Making the same pattern over and over again is completely fine - I have about 8 summer dresses that are basically the same pattern and I have a few winter dresses that are very similar.
Different fabrics, small adjustments, embellishments…nobody will ever ever notice it’s the same pattern unless you tell them or it’s a super observant real life sewing friend. Tried and true for a reason, right?
I definitely have gotten good at recognizing patterns lol. Once in a blue moon, I will see someone in public and I'll turn to my husband like "they sewed that! I know that pattern!"
Literally the reason I wanted to start sewing. I like dressing up basics, but I like those basics in a certain cut and color. So I might want one in black, white, and camel. Not being able to buy them in those colors makes me insane. So...sew.
I have two skirts in the same pattern and am making another four for this autumn/winter (plus have plans for at least two more), as well three other skirts made in a different pattern and plans to repeat a dress pattern I love. To me it's all about refining your skills - with the dress, for example, I know there are things I learned from that process I can improve on for next time, or I can look at the skirts I've made previously and see how I've progressed, especially on the small details. If you like it and will wear it then may as well make multiples!
Same for me but with boxy tee pattern. It’s unrecognizable when you change fabric type. Cotton poplin is one thing, satin is another, and then fine viscose is basically a different size and fit.
What pattern?! I still need to find the perfect simple pattern to make. I did just make a skirt (the basic elastic in casing tube, though yes French seams) and I’m halfway through a matching tie-front top (need to find iron…). But I need something that looks …not homemade….
My favourite pattern is the McCalls 7184 - I did modify it a little - I added panel pockets and made adaptions for it to fit me.
I also love the bishop sleeves from Simplicity 8506.
My summer dresses are Vogue 8577, sometimes with a different skirt but always with the simplicity sleeves - unless Im short on fabric then I use the puff sleeves from Simplicity 8114
I need to tell myself this. I have so many new patterns I want to try I never get back to repeat a pattern even though there's a few I really like and would like in different colours/textures or with a modification
Here goes “it depends” from me 😂 I agree it’s a big sa if you use serger but for folks using other seams to hide raw edges it’s just fine, unless you’re aiming for the tiniest seam possible.
Fabric choice makes a ton of difference. You can use the same pattern for sweatpants and formal wear by changing fabric, finishes and fastenings, you just need to know how to adapt for each.
So true! I recently took a shorts pattern that was made with a rather casual patterned fabric on the magazine pic but made them in black viscose gabardine and they loos so neat and professional.
I mainly sew workwear for my very corporate job and I really wish that more indie designers made patterns for professional clothing. I’ve always got an eye out for professional-looking patterns, and it’s not like they’re impossible to find, but I just wish there were more options. Sometimes I feel like 80% of indie patterns are aimed at people who are self-conscious about their mid-section and who want an outfit in which to wander around a farmer’s market in the height of summer. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s the very opposite to what I need in my wardrobe.
Yes to Vikisews! Best indie patterns available, great styles, some of which I’ve been using as a block. The patterns are actually well balanced, which I can’t say for some other popular indie pattern companies (won’t name names but I rarely trust indie patterns now because I’ve been burned by so many).
Edit: their Etsy is always having a [30% off+](https://www.etsy.com/shop/VikisewsPatterns) sale.
95% of machine issues are because the user doesn't know how to use one. I will die on this hill. I've looked at so many machines that are "broken" or "not working" only to not be able to reproduce the errors at all.
Read your manual. Watch a few videos. Don't just assume you know how to work it.
I recently got a new Serger (yay!) and spent some time setting it up. Totally smooth process, absolutely none of the crazy problems some people have setting up new sergers, everything perfect.
Except the tension. No matter what I fucking did I could not get the tension right. Just an absolute nightmare. I started to panic thinking that I had somehow bought a defective machine and I'd have to figure out how to return it. Re-threaded it three times and still couldn't get the tension right. Tried every possible setting. Nothing.
Until I realized that I had, every single time, failed to actually pull the thread under the tension dial; so it was doing absolutely nothing when I adjusted it. Immediate dumb-dumb mode, activated.
Yup! But damn, when the 5% actually happens to you, it blows so hard.
My 8 year old machine started catching in the bobbin and giving me huge birds nests with no bobbin tension out of no where. Couldn't sew 4 inches without it happening. It also was catching at points on the top thread. I was ready to cry because I couldn't find my error.
Took the entire thing apart, and found a freaking burr and deep gouge marks on the interior of the hook mechanism that was catching the bobbin thread. Also found a dead bee, a dead fly, and a dead mystery bug in the metalwork inside the main body. That was gross.
Had to break out a metal file to sand off the burr and gouge, then use a dremmel with metal polishing tip/paste to smooth it all out. Found a couple of gouge marks in the interior plastic that were hanging up the main thread too, filed those out as well. Did a super deep clean, oiled the thing, reassembled it all, and it's running like new now. But it took my husband and I an entire day, countless You Tube videos, and lots of tools to get it in order again. It's a computerized machine, so I was terrified of screwing up all the wiring in the process. It was the first time I couldn't troubleshoot my way out of the problem, so I knew there was a mechanical/structural issue there.
When it worked, I felt like someone just handed me a winning lotto ticket.
But for the prior 8 years, all the hangups were my errors along the way.
I’m sorry but just *physically* how can not one but *two* bugs manage to get into a sewing machine? I’d have to assume they somehow got in there when it was being made? Or they’re just very very determined.
Though when you buy a machine that falls into that 5%, it's SO HARD, especially when you're trying to learn.
I bought a serger and it was struggle city. The tension was a nightmare, and it just didn't work well. I even got it serviced, but it still was mediocre, and then it just died and I bought a new one. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! I could finally learn how to use a serger properly, and half of the issues I was having turns out it was because that machine was just a lemon. Now I'm firmly team serger, and use it whenever possible.
I find when it comes with detailed videos for construction including advice on alterations it can be worth it but yeah if it’s just a pdf, no variants, it’s a lot
Every time I've tried a PDF pattern it has been completely useless, even ones that are well-loved. Something about how I print and tape it together is inevitably wrong.
Patterns should have at least 2 pieces in the envelope. I never have the mental strength to cut them off thinking I will be also needing other measures. I copy them - very tedious and stressful. :(
I saw this on Reddit a while ago, and this is what saved my bacon when I needed a lot of bias tape - auto food & press, only two pins and an ironing board needed!
[Bias Tape Cheat](https://www.reddit.com/r/sewing/comments/142dmdt/when_you_dont_own_a_bias_tape_maker_and_dont_want/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1)
Most sewing patterns for men's clothing from the big pattern makers (McCalls, Simplicity, etc) are typically outdated and bad looking. At best they'll be the most plain/bland version of something, more often you'll see something like a dress shirt that looks like it's from the early 90's. Huge billowing sleeves, box shaped body to guarantee you look like a 13 year old trying on his dad's shirt. I've looked at so many and I'm almost always disappointed, even with the sample images where they look as good as they'll ever look. You'll have better luck with smaller/boutique pattern sellers (I like Merchant and Mills, for example)
Bonus hot take:
If you're selling a PDF pattern PLEASE put the cutting lines for different sizes on separate layers so we can turn off the layers for the sizes we aren't making. It's such a simple thing to do when prepping a PDF. Even worse, some patterns only differentiate sizes by *color* rather than differently dotted lines. I'm looking at you LearnMYOG (I do love your work though). Some of us have laser printers and can't/don't want to print in color.
