How to sew: the advanced stage is sewing for fun and profit

There are three stages to learning to sew. They are: 1) learning the basics, 2) garment construction and repair skills, and 3) sewing for fun and profit. By the time she reaches the third stage, she enjoys sewing and discovers that, even if she is not a professional seamstress, she is competent to achieve most of the sewing goals she seeks.

Now that you’ve learned the basic and intermediate skills of sewing, you’re ready to quickly move on to your dream projects and build on the time and effort you’ve invested in learning to sew. As with most skills, start simple and continue to build your skills. Each person has strengths and weaknesses that affect how they move forward.

For example, if you prefer to follow step-by-step instructions, you’ll most likely want to purchase project patterns that include full instructions. If you prefer to sew with little or no instructions, you may want to watch project videos or just look at pictures and some descriptions of how something was made. Each person will find the system that works best for them.

At this stage there is a piece of advice that is very important:

Start with easy projects. You will feel more confident if you start with easy projects.

In the home economics classroom, simple projects often include aprons and laundry bags. These are considered beginner-friendly because they reinforce basic sewing skills of straight-line stitching, shirring, and backstitching, without adding too many new complex construction techniques.

At home, you may find it more satisfying to start with something simple but useful. There are many free patterns online that you can try, however many are not available as printable patterns. If you’re good at drawing from measurements, this might not bother you. If you need a pattern that you can print and copy and start cutting fabric, you may need to spend a few bucks (actually less than $5) on a simple pattern that you can then print on your computer at home.

Mending is another skill that will save you money over the years now that you are an advanced student of sewing. Flat buttons can be sewn on by machine, not just by hand, for example. Some people prefer this method because it keeps their fingers out of the way of the needle better with a machine, and because it involves only threading the needle once for all the buttons that need repair. The uses for your garment repair sewing machine are endless. Just use all of your basic and intermediate skills to tackle whatever repair project you have.

Congratulations on reaching this level of learning to sew. As with any skill, the more you practice, the better you get. You will find that you become increasingly competent and confident as you go along. You may even consider starting a small home business teaching sewing to groups. The possibilities are endless, keep sewing!