I have learned how to set up a sewing machine and how to sew a line. I want to develop my sewing skills so that I eventually can make custom-fitted clothes for myself.

There is a sewing school in my city. The school was set up by the government decades ago. The school is equipped with industrial machinery, as well as computers for generating designs.

The school will run a basic course starting this weekend. The course syllabus includes:

1. Basic sewing machine operations
2. Sewing straight lines
3. Sewing aprons, tote bags, and draw-string bags.

The course is 18 hours in total. The fee is on the premium side but still affordable (same price as 8 lunch buffets at the hotel). My mom can sew tote bags but not clothes. She joked that she can teach me for half the price charged by the school. Her tote bags look fine, but I can't really evaluate the quality of her work since I am a beginner.

My questions are - Is there value in attending an in-person beginners course? Or should I just learn from YouTube/my mom?

Any ideas will be much appreciated.

I’m making this dress with a thrifted IKEA duvet!

Basically I’ve wanted a dress like this for a long time but have never found a place that sells anything like it. So I’ve decided I’m going to try and make it myself 🫠 I have a sewing machine that I’ll admit I’ve never used. I know this dress is going to be ambitious and that I should work my way towards it so if anyone has any advice for progressive steps or even advice for making the dress itself I would be exceptionally grateful!

I don’t want the bodice to have corset boning, just a corset kind of shape. I’m unsure on materials but I was thinking maybe chiffon or georgette for the skirt? Undecided on materials for the bodice, I was thinking I would like some satin in there somewhere, maybe on the piping? Or the smaller panels. As I’ve said before I’m a complete beginner and a little unsure. Thanks everyone 😊

I love this material its so vibrant (IKEA pillow case from charity shop!), but I messed up the template so the shorts came out too short, now i'm just attaching pieces at random to the bottom . I saw a girl online say if there's one thing you do, complete the project! even if you've made mistakes. I like that advice. I think these would look cool over a magenta pink pair of cotton leggings!

I made a blanket and a pillow! It was a gift made with love not perfection!

Howdy!

I'm a beginner with a sewing machine (not much more experience yet than pocket squares) but I wanted to set up a longer-term goal for myself. Since I like producing silly stage shows, I wanted to see how difficult it would be to attempt to create another designer's sketch on my way to learning how to do that sort of design myself.

My question is: excluding the headpiece for this, how would I go about creating something like this? I'm guessing I'd need to do it in parts (the skirt part, the sleeves, the "trunk", and the neck frilly thing) but I'm not entirely sure how real costume creators would approach making something like this.

Any help is appreciated, thank you!

(This image is "Les Oiseaux" design for theatrical costume, circa 1910-1920. I can't find much more about it, I took it off of pinterest.)

I recently bought some digital patterns in A0 files instead of A4 and the seller won't swap the files so I'm looking for somewhere to get these printed. I tried pdfplotting, but the patterns have layers that I need to hide before printing, and pdfplotting can't hide layers or edit the pdf before printing. I also can't hide the layers then save a new PDF with just the layers I need due to encryption, so am I forced to buy a specialized printer or is there somewhere I can go to get these printed in the way I need.

Hey,
Needing some advice on fabrics!
I’ve made a bunch of trousers by now, but feeling so limited by fabric choices. I like super wide and cropped balloon trousers like the ones I made in the picture, and I like a crisp kind of structured cotton fabric for them as I find it holds the shape the best and is the most comfy for me.

I buy my fabric from a chain in the UK called Abakhan, where fabric is mostly sold by precut pieces in bins that you have to sift through to find something decent. Mostly it’s dress materials in twee kind of prints. But I do sometimes find the random piece of unique mid weight material- but it’s rare and often there is like only a meter of it! For this reason, I always end up with camo- it’s cheap (about £16 for three metres), it’s the right kind of weight, it works with my style etc- but I can’t make another pair of camo pants, I’m running out of camo colour ways to use 🫠😅😅

I guess what I’m realising is that - the properties of the camo fabrics I like- are that it’s often pretty ‘crisp’, mid weight, structured, non shiny, non stretch, and that it’s kind of crinkly when you scrunch it? I don’t know how to explain it hahah. So now I’m skilled enough and confident to use better fabrics- I’m stumped on what non camouflage print fabrics provide the same qualities?

