Sewing for Beginners—Any Tips?

Hi everyone :-) 

I was given a Brother F400 sewing machine yesterday. 
Since I’m a complete beginner, I’m totally overwhelmed by the whole thing. I don’t even know how to thread it, let alone how to get the thread onto the fabric :D 

I’ll slowly figure it out, and I’m already looking forward to really getting started.

My question for you: Does anyone have any great tips for me on how to get into it? 
What should I keep in mind as a beginner? What should I avoid? 
What kind of fabric should I buy? What accessories can’t you imagine being without anymore? 
And: Has anyone here taught themselves to sew completely from scratch? If so, how? An online course? YouTube? A book? Or is it highly recommended to have someone show you in person? 
(You know the drill—please don’t post any links :)) 

So many questions :D 
I’d be more than grateful for any nice tips. 

Videos are a good place to start—there are more than enough out there.
To get to know your machine, you should try Googling it; there are definitely tutorials on how to operate your sewing machine.
Books aren’t bad either, but it’s always better to learn face-to-face, because that way someone can step in to correct you if a mistake starts to creep in—and that happens faster than you think.
You can also ask me anytime if you have any questions; I’m happy to help. I’ve also put together some illustrated sewing tutorials that I can show here.
IT’S IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT NEEDLE FOR EACH FABRIC IN YOUR MACHINE! That way, you’ll avoid unpleasant problems while sewing—because jersey fabric can react very badly if you sew it with the wrong needle, even if it’s just small holes forming or the stitches starting to run.  Start with a simple pillow using a hotel-style closure—you can find tutorials for that on YouTube—then try a half-apron. You just have to take the plunge, and believe me, it’ll take a few tries before you’re satisfied—I speak from experience. Even today, I still make mistakes, and I learned sewing properly.
Another important thing: when you start sewing, buy a good pair of fabric scissors and use them ONLY FOR FABRIC—don’t cut paper or anything else with them. You’ll just get frustrated when you go to cut fabric next time and find you have dull scissors that tear instead of cutting. Get a separate pair of scissors for paper—a cheap pair will do. You might also want a smaller pair for trimming threads. Get a good measuring tape—please just wrap it loosely for storage; it’s better to hang it on a hook, because rolling it up too tightly shifts the measurements as the material stretches.
Now have fun sewing! If you have any questions—and you’re bound to—just ask

Best, Inge

Dear Tina,

the proof is in the pudding!

I taught myself to sew entirely on my own, just diving right in.
And if there was something I didn’t understand right away (think “technical terms”), I just Googled it.

Best wishes and have fun!

Thanks for your answers :-)

So far, I haven’t gotten around to looking into this topic any further…
My fingers are already itching to get started. If only it weren’t for those pesky obligations :D 

I took the plunge and cut up an old T-shirt... (still waiting for my fabric...)

I did a little testing and sewed a one-of-a-kind, unique phone case.



It’s totally crooked and super ugly. But I’m still proud of it :) I didn’t think I’d even be able to thread the needle.
We’ll see—maybe my pretty fabric will be delivered today. Then I’ll make a cushion cover or something :)

We all started sewing in one way or another, and the saying **practice makes perfect** helps here, so don’t give up and keep going back to the sewing machine.
I can give you one more tip to get a feel for a straight seam: take a white sheet of paper, draw straight lines on it and *sew* along them without thread. Once you can follow the line without veering right or left, you can already sew a straight seam :-) Very helpful, because that’s how my master craftswoman did it with us too; for the first 3 days we were only allowed to *sew* paper without thread.

Best, Inge

Oh, that’s such a great idea!
Is there any reason not to sew a thread onto the paper? :)
My machine has such great settings… I’d really love to test out the different stitches :)

By the way, my fabric just arrived.
A beautifully patterned cotton fabric.
We’ll see—maybe I’ll try my hand at a pillowcase tonight :) 

If you have an old cotton shirt or blouse that you don’t wear anymore, cut it up first and use it to experiment and see how it works. Take a look in your closet—there’s bound to be one or two items hanging there that you haven’t worn in 2 or even 3 years. You can use those, because you definitely won’t be wearing them this year either. I know what I’m talking about, :-) because I’m the same way.  Old bed sheets or dish towels are just as good for practicing—I’d be careful with terry cloth, though, since its pile makes it harder to sew.

Best regards, Inge

I was just about to give you that tip about using paper, too. That’s how I always started with my sewing students. Straight lines, rectangles, spiral lines… that’s how you get a feel for the machine.
You can also use old cleaning rags, dish towels, scraps of felt, etc., to get a sense of different materials.
T-shirt fabric is usually stretchy, so sewing straight lines on it as a beginner is really “a higher art.”

Keep having fun!

What are snail lines, then?

That’s what Zwergnasebär meant by snail line: if you always keep a nice straight line under the presser foot, you can get around the curve easily, and afterward it really is a curve—that’s what our teacher always told us

Best, Inge

That’s exactly what “snail lines” are 👍🏻😊

Oh wow :-)

Yeah, I did that paper thing in my first sewing class.
It really gives you a feel for sewing at first. Straight, around corners, in curves.....

So… I finished my first pillowcase :) 



Sorry for the unprofessional photo.
It’s just a quick snapshot :)

The edges are straighter than they look in the photo :)
I’m really happy with it!

Tomorrow I’ll practice with paper 😇
Today I just wanted to see some “results” :D 

Looks good, just keep practicing, it’ll work out

Best, Inge