Indie

Pattern

Sewing Tips for Beginners

A Quick Start Guide

Welcome to "Sewing Tips for Beginners: A Quick Start

Guide!". This ebook is designed to provide you with
essential tips and guidance to kickstart your sewing
journey with confidence.

Sewing can seem intimidating at first, with its array of

tools, techniques, and terminology. However, with a little
knowledge and practice, you'll soon be on your way to
creating beautiful projects and unleashing your creativity.

We've compiled a concise collection of advice and

practical tips to help you navigate the basics of sewing.
From understanding different types of fabric and essential
sewing tools to mastering simple stitches.

Remember, everyone starts as a beginner, and the key is to

embrace the learning process.

Happy Sewing
Marina

www.indie-pattern.com
Sewing tips
for beginners
1. Taking the correct
measurements

Standart measurements you need to use in general

(underlined measurements are the 3 basic measurements
to iden fy your size).

10 1. Upperbust circumference
11
2. Bust sircumference
1 3. Underbust circumference
8 2 4. Waist circumference
12 3
5. High hip circumference
4 6. Low hip circumference
5 13 7. Tigh circumference
9
6 8. Arm circumference
7
9. Wrist circumference
10. Back shoulder width
14
11. Shoulder width
12. Arm length
13. Waist to hip
15
14. Waist to knee
15. Waist to floor
 Sewing tips
for beginners
1. Taking the correct
measurements

When measuring, make sure the person is standing straight,

in a natural posi on.
It's be er to ask people to turn around instead of spinning around them,
because when you ask them to stand straight,
they usually assume an unnatural posture,
so the measurements will be wrong.
When you ask them to turn back and forth,
they ins nc vely assume
the natural posi on of the body,
and you take the correct measurements.

Make sure to place the measuring tape parallel to the floor,

when measuring circumferences of the body.
Don’t ghten the tape or leave your fingers between the tape and the body.

5 5
4 3 4 3 70
2 67
1 70 69 68 2 74 73 72 71

5
4 3 68
2 1 72 71 70 69
 Sewing tips
for beginners
2. Selecting the
right pa ern size

To sew for yourself, have someone

take all your body measurements, Melisa Amy
so you can save and use them repeatedly. Bust-99 Bust-86
Waist-85 Waist-60
You can also have at hand all the measurements Hips-110 Hips-94
of your regular customers or family members,
so you don't have to take measurements
for each piece of clothing separately.

We always take the real measurements of the body

and check the measurement chart to find the closest size.
If you find exactly matching measurements in the table,
then you're lucky!
Otherwise, if your fabric is inelastic, you can choose one size up.
And if the fabric is very elastic, then you can choose a size smaller.
For example:

size chart
S M L
My measurements
Bust 88 84 88 92
Waist 70 elas c top
68 72 76
Hips 94
92 96 100
oversized jacket
classic pants
 Sewing tips
for beginners
3. Reading the
pa ern symbols

Always check the information

on pa erns before cu ng.
Make sure you’ve picked
the right outlines for your size, check
if all of the pieces are in place, and
if the quantity is correct.

Make sure to cut the pa erns neatly

and keep together in a labeled folder
(you need to fold them to fit in).
Or you can make holes and tie them with a tape
if you have enough space to hang your pa erns
(so you don’t need to fold them).
Main pa ern symbols

grainline - the direction to match

with the fabric warp (lengthwise)
place of fold - the side of the pa ern
to put on the fabric fold
notches - markings to match the pa ern
pieces by, when sewing
buttonholes, buttons

pattern outlines - to cut the pa erns

darts - shapes to sew to fit the rounded

parts of the body (breast, bu ocks, etc.)
Don’t cut them!!!
 Sewing tips
for beginners
4. Printing and
assembling

Before prin ng all pa ern pages

print the first page APRON DRESS
with a test print,
so you can check
if it's printed correctly.
You can then use this page
for that pa ern set as a guide page
with a picture of the model,
to easily find
the right set of pa erns
in your pa ern collec on.
Set the print size to
“Actual size” or 100% and print.
Check the measurement lines
or box with a ruler.
If the page is printed correctly,
print out the rest
of the pa ern pages.