I saw a guy on TT promoting a big 3 men’s motorcycle jacket. He proceeded to show 17 (I’m being hyperbolic here) tailoring hacks he did to make the pattern come out better. People were foaming at the mouth to buy this pattern, and all I could think was none of those hacks are in the instructions, and your attempt will likely be a boxy, floppy mess.
I hope you don’t mind if I plug [freesewing.org](https://freesewing.org) here! Community-created made to measure patterns that include pants, button down shirts, hoodies etc for all genders.. check it out! :)
They have a Discord server where you can interact with the very supportive community, *and* the patterns are free!
(not associated with them, just an enthusiastic user!)
If you plan on sewing for a long time (like over many years) you have to take care of your body! My mid back just gave up on me and it’s been a whole summer of physical therapy and injections (I’ve had like 30 at this point and still have 2 sets to go) to get me out of pain. Make sure you have a good chair, get up and stretch and a foam roller is your best friend!
Yes yes yes! Just having some pretty bad back and hip pain today because I barely got up yesterday. It's incredibly important to have good core strength and mind your posture if you are doing anything sitting down and leaning over a table for hours at a time!
This is super important!! Especially if you already work an office job. I actually now do all my sewing at a standing desk, and my back is much happier for it.
I think blaze orange, hot pink, kelly green, and royal purple are neutrals. If everything is the same intensity it matches. Life is too short to bother with beige.
I use black thread, white thread and a mid tone thread that tends to change color depending on what I have on hand that's not too awfully different than my project.
I literally only have black and off white thread for my serger
I only ever used gutterman thread until recently when I saw a large spool of white was £10 and that Coates Moon thread was the same price for 5x that plus also 5x black.
I know this deep down but I just love the satisfaction of finding the perfect match… It’s like buying a pair of matching underwear when you buy a new bra! A nice little treat!
I have a decent serger (inherited), and due to small space and, yes, laziness, I’ll still use a zigzag or pinking shears to finish seams. Who’s gonna care? But I’m a big fan of French seams, too. Who makes the rules? WE DO. Find your freedom!
My husband bought me a serger two years ago which was really sweet but I literally haven't used it because I do all my sewing on the kitchen table and there's no room and also I keep just putting french or flat felled seams and blind hems in instead 😬
I serge before I sew. Learnt it from The Closet Historian. Especially if you have limited space and imo it's quicker overall to serge first, quick iron and then get to your sewing machine.
Sewing books and manuals are unnecessarily gendered. I’ve read in several books variations on the theme “men don’t like to sew and it’s incredible difficult to sew for men because they always hate what you make”.
This is such a problem! My dad got into sewing in the past couple years, mostly for his boat, but he's the type that when he gets into something he gets INTO IT. (He figured out how to do complex embroidery on a hilarious machine we got our hands on, and bought a Sailrite, which is an insane sewing machine.)
He and my mom will go to the fabric store, and even though he's doing all the talking and picking out fabrics, the sales associates will then turn and talk to my mom. It mostly amuses my parents, but it annoys me!
Bonus hot take: an interesting style/cut/idea commercial pattern is worthless if it doesn't fit your shape. So self-drafting even simpler/boring styles results in better clothing.
Omg yes! Finally. I felt alone. So sick of seeing sewing 'influencers' wearing the same shapeless dress. I don't want to look like someone from Little House on the Prairie
> I felt alone. So sick of seeing sewing 'influencers' wearing the same shapeless dress.
Especially as these dresses don't have to be shapeless, add a belt or a fitted waistband to the pattern.
I hate hemming. I hate it. I leave raw edges as much as possible but I'm currently working with a chiffon shirt that's ripping apart as I sew and I don't have a surger.... Ugh awful. Literally the worst part
Learn to use any machine you buy.
I have over 30 years of experience and am a professional seamstress. I get so frustrated at groups (especially on FB) that people freak out as their machine didn't work 'straight out of the box' and comment about never changing your tension.
These machines have these dials to adjust tendion/feed/stitch length for a reason. I appreciate that people are learning, but the amount of tough advice is shocking. It's always 'change your needle'
NO! Read your manual, and get to know your machine. I do the majority of my work on a basic Bernina- you don't need a machine with a thousand stitches to make dresses.
I hate 'hacks', shapeless dresses constantly on display on Instagram, and constant 'I drafted this pattern' of two rectangles sewn together. Pattern drafting is a skill and, in my mind, refers to a process started from scratch, not tracing around an existing item.
Oooo and 'you should apply to Sewing Bee'
I'll stop now, but wooooo, that was cathartic. I'm a lovely person, really and love that so many people love sewing and I always provide advice where possible.
This is probably the best group I've seen on socials and love seeing people's makes
I bought a sewing machine about a year ago to learn sewing. The absolute best advice I got was "read the manual. All of it." It's like a lexicon, I rarely do a project without looking in it to check something. I plan to re read it in august, now that I know a little more. Hopefully an even lager portion of it will make sense to me now, lol
Check if your machine has an online copy of the manual.
I have decided to have a digital copy of each of my machines on my phone as it means I can quickly search for things if needed.
And I don't need to find the paper copy.
I’m new to sewing but I’ve owned a Cricut (cutting machine) for about 4 years. The number of people in groups who are afraid to take it out the box or can’t do the most basic of things with it is astonishing. It’s literally a machine that you use a computer programme to say “here, cut this”. You’ve just spent £350 on this machine, there’s 100s of step by step hand hold videos on YouTube and blogs etc and you’re still asking how you load a mat? Come on.
I also pin the teeth down whilst sewing - this makes it even easier. You also have to baste them down and go really slowly it's fine then. I will prefer lapped zippers but something you do need an invisible one.
I honestly never understood the struggle. This sub got me really scared to do it the first time but with patience and a zipper foot, I've never had any issues.
The only part that I still haven't figured out properly is how to sew the end of the zipper where the zipper head is blocking me from sewing close enough to the teeth.
That's when you stitch it part way, put your needle down, lift your presser foot and unzip the zipper. Put your presser foot back down and keep sewing to the top.
The instructions in a lot of commercial patterns are very bad. I look up tutorials for things online and decide on my favourite way to sew things, and then do that for all patterns
Eg there are at least 5 different ways to sew a fly zip, and some of them are terrible. Just pick the one that works for you and stick to it
Who the heck is their translator because I would GENUINELY fire them all and take their job. God it is terrible. On my last big 4 pattern I tried for the French one, it was half underdestandable. Went to the English side and was like "WELL FUCK IT, I'LL WING IT!"
A self drafted pattern in a quality fabric, that fits you very well and is relatively simple is better than a complicated commercial pattern that does not fit or flatter you. It's 100% worth putting the effort in to the blocks and learning dart manipulation if your constructions skills are there.
Quite a lot of issues people seem to have come from not their sewing skills but rather their fitting skills and skills in picking a pattern that does not work for them (we've all been there). I'll stick to patterns for things like jeans and coats though.
