Our tips for getting started in sewing

So, have you decided to learn how to sew or are you seriously thinking about it? We won't try to dissuade you from it, on the contrary, sewing is for us a passion that we love to transmit through our sewing kits and through this blog.

In this article we will give you some valuable tips to get you started with peace of mind. There is no absolute truth, but we have learned a lot from our very different backgrounds (Margot learned to sew in fashion design school and I started as a self-taught designer).

The first thing you need to know is that sewing takes time and not everything will be perfect the first time. However, your progress and the satisfaction you feel will be such that you won't regret having started, we promise you.

The essential equipment:

Let's start with the most important thing, the sewing machine. For a first purchase you will find good entry-level machines between about 150€ and 250€ (Brother and Singer for example offer good machines in this price range). At this price you will not have any superfluous functionality and the motor will be a bit light for sewing difficult fabrics (thick jeans, silk or thin jersey), but you will be able to realize without difficulty the great majority of your projects.

In the early stages you can do without an overlock machine if it doesn't fit your budget (it's a machine that sews and cuts the edges of the fabric simultaneously to give perfect finishes. It is also recommended for sewing jersey). I bought my overlock machine (an Elna 664 pro) after a year and a half, to get more professional finishes, but I'm still delighted to wear my first creations made 100% with my Singer Simple.

It is also essential for a seamstress to always have an iron (or even better, a steam plant) within reach. It will allow you to eliminate wrinkles and regularly iron the seams of your current project for a top quality finish.

You'll also need a lot of "small equipment". We advise you to buy quality and to prefer haberdashery shops to supermarkets, so that you don't end up with one thread that breaks and scissors that stick.

The essentials:

• A tape measure to take your measurements and choose the size to be cut.
• A Japanese rule (transparent ruler graduated about 50cm x 5cm).
• From tissue paper to trace the patterns.
• From tailor's chalks of different colours and/or a frixion pen (heat-erasable). They will allow you to mark mark markers directly on the fabric without leaving indelible marks.
• From scotch if you opt for PDF templates or if you want to modify a part.
• From sewing machine needles. To get started we advise you to buy at least a kit of standard needles (ideal for most warp and weft fabrics) and a kit of special jersey needles. Here is an idea of the needle sizes generally recommended for different fabrics:
  • 60 : very fine fabrics (muslin, organza...)
  • 70 : fine fabrics (silk, fine linings...)
  • 80 : medium fabrics (cotton, light wools, viscose, polyester crepe...)
  • 90 : heavy fabrics (twill, velvet, woollen fabrics...)
  • 100: very heavy fabrics (upholstery fabrics, denim, gabardine...)
  • 110/120: Very heavy and dense fabrics (leather, very thick canvas)
• From thread. We advise you to choose 100% polyester, which is more resistant, and to have the most common colours in stock. You will then be able to buy the reels that perfectly match your new fabrics as you go along.
• From needles for hand sewing. They will be indispensable for certain finishes and to fix the buttons.
• From pins.
• Two pairs of scissors one pair for paper, one pair for fabric. This is essential because paper wears out the blades faster. If you use the same pair to do everything, it can quickly catch on to your pretty fabrics.
• A decoupler or Sort it out quickly, small magic tool which is aptly named. And yes, at the beginning you will often have to untie to start again and without untie it can take a very long time.
• Some safety pins to easily slip a rubber band into a slide. 

The equipment is not essential but very practical all the same:

• A chisethreadl to cut the threads flush with the fabric
• A parrot (curved ruler to draw the curves)
• Tweezers (to be used instead of needles on very thick fabrics for example)
• A rotary cutter, more precise and faster than a pair of scissors, but requiring investment in a cutting belt.
• A magnet to recover in a few seconds all the pins fallen on the living room carpet.

Now you know how to equip yourself, but where do you start? Here again we can give you some clues...

Your beginnings in sewing:

1. Start by getting to know your sewing machine. Read the manual (in its entirety) and learn how to operate it. Even with the simplest machines it may not be intuitive. This step will save you from pulling your hair out because of an upside down can. Test the different base points of your machine on a scrap piece of fabric. Practise sewing straight, then in roundness, test the stitch lengths...
2. Invest in a sewing manual to learn the basic lexicon and discover how to choose, wash and cut your fabric. To help you you will also find a small lexicon in the introduction to the assembly booklets of all our bosses.
3. Go for it! Watch tutorials or take classes (online or with a sewing teacher). Taking a few hours of classes with a teacher is a bit of a budget but we think it's worth it, at least to get you started with a good foundation. Then tutorials and sewing blogs can take over. Internet is a gold mine and many seamstresses share their knowledge.
4. Choose and make your first project. Why not an accessory like a kit or tote bag, but above all a simple project so as not to be discouraged at the first try. You will then be able to very quickly start making a garment. Make sure, however, that it pattern is adapted to your level. On our shop for exampleYou can filter the level of the sewing kits to make sure you choose a suitable project. Finally, you will find on this blog several free tutorials to easily make beautiful accessories.

Your first achievement will probably not be perfect, but will already be a source of great pride. And you will see, your margin of progress will be visible from project to project. By sewing a few hours a week, you will have already reached an intermediate level in a few months, allowing you to sew more complex projects.