What to Know Before you Sew

Hi everyone, Brittany here again with another blog post about what you should keep in mind when you are wanting to learn to sew. Sewing is one of those hobbies that is constantly improving and the possibilities when starting to sew are never ending!!

1 – First thing that I want you to keep in mind is that it will not come overnight. Sure, you may be able to learn how to thread a sewing machine overnight, but after one sleep, you more than likely will not be ready for Project Runway. It takes a lot of time, patience, tears, frustrations, ripping out seams, and even threatening your sewing machine that you will throw it out a window. You will “sew” some gosh awful stuff and then you will get better. I got my first sewing machine for Christmas in 2012, so I have only been sewing for about 3.5 years. I’d like to think I’ve got the basics down and can follow a pattern, but I am no where near some of the folks I follow on YouTube.

2 – The second thing to keep in mind is seam allowance. I’m sure veteran sewers are reading this (if veteran sewers even come to my blog haha) and are thinking, “that is a weird thing to have for her #2”, but in my opinion, it total transformed my items I was sewing. When I sew quilt blocks, I am not satisfied with it unless the back seams are as pretty and even as they appear to be on the front. Typically for quilts, the seam allowance is 1/4 inch and for sewing clothes, it is 5/8 inch.

So what is seam allowance? Simply put, the seam allowance is the extra sliver of fabric that is left on the other side of the area that you stitched. If you are piecing a quilt block together, that sliver should be 1/4 inch and if you are sewing clothes, that sliver should be 5/8 inch (unless a pattern tells you differently). For instance, if you are trying to sew equal strips of fabric together, you want to make sure that you seam allowance is consistent. You don’t want one end of your strip to be 1 inch, while the other end is 3/4 inch, because trust me, you will be able to tell and it will look wonky.

You will be amazed at how much neater your projects will be once you understand the concept of seam allowance. Even if you choose to not use the 1/4 inch or 5/8 inch, at least keep them consistent.

3 – Thirdly is the quality of fabric. I’m not saying to go out and buy the highest quality of fabric that is out there – fabric from Walmart will totally work and DOES WORK NICELY. I just want y’all to learn from my mistake. The Christmas of 2014, I tried to surprise my mother-in-law with a Christmas inspired table runner because she had been talking about how she wanted one. I had seen some pretty green and red table runners at their local Dollar Tree and I wanted to go out, cut it up, and then sew it back together is a braided pattern. Boy was that one of those times where tears and threats came into play. That fabric shredded like crazy and the stitches kept coming apart!!! I was so frustrated and I couldn’t understand why it was not working out the way I wanted it to. My mother-in-law finally explained to me that Dollar Tree fabric probably does not the best quality fabric and that was why it was giving me such a hard time. It was that day that I learned about fabric quality and I will never forget about it.

3.5 – Going along with the quality of fabric is the quality of thread. It can be very annoying to be in the middle of something and then the thread break in your sewing machine. I will say that sometimes the problem isn’t the thread and it is the tension, but that’s a whole nother can of worms. You can typically look at thread and determine if it is a good quality or not. If you’re looking at it and it appears to be very “fuzzy”, chances are it is poor quality thread. Another test you can do is to wrap it around your fingers like you are flossing your teeth and then try to break it in half. If you pull hard enough, most threads will probably break in half. I’m talking about not putting a lot of force into it when you pull it and it coming apart. I have only come across some poor quality thread when it was a “buy 15 spools of thread for $5” (or something ridiculous like that) at Hancock Fabrics (RIP). I have also found that those cones of thread tend to not do very well when it comes to finicky projects, however just sewing 2 pieces of basic cotton together doesn’t seem to cause an issue.

Although this thread did not do well in my sewing machine, it did really well when I was hand binding a table runner or else practicing some hand quilting. Typically I just go to Walmart (I like to use Walmart as an example when I can because I know just about everyone has one in their town), and get the Coats thread in the bin at the end of the shelf for $1.

4 – The next thing to keep in mind is to not let a pattern intimidate you. I personally like to sew bags and quilts and then hoard the clothing patterns for me to use “at a later time”. The first thing to remember about a pattern is the envelope itself. The envelope has a lot of valuable information that you will need in preparation for sewing your item. It will have everything from types of fabric recommended, how much fabric is needed and notions required for each piece.

The inside will have 2 different types of paper, a lightweight piece that is your actual patter piece and then a heavier piece which are the instructions. At a later time, I will go into more detail about reading pattern.