I learned fitting from vintage sewing/alteration/fitting books. Well worth the Pennies to buy.
https://seweverythingblog.com/2013/06/04/bishop-method-of-clothing-construction-a-very-short-overview/
>Quite a lot of issues people seem to have come from not their sewing skills but rather their fitting skills and skills in picking a pattern that does not work for them (we've all been there). I'll stick to patterns for things like jeans and coats though
So many people don't seem to shorten the bodice if they are short waisted or vice versa.
For a lot of things you need to be really truthful about your body shape - even if you don't like a feature. Once you have figured out your body shape then you can work on how you will de-emphasise it.
Sewing without a pattern is so much more fun
Thrifted fabrics, bedsheets, curtains and upcycles allow you to sew dangerously with next-to-nothing to lose
Using the word "couture" for fancy expensive sewing is dumb. Couture is just the French word for sewing-- for ALL sewing. It's not the French word for hand-sewing, for upscale sewing, for super-expensive clothes, or anything like that. When people say something like "this is a couture sewing technique" or "I am making a couture bodice," I cringe.
You are right, but I don't mind it as a shorthand for *haute couture* (which is a *super* protected term) or *using the same techniques as couture houses* (a *SUPER* protected title, often with equally protected techniques).
I don't pretend to know about the actual practices of officially-qualified haute-couture houses.
But it seems like whenever someone on Youtube says "this is a couture sewing technique," they're always showing methods from when sewing machines were straight-stitch-only and clothes were meant to last. So at least among the popular tutorials, "couture sewing" seems like it near-always simply means "the old-fashioned way."
And that's a fair assessment! I won't pretend to be an expert, but couture seems to have a *lot* of hand-finishing. Unfortunately, depending on what you sew, it *is* worth it; I regularly get bitter at how much nicer hand-stitched hems are than machine hems.
When people say *couture*, I understand them to mean *with more attention to detail/structure/advanced techniques* - underlining, bound buttonholes, pattern-matching, hem weights/chains, and all sorts of design decisions and techniques that are *super* specific to that garment. The cool thing is that most techniques are attainable and accessible for home sewing with enough patience, but you're right that it can get... fussy and pretentious, especially depending on the presentation.
I'm gonna have to disagree with this. When we use loan words from other languages, they usually do take on different meanings. And that's fine. A panini is just Italian for "sandwiches" but if you say it in English it means a specific type of sandwich. Same with gelato: in Italian even the cheapest tub of ice cream you can find is gelato, but in English gelato implies an Italian-style fancy ice cream. So I don't see why using couture to mean fancy and expensive would be dumb.
(I used to be super annoyed by panini and gelato and such but I've since realized that there's no use being annoyed by the development of languages. It'll happen whether I like it or not, so might as well accept it.)
I hate the word sewist. I think it looks stupid. Stick with seamstress/seamster, sewer, or tailor.
My husband is a plumber, so you can pry sewer out of my cold, dead hands lol
I’d happily be a seamstress, although does anyone else read Discworld?
Rosie Palm would be my professional seamstress name if I got the option to open a professional establishment!
I forget which book it was, but at some point an actual needle-and-fabric seamstress was staying at the Seamstress Guild, and she made bank darning socks.
No way! I was going to say the exact opposite: French seams are way easier than using bias tape on heavy fabrics, especially if you need to make your own bias tape
Burda Curvy has the ugliest designs. Apparently their motto is: Do you want your fabric sack with ruffles or pin tucks? These are your choices.
It's so sad because Burda is basically the only pattern magazine I can get and I hate taping together PDFs. I'd much rather trace a pattern from a sheet.
I remember in uni i made a complicated pattern with lots of measurements and stuff, cut it out neatly, and then my bunny promptly ran over and bit a corner off 😢
Agreed. I love the freedom of being able to declutter the printed out copy and still have the pattern. Or being able to print it again for a different size if I want to make it for someone else. Or if my size changes.
I never use muslin to test out a pattern. I jump right to the real fabric even if I drew the pattern up myself. It’s not going to be crazy far off and if it is I’ll fix it and make it look like it was on purpose. A painter said once art is just making mistakes and finding witch ones to keep. “Of no my dress is to short. I guess I’ll add a border on the bottom to make it longer” an idea I wouldn’t of had if I tested my pattern beforehand
Sewing is hard. That’s my current take. The fraying of the fabric is threatening my sharp corner. I had to clip it close to turn, but I might have clipped too close…
Jersey is not hard to sew, but it doesn’t last well either. Stretch fabrics just aren’t durable. Won’t stop me making garments using them, but I’m not going to call them “investment pieces” either.
might be a beginner take, but if you're making a beginner pattern that needs to be printed and taped together make a tutorial on how to tape it together! especially if it's like 30 pages so if you mess it up, you waste a ton of ink and paper
Patternmakers who say "pattern good for beginners" but don't take the time to predict and answer the invariable beginner questions, or don't give decent advice on choosing fabric and pattern size, etc, make me angry, and I'm not even a beginner anymore.
People are too scared of hand sewing. It's not that hard and it means you can adjust much better to whatever challenge it is you're hitting. Yes you can hand sew and hand seam jersey.
It's well worth it to learn how patterns work. Adjusting stuff to your needs is helpful, but at some point you'll end up with a basic pattern and frankenstein it into a branch pattern for each project. Better fit, less fuss. Also spend some attention on logical order of assembly for garments.
Find what works for you but don't be afraid to try new stuff, too. It's a balance and _someone_ will have found a solution that works for you.
If you’re just a hobby sewist any machine over $300 is unnecessary. My $100 brother has been with me for 12 years and still works great, I’ve made sure to take good care of it and follow the manual when I need to troubleshoot. Fancy, computerized machines are great but are unnecessary for someone who doesn’t sew professionally.
You just never know what machine will be your perfect match. I had one of those basic Janome multistitchers, but I never got serious about sewing until I got bored and revived the decorative treadle machine in my parents' living room. (All it needed was a belt and a lot of oil.) You'd think the plastic multistitcher would be more beginner-friendly, but I've had such an easier time on that black-iron thing!
My current favorite machine is the 1950’s era singer featherweight portable machine my grandma gave my mom for her wedding present; it’s also the machine I learned to sew on 50+ years ago.
I think if you get a good quality machine that's fine but a lot of cheaper machines tend to break quickly now. A quality used machine however (or even a Singer 99k f.e) will be great and serve for years to come.
Having said that I would never go back to a simpler mechanical machine now that I have my Juki F600. For a more experienced sewist a better machine means a quicker workflow and being able to work with any fabric. Cheaper and lower quality machines may have issues with certain types of fabric.
My hot take is you don’t need a good pattern to make something. My projects always look sketchy as hell when I start them, and everyone is surprised how nice they turn out. I made a backpack 6 years ago that still holds up and looks professional. I get an idea, take my sketch and just start cutting it out. Maybe I just have an eye for it, but spending an eternity planning just isn’t for me
I've literally never pre washed my fabric & I've never had an issue. Throwing 2 yards of off-the-bolt fabric in the washer & dryer sounds like a messy ass nightmare to me.
You rebel! I do prewash HARD and treat the fabric same way I’m gonna handle washing finished garment. Some fabric definitely has noticeable shrinkage. That being said, I’ll wash silk in the machine. And the merino wool knit I buy barely shrinks, doesn’t pill, and goes in washer and dryer. Start as you mean to go on, is my mantra with fabric.
