Sewing tips for beginners

Even experienced sewers had to start somewhere…

The great thing about sewing (along with the 157,001 other reasons) is that it’s fun. And importantly you don’t have to be a Rembrandt with the needle and thread to get enjoyment from it.

The key when you’re starting out is to pick up as many tips and tricks as you can to help you to progress as quickly as possible. And of course, we couldn’t miss the opportunity to hint at a Jaguar sewing machine that might be absolutely perfect for a beginner.

More of that anon – in the meantime, lets get underway with this magical tip fest with…

Don’t overlook the obvious…

We thought we’d start this article off with a whole fifteen interesting ideas. Serger Pepper posted 15 Top Beginner’s Sewing Tips… because Sewing is Fun – and we really agree with that point of view of course!

A huge amount of common sense on this wonderful article – which just goes to show that you can’t afford to ignore the obvious. Take sewing tip #11 – check the amount of thread on the bobbin.

“…this may sound silly to you but, basing on Murphy’s Laws, if you have to guess exactly when your bobbin’s thread will finish, you can be sure that it will happen right in the middle of a princess seam (or any other complicated stitching), and you’ll notice it only after 30 cm of unlocked stitching…”

15 tips not enough? Here’s 23!

We love the Threads website – and here’s an excellent reason to love it even more – Sewing for Beginners: 23 Tips and Techniques You Should Know.

This slideshow throws you in at the deep end (in the nicest possible way) with a video “How to serge seam allowances”.

Other highlights include “How to sew inseams” and “How to master the backstitch”.

Have you considered the pins?

We’re fans of the wonderful Leslie on The Seasoned Homemaker website – and her article Sewing tips for beginners has some really informative content, such as understanding all about fabric grain.

A really good piece is “Sewing pins are essential”.

“When it comes to sewing pins, I prefer the It Takes a Village approach.

“No, I don’t have a weird pin-fixation.  All of these pins have a purpose in sewing. Use the wrong pin and you could ruin your project.”

Make something easy

Of course, it’s all very well being taught all these wonderful techniques, but you also want to actually get shifting and make something – don’t you?

So here’s a lovely project to kick off with – and easy fashion scarf project, courtesy of those lovely people at the Better Homes and Gardens How to Sew website.

It’s a great project for the inexperienced sewist – step-by-step instructions and diagrams: and we particularly love the video at the end of the article showing the “magic invisible closure”. Well worth getting out of bed for!

And the best sewing machine for the beginner?

Well you couldn’t really expect us to be impartial with this could you?
The Jaguar Novum Life 157 machine is very popular with children and adults who are looking for their first sewing machine.

It is also ideal as a second machine for those who need a lightweight compact machine to take to classes.

Have a look at all our wonderful Jaguar sewing machines »