Kalaitha
Style Rookie
Hey y'all,
My name is Keira, and I am 23 years old on this Saturday. I just got married, and currently work as a volunteer with the children's ministry at my Church and a housewife (I know, SO cliche).
I really want to start sewing, both to save money and I think it would be a useful skill to have! I would love and appreciate any advice people have for learning to sew. Thanks!
K2005Success
Style Rookie
Keira, the BEST way to learn to sew is to just plunge in! Really. You could start making pot holders or some other straight stitching, simplistic item but you will quickly get bored because there is little challenge there. Think bigger (without obsessing about your lack of skills) and allow yourself to stretch.
For example, I'll bet there are children in your ministry who NEED something made out of cloth -- shorts, an art apron (to protect their good clothes while they finger paint or play with clay), a T-shirt, a baptism dress, a loose fitting jacket. Kids don't stay the same size long enough for you, their parents or the kids themselves to worry about some little "flaw" in technique or shift in fashion sensibilities relating to fabric (polyester vs. 100% cotton), color, or style. Kids' clothing takes less fabric -- so you could harvest fabric from thrift-store finds or used adult clothing and rework it into something a child would love. Any garment or portion of a garment (like a bodice, a yoke, sleeves) can be cut out of patchwork (make your own fabric by stitching bits and pieces of fabric to a foundation fabric like an old sheet following the instructions for foundation piecing/paper piecing) --- yet another way to minimize the expense of acquiring fabric.
The delight your little friend experiences when receiving your unique gift will inspire you to do it again for someone new -- and learn some additional technique while polishing the skill you developed the first time you took the plunge. After you've made a few things, you'll have a lot more confidence than you have today in your ability to master sewing skills.
What you learn making give-away kids' clothing is completely transferrable to other projects when you feel ready to try your hand at something for yourself. Best of luck!
RachelleB
Style Rookie
In my experience its best to start with things that are easy, i.e. a purse, apron, cute hair accessories, etc. and once you are comfortable with those move onto bigger projects like jackets, dresses, pants, etc.
Its very easy to get discouraged at first when once begins to sew, but with perseverance and patients the final outcome will be satisfying. You may get bored with creating simple purses, aprons, accessories, and the like, however, these are still incredibly important for creating a foundation for your skills. And simple things can always be embellished with adorable buttons, patches, ribbons, etc. So be creative, take it slow, and have fun!
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