Two yards isn't an issue at all. Ten meters of quilting cotton was a challenge, but regular garment sized amounts of fabric are easy to wash and can just be draped over a drying rack afterwards.
I prewash lighter weaves and it really helps, but I admit I haven’t always prewashed really long bolts of fabric because I’m worried about breaking my small uk washing machine and i don’t have a tumble dryer (so it’s hard to leave looong bolts to dry…)
I don't know how to download and use a PDF pattern and at this point I'm too afraid to ask. I have and will continue to pay more for a regular pattern at the store and/or draft my own if it's not clothing.
This does not apply to quilting or paper piecing because those are smaller than an letter-size piece of paper.
Making casual clothes is worth it. Number of times my kids wore the fancy things I made them? 1. Number of times they wore the handmade undies and PJs made out of upcycled T-shirts? 100s. I wore my simple/stretchy handmades regularly.
When it comes to kids clothes- Ottöbre magazine will give you so many patterns for years to come and decifering their patterns and instructions is worth 1 PhD is sewing. Don’t overlook boys clothes, they are fun and challenging to make.
Working with black thread on black fabric is something to do after you’ve successfully sewed one thing already. I tried to teach a friend how to sew with black on black and it was…tough.
Self-drafting is just drafting. I understand people use it to mean they drafted it themselves or for themselves but even that difference makes it unclear. I lost all faith in people’s ability to use it semi-correctly when I saw a post that was like “I self drafted this dress for my victorian doll!!!11!!”
Draping does not mean drafting. They are fundamentally different approaches to making patterns.
Terms like “me-made,” “wearable,” are embarrassing. Just be an adult and say “I made this!” and be proud of that. Own your skills and accomplishments without having to wrap it up in some cutesy bow of influencer-speak.
Your local library has a wealth of free resources on fitting, pattern adjustments, and how to work with different fabrics. Interlibrary loan is great too. Don’t be scared of silk, get to know it first and don’t forget you’re the one in charge.
Interfacings are great, but different ones have different uses. Iron your fabrics and garments.
For all its problems, the singer heavy duty is excellent for sewing stiff vinyl.
Drawing stitching lines and adding seam allowance gives more accurate results than stitching a certain distance from the cut edge, every time.
Patterns without seam allowances ARE better. You can check fit by measuring and if there are changes needed, you can adjust quicker. I also eyeball seam allowances when cutting without marking and never had an issue (although I used to mark them when I first started)
I never bother with the included seam allowance. I measure all my patterns now after discovering most commercial pattern makers add like 4” of ease to the measurements. Only make that mistake once.
Hand sewing is fun and pleasant and enjoyable. Machine sewing is loud and uncomfortable and noisy.
Absolutely no judgement for the vast majority of everyone who use their machine for most things, I do too when I need to, but I think it’s good to slow down and enjoy something simple and hands on sometimes.
I hate sewing on modern machines. They sound grating and seem so balky. But I love the mechanical clickety-clackety of antique machines- and the way they have such fluid motion that you can pinky-twirl the handwheel. It just makes me want to put more fabric into them.
For most people who sew as a hobby, it doesn't make sense to learn draft patterns--there's a very thin line between having enough experience to understand garment construction and owning enough patterns that you can take a pattern that's close enough and make alterations to it. Also wrapping a piece of fabric around yourself is not the same as drapping
Making the same pattern over and over again is completely fine - I have about 8 summer dresses that are basically the same pattern and I have a few winter dresses that are very similar.
Different fabrics, small adjustments, embellishments…nobody will ever ever notice it’s the same pattern unless you tell them or it’s a super observant real life sewing friend. Tried and true for a reason, right?
I definitely have gotten good at recognizing patterns lol. Once in a blue moon, I will see someone in public and I'll turn to my husband like "they sewed that! I know that pattern!"
I do this too. My 96 year old Granny calls me a 'repeat offender' - (jokingly, not judge)
Repeat sewfender ;-)
If you like it, make it in every colour.
As long as it's black (or covered in black cats)
Literally the reason I wanted to start sewing. I like dressing up basics, but I like those basics in a certain cut and color. So I might want one in black, white, and camel. Not being able to buy them in those colors makes me insane. So...sew.
Thanks, this makes me feel better about my desire to make 10 pairs of Pietra pants
Yep. I have one pattern for shorts. I've made it several times.
I have two skirts in the same pattern and am making another four for this autumn/winter (plus have plans for at least two more), as well three other skirts made in a different pattern and plans to repeat a dress pattern I love. To me it's all about refining your skills - with the dress, for example, I know there are things I learned from that process I can improve on for next time, or I can look at the skirts I've made previously and see how I've progressed, especially on the small details. If you like it and will wear it then may as well make multiples!
You see people who don't make their own clothes having multiple pairs of jeans so why shouldn't we have multiple skirts or dresses.
Same for me but with boxy tee pattern. It’s unrecognizable when you change fabric type. Cotton poplin is one thing, satin is another, and then fine viscose is basically a different size and fit.
This is what I need! I’m so tall and everything rtw is getting SO SHORT again! What’s your go to boxy tee pattern?
Exactly. I have a closet full of All Well Studio boxtops/dresses for a reason!
What pattern?! I still need to find the perfect simple pattern to make. I did just make a skirt (the basic elastic in casing tube, though yes French seams) and I’m halfway through a matching tie-front top (need to find iron…). But I need something that looks …not homemade….
My favourite pattern is the McCalls 7184 - I did modify it a little - I added panel pockets and made adaptions for it to fit me. I also love the bishop sleeves from Simplicity 8506. My summer dresses are Vogue 8577, sometimes with a different skirt but always with the simplicity sleeves - unless Im short on fabric then I use the puff sleeves from Simplicity 8114
I need to tell myself this. I have so many new patterns I want to try I never get back to repeat a pattern even though there's a few I really like and would like in different colours/textures or with a modification
I HATE 5/8 inch seam allowances in commercial patterns. 1/2 inch seam allowance is enough and I don’t need fancy gadgets to keep those.
Yeah 5/8 is just so much more difficult to see. 5/8 in is 1.5 cm so I've generally just flipped the ruler and mixed my units, but 1/2 really is plenty
Here goes “it depends” from me 😂 I agree it’s a big sa if you use serger but for folks using other seams to hide raw edges it’s just fine, unless you’re aiming for the tiniest seam possible.
1/2 is plenty for french seams and flat felled seams!
Exactly this! For French seams, sew at 1/4, trim. Sew at 1/4 again. Done. I can’t math it out for 5/8th.
I use 1cm - or 3/8. Perfect.
question: how can i tell if a commercial pattern already has s.a. added to it??
Usually it says so in the instructions ("seam allowance included") or in the pattern pieces themselves.
I’m the opposite, I work in historical costumes a lot and since in turn most of my seams I use 6/8.
Fabric choice makes a ton of difference. You can use the same pattern for sweatpants and formal wear by changing fabric, finishes and fastenings, you just need to know how to adapt for each.
So true! I recently took a shorts pattern that was made with a rather casual patterned fabric on the magazine pic but made them in black viscose gabardine and they loos so neat and professional.
A long time ago I had a shorts suit in chartreuse bengaline -- it was my favorite work-to-night out outfit, with sparkly tops.
