How To Sew Part 1: Basic Materials

 How To Sew Part 1: Basic Materials

Written by Delanora Jones

You have just entered a course about how to learn how to sew. If you’ve never done it before it may seem like a daunting task. If you are interested please tune in to learn more. All you need are a few materials and patience. I have been sewing for a while, and even though I’m not a professional I still know a couple things that will help introduce you to sewing. First I will tell you the materials that will be needed for a basic sewing project.

Scissors. You might have to get another pair of scissors than the ones you use for paper because paper dulls scissors. Sharp scissors are very important if you want to cut fabric efficiently. You might see in sewing videos that they use rotary cutters or rotary wheels. Honestly, they are not vital to sewing, though they do make the job easier. Once you are comfortable with using scissors, you can buy a rotary wheel if you wish. Rotary wheels are not absolutely necessary unless you are doing large projects or you need extra clean lines.

Needles. The easiest needles for beginners are the large ones; 3 inches long with a fairly large eye, but not so large that it can’t glide through fabric.

Pins. Pins are a very, very important tool to have when sewing. They help keep pieces of fabric together while you are sewing. For efficiency, you can get long(about 4 inches) and short (about 2 inches) pins. Long ones are great for thick fabric and short ones are great for flowy or slippery fabric. There are two ways to store pins and needles; with a pincushion, or with a magnetic pincushion. Magnetic pin cushions are not a must but are very, very nice to have.

Thread. When I first started sewing, I would have old and/or cheap thread. For a beginner, that is fine. It might be best that you use cheap thread so that you don’t waste high-quality thread for low-quality products.

Tape Measure. The ones made for sewing are much easier to use than hard plastic rulers. 

Iron. Most people already own irons so it’s not much of a problem to get. They are important for pressing seams, banishing wrinkles, and making straps lay flat.

Fabric. Another material you are obviously going to need is fabric. The best fabric to get(for beginners) are sheets or shirts from thrift stores. The best fabrics for beginners are t-shirt fabrics or cotton fabric. They are the most readily available and more affordable than other fabrics. Also, there might be seamstresses around you that might offer you some scrap fabric or fabric that they don’t use. Make sure to ask around before spending a lot of money on fabric.

Stitches

Now we will delve into stitches, the main component of sewing. 

Running Stitch. The easiest stitch, and the first stitch I learned, was the running stitch. It is not the most durable stitch, but it is good enough for most projects. It will benefit you to do smaller stitches for projects who will take more wear and tear. But as you’re first starting, you can practice with larger stitches to become more accustomed to how needles work.



Backstitch. The next stitch that you might need is the backstitch. This stitch is more durable than a running stitch because each stitch forward reinforces the previous stitch. Though it uses more thread, it is worth it. 

Backstitich


Ladder, invisible, or slip stitch. The last stitch I’ll be covering is an Invisible stitch or a ladder stitch. Invisible stitches help you fix holes or to disguise hems. It is easily done in very handy to have.


If more help is needed, there are many avenues to learn more about sewing. Look forward to the next part of this series. 

SHOUTOUT to my friends.

We started a newspaper and the post is coming out today. Tune in to read about interesting things. See site here.

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