Learn How to Sew

Whenever I utter the word button and talk about mending it (read sewing it) and crib, my granny scowls at me. She comes up with her million dollar repartee - when we were of your age, we used to sew our own dresses and our siblings dresses too. You people should at least know a few basic things like hemming, sewing a button and the like. Then I act as if I am invisible. But in my heart I know that what she says is actually true and I need to learn to sew some basic things, to the least. I just tried my hand at sewing a few things with the help of my granny, presenting to you a bit of that!

Learning How to Sew

There are two basic things in sewing. You can either sew by hand or you can sew with the help of a sewing machine. We will take a look at the basics of both.

Sewing by Hand
When you are acquainted with the basics of stitching, all you have to do after that is choose a pattern and stitch, or do something like sewing a button. We will start off with two most commonly used stitches when sewing by hand. If you want to learn to sew, this is a must.

Running Stitch
Running stitch is the first thing that will be perhaps taught in a sewing class. For a running stitch you will first thread the needle and then fasten the thread. Then the needle will have to be run up and down through the fabric. Remember that there should be equal spaces between the points you get the needle through the fabric and back out, for an even stitch. While doing this it is important to note that smaller stitches are firmer and larger ones are quicker to do and can be removed easily. This also can be used as a decorative surface stitch.

Back stitch
Most firm of the hand stitches, this type of hand stitch forms a constant run of stitches. It resembles those formed by a sewing machine on the top side. These stitches are longer and overlap. The stitch starts off with a pull of the needle through the fabric and then the needle is pushed back into the fabric on a spot behind where the thread came out. If you reverse this, it is called a stem stitch.

Sewing by Machine
To learn machine sewing is a different ball game altogether. It will need you to go into slight technicalities associated with sewing machine. Nevertheless, first let us see the seam types especially meant for machine sewing and are important for understanding how to use a sewing machine.

French Seam
The French seam can be made by sewing a plain seam and then encasing that seam allowance by pressing all the fabric to a side. It then involves sewing another plain seam. This is very useful when you are looking at stitching voile or organza, to prevent the material from unraveling or unwinding itself.

Plain Seam
As the name suggests, this seam is the easiest. This seam is a continuous seam, in a straight line. Here two pieces of fabric are put together at the seam allowance and are either pressed to the open or on a side. When you are wondering how to sew clothes, this is the first answer to that. You can check out related information in sewing machine for beginners.

Welt Seam
Primarily, welt seam is a variation of the plain seam. It adds a bit of extra strength to the plain seam. This seam is great for accentuating a garment, like giving the perfect touch to a style line or a yoke.

Curved Seam
It is mostly used wherever the bust line, hip line or shoulder seam come together. This seam too is very commonly used. Use pins to hold the fabric for trying out this seam.

Flat Felled Seam
If you twist the welt seam and the French seam, you will get a flat felled seam. Begin with backsides of the fabric together and sew the first seam. Follow that by pressing the seam allowance to a side, tucking its edge under. Then run another stitch right along the fold for anchoring it in place. This seam can be used for heavy-duty jobs, like sewing jeans.

In addition to this, you will need to be acquainted with the sewing tools well - Scissors, thread, needles (separate for machine sewing and hand sewing), sewing machine tape, sewing gauge, needle threader and the like. You cannot forget your notions too - buttons, beads, or any other embellishments you might require and sewing patterns too are crucial.

There are loads of things more, when you want to learn to sew. This article was just to give you a generic idea as to what all is involved in the process of learning to sew. Going for sewing classes is a great option for mastering this skill! All the best!