when the status quo frustrates.

Question for the hivemind

I got a sewing machine for Christmas and tried to teach myself to sew, but clearly I could use some help. Is it worth it to give Joann Fabrics $75 for a begining to sew course, or would a DVD from the library work just as well? Recommendations, anyone?

This entry was posted on Friday, March 30th, 2007 at 7:35 pm and is filed under Asides. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

15 Responses to “Question for the hivemind”

  1. ellenbrenna says:
    March 30, 2007 at 7:45 pm

    I would poke around sewing blogs for a bit and see what books they recommend before choosing any old guide. See how far you get with a book that came well recommended and then decide if you need some human guidance. Everyone learns differently but what it always comes down to is practice. If you do not use your machine on a regular basis you will not be able to sew with any skill it will not matter how much reading or how many classes you take.

    I like A Dress A Day…http://www.dressaday.com/dressaday.html. Heck, A Dress A Day might have inspired you to get a sewing machine in the first place.

  2. divabeq says:
    March 30, 2007 at 8:17 pm

    A DVD might work just as well as a class, and be sure to always very carefully read and follow instructions in the patterns you purchase. I’ve found sewing to be like cooking, for me. That is to say that if I follow the recipe (or pattern) very carefully I can manage things. Though with sewing, as with cooking, there are sometimes steps in the instructions that if you don’t know some basic terminology you might not understand what they’re talking about.

  3. hazelkat says:
    March 31, 2007 at 5:11 am

    I tried to teach myself to knit from a book/DVD and it didn’t really work out for me. I took a beginner’s class at my local Michaels and it helped me become a passable knitter. It was cheaper than the $75 you’ve mentioned however

    Of course, I’m a total klutz and have absolutely zero talent when it comes to working with my hands. I can’t crochet, sew, bead, anything creative like that. I can barely cook. :)

  4. Kyso Kisaen says:
    March 31, 2007 at 5:48 am

    The funny thing is that knitting and quilting classes are in abundant supply around here at a whole range of reasonable prices. You can’t swing a cat in this area without hitting someone who’d like to teach you to knit.

  5. butter says:
    March 31, 2007 at 7:57 am

    Yeah, I’d say skip the expensive class and make friends with someone who’s been sewing for a long time, and learn one-on-one. Quilting is more handwork (I think) than machine.

  6. Aryja says:
    March 31, 2007 at 2:42 pm

    $75 seems a bit much to learn to sew a straight seam. I learned to sew by buying a really easy pattern and playing. A lot of times they go on sale about this time of year and you can pick stuff up for cheap. My first project was a basic a-line skirt, but bags or sweatpants can work pretty well too. Also the instructions that come with the machine can be quite helpful if you can get past the english to japenese to english writing style. It really isn’t rocket science when you get down to it. Just use a shitload of pins, go slowly and don’t try to make anything with ruffles or stretchy fabric. The suggestion to find a crafty friend is a good one, but if you can’t I would be happy to help untangle any problems if you drop me an email.

  7. Juliana says:
    March 31, 2007 at 2:52 pm

    A friend of mine went to a tailor’s shop and asked if the man would teach him how to sew in exchange for helping about the shop. Tailor was so delighted to pass on the skills, he taught for free.
    Community centers sometimes have classes for free.

  8. Not A Troll says:
    March 31, 2007 at 7:28 pm

    I did fine with books, simple patterns and such. I learned because I started to quilt (you can machine quilts with very little handwork) adn wanted to do all the cool stuff. Practice helps, but really just noodling around with it worked for me. Now, my mother did sew when I was a kid, but I didn’t help her and she really didn’t help me pick it up later, but maybe I subconsciously picked some things up I dunno.

  9. Educe says:
    March 31, 2007 at 11:18 pm

    Might just be echoes:

    Skip the class, for now.

    I got a sewing machine for XMas a couple years back, and purchased a whole bunch of cheap — cheap! less than a dollar a yard — cloth (and thread) and played around, using the machine’s instruction booklet to learn how the machine worked and what I could make it do. Then I looked online for anything I couldn’t do that patterns called for. If I still couldn’t find anything, I practiced/played around, and then made it up for what I needed.

