make a thing for yourself than to buy it. In fact, as much time as a person spends going to shops and ateliers, communicating with craftsmen and tailors, explaining to them how much and where to cut and sew on, is enough for self-tailoring;

Saving money and time is one of the main benefits
  • Additional income. If favorite hobby also brings some additional income, then you can’t imagine a better one. Perhaps this is provided that the person has regular customers as girlfriends, friends or colleagues, as well as considerable experience in tailoring. If things are done in good conscience, then the rumor about them will spread to strangers who are ready to pay more;
  • The ability to get your way. As in all things, gradually setting goals for yourself, you can go step by step towards the goal and achieve success. Starting with simple products, you can move on and work on more complex projects. The main thing is not to quit and strive for the best. Handmade things are unique and show the individuality of a person.

Gradual learning is the key to success

How to learn

One of the best options the answer to the question: how to learn how to sew clothes from scratch and at home - it becomes the passage of theory and practice courses from experienced craftsmen your business. You need to understand what exactly a person wants: to do it professionally, for relatives and friends, to sew simple things for themselves.


Cutting courses are a great way to learn

In the first case, if you want to work in an atelier and workshops or for yourself, you need to take into account that the main task of training is to build the right patterns. Only by learning this, you can become a professional, which you can become by completing special courses on working with equipment, fabrics, tools, and design. Such courses are the most expensive, but the results from them are excellent, especially with a strong desire to learn.


Sewing in a team improves communication skills

After passing professional lessons, the master will be able to handle any product: from blouses and T-shirts to classic suits and coats, shoes. You can work for yourself or get a job in the best ateliers. Prices for such courses start from 20 thousand rubles, and their duration can reach 150 hours.


Layout for taking measurements

If a needlewoman wants to cut and sew for relatives, then regular, basic courses will do. Usually they are taught to make things of medium complexity, competently take measurements, scribble, cut out clothing details. After these courses, any basic thing from the wardrobe should be easily obtained. Such courses cost from 10 thousand rubles and take 50 hours of study time.


Sewing master class

One-day courses for beginners are suitable for those who want to learn how to cut out a certain thing and sew. You can learn how to sew a T-shirt, skirt, sweatshirt, lace underwear. They are not expensive and make it clear whether it is worth doing it or not. The cost of such lessons is cheap: from 1000 rubles for a couple of hours of classes. Even a child can go there.


Basic courses are a good opportunity for beginners

How to learn to sew on your own

Learning to sew on your own is quite easy. Some people think that this is possible only under the guidance of parents or experienced masters in courses for which they ask for a lot of money, but this is not so. Of course, you can only qualify as a professional at courses, having received a certificate upon completion, but you can also learn how to sew and embroider beautifully and efficiently at home. To do this, it is enough to find materials on this topic on the Internet: books, training materials (videos, articles, instructions), free or old courses.


Learning to sew from scratch at home
  • Ability to choose fabrics. First, you can practice on the simplest ones. Linen and cotton are ideal for this. Then you can switch to silk, knitwear and acrylic. You also need to decide on colors and tones. If the fabrics are patterned or contain a pattern, then they should not ripple in the eyes, as they can fill out the figure;

Choosing the right needles and threads is an important process
  • Selection of needles and threads. It should be remembered that the larger the needle and its number, the smaller the number of threads you need to use. Thread number 40 is ideal for sewing wool, thick fabrics, velvet. For them, a 90th needle is suitable. 50th and 60th threads are combined with a number 80 needle and are suitable for silk and other fine fabrics;


plain fabric for newbies

  • Seam processing. When burned, natural fabrics turn into ash, while singeing the corners of silk or synthetics will form bubbles and competent singeing will pass without problems;
  • Workplace. Properly and well organized workplace help you get the job done effortlessly. When things are in their places, there is no need to be distracted by their search and waste time.

