If you’ve ever struggled to buy trousers the right length, found a jacket that would be perfect if only it was in a different fabric, or admired a passerby’s outfit and wondered if you could recreate it exactly, sewing might be for you.
What Do You Need?
If you don’t already own a sewing machine, it may be worth asking around to see if any friends have one you could practice on before committing to purchasing one yourself. When it comes to buying a sewing machine, there are a range of price points and options: I would recommend going into a shop and asking for advice. When I was buying my machine I went into John Lewis, where they helped guide me to the style that best suited my skill level and what I would be using it for.
Other essential supplies include fabric scissors (first rule: never use them to cut paper), an iron, dressmakers pins and a measuring tape.
Learning Resources
Since sewing is such a hands-on process, I would strongly urge you to attend a beginner’s sewing class (or ask the friend that you borrowed a machine from!). However, there are also plenty of free resources available: a quick search on YouTube will yield endless videos of sewing techniques and instructions. It may be helpful to search for videos specific to your sewing machine, as there is some variation between models. Don’t neglect the manual that comes with the machine: it should have plenty of information on threading the machine and using different settings.
Where to get Supplies?
I am partial to Edinburgh Fabrics on St Patrick’s Square, particularly for their extensive haberdashery. Additionally, there are plenty of online craft stores that carry a wide range of fabrics, such as minerva.com (which also has a lot of videos detailing sewing techniques). In the interests of sustainability, you could also scour charity shops for old tablecloths.
When it comes to patterns, many commercial patterns and independent designers will label the skill level, making it easy to choose entry-level projects. I would recommend The Fold Line, which has a large database of different patterns.
Good luck on your sewing journey, and enjoy the feeling when someone compliments your clothing and you get to say “Thanks, I made it!”
Illustration by Emma Lacey for The Student @emmalceyart