A1 A2 A3

To assemble the pages

put them on a flat surface
(large table or floor)
B1 B2 B3 by numbers or le ers.
You can check the pa ern layout
on the guide page.
Sewing tips
for beginners
4. Printing and
assembling

Cut the pages by guidelines,

match by guiding shapes at the corners
and sides of the pages
and a ach the pages with tape.

Or you can fold the edges

of every next page
and tape on or glue on
the previous page,
matching the guidelines.
Sewing tips
for beginners
4. Printing and
assembling

A er taping all the pages,

cut out the outlines of the pa ern,
following the line of the required size.
You can mark the outline of the pa ern
of the desired size with a pencil
so that you can clearly see it.

Note: each pa ern size is usually

outlined in a different style or
color

You can print only the size you need to cut. You
need to open the layers in Adobe Acrobat, or
another PDF reader and hide the sizes that you
don’t need, and then print the pages.
Sewing tips
for beginners
5. Choosing the right
fabric.

Fabrics by structure are, in general, of two types:

woven and kni ed. Leather and fur are non-woven materials.
Woven fabrics are: Kni ed fabrics are:
linen, co on, denim, jersey, rib, interlock, etc.
velvet, silk, etc. They all are made by loops
They all are made by intersec ng (maybe you’ve seen your Grandma
horizontal (we ) and lengthwise (warp) croche ng or kni ng with needles).
threads. They can be stretchy or not. They are always stretchy.

Fabrics are woven from fibers that are:

natural (from plants and animals)- co on, linen, wool, silk, etc,
ar ficial (made from natural materials using certain technologies)-
acetat,tencel, etc,
synthe c (produced in the chemical industry)-polyester, nylon, acrylic, etc.
They all have different care instructions.
Check your clothes care labels and find out
what fabrics your clothes are made of!
The composition of the fabric may include a different mixture of fibers:
100% co on, 80% wool+20% acrylic, 65% co on+35% polyester, etc. If
you want to know the approximate composition of your fabric, burn a
piece of it:
The natural part will burn to ashes, the synthetic part will melt.
For beginners, it is be er to use simple co on fabrics,
they are easy and pleasant to sew.
 Sewing tips
for beginners
6. Preparing the fabric
for cu ng

Once you have chosen the fabric for your sewing project,
it’s me to prepare it for cu ng.
Some fabrics are prone to shrinking (it is when fabric
gets smaller in length, width, or both direc ons).
If you have a good iron with strong steam, you can iron
the whole fabric thoroughly, to help it shrink.
It also helps to get rid of wrinkles,
check for defects and feel the material.
If your iron is not strong enough you can wash the fabric. Iron it before cu ng.
When mixing different colors of fabrics in one sewing project,
make sure they don’t bleed into each other.
To find out whether the fabric bleeds or not,
pick and wet some white co on fabric
and rub with it on a piece of your fabric.
If the white co on gets the color of your fabric,
it’s be er to use only that fabric for your sewing project.
If the co on stays white, so you can
mix your fabric with other fabrics
in one sewing project.

Some fabrics have a different sheen or shade

in different direc ons, for example
velvets, velours and some silks.
Mark with the chalk the direc on you want to cut
and always place pa erns in the same direc on.
For fabrics that has same appearance
in both direc ons, you can place pa erns
upwards and downwards,
to reduce fabric consump on.
Sewing tips
for beginners
6. Preparing the fabric
for cu ng

The most part of garments are regular bias

cut in regular direc on:
that is when you cut your fabric,
matching the grainlines of the pa erns
with the lengthwise direc on of the fabric.
Some garments have bias cut:
that is when you cut the fabric in 45 .
For this kind of garments
the pa erns are marked with
45 grainline and men oned as bias cut. Clothes cut in bias
make the figure look slimmer!
When picking checked, striped fabrics
or fabrics with symmetrical pa erns for your sewing project,
you need approximately 20% more fabric to be able
to match the fabric print on your sewing pa erns.

