It doesn't take you very long when you first start sewing to realize that learning to sew is way more than just learning to use your machine. These are the things that I wish someone had told me and made me realize what I needed to know about when I was learning to sew. I can't tell you the amount of those light bulb moments you have in your sewing journey as you go along. And it's pretty comical sometimes when you look back because you think it's so obvious, but why didn't anyone tell you about this? There are all kinds of different needles for different fabrics! I wish someone had menti ..read more

When someone asks you, can you sew this for me? We sewist love to sew for our friends, our family, our loved ones, it's part of sharing skills because we can't all be good at everything. It is about that balance in any society where someone knows something, and you all share and swap. But we all know that there are those times, those random work colleagues, those long-lost cousins, those people you first meet on the street; how about the mild acquaintance that asks you, "I have this garment that I would love to be copied." Someone you barely know finds out you sew and then proceeds to ask ..read more

Sewing books make such a great reference in your sewing journey and your learning. And it is kind of hard to know sometimes what ones are good books to use. Let's start with the sewing all-rounder. This category is what I also call "Sewing what I want" in Vintage Sewing School. It is all the things that you want to know about sewing that the pattern on the envelope doesn't tell you about.  In the context of what's sewing books will help you in your sewing journey, it's nice to have books as a reference. I've broken down my reference books into three categories: the all-rounder, the fit ..read more

Watch the video below Watching and copying a more experienced sewist is a great way to learn how to sew, but there are some things that you absolutely do not want to copy what experienced sewists do.  When you're learning, you need to know some things before you can do these types of things. I think this will make sense as we go through our list more. So let's start with the first one.    Don't cut the fabric out and move it around all over the place. As you're trying to cut out your patterns, you'll move your fabric around. Then, of course, the problem arises when you do th ..read more

Watch the video below I know the pain of picking a sewing pattern. You choose your size; you think it's all correct. And then you sew up the garment, and it doesn't fit. It is one of the most frustrating things, and I remember this being just so confusing. You pick up a sewing pattern. You think I've got this sewing thing, pick up a pen, you look up the numbers on the back, and then you choose one. Then you sewed it all up somehow and managed to put it all together, and then you put it on, and it doesn't fit at all whatsoever. We all, I think, did that, to begin with, and realized that the ..read more

Watch the video below I’ve been keeping a list of a few random sewing facts that you might not know! Aha! moments or those crazy things that most people do not know about sewing. 1. And let us start with this, did you know that there is a hidden needle holder in the spool threads? Not all brands have this, but Gutermann do, and there are many others that do too. Now you can take your needles with you travelling and just pull the thread and not end up with a nasty mess. And well, it’s a little bit dangerous sometimes, right? This is going to be the biggest mind-blowing moment ever, becaus ..read more

Watch the video below Anyone that starts sewing to try and save money on their clothes, gets disappointed very quickly, right? One of the things that we all realize quickly in sewing is that it is not necessarily cheap. You go to the fabric store, and you get the fabric, the buttons, the zips, the hooks and eyes, the pattern, suddenly, wow, it can really add up. That is generally not the way I collect all my sewing supplies. I have developed different ways and systems of doing things to save money and be a little bit more sustainable as well. Here are my top six ways to save money on sew ..read more

Watch the video below Let’s say we are all going on a sewing cruise to a tropical island together and we can only take five sewing items with us, what will your five sewing items be? What would you choose? First, let us have a few rules. These are the items that are already included on top of our five items. You will be provided with: Fabric because you cannot sew a garment without fabric Thread Standard stock size pattern. What else? What other five things would you choose to sew with to make the garment? Here is mine, let us get the first obvious one out of the way. I am going to pic ..read more

Watch the full video below If you are like every single human being on earth, you will find that your body measurements fall between two, three, four different pattern sizes. So, how do you pick the right sewing pattern size when you're in between sizes? Those of you who are following along in all of my videos, know that sewing patterns are one of the hardest things to learn how to do. Let’s take a look at the back of one of the pattern envelopes, you will see that your bust, waist, and hip measurements fall over several ranges. So learning your way around this will help you pick whic ..read more

It's not your average sewing school though! It's not about sewing vintage clothes, but about vintage sewing dressmaking skills […]The post Learning to sew can change your life! Vintage Sewing School is Open! appeared first on Vintage Fashion House ..read more