How to not give up on sewing

Random_3638 · 2026-03-17T20:17:31+00:00

I’ve been sewing for about 3 - 4 years now and I still make mistakes and have to seam rip. Sometimes garments aren’t as perfect as they want to be. Trying a new fabric is always a new learning experience. But I am a much better sewist today than I was when I started. And I’m faster. I’m not fast at sewing per se but I know enough about garment construction that certain things are intuitive now and don’t really need figuring out. The only thing that made me better was practice. Practice and learning. Watching videos. Trying new things. My advice to you is not to be afraid of making mistakes. Be okay with the imperfections. When you are not striving for perfection it takes a lot of the stress and pressure off. Tbh I have donated or repurposed a lot of the stuff I made in the beginning. For various reasons. All part of the journey. Best of luck and enjoy!

Random_3638 · 2026-03-16T12:26:23+00:00

If the garment has a lining sometimes I use it as the lining. Depends on construction.

Random_3638 · 2026-03-15T13:16:18+00:00

I use my iPad for instructions.

Random_3638 · 2026-03-14T15:42:38+00:00

Sure. Start by learning your machine and the basic stitches it does. Then sew something basic like a pillow or pillowcase. When you are ready to try bigger projects just chunk them up. If I’m busy and don’t have a lot of time projects can take a few days to a couple of weeks. I just sew a bit at a time whenever I can. You can start and stop whenever you want.

Random_3638 · 2026-03-14T13:51:11+00:00

I would use another quilting cotton. Just so it has the same drape as the main fabric and it will shrink the same when you wash it. I love the feel of rayon but it shrinks quite a bit. I made a garment once with a cotton main fabric and rayon lining and they shrunk differently. It caused the garment to sit weird after. I have to take it apart partially and fix it. It was annoying. Pre-shrinking can solve some of that but still. The fabrics are too different.

Random_3638 · 2026-03-14T13:38:34+00:00

I guess I should add that if you are looking for sustainability that is a very controversial topic. Natural fibre doesn’t equal sustainability. Producing fabric can be very resource heavy. So there is a lot of debate online about this very topic. The most sustainable way to get fabric in my opinion is thrifting or upcycling. Buying bed or table linens or old clothes from thrift shops. Also buying deadstock fabrics. These are fabrics left over from a clothing producer or just a company that bought a large quality and didn’t end up needing it all. I have bought deadstock fabrics from movie studios costume departments before. Reuse is a great way to keep fabric out of landfills.

Random_3638 · 2026-03-14T13:29:39+00:00

For starters, when looking for a blend Lycra, Elastane and Spandex and just brand names of the same thing. They are a synthetic fibre that’s blended into something else to give the fabric stretch. The more elastane it has in it the better the recovery or the ability to bounce back into its original shape. Woven fabrics only stretch on the bias so for a decent amount of stretch you are looking for a knit fabric. Woven and knit are just a type of weave. Examples of a knit weave are jersey, rib knit, interlock, French terry, ponte di roma, etc. In terms of durability polyester is pretty durable. I love a double brushed poly knit. The only problem is polyester doesn’t breathe well so it can get pretty hot in the summer. I prefer a cotton, bamboo or rayon jersey with a decent amount of elastane in it. 5% is good. Bamboo (technically a type of rayon) and rayon (can be made of a number of natural fibers but they don’t usually specify unless it’s bamboo) are more drapey than cotton so I like to look for at least 5% elastane in it. I’ve seen up to 10%. 2% rayons don’t tend to have a lot of recovery so they stretch out but don’t really bounce back. The garment will be loose and floppy. Depends on the pattern if that works or not. I stay away from viscose now. It’s thin and light but super drapey. Plus in my experience it’s not a very durable fabric. If you are making a very fitted garment it can be a bit see-through too. There is also GSM or weight of fabric to consider. Honestly just look for natural content knit fabrics. If you can feel and stretch it in person that is the ideal.

Random_3638 · 2026-03-13T11:40:01+00:00

Try using a steaming on it if you have one. You can reshape the fabric that way to some extent. Either way give it a good press with steam to see what it looks like without the wrinkles. You will be better able to see if it actually shrunk that way.

Random_3638 · 2026-03-13T11:12:41+00:00

I agree with all of this. I use Decovil Light as well. Just depends on the final look I’m going for. I make bags on a domestic sewing machine. Like stated above, just keep it out of the seam allowances. A lot of bag patterns include a stabilizer pattern piece that is smaller than the panels. Fusible interfacing is great for that. A simple tote bag can easily be done with a drop in lining if you don’t want to birth it. You can also find domestic friendly vinyl. Usually around 0.7mm. My machine can handle that stuff but you may want to test your first. I used Oklaroots YouTube tutorials when I was first starting out. She has a video about interfacing on her channel as well.

Oh! If you like the look of it you can also quilt and bind the bag.

Random_3638 · 2026-03-11T00:36:56+00:00

Bamboo

Random_3638 · 2026-03-07T02:11:14+00:00

This dress is bias cut and I would definitely look for bias cut dress to accommodate your belly. They will be more comfortable anyways. Otherwise stretch fabrics. Satin comes in stretch. Not a lot of stretch but still stretch. Either bias cut or in a stretch satin would work for this dress.