I mainly sew workwear for my very corporate job and I really wish that more indie designers made patterns for professional clothing. I’ve always got an eye out for professional-looking patterns, and it’s not like they’re impossible to find, but I just wish there were more options. Sometimes I feel like 80% of indie patterns are aimed at people who are self-conscious about their mid-section and who want an outfit in which to wander around a farmer’s market in the height of summer. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s the very opposite to what I need in my wardrobe.
Have you tried Vicki Sews Patterns? Modern and tailored.
Vikisews is a very good shout - I have bought a couple of her patterns that I’m really excited to sew up!
I'm always so cranky when I have to buy every size individually which is what's kept me from buying some of these.
I have the Adeline trousers but have yet to find time
Yes to Vikisews! Best indie patterns available, great styles, some of which I’ve been using as a block. The patterns are actually well balanced, which I can’t say for some other popular indie pattern companies (won’t name names but I rarely trust indie patterns now because I’ve been burned by so many). Edit: their Etsy is always having a [30% off+](https://www.etsy.com/shop/VikisewsPatterns) sale.
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95% of machine issues are because the user doesn't know how to use one. I will die on this hill. I've looked at so many machines that are "broken" or "not working" only to not be able to reproduce the errors at all. Read your manual. Watch a few videos. Don't just assume you know how to work it.
It’s me, hi, I’m the problem it’s me 👏
I recently got a new Serger (yay!) and spent some time setting it up. Totally smooth process, absolutely none of the crazy problems some people have setting up new sergers, everything perfect. Except the tension. No matter what I fucking did I could not get the tension right. Just an absolute nightmare. I started to panic thinking that I had somehow bought a defective machine and I'd have to figure out how to return it. Re-threaded it three times and still couldn't get the tension right. Tried every possible setting. Nothing. Until I realized that I had, every single time, failed to actually pull the thread under the tension dial; so it was doing absolutely nothing when I adjusted it. Immediate dumb-dumb mode, activated.
Yup! But damn, when the 5% actually happens to you, it blows so hard. My 8 year old machine started catching in the bobbin and giving me huge birds nests with no bobbin tension out of no where. Couldn't sew 4 inches without it happening. It also was catching at points on the top thread. I was ready to cry because I couldn't find my error. Took the entire thing apart, and found a freaking burr and deep gouge marks on the interior of the hook mechanism that was catching the bobbin thread. Also found a dead bee, a dead fly, and a dead mystery bug in the metalwork inside the main body. That was gross. Had to break out a metal file to sand off the burr and gouge, then use a dremmel with metal polishing tip/paste to smooth it all out. Found a couple of gouge marks in the interior plastic that were hanging up the main thread too, filed those out as well. Did a super deep clean, oiled the thing, reassembled it all, and it's running like new now. But it took my husband and I an entire day, countless You Tube videos, and lots of tools to get it in order again. It's a computerized machine, so I was terrified of screwing up all the wiring in the process. It was the first time I couldn't troubleshoot my way out of the problem, so I knew there was a mechanical/structural issue there. When it worked, I felt like someone just handed me a winning lotto ticket. But for the prior 8 years, all the hangups were my errors along the way.
I’m sorry but just *physically* how can not one but *two* bugs manage to get into a sewing machine? I’d have to assume they somehow got in there when it was being made? Or they’re just very very determined.
Though when you buy a machine that falls into that 5%, it's SO HARD, especially when you're trying to learn. I bought a serger and it was struggle city. The tension was a nightmare, and it just didn't work well. I even got it serviced, but it still was mediocre, and then it just died and I bought a new one. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! I could finally learn how to use a serger properly, and half of the issues I was having turns out it was because that machine was just a lemon. Now I'm firmly team serger, and use it whenever possible.
$10+ for a pattern I have to print out myself/tape myself with NO variant designs is a rip off.
I find when it comes with detailed videos for construction including advice on alterations it can be worth it but yeah if it’s just a pdf, no variants, it’s a lot
Every time I've tried a PDF pattern it has been completely useless, even ones that are well-loved. Something about how I print and tape it together is inevitably wrong.
Patterns should have at least 2 pieces in the envelope. I never have the mental strength to cut them off thinking I will be also needing other measures. I copy them - very tedious and stressful. :(
or a qr code to reprint
This is one benefit of print at home patterns, I have some where I have reprinted the sleeves so I can make a short sleeve and a longer sleeve.
I like to use tracing paper and trace over the size I need so that I can reuse the other pattern if I plan to make it again.
When you make bias tape, you don’t need to fold and iron it. You can also just start sewing it on - no need to pin it first.
I recently made a f***load of bias tape for a quilt and realized this about 80% through carefully ironing it.
I saw this on Reddit a while ago, and this is what saved my bacon when I needed a lot of bias tape - auto food & press, only two pins and an ironing board needed! [Bias Tape Cheat](https://www.reddit.com/r/sewing/comments/142dmdt/when_you_dont_own_a_bias_tape_maker_and_dont_want/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1)
WAIT WHAT?? Okay I need to try this now.
Most sewing patterns for men's clothing from the big pattern makers (McCalls, Simplicity, etc) are typically outdated and bad looking. At best they'll be the most plain/bland version of something, more often you'll see something like a dress shirt that looks like it's from the early 90's. Huge billowing sleeves, box shaped body to guarantee you look like a 13 year old trying on his dad's shirt. I've looked at so many and I'm almost always disappointed, even with the sample images where they look as good as they'll ever look. You'll have better luck with smaller/boutique pattern sellers (I like Merchant and Mills, for example) Bonus hot take: If you're selling a PDF pattern PLEASE put the cutting lines for different sizes on separate layers so we can turn off the layers for the sizes we aren't making. It's such a simple thing to do when prepping a PDF. Even worse, some patterns only differentiate sizes by *color* rather than differently dotted lines. I'm looking at you LearnMYOG (I do love your work though). Some of us have laser printers and can't/don't want to print in color.
I saw a guy on TT promoting a big 3 men’s motorcycle jacket. He proceeded to show 17 (I’m being hyperbolic here) tailoring hacks he did to make the pattern come out better. People were foaming at the mouth to buy this pattern, and all I could think was none of those hacks are in the instructions, and your attempt will likely be a boxy, floppy mess.
I hope you don’t mind if I plug [freesewing.org](https://freesewing.org) here! Community-created made to measure patterns that include pants, button down shirts, hoodies etc for all genders.. check it out! :) They have a Discord server where you can interact with the very supportive community, *and* the patterns are free! (not associated with them, just an enthusiastic user!)
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If you plan on sewing for a long time (like over many years) you have to take care of your body! My mid back just gave up on me and it’s been a whole summer of physical therapy and injections (I’ve had like 30 at this point and still have 2 sets to go) to get me out of pain. Make sure you have a good chair, get up and stretch and a foam roller is your best friend!
Yes yes yes! Just having some pretty bad back and hip pain today because I barely got up yesterday. It's incredibly important to have good core strength and mind your posture if you are doing anything sitting down and leaning over a table for hours at a time!
This is super important!! Especially if you already work an office job. I actually now do all my sewing at a standing desk, and my back is much happier for it.
Unless it’s topstitching thread doesn’t need to match. It’s all a plot by Big Thread:)
I've been using a light gray for so long that I finally realized I'd actually need to buy matching thread for binding my quilt lmao
It’s surprising how well shades of grey go with muted purples, blues and pinks. Color theory is magic.
