[strawberrycakes]

Thinking of teaching myself to sew especially since my DD does dancing & I have just spent over $100 getting her costumes made & they haven't been fully completed & one has a big rip in it

Are patterns easy to follow?

Whats the best beguinner sewing machine?

Is it hard?

[noi'mnot]

A lot of sewing machine shops will give you a couple of lessons with the machine to help you learn how to use it. This will show you what the machine can do, but not necessarily how to sew. Many shops have sewing lessons too, though.

Many neighbourhood houses have lessons which are great. Also look at tafes and adult education centres.

There are heaps of patterns which are easy to use for a beginner, it kind of depends on your willingness to "wing it" and have a few mistakes and such.

I taught myself to sew, having had maybe a year of really basic sewing lessons in year 8, and no other lessons apart from that. I kind of just looked at super easy patterns and figured out how they worked and went from there. It's not that hard. The most complicated thing I've made would probably be my wedding dress (including over 60 meters of fabric and tulle...).

I've never tried dance costume type things, though, they might be a whole other kettle of fish - I'm not sure if they're beginner level or not.

[countrymel]

Do an adult ed. course.

I didn't do sewing in high school but really wanted to learn so I went and did an adult ed. course at the age of 14 (I don't think it was strictly legal?) it was great!

They aren't that expensive and you will meet some great people (hopefully some whom will be there in the future to help you with costuming!!)

[baxlaika]

I'm sort of learning at the moment, mum is teaching me. I have only sewn easy stuff, with no buttons, darts, zips, gather etc I think they might be a bit hard??

Some patterns are easier to follow than others, I have found Kwik Sew easier to follow than butterick for example, but that might just be me. There is a bit of assumed knowledge.

Go talk to your local sewing machine shop - they are usually really helpful. There are lots of courses around, I'd recommend you do one of them and see how you go after that.

[Shadowess]

It's not hard, as long as you have someone to show you, but the most important but is patience... My mother taught me that trick with sewing! It'll all come together if you're patient...

[bambiigrrl]

oh wow, sewing used to seem sooo hard to me, and now I can make a jacket! I started slow, just buying a sewing machine and learning (from the manual) to use all of its functions is a great start, also helpful is utube!! You can learn so easily from u tube!

I always wanted to sew but it always seemed too hard, but once i started, with cushions and sheet sets etc, i found i could take on more and more complicated patterns which is so exciting and challenging! I am now starting my own online store selling my creations and am always tackling new projects, for instance my next big project is to make a belly dancing costume for 30th birthday party! I cant wait to get stuck in!!

I say go for it!! Its fun and very satisfying!!

[bambiigrrl]

I'm sort of learning at the moment, mum is teaching me. I have only sewn easy stuff, with no buttons, darts, zips, gather etc I think they might be a bit hard??

That stuff is not hard, just seems more complicated then it is really. As i said, the more you learn, the more your confidence grows! just start with the easy stuff and work your way up! I used scrap material to practice doing zips, button holes etc, and the manual explains clearly how all the functions work and how to use them, what situations they apply etc. Also the library has a lot of great books you can learn from too.

my sewing machine was only $100 and it does the job great, I would love a $1000 sewing machine but thats just not in our budget right now! Lol!
p.s - op I could make a dance costume for probaly $20!!

This post has been edited by bambiigrrl: 30/11/2012, 04:00 PM

[Joey11]

I'm just learning too, after knowing some basics from school & Mum as a teenager.

I borrowed a couple of "learn to sew" type books from the library and they're good - they tell you about how to read patterns and sew different things (i.e. zips) and after that it's experimenting. They had patterns, too, that you could copy. However, I also had Mum with me for my first big project and I'm so glad I did - I would have cut things wrong on the material and been very confused - so on that basis I recommend a sewing course to help start you off.

You may also have to sew some different materials with costumes, like stretchy material and netting and sequins and things. As the materials can be expensive (I was in a material shop the other day and a lady was buying netting for her primary-school aged daughter's costume - the pattern said 6 meters and the stuff wasn't cheap!), so it's worth being able to not ruin them!

ETA - also some community groups have sewing groups - there's a multicultural women's sewing group near me in inner North Melbourne, for example, so you can go along and help people learn english and they can help you sew!

This post has been edited by Joey11: 30/11/2012, 03:58 PM

[Schmig]

I learnt to sew about 6 months ago. My mum showed me how to read a pattern and a few basic things and I taught myself from there. I have made lots of different things since then from skirts and dresses for my daughter to dresses and jackets for me. I even altered some curtains for the spare room.

You can get lots of great patterns that basically teach you to sew. I never thought I would enjoy it as much as I do. I make something every week now.

[Chubbles]

Sorry to hijack but can anyone recommend a good, cheap machine for a beginner?