Clothing alterations are my favorite type of sewing, and maybe it's because I believe in redemption for anything. So many people are against alterations, but even when you sew from scratch, you still need to alter the garment to make it your shape. If you plan to make that garment again, then you will have to transfer those alterations to the pattern.

I highly recommend getting clothing from the thrift store and practice hemming pants or practice taking in side seams... to see what works and what doesn't and to practice on something that isn't part of your current wardrobe, so it doesn't matter how it turns out.

Plan out your goals for sewing and think about where you are in this process and where you'd like to go:

1. List out your needs and goals with sewing. Is this just going to be a hobby? Is there a specific task you need to learn because of your clothing needs? Are you going to be making crafts from thin quilting cotton as a hobby? Are you going to be hemming your thick denim jeans?
2. Get a Sewing Machine. So many people ask "What's a good machine for a beginner?" In my opinion, this question can get you stuck in analysis paralysis. Take a look at your goals and find a sewing machine store where you can tell them your goals and try the machines. You almost have to just get one and then, after experience, you start to know what features you like and dislike. 
3. Make a sewing space in your home. Some people pack it away each time they sew, and if you need to do that, be sure to think about how easy it will be to set back up.  Try to make the flow of setting up as easy as possible, or it will stop you from sitting down to sew. 
4. Sewing instruction, mentor, classes, sew alongs.  Some people sew because they like to craft, and others sew because of some need they have in their clothing. For example, there's tens of thousands of women in Bra Making groups because they can't buy what they need in ready to wear clothing. Find classes (like ours 😉), or sew alongs, or mentors (like me!) who know about the subjects you want to learn. Get help from someone who is an expert, rather than asking random strangers who may or may not know the same knowledge as you.  When you have guidance through a progression of skills, you're less likely to have gaps in your education. 
5. Put together a toolkit of the supplies you'll need for the jobs or projects you're doing. Learning to sew from patterns is an unrealistic expectation because they usually start from several steps into the terms and sewing knowledge and aren't great at explaining what the terms mean. I will say, though, that many of the independent pattern designers offer classes that go with their patterns and the pattern comes with a booklet that is made for learning with. (cough...cough... Cashmerette Patterns)
6. Make things you're interested in to keep the learning interesting. Don't just make things that someone says is a good beginner project, just for the reason that it was a good beginner's project. Make things you actually enjoy so that you don't get bored with the skills practice and then also hate the product. However, if something seems hard, you may need to pivot and set that project down for a bit for some easier projects and come back to it later. 

Until next time,

Topic in this post: #SewWithUs, #MachineMastery

Kristen sews because clothes don't come shaped like humans and people often think their bodies are the problem, which is a problem.

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