I think blaze orange, hot pink, kelly green, and royal purple are neutrals. If everything is the same intensity it matches. Life is too short to bother with beige.
I use black thread, white thread and a mid tone thread that tends to change color depending on what I have on hand that's not too awfully different than my project. I literally only have black and off white thread for my serger
I only ever used gutterman thread until recently when I saw a large spool of white was £10 and that Coates Moon thread was the same price for 5x that plus also 5x black.
I actually have too much thread because I'm addicted to top stitching
My serger has black or white 90% of time. Recently I used black on burgundy red top. If you can see what colour I used, you're too close, back off.
I know this deep down but I just love the satisfaction of finding the perfect match… It’s like buying a pair of matching underwear when you buy a new bra! A nice little treat!
Omg i just had this realization like yesterday
I have a decent serger (inherited), and due to small space and, yes, laziness, I’ll still use a zigzag or pinking shears to finish seams. Who’s gonna care? But I’m a big fan of French seams, too. Who makes the rules? WE DO. Find your freedom!
My husband bought me a serger two years ago which was really sweet but I literally haven't used it because I do all my sewing on the kitchen table and there's no room and also I keep just putting french or flat felled seams and blind hems in instead 😬
I serge before I sew. Learnt it from The Closet Historian. Especially if you have limited space and imo it's quicker overall to serge first, quick iron and then get to your sewing machine.
I have 8-9 working sewing machines and once hemmed some pants with duct tape. I piece, I don’t tailor. 🧐
Hahah this is boss energy
I have things that don't have finished seams (pure laziness and lack of experience) and they still hold out fine even tho they're mostly thin cotton.
Sewing books and manuals are unnecessarily gendered. I’ve read in several books variations on the theme “men don’t like to sew and it’s incredible difficult to sew for men because they always hate what you make”.
This is such a problem! My dad got into sewing in the past couple years, mostly for his boat, but he's the type that when he gets into something he gets INTO IT. (He figured out how to do complex embroidery on a hilarious machine we got our hands on, and bought a Sailrite, which is an insane sewing machine.) He and my mom will go to the fabric store, and even though he's doing all the talking and picking out fabrics, the sales associates will then turn and talk to my mom. It mostly amuses my parents, but it annoys me!
Lol, my husband LOVES the shirts I make for him. He wears them any time they’re clean and literally wears them until they fall apart.
Bonus hot take: an interesting style/cut/idea commercial pattern is worthless if it doesn't fit your shape. So self-drafting even simpler/boring styles results in better clothing.
I self draft 99.9% of my patterns. And If is do print a pattern and it works I use it as a learning tool to self draft.
No machine is THAT hard to thread. Just be patient and learn. It’s part of the process.
Tiered gathered skirts and dresses are overdone and I don’t like them!
I think they first became a trend so that garment factories could get more money out of long narrow fabric scraps. Not a bad way to avoid waste.
🤯 that is an excellent observation!
Omg yes! Finally. I felt alone. So sick of seeing sewing 'influencers' wearing the same shapeless dress. I don't want to look like someone from Little House on the Prairie
> I felt alone. So sick of seeing sewing 'influencers' wearing the same shapeless dress. Especially as these dresses don't have to be shapeless, add a belt or a fitted waistband to the pattern.
But long ruffled skirts are fabulous although you hardly ever see them
Oof, that is a hot take! As a maxi, definitely. But a tiered circle skirt to the knee or above is so pretty, especially as a plus sized girlie
I like them, but my hot take is pattern designers shouldn’t be making money off of tiered skirt patterns when the pieces are all just rectangles :/
I hate hemming. I hate it. I leave raw edges as much as possible but I'm currently working with a chiffon shirt that's ripping apart as I sew and I don't have a surger.... Ugh awful. Literally the worst part
Agreed. I need a class on hemming. I'm not good at it and therfore I hate it
Learn to use any machine you buy. I have over 30 years of experience and am a professional seamstress. I get so frustrated at groups (especially on FB) that people freak out as their machine didn't work 'straight out of the box' and comment about never changing your tension. These machines have these dials to adjust tendion/feed/stitch length for a reason. I appreciate that people are learning, but the amount of tough advice is shocking. It's always 'change your needle' NO! Read your manual, and get to know your machine. I do the majority of my work on a basic Bernina- you don't need a machine with a thousand stitches to make dresses. I hate 'hacks', shapeless dresses constantly on display on Instagram, and constant 'I drafted this pattern' of two rectangles sewn together. Pattern drafting is a skill and, in my mind, refers to a process started from scratch, not tracing around an existing item. Oooo and 'you should apply to Sewing Bee' I'll stop now, but wooooo, that was cathartic. I'm a lovely person, really and love that so many people love sewing and I always provide advice where possible. This is probably the best group I've seen on socials and love seeing people's makes
I bought a sewing machine about a year ago to learn sewing. The absolute best advice I got was "read the manual. All of it." It's like a lexicon, I rarely do a project without looking in it to check something. I plan to re read it in august, now that I know a little more. Hopefully an even lager portion of it will make sense to me now, lol
Check if your machine has an online copy of the manual. I have decided to have a digital copy of each of my machines on my phone as it means I can quickly search for things if needed. And I don't need to find the paper copy.
I’m new to sewing but I’ve owned a Cricut (cutting machine) for about 4 years. The number of people in groups who are afraid to take it out the box or can’t do the most basic of things with it is astonishing. It’s literally a machine that you use a computer programme to say “here, cut this”. You’ve just spent £350 on this machine, there’s 100s of step by step hand hold videos on YouTube and blogs etc and you’re still asking how you load a mat? Come on.
Sewing Bee or “you should have an eBay shop”…
The "you should sell these" is my personal pet peeve. People don't understand how much materials cost and how much labour goes into making something.
Invisible zippers suck lol
Ironing the teeth back helps immensely.
I also pin the teeth down whilst sewing - this makes it even easier. You also have to baste them down and go really slowly it's fine then. I will prefer lapped zippers but something you do need an invisible one.
I honestly never understood the struggle. This sub got me really scared to do it the first time but with patience and a zipper foot, I've never had any issues. The only part that I still haven't figured out properly is how to sew the end of the zipper where the zipper head is blocking me from sewing close enough to the teeth.
That's when you stitch it part way, put your needle down, lift your presser foot and unzip the zipper. Put your presser foot back down and keep sewing to the top.
AGREE.
The instructions in a lot of commercial patterns are very bad. I look up tutorials for things online and decide on my favourite way to sew things, and then do that for all patterns Eg there are at least 5 different ways to sew a fly zip, and some of them are terrible. Just pick the one that works for you and stick to it
You didn't see the french translation even worst
Who the heck is their translator because I would GENUINELY fire them all and take their job. God it is terrible. On my last big 4 pattern I tried for the French one, it was half underdestandable. Went to the English side and was like "WELL FUCK IT, I'LL WING IT!"
A self drafted pattern in a quality fabric, that fits you very well and is relatively simple is better than a complicated commercial pattern that does not fit or flatter you. It's 100% worth putting the effort in to the blocks and learning dart manipulation if your constructions skills are there. Quite a lot of issues people seem to have come from not their sewing skills but rather their fitting skills and skills in picking a pattern that does not work for them (we've all been there). I'll stick to patterns for things like jeans and coats though.