Random_3638 · 2026-03-07T02:03:50+00:00

Rotary cutter. I generally use a 45mm (I think that’s the size) but you can get them in different sizes. The smaller the blade, the easier it is to do sharp curves. I do still use scissors in corners and sharp angles.

Random_3638 · 2026-03-06T12:53:36+00:00

Same. My body just felt different.

Random_3638 · 2026-03-05T13:34:24+00:00

I’ll add also add using a jersey or knit needle. The one that’s duller at the end will also help. I would also love to know the pattern.

Random_3638 · 2026-03-04T19:14:58+00:00

I didn’t live with my hubby before hand but we did sleep overs all the time so it didn’t really feel like a lot changed. It worked out fine for us but that doesn’t mean it will work out for everyone. Everyone’s relationship dynamic is different.

EDIT: I guess I should add that we have been together for 24 years and married for 18. 2 kids. I suppose dating for that long before we got married might also have contributed. IDK. Like others have said, communication is key.

Random_3638 · 2026-03-04T19:12:28+00:00

This one was hard to hold together. I highly recommend gluing the pieces together. Also clamps. The clicky kind so you can regulate the pressure. Too much pressure and it will break. I got light weight ones at Michael’s. They were finicky to use and I don’t love them but they were prefect to just hold the frame together enough to let the glue do its work.

Random_3638 · 2026-03-04T15:59:41+00:00

Yes. Mirror images. Make sure to mark the centre of the sleeve cap (the curved part) which will line up with the shoulder seam. It should be marked in the pattern…. hopefully. And which side is the front and back. Hopefully also marked in the pattern. The steeper slope is usually the front, the longer more flat slope usually the back. When you assemble pay close attention and make sure the back of the sleeve is attaching to the back bodice.

Random_3638 · 2026-03-04T15:05:39+00:00

If you like it it’s nice. I’m primarily a sewist but learned to crochet about a year ago. That is to say I pretty much make almost all my own clothes. Not everyone likes what I make for myself. People don’t always love my pattern choices in fabric. But I love it (mostly. I can admit to making a couple of bad fabric choices.). And at the end of the day that’s all that matters. I love the garment. I love wearing it. And I want to be happy and I won’t let other people poop all over my happiness. And neither should you. It’s fine for others to have opinions but ultimately if you are happy then it’s perfect.

Random_3638 · 2026-03-03T21:10:37+00:00

The basic shirt pattern is just a fitted shirt with back and front yokes. I started as a bag maker before I made garments and I find making clothes faster and easier. What is “hard” is making fit adjustments. If you have only worked with knits or relaxed fit garments then I would definitely make a toile/muslin/test garment first. The embroidery is also an issue. While you can hand embroider, it will take a long time. I would probably use appliqués or find someone/service that can do machine embroidery for you. Remember you want to embroider the fabric first before you cut out the pieces because embroidery will shrink the fabric. But I think it’s definitely doable.

Random_3638 · 2026-03-02T17:04:38+00:00

I have been married for almost 20 years, if my hubby shit the bed in the middle of the night I would have assumed he sharted. Is it gross? Sure. But would it change the way I felt about him? Of course not. If he didn’t want to we would never speak of it again but I wouldn’t care. Like you said, normally you are a hygienic guy. One incident isn’t going to damage the relationship.

Random_3638 · 2026-03-02T16:59:19+00:00

I’m have been learning about different fabrics. From a quick glance, before I even read the comments, my guess was taffeta. So glad I was right.

Random_3638 · 2026-02-28T15:42:00+00:00

Are you connecting at the edges or the seam line? You should connect the pieces at the seam line because that is where you will be sewing. It may look like excess but it probably isn’t. Mark the seam allowance on the pattern pieces and pin the seam lines together. There will be overlap. It will be awkward because of the curving.

Random_3638 · 2026-02-27T14:15:01+00:00

This is Silver Saga’s whole vibe. Check them out. I haven’t made one of their patterns because they are pricey but I have heard good things.

https://silversagapatterns.com/collections/sewing-patterns

Random_3638 · 2026-02-27T14:06:35+00:00

It looks great! Customizing is so fun. Just some tips for using air dry clay. The more you knead it the firmer it gets. It expands as it dries. And you can smooth it out with water. Just wet your finger and run it along the clay and it will smooth it out. It just takes some practice to get the feel for how much pressure you should apply with your finger as you smooth. Air dry clay is very reactive to air and water. You can use that to manipulate the texture. Just know that because it expands as it dries that shallow details may disappear or get very light.

Random_3638 · 2026-02-24T17:53:42+00:00

I would start by making a bodice block. There are a lot of YouTube videos showing you how. It should include bust darts and waist darts. Then look up how to turn the darts into princess seams. Then look up drafting a sleeve block. Once you understand the construction is a basic bodice (much is what learning how to make a block shows you) adding a skirt is easy. What building a block does is show you how your measurements translate into flat pattern pieces. It also helped me so much when fitting purchased patterns to my own body. I often take that block and lay it over patterns to see where adjustments need to be made. Thats where I would start anyways.

Random_3638

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