It is mandatory if you wish to have a good tailored look

(see the brand clothes with checked fabrics, for example,
they are always matched).
Otherwise, if you don’t have enough fabric,
you can place the pa erns as they fit.
Sewing tips
for beginners
7. Cu ng tools

The best friend of seamstresses and tailors is a pair of good scissors.

Don’t skimp on them if you sew frequently.
Very important: never cut with them anything other than fabrics,
have a pair for cu ng paper and tape, another one for zippers,
sequin fabrics and other s ff materials.
zipper
fabric

paper

Keep the pins at hand to fix the fabric layers,

especially when dealing with slick fabrics,
or you can have weights for cu ng fabric.
You can purchase them from sewing shops
or just use heavy cups,
so you can also put in thread bobbins, rulers and other tools.

Always have at hand:

measuring tape,
long plas c or metal ruler to draw straight lines,
sharp chalks for drawing on dark-colored fabrics,
erasable pens for drawing on light-colored fabrics
(you can find them in sta onery shops;
iron on the drawing for it to disappear if needed)
 Sewing tips
for beginners
8. Cu ng tips

table Use rectangular table for cu ng, table

fabric so you can lay your fabric, fabric
matching horizontal and lengthwise direc ons
with the sides of the table.

Some mes the we and warp direc ons

of the fabric don’t lay in 90 .
In that case you should match
only the pa ern grainlines
with the warp (lengthwise) direc on.

Be careful when drawing folded corners:

keep them straight to have a nice con nuous line when unfolding.

Always draw on the wrong side of the fabric to avoid chalk and pen traces
on the right side when the garment is ready.
Excep on for this rule are velours:
it is easier to draw on the right side because of the pile.

Put the largest pa erns at first,

you can always
find some place to put li le details.
Place the pa erns as neatly as possible,
maybe you save extra piece of fabric to use later.
Always cut the largest pieces at first and one by one.
Keep a li le piece of fabric to check the machine thread tension.
 Sewing tips
for beginners
9. Seam
allowances

On neck openings and armholes of sleeveless tops

the seam allowance can be set on
1/2 inch (1cm) or 1/4 inch (5-7mm).
Note: always make li le cuts
on curved seams a er s tching,
to help the seam allowance
lay on the garment beau fully.

On some pa erns you can find

notches for matching different parts together,
as well as notches that indicate the seam allowance.
You need to make li le cuts on notches
to use them as guides when sewing.
 Sewing tips
for beginners
9. Seam
allowances

Every piece of pa ern has its seam allowances.

They usually are included in pa ern outlines
or men oned with another style of outline.
In second case you have to cut the outline
indica ng the seam allowances.

pa ern outline

seam allowance

For straight s tching and overcas ng

the seam allowance is usually set to 1/2 inch or 1 cm.
Hem seam allowances are usually set on more value
to have nice bo oms on the legs, sleeves, etc.

For kni ed fabrics, that need to be sewn

by overcas ng machine (overlock),
the seam allowances are set to 1/4 inches or 7-8 mm.
 Sewing tips
for beginners
10. Seam finishing

We always iron the darts towards

the center or downwards,
if the model of the garment
doesn't require another approach.

Seams can be finished

2 layers together and ironed backwards,
if the fabric is thin.
Otherwise, the layers must be finished
separately and ironed open.

We usually finish necklines and armholes

with facings or binding (bias trim).

facing

binding

o
Binding is always cut on bias (45 ),
so it is elas c and can be used on curved edges.
 Sewing tips
for beginners
11. Stitch quality

You should always adjust the thread tension

on sewing machines for every type of fabric.
The thread should not be very tense or very loose.
It should have the same appearance from both sides
of the fabric. To easily fix the tension it is be er
to use different colors of threads.

