How did you learn to sew?

Evening all,

I really want to learn to sew and use a sewing machine but I'm not too sure where to start, so my questions is how did you learn to sew? Are there any recommendations for books/websites etc?

Thanks

I'm not great at it but it's actually cloth nappies that got me sewing.lol
Seeing all the lovely wahm stuff and then others forum members posting about their creation gave me the motivation. The first things I made were wipes with a tiny machine that my SIL had lent me. Then I found tutorials on the web and I also went to a an evening course for a year or so. Would love to do more courses but I find it hard to find the right place and the right time.
Doing craft swaps has helped enormously as you have a deadline and a list of preference so it's good for motivation otherwise, I'd spent my time looking for ideas and never actually making anything.

i bought a book but never got past the first page

the first page however said something about just don't be afraid, just do something and it'll be okay. so i did. i got some ffp scraps off here just to have a practice, made sure my machine worked etc, then moved straight on to some csp (made my own pattern and it turned out so horrid i never showed the pics on here, but fully functional).i then bough a nappy pattern which gave amazingly detailed and clear instructions that i could do it even though i had no idea what i was doing.

and i asked stupid questions on here when i couldn't get my tension right or sew straight or whatever, and the ladies on here were all so very helpful and lovely even though my questions were so basic.

I am not much help as my Mum taught me. I do teach textiles though lol
Start off with a really simple project like a purse or wallet or something like a jewellery roll that has straight sides.
Or you could just mess about with the machine and scrap material to make you feel more confident.

How bout this to start with lol

http://www.kids-sewing-projects.com/kid ... jects.html

Good luck

Im not much help for a new sewer, i am of an age when we learnt to sew at school ( the boys did woodwork) ,i remember wearing my school made smock tops to parties in the 70's also my mother was a seamstress and i come from a long line of knitters, crocheters, dressmakers and kitchen gardeners, basically if you wanted something, you made it yourself.
There are plenty of blogs and websites around now to help and am sure someone will point you in the right direction.

i was very luck because as a child my mum made alot of our stuff as she was a seamstress she now make the occasional wedding dress so i learnt from her we use to have sewing days with her which was great

I learnt from my mum too

I too learned from my Mum, most of my clothes as a kid were handmade and she did dressmaking at college as part of her teacher training course!

I also learned at school and later did my City and Guilds in tailoring, I spent tow depressing years trying to make a living as a dressmaker until all the Bridezillas drove me back to banking!!!

What I would say is that a lot of ppl on here sew with jersey fabric and IMO it's hard to get a good finish when starting out. You don't need an overlocker either. Get yourself some woven fabric (plain craft cotton is fine) and maybe start with a cushion cover? Charity shops are a great place to look for old curtains that can be made into cushions.

I have also seen a couple of Cath Kidston books on sale that have a number of simple projects in them, a couple come with the materials to make something simple, so that's worth a look at.

On my C&G course we did the following so this should give you an idea of difficulty:

- straight sewing
- curved sewing
- corners (and turning out and pressing to get a good finish)
- darts
- pockets (using many of these skills)
- zips
- setting in sleeves
- cuffs
- collars
- buttons and buttonholes

If you tackle one "skill" at a time in a project you will soon get to grips with it. Take your time, always press , and if you are making something for yourself then take the time to make a mock up of it in an old fabric/ calico/ old sheet to check fit before cutting into your expensive fabric.

My mummy taught me too.

There's lots of blogs online, and as a pp said, just get a machine and some cotton, and play play play. Practice doing hems, practice sewing in a straight line, practice sewing pieces together using different stitches. A lot of it is just trial and error, and practice is how we all learn to perfect our work. Also, try You Tube, it's a fab source of knowledge now.