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   Instructions for Beginners in Sewing

             Ten Steps To Sewing Success


I remember going to visit my sister in Los Angeles. I had her address. I had a map. I had directions all printed out. Unfortunately, when I got to her subdivision, all the houses looked exactly alike – cracker boxes – side by side. When I finally found my sister’s house, I did not know if I would ever find it again among the hundreds of other houses that looked exactly alike.

In today’s fast paced world, life often feels like an endless series of monotonous activities. Our lives sometimes appear like part of a massive production line stamping out our cookie cutter existence. Cars look the same. Most entertainment is the same old rehash. Our work is often dull and pointless.

There is an alternative. A bright world full of color, texture, and endless possibilities awaits those who would learn to sew. Here are ten easy instructions for beginners in sewing that will lead to an adventure full of creative expression and personal gratification. We might call it Ten Steps To Sewing Success. These tips will empower you to fully appreciate sewing instruction. This instructions for beginners in sewing can make your life a dynamic adventure.

Imagine The Possibilities. The first instructions for beginners in sewing: Develop an eye for your own creative expression. Whatever you can imagine, you can achieve. Look around you, what do you see? What if you added a bit of color, a new texture, a flash of freshness? The possibilities are endless, but this is just the first of our instructions for beginner in sewing. Unless you can see the possibilities, they really do not exist. So, imagine how you can take your ordinary clothes (pants, shirts, jackets…) and transform them into amazing wearable art. Your own wearable art. Think of all the things you could make to decorate your home like table runners, pillows, curtains, lamp shades, wall hangings, comforters, quilts… Let your imagination run wild. Explore. Experiment. Dream. Develop your passion for creating beauty all around you.

Find A Teacher. The second instructions for beginners in sewing is to learn the right ways first. Search your yellow pages for sewing machine dealers, fabric shops, sewing schools, and quilt shops. Wherever people who sew come together, you will find teachers ready to reveal the secrets of sewing. There are workshops, classes, sewing retreats, community classes, and even colleges that teach sewing. Search the internet for articles, books, ebooks, and online classes. There are many ways to find your teachers. Once you find your teacher, open your mind. Learn everything you can about sewing. Practice all the skills and techniques. Soon you will know the thrill of creating your own marvels.

The Right Equipment: The third vital instructions for beginners in sewing is to get the right equipment. When you first start sewing, you might think to yourself, “I can’t afford to invest very much money in sewing equipment, because I might not like sewing or follow through.” You are exactly right. Investing in a hobby that you expect to do for only a week or two or project or two, is foolish. The first thing you need to do is step one above. Develop your passion, your desire, your interest first. Then the money you spend will well spent. As a beginner, what do you really need? At minimum, you will need a good, dependable, sewing machine that is easy to use and has a good set of convenience features. Do no settle for a cheap piece of junk. If you see yourself sewing, see your self enjoying every sewing experience. To do so means, avoid sewing equipment that is poorly made, not locally supported (Classes, Repairs, Tech Support), or is difficult to use. Expect to spend around a $1,000 for a good sewing machine. You can find sewing machines for as little as $50, but they are the quickest way to put an end to your sewing pursuits. As your hobby develops you may want to add a quality serger, embroidery machine, or blind hemmer. Always go with quality.

The Right Tools: The fourth instructions for beginners in sewing, involves getting all the right tools. Once you have a good sewing machine, you need to begin collecting all the tools you will need for your sewing activities. Having the right tools makes any project easier and quicker. So what are the basics that you need? You will need cutting tools (Scissors, trimmers, thread snips, embroidery scissors, rotary cutter, rotary cutting mat); measuring tools (cloth measuring tape, acrylic rulers, seam guides); and notions (pins, pin cushion, presser feet, stabilizers, needles, bobbins, thread, marking pens). Just any item will not do for your purposes. Think of it this way, if you are going to spend hours and hours creating something wonderful, you want to avoid frustrations, maximize your time, and end up with a beautiful an durable result. For example, 8” bent handle sewing scissors or sheers are recommended by most sewing instruction and instructions for beginners in sewing. There are probably, hundreds of different manufacturers of this particular product. An expert sewer will tell you, you can not go wrong with Gingher. What difference does it make? More than you can imagine. Cheap scissors are cheap for a reason. Always buy quality. If you have a question, check with the experts at your local sewing machine dealership.

Sew Simple. The fifth instructions for beginners in sewing, focuses on the principle that success breads success. Sewing instruction on basics is the first step toward true mastery. Simple, easy projects provide ample opportunity to master basic skills like sewing straight seams, curved seams, and hemming.

Celebrate Your Successes. The sixth instructions for beginners in sewing, rises from the core of thought and feelings. Unless we celebrate our successes, our failures and frustrations dominate. Therefore, every time you complete a project regardless how simple, celebrate your achievement. Reward yourself for your creativity and success. This will make all the sewing instruction pay huge dividends. The more successes you celebrate, the more successes you will find to celebrate.

Expand Your Skills. The seventh instructions for beginners in sewing, involves stretching your thinking and sewing experiences. Once you achieve success with simple projects, set your eye on more challenging ones. Try new, different, and broader projects that enable your to increase your skills. Every time you learn and master a new skill, whole new opportunities for creative expression emerge.

Share Your Successes. The eighth instructions for beginners in sewing, embrace other people. The social element of sewing is unmistakable. Sewing show and tells, quilting bees, and shared sewing experiences help sewers encourage each other, inspire one another, and expand their horizons together.

Pursue More Advanced Projects. The ninth instructions for beginners in sewing, raises expectations. Sewing projects lead to mastery of basic skills. As projects require more skill, they lead to greater possibilities. The challenge is to continually expand and refine your skills in the pursuit of increasingly more challenging projects. Gradually, beginners in sewing become expert.

Life Of Creativity. The tenth instructions for beginners in sewing, become a life long creator of wonderful things. Make your world a better place. Fill your life with fabulous color, intriguing textures, and amazing creative wonders. Life a life of creativity.


AUTHOR:
Donna Trumble is a professional designer, seamstress, author, sewing educator, and sewing business owner.   She leads several Sewing Show And Tell groups in her stores guiding participants to shop sewing machines and learn about sewing and quilting.

David Trumble is a sewing professional, author, semi-retired minister, sewing machine technician, and CFO of Temple Sewing And Supply, Inc.

RESOURCE:
For more information on sewing show and tell groups, check out "Sewing, The World's Greatest Hobby" by Donna and David Trumble.  And check out the local Sew And Quilt Stores in Killeen, Temple, and Waco, Texas or at www.sewandquiltstore.com.