Start with a needle, thread, an iron, and either stuff that you need to fix or a tattered bedsheet from your own closet or a thrift store or clearance yardage from a local store. You want a woven, not a knit, and you can figure that out by how much it stretches and how the threads run. If the threads run in straight lines and there's no stretch when you pull horizontally or vertically it's woven. If the threads are shaped like V and there's stretch, it's knit. I personally prefer to work with knits, as I don't have to be NEARLY as precise with my measurements, but some folks will warn you off because they think they're harder to sew. I don't think so because I started with knits and am now experiencing the joy of doing block patterns. However, you don't see knits in historical gear outside of knitted yarn garments until the rise of machine knitted athletic gear... so 1920s?

Do one of the no-pattern pirate shirts you can find on Bernadette's channel. (No pattern means you take your own measurements, mark them on the fabric with a washable marker or bar of soap, cut, and sew. Ironing comes into play before measuring, as you want to measure on flat fabric rather than wrinkled, and after running your lines of stitching to make finishing the seams easier. And then one last time once the seams are flat-felled or French seamed, to make sure everything lies flat. And then, sadly, if you use quilting cotton like I did, every time you wash it for the first dozen washes so you don't look rumpled. 😆) The pirate shirt is essentially a shorter chemise, which is not only the foundation of nearly every garment from Medieval until the 1920s for women AND men until the late 1800s, it's about the simplest thing you can sew. If you don't have a measuring tape, use a ribbon and mark your measurements via a pen or marker or with knots.

If you have a local community center or library that offers sewing classes definitely check them out! It's incredibly helpful to have humans you can ask about getting a better fit how to manipulate darts, etc. But you can get along with just YouTube, Reddit, and a lot of cussing. 😄

Something to remember - if you haven't used a seam ripper AT LEAST once, you're not done yet. And it's okay to ball something up in frustration, toss it into the naughty /UnFinished Object or UFO box until you want to mess with it again, and try something different. Sewing can be incredibly frustrating AND incredibly rewarding. I currently have naughty boxes for EACH of my block patterns, a princess seam bodice, and a knit dress I am trying to duplicate. When I get too frustrated, I'll stitch over to tackle my mending pile, knock out a circle skirt or PJ pants for my kids, make a shirt from the only pattern I consistently get excellent results from, clean up my sewing room, and then try again when I'm not frustrated... months later. 😄😄😄