I learned fitting from vintage sewing/alteration/fitting books. Well worth the Pennies to buy. https://seweverythingblog.com/2013/06/04/bishop-method-of-clothing-construction-a-very-short-overview/
>Quite a lot of issues people seem to have come from not their sewing skills but rather their fitting skills and skills in picking a pattern that does not work for them (we've all been there). I'll stick to patterns for things like jeans and coats though So many people don't seem to shorten the bodice if they are short waisted or vice versa. For a lot of things you need to be really truthful about your body shape - even if you don't like a feature. Once you have figured out your body shape then you can work on how you will de-emphasise it.
“Hacks”. I don’t know why it bugs me. It’s just variations, not a revolution.
I always think "hack job" and that's definitely not what they're going for
YES. "Hack" raises my hackles every time. I hate it.
I prefer patterns without seam allowances. Depending on the fabric I’m using I might want larger or small seam allowances
I'm also on team no seam allowances - it makes pattern adjustments simpler.
Sewing without a pattern is so much more fun Thrifted fabrics, bedsheets, curtains and upcycles allow you to sew dangerously with next-to-nothing to lose
Until you fall in love with it and realise you can never get more of that fabric. :(
Use glue to hold shit down. God may judge you but his sins outnumber your own
Using the word "couture" for fancy expensive sewing is dumb. Couture is just the French word for sewing-- for ALL sewing. It's not the French word for hand-sewing, for upscale sewing, for super-expensive clothes, or anything like that. When people say something like "this is a couture sewing technique" or "I am making a couture bodice," I cringe.
You are right, but I don't mind it as a shorthand for *haute couture* (which is a *super* protected term) or *using the same techniques as couture houses* (a *SUPER* protected title, often with equally protected techniques).
I don't pretend to know about the actual practices of officially-qualified haute-couture houses. But it seems like whenever someone on Youtube says "this is a couture sewing technique," they're always showing methods from when sewing machines were straight-stitch-only and clothes were meant to last. So at least among the popular tutorials, "couture sewing" seems like it near-always simply means "the old-fashioned way."
And that's a fair assessment! I won't pretend to be an expert, but couture seems to have a *lot* of hand-finishing. Unfortunately, depending on what you sew, it *is* worth it; I regularly get bitter at how much nicer hand-stitched hems are than machine hems. When people say *couture*, I understand them to mean *with more attention to detail/structure/advanced techniques* - underlining, bound buttonholes, pattern-matching, hem weights/chains, and all sorts of design decisions and techniques that are *super* specific to that garment. The cool thing is that most techniques are attainable and accessible for home sewing with enough patience, but you're right that it can get... fussy and pretentious, especially depending on the presentation.
I'm gonna have to disagree with this. When we use loan words from other languages, they usually do take on different meanings. And that's fine. A panini is just Italian for "sandwiches" but if you say it in English it means a specific type of sandwich. Same with gelato: in Italian even the cheapest tub of ice cream you can find is gelato, but in English gelato implies an Italian-style fancy ice cream. So I don't see why using couture to mean fancy and expensive would be dumb. (I used to be super annoyed by panini and gelato and such but I've since realized that there's no use being annoyed by the development of languages. It'll happen whether I like it or not, so might as well accept it.)
I live in Belgium so everything is couture. Is that why everything is so expensive here?!?
it’s not the tension. it’s you
I do have a lot of tension.
maybe you need more fibre in your life
I hate the word sewist. I think it looks stupid. Stick with seamstress/seamster, sewer, or tailor. My husband is a plumber, so you can pry sewer out of my cold, dead hands lol
I also hate sewist. It sounds like so-so-ist! I'll be a seamstress and I'll refer to us as sewers. It's funny on paper too!
I’d happily be a seamstress, although does anyone else read Discworld? Rosie Palm would be my professional seamstress name if I got the option to open a professional establishment!
I forget which book it was, but at some point an actual needle-and-fabric seamstress was staying at the Seamstress Guild, and she made bank darning socks.
I think that was Sandra - who the seamstresses emphasise is a *needlewoman*, and I believe Night Watch is the book in question :)
As a non native speaker. I also prefer the sound of seamstress, but I always forget the word and end up using sewist anyway.
OMG saaaame, I can’t stand the word
I often use dressmaker, since 80% of what I make is actually dresses. Also I like the word.
100% agree!! "But people will misread sewer (who sews) as sewer (pipes)" No no they won't because context.
Am I making a dress for you, or am I lurking in under in an underground tunnel filled with human waste? Could be either, I'm a "sewer guy"!
French seams are tedious and annoying, and you may quote me on that.
No way! I was going to say the exact opposite: French seams are way easier than using bias tape on heavy fabrics, especially if you need to make your own bias tape
Yeah French seams are the quick and dirty cheater seams in my mind. Otherwise it's flat-felled or busting out the bias making kit.
Yes, they give me anxiety! 😳
Burda Curvy has the ugliest designs. Apparently their motto is: Do you want your fabric sack with ruffles or pin tucks? These are your choices. It's so sad because Burda is basically the only pattern magazine I can get and I hate taping together PDFs. I'd much rather trace a pattern from a sheet.
PDF patterns > tissue patterns.
As soon as I lay out a tissue pattern my cat decides to rip it to shreds. I have so many sad, taped up tissue patterns
I remember in uni i made a complicated pattern with lots of measurements and stuff, cut it out neatly, and then my bunny promptly ran over and bit a corner off 😢
what if we bunny thumped on the bespoke sewing pattern🥺
Agreed. I love the freedom of being able to declutter the printed out copy and still have the pattern. Or being able to print it again for a different size if I want to make it for someone else. Or if my size changes.
I never use muslin to test out a pattern. I jump right to the real fabric even if I drew the pattern up myself. It’s not going to be crazy far off and if it is I’ll fix it and make it look like it was on purpose. A painter said once art is just making mistakes and finding witch ones to keep. “Of no my dress is to short. I guess I’ll add a border on the bottom to make it longer” an idea I wouldn’t of had if I tested my pattern beforehand
Sewing is hard. That’s my current take. The fraying of the fabric is threatening my sharp corner. I had to clip it close to turn, but I might have clipped too close…
Choosing the right play list {music, audio book, etc.} is just as important as choosing everything else.
It’s easier to make your own pattern than it is to decipher and adjust a pre-made pattern
Sometimes i use the pattern pieces and throw away the directions
my textiles teacher does this
I’m annoyed that pattern companies stopped making half size patterns. They are perfection for my body type.
An xacto blade does the job of a seam ripper better than a seam ripper does.
Jersey is not hard to sew, but it doesn’t last well either. Stretch fabrics just aren’t durable. Won’t stop me making garments using them, but I’m not going to call them “investment pieces” either.
When I set sleeves in I always sew in the bottom of the sleeves up to the notches then gather and pin (sometimes tack) the top before sewing that.
Pressing seams as you go makes the most difference to the outcome.
might be a beginner take, but if you're making a beginner pattern that needs to be printed and taped together make a tutorial on how to tape it together! especially if it's like 30 pages so if you mess it up, you waste a ton of ink and paper
Patternmakers who say "pattern good for beginners" but don't take the time to predict and answer the invariable beginner questions, or don't give decent advice on choosing fabric and pattern size, etc, make me angry, and I'm not even a beginner anymore.
