Guest feature: Sewing for beginners

By Ellen Frisius

Are you a “do-it-yourself” person? Do you like to save money?

Do you like to learn new skills? Did you take a home ec class in high school and wish you had paid attention during the sewing portion of the course?

Are you creative?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, sewing may be for you!

Sewing can be very rewarding as you can make many items for your house, clothes for you and your family, and repair things you would normally throw away or take to a tailor to fix.

Sewing may be considered a lost art to some, but like any other craft, it is a skill easily learned if you dedicate your time and energy to it. I am grateful my mother taught me to sew from an early age.

I love the freedom of being able to make and create new clothes, curtains, blankets and many other things. I find it enjoyable and fun to match patterns to fabrics or design projects based on things that I have seen for sale in the store.

There are several ways to get started sewing. If you have the patience and dedication or already know a little about sewing, you can teach yourself to sew using books from the library or using internet resources.

If you have never sewn before or it has been a long time since you sat in front of a sewing machine, I would recommend taking a class on sewing.

There are many places that offer beginning sewing courses, or you might have a friend or relative who can teach you the basics.

Once you get started, you can then hone skills by working on more and more advanced projects. Sewing is an adventure and sometimes you never know how your project will turn out!

When you start sewing, you should start with a very basic project. You may never wear it or use it once it is finished, but it is always best to start simple!

Some good beginning projects are skirts with an elastic waist, pajama pants and pillow cases. When choosing a pattern, have your measurements on hand as the back of the pattern will tell you what size to purchase based on your exact body dimensions.

Pattern companies do not use ready-to-wear sizes, so don’t be put off if you normally wear a size 10, but the pattern recommends that you buy a size 12.

Once you have chosen your pattern, read the back carefully so that you purchase the correct amount of fabric and the necessary notions (buttons, elastic, zippers, etc).

You will also want to start with a fabric that is easy to work with, like cotton. For your first few projects, don’t buy stretchy or slippery material as they tend to be more difficult to work with.

If you are unsure of what the pattern is asking you to purchase or the correct amount of fabric, don’t be afraid to ask questions at your fabric store. The people who work there can often provide you with some great tips!

Before you can start sewing, you will need to wash your fabric in the same way that you would wash the final product as it may shrink. This will ensure that you can still wear or use your project once it is completed!

Before you start cutting out your pattern, read through the pattern instructions several times so that you know the steps you will need to complete.

Again, your local fabric store or sewing store is a great resource if you run into problems with understanding the pattern directions.

Sewing is a great skill to learn and there are so many different ways that you can use it!

I trust that you too will learn to sew and find it to be an enjoyable pastime. Hopefully next time someone compliments you on your new curtains or your new clothes, you can proudly say that you made them yourself!

For additional sewing resources visit here.

Ellen Frisius is an academic adviser in Olivet's School of Graduate and Continuing Studies and holds a master's degree in textiles and clothing from Iowa State University.