    In the end, everything has worked out for me.

    Of course, I haven’t tried making a formal dress or anything that necessitated craftpersonship.

    Choose the course as the last resort.

    That’s a lot of fucking money that could go towards great fabric/accessories.

  10. gennimcmahon says:
    April 1, 2007 at 7:34 am

    Too bad you don’t live near me, as I’d love to teach you to sew—since I don’t think we do live near each other, I suggest the book “Sew Subversive” because it’s less condescending than some. Check with the local sewing shops that are dealerships for the big brands; Bernina, Husqvarna, etc, and see if they have classes for adults. Any class, though, will likely have you making tote bags or the like. I have always detested the first sewing projects (or first knitting projects) because they have you make something totally useless; it’s my position that if you have to waste your time, you won’t learn. That’s why I failed sewing in Home Ec yet now I’m a fiber artist and craftsperson who sews all damned day. I usually throw my students in with “pants class” and go from there, so don’t fear the challenge. Also, if you have a local Farmers/Crafts market, wander about there, and if you see someone selling stuff they’ve sewn that you like, make friends. Most people like sharing their skills and tips with others.

  11. spyderkl says:
    April 1, 2007 at 7:44 am

    Honestly? It depends on how you learn. I’d prefer a DVD if I were just starting out, but then I break into hives at the thought of going to a class. I’m with Educe; you can buy an awful lot of good fabric and patterns for $75.

    I’m not sure if I’d recommend the way I learned. My mom sat me down with a skirt pattern and some fabric, and with some minimal explanation/assistance, I made a…well, decent enough piece of clothing.

    Just have fun with it. I’d try a bag first if I was starting out, something with simple lines that looks like it would be straight-line sewing.

  12. Andrew says:
    April 1, 2007 at 2:04 pm

    Just have fun with it. I’d try a bag first if I was starting out, something with simple lines that looks like it would be straight-line sewing.

    Hehe. That brings back memories of first year Home Ec. The first things we made were a drawstring bag and a peg-bag. A peg bag’s pretty handy. You make it so it’ll fit a coat-hanger in the top, and hang on the washing line.

  13. nora@alphabitch says:
    April 2, 2007 at 9:27 am

    You can probably find a better class or even a weekend workshop than the one at JoAnn, although I find that any class is often better than winging it with a DVD — at least at first. An experienced sewer to hold your hand is a good suggestion, but then you are at the mercy of someone else’s schedule and goodwill to come and help you out of a jam. I find that the structure and deadline of a class will help me keep at a project even when it gets frustrating (and it does), whereas if I hit a wall when I’m on my own I might just pack it in for several years at a time.

    I highly recommend a weekend workshop, if you can find one. Fun, fewer distractions, and more or less immediate gratification.

  14. laurelin says:
    April 2, 2007 at 2:07 pm

    You can also start by altering weirdly fitting clothes that you, for some reason, can’t bring yourself to throw away but will never wear as they are.

    This works well if you like your clothes midly fucked up looking anyway. Just like cut the collars and sleeves off of tshirts and practice ‘hemming’ them. I also like to sew old flare or boot cut jeans/pants straight up the side so they’re skinnier. Or chop em up and sticth them together into skirts. Doesn’t matter if you mess up, you weren’t gonna wear it anyway :)

    Also, you could buy some cheap ikea curtains and hem them or make them into pillow cases or something.

    Or you can rip apart old clothes that you like the cut of to see how they are pieced together.

    By experimenting on different fabrics you can get a feel for which stitches/threads/needles to use.

    The problem with Joann fabrics is they like to do everything ‘properly’ which takes a lot of time and patience. I feel like it’s better to learn by experimentation. Then move onto patterns and you can have a better feel about which parts are important and which are ..eh.. optional.

  15. firefalluk says:
    April 3, 2007 at 9:17 am

    You can’t swing a cat in this area without hitting someone who’d like to teach you to knit.

    Everyone says that but .. have you tried?

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