How to start sewing your own clothes: tips for beginners

1. Choose simple fabrics
If you’re a beginner sewist, choose medium-weight fabrics made of natural fibres. They are not slippery, easy to work with, and your seams will turn out nice and straight. We recommend using cotton, linen, poplin, heavyweight wool, and heavyweight synthetic fabrics.
Avoid lightweight and delicate fabrics, such as silk and chiffon.

2. Use high-quality tools
The look of the sewn garment very much depends on the tools used during construction. High-quality sharp fabric scissors will make sewing fast and enjoyable. Sharp and suitable pins will help you avoid snags and fabric distortion. And an accurate ruler will save you from cutting mistakes.

3. Don’t count on your intuition
When you start a new project, carefully read the instructions, watch video lessons, and ask professionals for help. Every sewing pattern available on Sewing Partner comes with detailed instructions, and you always can contact our professional sewing mentors who will help you tackle any sewing technique.

4. Learn how to press
Pressing is arguably the most important part of sewing. Steam-pressing the fabric before cutting out the pieces and pressing the seams during construction will guarantee the best result. Never skip the pressing steps.

5. Sew garments you will love to wear
The ability to wear the garment you made is a great reason to continue learning and obtaining new sewing skills. And getting compliments on your makes feels so good, right? If you’re a beginner sewist, start with staple garments which will be easy to introduce to your wardrobe.

6. Sew a toile
Don’t skip making a toile before cutting out the pieces from the main fabric as it will help you check the garment fit and verify the pocket placement, garment length, and other details. This will take a bit more time, but you will end up with a garment you actually like. Making a toile will also prevent you from wasting pricey fabric.

7. Don’t rush into sewing difficult projects
If you start with advanced-level patterns, you risk getting confused, stuck, disappointed, and unmotivated. So choosing simple designs that are easy to make is always a good idea. On Sewing Partner, you can find many patterns that will be appropriate for beginners. Check out a couple of project ideas that will be easy for you to make if you don’t have much sewing experience:

Vikisews Nikki Sweatshirt 

Mau Patterns Raya High Neck 

Sewing Patterns by Masin Sicily Slip Dress 

Juliana Martejevs The T-shirt Dress  

Lydia Naomi The Cube T 

Find more patterns for beginners in the "Beginners" category of the website.