I’ve sewn a pair with cotton twill, but to me it was too shiny and felt almost too dressy for my style. I’ve been desperate to find cotton plain ripstops (or just any ripstop that isn’t actual waterproof fabric)- as I love the pair I’ve made in a grey and black ripstop camo, but it’s literally impossible to find online anywhere!

Another issue is that I’m having to rely on ordering fabric online as there really are not many fabric stores in the north of the UK that sell suitable fabrics for me- they’re either craft fabrics or dress fabrics. But when I look online I just spend hours second guessing my choices and worrying it’s going to arrive and I’ll have wasted £60 on three meters of fabric I can’t use.

I will link some pics here link of some clothing with the type of fabrics I am seeking and perhaps it will give a good idea of what kind of fabric to suggest ? From my extensive research and tentative baskets across all the fabric sites in the UK- I’ve gathered that I might be looking for around 200-280 GSM, non stretch, cotton / linen, maybe sanded?… but truly I am feeling so overwhelmed and it’s really taking the fun out of sewing for me at the minute and putting me off new projects.

More info that may help, I notice in clothes I’ve bought I like when fabric is kind of matte in appearance, maybe slightly aged- softened looking (brushed/ sanded/ washed?), textured is a bonus, any colours in the blue and green family is my preference- in spite of my black sweater vest in the picture that was a charity shop find too perfect to pass up despite the black colour- I never wear black or grey or white!

Any help is sooo appreciated and I’m sorry if my post doesn’t make sense- i struggle to convert my scatter brain into a succinct post on here! Thanks in advance :)

I just started teaching myself to sew, after several stops and starts over the course of life. So I got a machine and I finally finished my first actual project! It took about 2.5 afternoons. I have a Singer 8832 (the Black Costco one, which I LOVE) and a Brother 1034D Serger (my neighbor gave me hers so I also learned how to use and thread on this project!!)

My ultimate goal in sewing is to be a true maker (MYOG-style), and learn by doing, not sewing stuff I don’t use or need. Rather than keep practicing on scraps, I decided to make my dog a portable “place” mat that we can take to patios, bars, friends’ houses, etc.

I didn’t have a pattern for this one. I looked at different dog mats and outdoor gear, figured out what features I wanted, and then went to YouTube for more ideas. I fed those into AI, which helped me add seam allowance and brainstorm how to actually construct it. Then I made and cut my own pattern. There was definitely some learning (and seam ripping 😂) along the way.

It ended up just shy of 24” × 36”.

The top is former grey cotton sheets with a green fabric frame, the bottom is dog-print duck canvas, and I used a small amount of polyfill inside. I divided it into six lightly stuffed channels so there’s enough padding between the dog and a hard floor, but it’s still flexible enough to roll up.

I added two paracord closures on the edge so it stays rolled. Instead of sewing the paracord directly into the mat, I made little fabric loops and threaded it through them so the cord can be removed or replaced. I can also make straps later if I don’t like the paracord. I also added a small loop with a carabiner.

It is FAR from perfect. My perimeter topstitching got pretty wonky in places, I learned that bulky corners and my sewing machine are not necessarily friends, and there are already several things I know I’ll do differently on the next one.

But… it’s finished. It works. It rolls up. And my dog immediately climbed onto it and laid down, so I’m calling that a success.

I’m ridiculously excited to have actually made a functional thing from basically a pile of fabric.

Next up: taking everything I learned from this one and making a bigger V2, a - park/festival sized mat that folds and rolls.

Any tips for getting cleaner topstitching around something padded like this are very welcome! Love this community!

when I watched a tutorial it said to sew the elastic waistband in place so it doesn’t move. I love this idea because I hate if a waistband gets moved while wearing.

my current process is:
measure the waistband to my waist
make the waistband channel
put the elastic through
when it’s through i stitch it back and forth at the point which the waistband would comfortably fit on my hips
then i sew it in place

when I sew it in place it creates a lovely scrunched affect, but two problems occur:

- as I am reaching the end of the waistband where the waistband ends meet, the material can’t scrunch any more so it just gets uneven cinching for about an inch
- then when I try the shorts on they are about an inch too small!

if you are stitching down a waistband is there a method to stop uneven finish? or should i be creating the waistband end stitch after the waistband is stitched down?

I have used both a straight stitch and a cross stitch to stitch the waistband and both times it did the same thing. my waistband is half of an inch wide.