5 – The final thing to keep in mind is to not be afraid to ask for help. I was at a local craft show and I was looking at all of the quilts that this lady had been making. I mentioned to her that I struggled with binding my quilts and they typically look really bad. After talking with her, it clicked about how important the consistency of the seam is (see #2). If my binding is consistently hanging off the edge by 1/4 inch all the way around, then when it is flipped over, it will be consistent on the front.

Also, part of #5 is to utilize social media. There are a lot of great tools online to help you figure out what you want to do. Check out my latest blog post, Top 10 Sewing/Craft YouTubers, to check out some awesome social YouTube folks that can show you anything and everything you ever thought you would need to know about sewing. Chances are, if you have a question about it, someone else has already had the same question and has put it on the internet.

Well that’s about all I have for this post. I’ve still got lots of stuff in the works, including a Dresden Plate Review/Tutorial, Floating Shelves Tutorial, as well as updates on current projects I am working on. Let me know of anything that would’ve really helped you when you started out sewing.

Until next time,

Brittany

*Note: The cute pink polka dot sewing machine is not mine and the original can be found here.

 

Top 10 Sewing/Craft YouTubers

Since graduate school is done for the next little bit, I now have some time to sew and then blog about sewing!! So sorry I’ve been slack, this semester was a rough one that I am so glad is DONE!!

For those of you that are familiar with my history of how I got started sewing, know that I learned a lot of what I know from YouTube. It is because of them, I know what I know today. (Wow, that’s a lot of “knows”.) Anyways, I just wanted to give a shout-out to them to thank them for introducing a super awesome hobby to me and to recommend them to any of you new and veteran sewers out there. I do also need to give a shout-out to my awesome mother-in-law for her assistance in helping me sew my first article of clothing.

Obviously I watch more than 10 YouTube channels, so I will add a couple of honorary mentions at the bottom.

These YouTubers are in order and it may not be by the ones that I watch the most, but by how much I just enjoy their videos.

10 – Sewing Parts Online

I discovered Sewing Parts Online when I was looking into how to use different sewing feet. They have lots of tutorials on how to use more sewing feet that you will ever know that existed. The way they explain everything is just simple to understand. They have definitely added a lot more videos since I was last at their channel.

9- Amanda Rolfe

Amanda Rolfe’s YouTube channel is The Amanda Rolfe and her blog is 3 and 3 quarters. Amanda is a quilter from Australia (you’ll find that a lot of my favorites live overseas and I just love hearing them talk). There is just something about her that makes me have a friend crush on her. She sews a lot of modern quilts which typically isn’t my thing, but her fabric choice is always on point. She is very quirky and is just herself whcih is why I enjoy watchering her.

8 – Man Sewing/Rob Appell

What can I saw about Rob Appell? There is no one else like him out there. He is a just a rad quilting dude and that is the only way to describe him. He can be found on YouTube here and multiple blogs here and here. I discovered him when he and Jenny Doan from  Missouri Star Quilt Company (MSQC – below) did a video together, The Three Dudes Quilt and I totally fell in love with the way he does his videos. The first thing you notice when you watch his videos is his awesome latin music intro and then he is just so hyped about sewing it’s contagious. “Cool” is not a word that people typically think of when they think if sewing quilts, but he totally sells it!!

7 – Whitney Sews

I am totally in love Whiteny Edwards’s YouTube channel. She is nerdy and likes to flaunt it. Whitney has vidoes from her Cosplay costumes to her fabric swaps. She also talks about her love for thrit stores and getting as many sewing patterns as she can. Whitney may not be for everyone, but I totally love her videos!!

6 – Professor Pincushion

Professor Pincushion is one of the YouTube channels that has a little bit of everything sewing related. If you want to learn how to do it, Professor Pincushion will show you how. She also has a blog that coincides with her YouTube channel. She has everything from button holes, to attaching pockets, to understanding sewing patterns.It just has everything and if you’ve thought about maybe trying something new, you should definitely check her channel out.

5 – Melanie Ham/I Heart Stitching

Melanie Ham does sewing and craft tutorials and can be found here. Melanie is one of those people that just brings you in and explains what she does so well. She does smaller tutorials that can be knocked out in a couple hours, but the way she makes her items makes them very high quality. Y’all should definitely go and check her channel out.

4 – Debbie Shore

Debbie Shore is another one of my fun overseas YouTubers. Her videos, that can be found here, are so easy to follow and she does a really great job at dumbing things down. She is probably one of the first people that I watched that helped me learn how to make a basic tote bag, one of which can be found here. She is really fun to watch and, like everyone else I have listed, I definitley recommend her.

