THREE HELPFUL SEWING TIPS FOR BEGINNERS

  My passion for sewing began way long ago as a child with just a needle and thread. Although I'm not exactly sure where I got it from. As for my mother was not and is not much of a sewer. Growing up I was always that weird girl who sewed up her own stuff, switched up her buttons and patched up whatever she could get her hands on. I remember having a huge stash of different thread colors, needles and pretty buttons. The thought of making and mending my own clothes by hand was fascinating.
   The use of a sewing machine wasn't one of my interest until I joined the Home Education class back in middle school. After that my friends- I fell in love...I instantly knew I wanted to learn more and more. Unfortunately after that I was never again able to get my hands on a sewing machine. Soon the years flew by and the urge to further my skills was set aside.
 It wasn't until this past Christmas that my loving husband surprised me with my first sewing machine. Since then I've been eager to learn. At first it seemed a lot harder than I remembered, until I came across a very nice man at a quilting & fabric store who gave me great advice. I have came a long way since then by simply following what he told me. I now stand by his words and I am extremely happy to share them with you.

HELPFUL TIPS FOR BEGINNERS

Study your machine: Learn as much as you can about your sewing machine, read manuals, search the web etc. Practice threading and unthreading your machine . If your machine is computerized learn about the different settings & stitching patterns.

Get comfortable with your machine: Take out your bobbin and your top thread. Use regular line paper and sew along the straight lines. Sewing straight lines on paper will give you lots of practice. As you sew across the page you will begin to notice how much you have improved. Try out all the different stitching patterns. Don't be afraid of messing up. After all it's just paper!

Learn to control your machine: A simple way to gain greater control of your sewing machine is by sewing circles. Outline a circle on a piece of card stock paper and sew all around(make sure your bobbin and thread are out). Sewing circles is one of the best ways to understand how much pressure is necessary while your guiding your fabric and down on your foot pedal. This is a great technique for achieving control while stitching curves. Do allow yourself lots of practice.

I consider myself a beginner , but I can honestly say that these basic tips have helped me improve my sewing by far. They have encouraged me to loose all fear of making mistakes and become good friends with my sewing machine. If your a beginner and have absolutely no clue how to start sewing, these helpful tips are the way to go!

XO, Nancy!