Well organized workplace

When working on the machine, the following should be considered:

  • Machine cleaning. Even the most stringent cleanliness rules cannot ensure the complete absence of dust in the device, particles of threads and fabrics that, if accumulated, can disrupt the operation of the device. Dust can be removed with wet wipes, brushes, tweezers;
  • Machine adjustment. Before starting work, you always need to adjust the “machine”, check it for serviceability. The process itself involves the regulation of the line, that is, the tension of the threads;

Dismantling the machine
  • Checking machine lubrication. Lubrication is necessary for all mechanisms and parts to work properly, smoothly and silently. To do this, use the usual machine oil or grease specified in the documentation for the technique. In it you can also read what exactly needs to be lubricated;
  • Job. If everything is done correctly, then the lines will be even and straight. To do this, you need to constantly ensure that the slices are aligned.

Machine lubrication process

How to learn to take measurements

Taking measurements seems to be one of the simplest actions, but this is only at first glance. To avoid rookie mistakes, you need to follow some rules:

  • Put on the underwear under which you plan to wear clothes and remove a couple of centimeters, for example, for tights or trousers and add for a bra;
  • To take measurements from the waist area, you can wear or tie a thin trim. This method is very popular with all dressmakers. This will allow you to more accurately determine the type of human figure;

Basic measurements
  • The person being measured should stand straight without any tension. After removal, you can compare them with tables of sizes and types of figures;
  • The main measurements are: girth of the chest, waist and hips, chest height, total length of the product, width and height of the back, length of the shoulders, legs and arms, neck girth, floodplain depth. Additionally, measurements of the girth of their different parts are taken from the arms and legs. The measurement process for each parameter can be found in specific manuals.

Measures by numbers

Cutting order

First of all, before the patterning process, you need to make the necessary measurements. After this, the silhouette of the product is determined: tight, free, hanging. Based on this, they make an increase in freedom, length, width.

Important! In order to make increases, you need to correctly measure the main indicators and measurements from the body and understand how to make increases to different measurements.


Pattern example

Pattern evening dress

Fabric choice

As already mentioned, for initial work and practice, cheap and natural cotton or linen fabrics with simple and even lint-free surfaces are ideal. After gaining experience, you can switch to more expensive silk or leather for bags and shoes.

Before a person trained in sewing, there will be no questions about which fabric to choose. Everything will depend on the budget, purpose and type of the final thing. The professional can choose from blended (tisi, greta, tereda, sisu) or synthetic (viscose, acrylic, spandex) fabrics.


The choice of fabric is an offshoot of the sewing process

Important! As for patterned fabrics, they should not cut the eyes and be very colorful. Otherwise, the figure will appear larger than it is. Especially in problem areas.

Common Mistakes

New craftswomen, overestimating their strength, begin to work with ignorance and great enthusiasm and face mistakes that can discourage them from doing such an exciting job. Among the main mistakes:


natural fabric for beginners
  • Choice of great work. It is impossible to immediately take on sewing a heavy model of a dress. Nothing will turn out, and this can forever discourage the desire to sew and embroider. It is necessary to improve step by step your ability to go to more complex products;
  • Haste with twilight sewing. No wonder there is a proverb - "Hurry - you make people laugh." Haste is the main "sin" of beginners, as they try to do everything faster and get good result. Ignoring the points of the instructions and not following them can put all the work down the drain;
  • Ignoring examples. If you do not measure a thing in the process of sweeping and immediately start grinding, then it may happen that the thing will be large or narrow. You can skip fitting only when a person does not make a thing for the first time;
  • Decatation of fabric. This occurs most often due to simple ignorance. If the fabric is not decanted, then after the first wash it will shrink a lot, and this is an irreversible process;

If you don't decant the fabric, it will shrink.
  • Inaccuracy. If you constantly leave the threads or seams unfinished, then it will become a habit. Always finish fabrics and seams after sewing is completed. If there is no overlock for this, then you can use a zigzag stitch;
  • Ignoring ironing. Treating the product with water and steam is an integral part of the whole process. Many seamstresses iron only finished goods, scoring that you almost constantly need to iron the seams, collar, etc.

Nice and neat seams

Thus, sewing from scratch on your own is not difficult and exciting. To learn this, it is not necessary to take expensive courses, since teaching materials there are a lot of articles, books, instructions and videos in the public domain.