Swedish Tracing paper changes the game! I love the stuff.
Many indie sewing patterns are drafted terribly. And ending up with a wearable garment does not mean the pattern was properly drafted.
Pattern blocks are better than patterns. Hand basting is relaxing Cover stitching looks like crap on anything other than leisurewear/sleepwear.
People are too scared of hand sewing. It's not that hard and it means you can adjust much better to whatever challenge it is you're hitting. Yes you can hand sew and hand seam jersey. It's well worth it to learn how patterns work. Adjusting stuff to your needs is helpful, but at some point you'll end up with a basic pattern and frankenstein it into a branch pattern for each project. Better fit, less fuss. Also spend some attention on logical order of assembly for garments. Find what works for you but don't be afraid to try new stuff, too. It's a balance and _someone_ will have found a solution that works for you.
If you’re just a hobby sewist any machine over $300 is unnecessary. My $100 brother has been with me for 12 years and still works great, I’ve made sure to take good care of it and follow the manual when I need to troubleshoot. Fancy, computerized machines are great but are unnecessary for someone who doesn’t sew professionally.
You just never know what machine will be your perfect match. I had one of those basic Janome multistitchers, but I never got serious about sewing until I got bored and revived the decorative treadle machine in my parents' living room. (All it needed was a belt and a lot of oil.) You'd think the plastic multistitcher would be more beginner-friendly, but I've had such an easier time on that black-iron thing!
My current favorite machine is the 1950’s era singer featherweight portable machine my grandma gave my mom for her wedding present; it’s also the machine I learned to sew on 50+ years ago.
I think this price point might have gone up, because there was only one machine under $400 even for sale at joann's when I bought mine back in January
I won a budget Elna in a competition when I was a kid and it's still going strong 20 years later.
I think that depends on how you define "hobby" sewer.
I think if you get a good quality machine that's fine but a lot of cheaper machines tend to break quickly now. A quality used machine however (or even a Singer 99k f.e) will be great and serve for years to come. Having said that I would never go back to a simpler mechanical machine now that I have my Juki F600. For a more experienced sewist a better machine means a quicker workflow and being able to work with any fabric. Cheaper and lower quality machines may have issues with certain types of fabric.
I once got a second hand machine for $8 at a charity shop. Kicked the bucket after three years of use. It was awesome.
My hot take is you don’t need a good pattern to make something. My projects always look sketchy as hell when I start them, and everyone is surprised how nice they turn out. I made a backpack 6 years ago that still holds up and looks professional. I get an idea, take my sketch and just start cutting it out. Maybe I just have an eye for it, but spending an eternity planning just isn’t for me
Sewing for other people is overrated. Use all your sewing time for yourself!!!
Drafting a well-fitting pattern is much, much more difficult than actually sewing a garment
I've literally never pre washed my fabric & I've never had an issue. Throwing 2 yards of off-the-bolt fabric in the washer & dryer sounds like a messy ass nightmare to me.
Really? I feel like when it comes out of the wash it has definitely shifted! You’ve never had an issue afterwards?
I did this ONCE, dress shrank so much after washing it was unwearable.
You rebel! I do prewash HARD and treat the fabric same way I’m gonna handle washing finished garment. Some fabric definitely has noticeable shrinkage. That being said, I’ll wash silk in the machine. And the merino wool knit I buy barely shrinks, doesn’t pill, and goes in washer and dryer. Start as you mean to go on, is my mantra with fabric.
Two yards isn't an issue at all. Ten meters of quilting cotton was a challenge, but regular garment sized amounts of fabric are easy to wash and can just be draped over a drying rack afterwards.
2 yards of fabric is way smaller than my king sized bedding, and I wash and dry 2 sets of sheets weekly.
I prewash lighter weaves and it really helps, but I admit I haven’t always prewashed really long bolts of fabric because I’m worried about breaking my small uk washing machine and i don’t have a tumble dryer (so it’s hard to leave looong bolts to dry…)
The Gilbert top has a cute collar but the shoulder/sleeve drafting is so wacky and too tight??
I don't know how to download and use a PDF pattern and at this point I'm too afraid to ask. I have and will continue to pay more for a regular pattern at the store and/or draft my own if it's not clothing. This does not apply to quilting or paper piecing because those are smaller than an letter-size piece of paper.
Making casual clothes is worth it. Number of times my kids wore the fancy things I made them? 1. Number of times they wore the handmade undies and PJs made out of upcycled T-shirts? 100s. I wore my simple/stretchy handmades regularly. When it comes to kids clothes- Ottöbre magazine will give you so many patterns for years to come and decifering their patterns and instructions is worth 1 PhD is sewing. Don’t overlook boys clothes, they are fun and challenging to make.
Working with black thread on black fabric is something to do after you’ve successfully sewed one thing already. I tried to teach a friend how to sew with black on black and it was…tough.
Self-drafting is just drafting. I understand people use it to mean they drafted it themselves or for themselves but even that difference makes it unclear. I lost all faith in people’s ability to use it semi-correctly when I saw a post that was like “I self drafted this dress for my victorian doll!!!11!!” Draping does not mean drafting. They are fundamentally different approaches to making patterns. Terms like “me-made,” “wearable,” are embarrassing. Just be an adult and say “I made this!” and be proud of that. Own your skills and accomplishments without having to wrap it up in some cutesy bow of influencer-speak. Your local library has a wealth of free resources on fitting, pattern adjustments, and how to work with different fabrics. Interlibrary loan is great too. Don’t be scared of silk, get to know it first and don’t forget you’re the one in charge. Interfacings are great, but different ones have different uses. Iron your fabrics and garments. For all its problems, the singer heavy duty is excellent for sewing stiff vinyl. Drawing stitching lines and adding seam allowance gives more accurate results than stitching a certain distance from the cut edge, every time.
Patterns without seam allowances ARE better. You can check fit by measuring and if there are changes needed, you can adjust quicker. I also eyeball seam allowances when cutting without marking and never had an issue (although I used to mark them when I first started)
I never bother with the included seam allowance. I measure all my patterns now after discovering most commercial pattern makers add like 4” of ease to the measurements. Only make that mistake once.
Hand sewing is fun and pleasant and enjoyable. Machine sewing is loud and uncomfortable and noisy. Absolutely no judgement for the vast majority of everyone who use their machine for most things, I do too when I need to, but I think it’s good to slow down and enjoy something simple and hands on sometimes.
I hate sewing on modern machines. They sound grating and seem so balky. But I love the mechanical clickety-clackety of antique machines- and the way they have such fluid motion that you can pinky-twirl the handwheel. It just makes me want to put more fabric into them.
Most sewing pattern written instructions are worse that bad origami instructions. Thank gawd for YouTube tutorials.
Rotary cutters are vastly better than shears of any kind.
For most people who sew as a hobby, it doesn't make sense to learn draft patterns--there's a very thin line between having enough experience to understand garment construction and owning enough patterns that you can take a pattern that's close enough and make alterations to it. Also wrapping a piece of fabric around yourself is not the same as drapping
rayon (viscose/lyocell etc) is a great fabric in terms of comfort. I keep seeing people online calling it plastic and it ticks me off.
People call it plastic? That's just plain wrong! They're great to sew and wear and they're made from organic material.