Ready to learn to sew? Let’s start with the very basics! This series will get your started right! Everything you need to know before you learn to sew.
What are all the different types of fabric?
What’s the difference between all the different types of fabric and what are they used for?
learn more at the source
learn more at the source
How and where do you buy fabric?
Once you know what type you want, how do you buy fabric?
- Merrick’s 8 favorite fabric shops.
- Best online knit fabric shops.
- Best places to buy home decor fabric online.
- Where to fabric shop in L.A.
- Fabric shop in Philly
- Where to fabric shop in NYC.
- Fabric shopping in Texas.
- Great online fabric shops.
How to wash and fold your fabric.
Now that you have the fabric, make sure you wash it. Find out why!
Fold your fabric perfectly to fit your shelves! The Allison Show (with Susan from Freshly Picked) show you how! Genius!
[iframe width=”640″ height=”360″ src=”//www.youtube.com/embed/rMAY3TIU1bc” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen]
Susan from Living With Punks also has a great tutorial to fold fabric perfectly.
What is a selvage and grainline?
The selvage is the finished edges of the fabric.
The grainline (straight grain) runs parallel to the selvage. It is very important to know where your grainline is when you are cutting your fabric!
You will need to “true up” or “square up” your woven fabric for almost any project you’re working on. Living With Punks has a great tutorial to show you how.
Buy the right sewing machine.
You don’t need to buy an expensive sewing machine but a bottom of the line machine will give you more headaches and cause you to give up. Go to a quilt shop and try out machines or read online reviews. PatternReview.com and Amazon.com are great places to read about sewing machines. I recommend this machine as the perfect starter.
Purchase your supplies.
There are some great lists of essential sewing supplies.
10 most important supplies on Go To Sew
Must have list by Anna.
Comments & Reviews
Deby at So Sew Easy says
Wow, you packed a lot of great beginner info into a single article. I’ll be sharing and pinning this for sure. Thanks for linking out to my great big list of the best fabric shops.
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This topic has always been one of my favorite subjects to read about. I have found your post to be very rousing and full of good information. I will check your other articles shortly.
Tina Giaramita says
AWESOME article! I’m a beginner to sewing and this is jam-packed with very helpful info. Thank you so much for posting!
Jennifer says
Thank you so much for this. I’ve had a sewing machine for several yrs now but never used it. My 22 year old son and I both want to learn to sew. This is great information for us. Thanks again
Jann from Newton Custom Interiors says
Great sewing resource for beginners!
Naomi Lamb says
hi Rhonda
Naomi Lamb says
Rhonda
golda says
I would add a measuring tape to the list of necessities.
Caro says
Chiffon, organza, satin, velvet and denim all refer to the weave or texture of the fabric and can be made from man made materials. Denim is usually made from cotton. Silk is often used for satin or chiffon. Don’t confuse the name of the fabric with what it is made from.
N says
I agree! It’s a very important distinction to make!!!
N says
I don’t like how the first graphic oversimplified natural versus man made fabrics…. chiffon isn’t – by definition – synthetic…. neither is satin….. That could be very misleading. In most sewing stores, the fabrics (especially chiffon, etc) ARE synthetic, but there are plenty of places where one could buy silk-chiffon. I dunno, I don’t mean to split hairs but that is a detail that could throw people off.
mintty says
it came @ the right just bought my first sewing machine and from this post of yours I’m ready to start.
Bunny says
Be aware that much in the first link, fabric and fiber, is wrong info. So wrong the page has been pulled after the author received much flack. Velvet, taffeta, vinyl, organza and much more are not fibers and can be made of natural and synthetic fibers. The author doesn’t have the most basic fabric infor under her belt. For great info on fabrics and fibers see books by Claire Shaeffer and Sandra Betzina to get it right. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to comment and help your readers get the right information.
Lina from Sewing B' Sisters says
These advices are very usefull! You’ve really shown all questions that could sometimes make a beginner hesitate.
It’s very usefull to find articles like this one to stay motivated! I’ll share it for sure
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Thank you so much for the nice article. I hope to see more updates from you.