top tips for sewing

10 Top Tips for Sewing

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Below are some of my top tips for sewing that I’ve learned through years of experience and a few mistakes along the way. I’ve learned that some things are worth the extra time and effort it takes because, they give you much better results in the end.

If you are new to sewing, I promise that these tips will help you get started off on the right foot.

Let’s dive in!

Here are my Top Tips for Sewing if you’re a beginner:

1. Buy Good Quality Scissors

Gingher 8 Inch Lightweight Bent Trimmers

My first top tip for sewing is to invest in a good sturdy pair of scissors. These scissors should be guarded with your life…just kidding. But, if you ask any good sewer they will tell you to only use these scissors to cut fabric. Never cut paper, plastic or other things with your sewing scissors.

Fabric scissors can get pricy and it is important to keep them sharp for as long as possible. Having sharp, good quality scissors is a must for a sewer because they will help you cut more accurately which will improve your overall sewing quality, and cause less strain to your hands than dull scissors.

Click here to shop my sewing scissors!

2. Iron often

Beautral iron on ironing board

Ironing can often seem like a waste of time when you could just do it all at the end or not at all. When I first started sewing, I would often skip this step and just iron the finished garment at the end. However, I have learned that ironing often is the key to professional quality sewing.

Ironing allows the thread to relax on your garment as you are sewing. I recommend ironing each seam as you sew. This will make the garment join together more accurately and create a much better finished product.

Often, certain sewing techniques require ironing or they just will not work and some places cannot be reached as well with the iron once the garment is completely sewn together. Ironing is especially important on curved seams like arm holes or pointed shapes such as darts or collar points.

You can check out the iron I use here. Some people invest in expensive irons for sewing but you really don’t have to. Just learn when to use your steam function and when not to and control your heat or use a pressing cloth as necessary

3. Take your time cutting out

Cutting out your pattern is a critical task when you’re sewing. Think of it a laying the foundation for a building. If your foundation is not solid then the rest of the building will not be solid and you can have disastrous consequences. How you lay out your fabric and cut out the pattern pieces will affect how your entire garment turns out.

Take your time to make sure the pattern pieces are straight and lined up correctly. Make sure that all the pattern pieces will fit onto your fabric. You don’t want to get halfway into cutting out your garment, only to realize that you don’t have enough fabric to finish. Also, mark any of the notches from the pattern onto your fabric before cutting.

You may be tempted to rush through the cutting process to get your garment done faster but, your sewing quality will be lost if you miss some of these important points.

TIP: If it is hard to tell the right side of the fabric from the wrong side, you can put a safety pin on all the right sides of the pieces before you cut. This will make it easier to recognize which side is the right side when you’re sewing.

4. Invest in a Sewing Table

If you plan to sew often, you will be spending a lot of time cutting out, as previously stated. It can be hard on your body, particularly your back, to cut out at a regular kitchen table that is not the right height. As time goes you will notice the negative impacts of spending a long periods of time bent over cutting out.

Also, when you’re cutting out you need to be able to go slowly and cut at the correct angle and that is more difficult when your table is not at the correct height for you or if you’re in pain from bending awkwardly.

I recommend investing in a good adjustable sewing table like this one.

5. Go slow

It is very important to take your time when sewing. Sometimes, I tend to want to rush through sewing just so I can see the end product. However, the amount of time I give myself can make all the difference in how my garment turns out.

When you begin sewing you will likely have to rip things out and start again, that’s ok. Even after you become more experienced you will still have to rip things out. We all make mistakes and it’s important to stop and correct where possible and ensure to take your time to avoid making mistakes.

It is a good idea to practice hard techniques on a scrap or make a toile (practice garment). This can help you work out any problems that may come up before starting on your good fabric.

6. Don’t skip the Stay Stitching

When we sew we often need to stay stitch different parts of our garment before sewing the seams together. This is an important step to ensure seams are smooth and don’t stretch out of proportion.

It is easy to think this part is not important because you will be sewing everything together anyways. However, your garment can become stretched out and hang incorrectly later if you don’t stay stitch.

7. Learn new skills

Whether you are learning to sew or some other skill, I believe, it is always important to keep learning new things. If you’re just starting out sewing or if you’ve been sewing for a while there will always be new things to learn.

There are multiple ways to go about learning. You could watch some tutorials on Youtube or listen to a podcast or even learn from a friend who sews. Blogs and online classes are my favourite ways to develop my sewing skills.

8. Use your pins

randomly placed sewing pins

Pinning fabric can take some time and it’s tempting to rush through it, however, pinning your pattern pieces together can help your seams sew up much smoother and stay in place while you sew. It’s important to not use too many or too few pins but to use the right amount to keep your fabric in place but not slow you down too much when sewing. You may want to pin more in areas that are harder to maneuver your sewing machine around and less on a straight seam for example. Knowing how much to pin will come with practice an experience but it is an important step to help your garment go together properly.

9. Have multiple scissors and pin cushions

Having multiple pairs of scissors and multiple pin cushions can help make the sewing process smoother. I like to have a pair of scissors and a pin cushion at my sewing desk, by my machine and beside the iron and of course my good fabric scissors are at my cutting table. You can use any scissors for thread snipping, these extra pairs don’t have to be your good fabric scissors. Having multiple scissors and pin cushions can save you time while you sew because you don’t have to keep getting up and down to look for one pair.

10. Take accurate measurements

measuring tape on hem of skirt

My last top tip for sewing is to take accurate measurements. Taking accurate measurements is an important step as this will ultimately affect how your garment fits once it’s completed. Make sure to wear the undergarments you will be wearing with the item your sewing for taking measurements. Know where to measure on your body so you will get the accurate measurements as well. There are plenty of tutorials on how to measure online.

In conclusion, I hope all my top tips for sewing help you achieve the best results possible. Ultimately just keep practicing and sewing and improvement will come with time.

Check out my post on How to Start Sewing for Beginners if you want to learn more information for where to begin if your just getting started in your sewing journey.

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