3 – Deby Cole/So Sew Easy

Deby Cole is the voice behind So Sew Easy and she is very similar to Debbie Shore (#4). She does a lot of simple tutorials for projects that can be completed in an afternoon, which I really appreciate. She is actually the one that got me into the Swoon Patterns. She did a tutorial on the Swoon Della Wallet Clutch  and I fell in love with it, which is why I ended up purchasing the Pearl Wallet Clutch (review from my blog can be found here). More recently, I ordered the Della and  I can’t wait to put it together. It definitely looks a lot simpler than the Pearl, so hopefully I won’t have any issues….. Anyway back to Deby…. Another thing that I like about her is that she isn’t afraid to make mistakes and then point them out for her audience so they won’t make the same one that she did. Making mistakes is an important part of the learning process and she has made sure that other people have learned from her mistakes. ALSO, one more thing I love about Deby is that she has only been sewing about as long as I have and you can read a little more about her on her blog found here. One of my favorite people to watch on YouTube so go watch her……. NOW!!

2 – Crafty Gemini/Crafty Gemini Creates

For those of you that do anything sewing related, you have heard of Vanessa from The Crafty Gemini and Crafty Gemini Creates. (*Note, I just found her Spanish version of her YouTube channel La Crafty Gemini, how cool is that!!) Anyways, she has lots of great quilting tutorials and was the one who taught me how to bind a quilt by hand, which can be found here (I think there was also one more YouTuber who had some input, but I’m not sure who it was.) She was also the very first podcast I ever listened to (it wasn’t hers, but it was someone else’s and she was a guest) and I was totally intrigued. That was when I knew I had an obsession…. when I listened to a quilting podcast and I was actually able to pay attention without rewinding it every 3 minutes. She also told me about Tuesday Mornings, which I always stop at whenever I am in a town that has one in hopes of finding that awesome sewing machine needles deal that she keeps managing to find. I could go on and on and on about her, but I think you should go find out for yourself. P.S. she has 2 blogs found here and here.

Ok, finally moving on to numero uno.

Drum roll please……..

DADADADADADADADADADADADADA (<<< this is my typing version of a drum roll)

1 – Missouri Star Quilt Company (MSQC)

Well I know that my husband certainly knew that this one was coming. If you’ve heard of Crafty Gemini, then I KNOW you’ve heard of Jenny Doan from Missouri Star Quilt Company. All the guys out there know exactly when their significant others are watching and MSQC video, and if they are like Josh, they make the “quack” noise at the end of their little jingle (which if you actually watch the video, you see that the “quack” is made by a chick and not a duck, but who cares, it’s still awesome!!) I have such a huge friend crush on Jenny Doan and when I go and visit my sister at Vet School at Kansas State (yes Kaitlyn, I do plan on visiting you), I totally want to make the drive to Hamilton, Missouri to visit their shops. They have multiple shops, which actually is a majority of the strip in their tiny town, and each shop has its own theme. They have holiday, batiks, solids, FLORALS (I’m a little excited about this one), licensed, solids, notions shops. (*Note: I’m not sure if this is 100% accurate, however I do believe it is mostly accurate and if not, then they should totally take my recommendations for these shop themes). Crafty Gemini actually does a tour of her shops on her video which can be found here. (When I went to find the video to attach it through a hyperlink, I totally almost forgot to tell y’all about the retreat center that she has!!!) They also have a Man Land for those fellas that get dragged to Hamilton by their lovely spouses. Oh my goodness, I have gone on and on about her shop, but I haven’t even talked about her videos….. THEY ARE FANTASTIC!! Jenny does a different quilt/block each week and it really simplifies it. She also uses a lot of templates and shows the different ways to use them. I actually just found a second channel that they have!!! AHH!!! It is called Talk Quilting. I can’t say anything about it because I didn’t know it existed until, just now, but you best believe I will be binge watching them once this post has been published. Much like Crafty Gemini, I can go on and on and on about MSQC, but I think you should just go check her out yourself.

Well now that I have probably his my hyperlink limit, I’ll leave you with a few honorary mentions. I have watched some of these and I know some of them are popular among other folks. They are Angela Clayton, April Wilkerson, Leah Day, Fat Quarter Shop, Fons and Porter, MadeByMarzipan, and Quilt in a Day.

Well, it’s about bed time for me so I’m gonna let you go so you will have a chance to check out all of these people. Let me know if there is anyone else that y’all follow on any type of social media as I am sure that I have left several folks out.

Until next time,

~Brittany