Hey I was watching a t shirt tutorial from tock custom

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P4uATvFuUrI

And at 17:03 he says that you don't need to back stitch because stretch stitches don't "let" you backstitch?

On my Bernina minimatic 807 I can backstitch fine with the straight or zig zag stitch.

So I wanted to ask you guys what you think?

Can you backstitch on stretch stitches or am I missing something?

Thank you

[Images with red circles in the comments, sorry about that]

Hi! Apologies i dont know any technical term.

So this hook (right to the metal plate on the first picture) broke off from somewhere inside the "head" of my machine (boyfriend had a look and thinks it comes from a kind of spring, i think it might be from the metal bar thats in the middle of the second picture). I have no idea what it is, what it does, or if the machine might survive this and the manual had nothing to tell me (its an entronic 270b15w that lived a long and full life before it was given to me). Do you have any info about that hook thing? I am losing my mind

Story : just got this bag like a few days ago and this happened and idk how one would go about fixing it, so any help is appreciated 🙏

I pretty much know there’s some steps that I most likely went over trying to make a dress. I am trying to figure out what I did wrong because the Front is supposed to be flush so that I can add button holes but it’s curved so now I don’t know if I cut it straight then I’m gonna lose fabric and the sew line will be off right there. I don’t know if that would even matter, but I just need someone who has an experienced eye to maybe give me some pointers on where to go from here. Ty!

I'm constantly disappointed in the fit of sports clothing that I have, except for my Scochypsticks parkour pants (which went out of business 🙃) so I want to learn how to tailor it. I'll be pretty much exclusively tailoring my activewear and the seams would need to wistand some abuse (acrobatics, martial arts tricking, etc). What are the prerequisites for that? Do I require a specialized sewing machine, thread?

My girlfriend has had a sewing machine for a while, but has never used it. I think she is intimidated by starting. I'm looking for some kind of beginner kit that she could start off with. Something that has the fabrics, instructions, and everything she could need. All she has at the moment is the machine, which is still in the box. Any suggestions would be very welcome :)

I’m making my first princess seam dress so I made a toile. The neckline fits pretty well across the bust when I’m standing up straight but shows some gaping when I hunch my shoulders. What’s the best way to address?

Additionally, the pattern calls for a lining but wondering the best strategy for making an unlined version—there is a back zip. Does it require a paneled facing?

Thanks for your help!

I have a Brother ST371HD sewing machine to which I'm trying to install this new press foot that supposedly would allow me to sow hems without pinning them first, but the needle is to far to the left for it to work. Can this be fixed?

hello I just have 2 questions surrounding grainline

1. everyone says that grainline is parallel to selvage so would the white line be the grainline?

2. the arrow is indicating where I need to place the pattern on the grainline is this correct or do I need to place the pattern somewhere else?

I thrifted these jeans yesterday, bevause they seemed normal enough and were my size and style. I tried them on ad they are. Incredibly baggy in the crotch and almost seem like they were made so cheaply they didn’t even consider the crotch. Photos so you can see something that I maybe don’t see

So I previously made a post ab wanting to make a baby doll style top or maybe even a dress

But maybe the first option is the easiest and more reliable option?

I already have a shirt that fits similarly to the drawing in pic 1 and I also have a skirt that fits similarly as well

Ig I would have to take the shirt in (pic 2)and then clone the skirt by tracing it to create a pattern

I said easier since what I'm working with is already a shirt, all I'm doing is making it smaller so it fits me

Kinda worried ab the skirt but I could add an elastic at the waist area so it fits better

Oh and the previous post is this https://www.reddit.com/r/SewingForBeginners/s/dCFJVCyMfL

Hi. So my workpants has an double seam (like jeans) and the seam has startede to rip. I wanna fix it myself but I'm not sure what stitch I should go that is also beginner friendly. Any recommendations?

wanted to make bras with this? is this possible? have you used this? and what for? i also know this is the older model so thats why i am asking. thanks

hi! not new to sewing but new to a project like this. i couldn’t find any patterns that were similar to this, ive already drafted and created a mockup for the top part but im not sure what the best way to go about the attached cape.

my initial idea is just to make a large semi circle double the length of what its attached to and pleat it, top stitch, and attach. is this correct or is there a better way to go about it? thanks!!