This also applies to the s tch frequency:

the thinner the fabric, the lower the frequency,
and the thicker fabric, the greater frequency.

Overlock should not be messy:

the needle thread should not
be tense or loose,
the looper threads should be woven
on the edge of the fabric
and not be seen
from any side of the fabric.
 Sewing tips
for beginners
11. Stitch quality

If the seam looks tensioned,

you can move the iron across it,
slightly pulling the seam.
If it not works, you should undo the seam,
steam the edges of the fabric and s tch again,
correc ng the thread tension on your machine.

If the seam is stretched,

just steam with iron above the seam.
If it doesn’t come to its natural shape,
the steam will not help:
you have to undo the seam,
steam the edges of the fabric and s tch again.

Straight seams should be s tched straight,

curved seams should be s tched
with a nice con nuous s tch,
repea ng the edge of the seam allowance.
Always baste difficult fabrics:
silks, velours, etc.
Always keep sewing machines clean of dust, thread residues
and oil.
Clean machines before sewing fabrics of another color than the previous one.
 Sewing tips
for beginners
12. Ironing tips

Good ironing and pressing affect the final look of your garment.
Always try the iron on the edge of your fabric to test it
and then steam the fabric before cu ng.

Co on
Sy

Silk
nth

en
e
Use recommended temperature

Lin
cs
of iron for every type of fabric.

Every seam should be ironed before moving to the next sewing opera on.

For shaping sleeve cups,

bust and hip seams,
and other curved parts of garments
it is useful to have
several forms of ironing pads.
You can find them in sewing shops
or make your own
from le over fabric.
To avoid deforma on
of curved seams and hems when ironing,
put, steam and take the iron,
instead of moving the iron
over the surface of the fabric.
Or you can steam it
and put your hand on the seam to fix it
(or use a li le wood board),
if the iron leaves marks on the fabric.
Never put the iron on velours,
you can only steam them!!!
Sewing tips
for beginners
13. Fi ng tips

For clothes to fit well, there are a few key points to consider:

The shoulder line should be straight and in place:

not closer to front and not closer to the back, and not skewed.

The side seams should be straight when you look from side,
they shouldn’t be skewed.
This applies to the center front and back seams as well!!!
Sewing tips
for beginners
13. Fi ng tips

Waistline and bo om should be parallel to the floor.

The bust darts should end All symmetrical parts

in direc on of the bust point of the garment should look the same.
without reaching it.
 Sewing tips
for beginners
13. Fi ng tips

Sewing sleeves is a difficult task.

Take some me and see how the sleeves look on your clothes,
especially long sleeves.
They usually stand in the same posi on
as our hands in their natural state:
a li le forward.

If your sleeves have

many creases
on the back side,
you should rotate the sleeve,
bringing the cup point
forward at 1/4 inch or 0.5 cm,
and the sleeve seam backwards
by the same amount.
If your sleeves have many creases on the front side,
then you need to rotate in reverse direc on.
Some mes it’s enough to rotate only the cup point
or only the sleeve seam point.
Always check to see if you can walk, sit and move easily
when you ghten your pants or skirts.

Always check the movements of the arms and torso

as you narrow the bodice and sleeves.

Always baste the whole garment and try it on before final sewing.
 Indie
Pattern

As a beginner, you may encounter challenges

along the way, but don't let them discourage
you. Every stitch is an opportunity to learn and
grow.
Continue to practice and experiment with
different fabrics, patterns, and techniques.
Don't be afraid to make mistakes, as they are
opportunities to learn and grow. Embrace the
joy of creating something unique with your own
hands.
Always take care of your sewing machine and
tools. Clean and maintain them regularly to
ensure they serve you well for years to come.
And, most importantly, take care of yourself.
Sewing can be therapeutic, so make time for it
and enjoy the process.

Happy sewing,
Marina