Stop Wondering! Get Better at Sewing in 3 Simple Steps
Sewing isn’t hard, but it’s not easy either. It takes serious effort and commitment to spend time and money to learn this life-long skill. Some days are easier than others. When you get down, remember patience, practice, and the process will help you reach your sewing goals.
HAVE PATIENCE:
Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.
Have patience with your ability.
When you start sewing it feels like you’re entering a new world with words and techniques you’re unfamiliar with. It’s isn’t just a feeling, but a new reality. You have to learn everything from scratch.
One day is filled with excitement of newfound success as you sew your first straight seam. The next day is full of despair and frustration when you can’t get your machine threaded correctly and it keeps snarling your fabric.
On those days, take a deep breath and remember your past success. Turn off your machine, put down your project, and take a break. As adults, we’ve forgotten that learning takes time and we aren’t going to get it right the first try. Or even the second or third try for that matter! Getting aggravated or overwhelmed won’t improve your sewing. The key is to stay calm and to keep moving forward. Know that your ability will improve one stitch at a time.
Have patience with yourself.
Don’t let your inner critic put you down. Resist the urge to shame your early sewing projects on social media. Your first attempts at sewing won’t be perfect. Seams will be crooked and hems uneven. That’s part of the learning process. No one expects it to be perfect. You sewed to the best of your (current) ability. Be proud of your efforts!
JUST PRACTICE:
To be good at anything, you have to practice & repeat, practice & repeat, until you can do it in your sleep.
Remember when you were a kid and you had to do something over and over to get the hang of it? Sewing is no different! The more you practice the repetitive tasks, like threading your machine, the better you’ll get. Start with the basics, like practice stitching, and learn to sew straight lines using a piece of notebook paper. Or better yet, check out this video from Sew Sew Lounge. Sewing a piece of paper isn’t exciting, but there is satisfaction in making straight lines. And winning with the small stuff is always a good thing. Practice activities will build a foundation of basic sewing skills. As you master more skills your projects will get more advanced and you’ll continue to grow and improve.
Practice makes perfect is a lofty aspiration; your goal should be improvement over perfection. Doing a good job, learning from your mistakes, and practicing are valuable experiences.
TRUST THE PROCESS:
The process of learning to sew is a journey to last a lifetime.
There’s no rush, so take your time to learn the basics. Anyone who tells you there is a quick way to “sew like a pro” is either lying or trying to sell you something. Same goes for anyone who tells you messy, “make-it-up-as-you-go” sewing is acceptable (it’s not). Sewing is a process that takes time to learn. The more you sew, the more you improve. It’s a new learning experience every time you sit down at your sewing machine.
While sewing is a process of trial and error, it helps to have a road map to learn to sew. The Sew Sew Lounge method of sewing is similar to old-school sewing courses. You start by learning the basics of your machine and get comfortable using it with easy practice exercises. Then you continue to “no pattern” tutorials, where you measure, cut, and sew. Next you learn how to sew individual garment components and practice making darts, buttonholes, zippers, and more! Then you’re ready to graduate to sew basic designs with commercial patterns. By the time you finish, you’ll accurately sew simple clothing styles and you’re ready to start moving on to more challenging projects!
Regardless of the method you use to learn to sew, stick with it and trust the process. Everything you learn to sew builds upon what you learned previously.
Stick with the 3 Ps: Patience, practice and the process to help you reach your goals. Before you know it you’ll be using your sewing machine with confidence and ease and looking forward to your next project.
Want more sewing tips and tricks from Sew Sew Lounge? Click here to join the interactive Facebook group, Let’s Talk Sewing for Beginners! hosted by Sew Sew Lounge. Weekly live events and plenty of helpful info to get you up and sewing in no time. See you on the inside!
