r/SewingForBeginners

Made for you!

Made for you!

Several of the things I do make are meant for gifts, distributed anonymously. Someone wiser than I am suggested, putting a brief note indicating this is not a lost item, but one for you to have or share.. made a card for all future gifting. Fun in making things is more fun when gifting things to others.

u/AthleteTurbulent8637 — 15 hours ago
▲ 3 r/SewingForBeginners+1 crossposts

What would fix this fitting in pants?

Wondering what causes the looseness when sitting? These are fairly cheap pants, I thrifted them a while ago, but believe its h&m. So probably fully polyester.

New to sewing and starting to see if I can fix up some of the clothes I already own. Is this fixable and how beginner friendly is it? Don’t like the look of it when sitting, so if anything I want to know what to avoid.

The waist fits and the style is called pegged (I think?) it tapers in towards the ankles.

Is it the fabric type or weight? Is it just a side effect of the pants style?

Thanks in advance!

u/um_its_just — 17 hours ago

Fabric poking through stitch 😭

hello! i have a question about fabric poking through when sewing. i’m currently hemming the edges of a dress and i’m unsure how to fix this. it seems to always happen when i sew and i only work with cotton. i don’t know the size of my needle but it has a purple base. i never changed out the needle. my thread tension is 4 and my stitch length is 3. i’m just doing a simple straight stitch. i use a singer 5050c. any help would be appreciated!

u/ElectronicSize3795 — 23 hours ago

Hand sewed this top loll

Technically altered, but it's my first type cutting up a top and sewing it back together modified!!

And yes that's a kids play mat because I have nothing else at home

u/dark_doesnt_care — 19 hours ago

Learn to sew my clothes???

 ve been thinking about learning to sew some tops or clothes, is it very hard? any recommendation on how to starts?? is going to lessons worth it? or with yt videos is enough?? how long does it take?? I dont mind taking long to learn it, and my final goal would be to actually sew properly drapes and beautiful techniques like that.

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u/Just-Wait-3191 — 17 hours ago
▲ 6 r/SewingForBeginners+2 crossposts

How do I make this sleeve?

Hey guys, need some pointers on hand-sewing a string of beads (seed beads threaded onto a piece of thread) to the sleeves of a blouse to create a cascading beaded cap-sleeve look. Ignore the beaded bodice in the picture, i’ll be using a plain sleeveless blouse. Just want the sleeves to look like this.

I don’t know what string to use, or how to attach the hardware to the fabric - are there specific types of knots I need to use or any types of thread to pick/avoid. Any help is much appreciated!

Here is the reference picture.

u/No-Virus-9945 — 21 hours ago
▲ 2 r/SewingForBeginners+1 crossposts

dress form questions

hey everyone was planning to make the bootstrap dress form and had some questions before i went ahead

for the filling is it best to use polyfill? or memory foam chunks i found some online amazon but which would be ideal to hold the shape?
and around how many lbs or kg would i need ? for like the half dress form with no arms

and another question is what did u guys use for the base? i found like a coat hanger but what have u guys seen work better? and should the dress form be taller than me or similar hight ?

any suggestions or links or anything would be much appreciated!! thanks

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u/swanisloml — 19 hours ago

How to add a waist band

Hi yall I was wondering if anyone had tips on how to add a waist band on a skirt to a shape like this , i began to just fold it over like normal and realized pretty soon it would turn out wonky

u/Spinach-Outside — 1 day ago

Skipping stitches?

Hello all! I've noticed my machine does this with only zig zag stitches. It kinda skips em and does a straight stitch instead. I've tried different lengths, tension, checked the bobbin and checked the top thread but i can't seem to figure out why it does this. Doesn't happen with straight, button or decorative stitches— only zig zag (and i only use zig zag on stretch fabrics). I've also tried from the cheapest to the most expensive fabric I have and it still does it. What can I do to fix this issue?
If it helps i have Singer Promise II.

Thank you in advance! (Attached is a picture of test row seams I did on a metallic spandex knit)

u/masomenos- — 1 day ago

Cloth snagged by teeth.

Dear friends, I'm using a starter, yet the cloth edge gets pulled in by the teeth.

This happens at the other end too. I have no way of lowering the teeth.

Is there any way to prevent this? Kindly share tips or suggestions. It's frustrating to open the runner plate , extricate the cloth and seam rip the knots. Thanks in advance.

u/Ok-Cod-3626 — 1 day ago

Advice for Upcycling

Hello, I'm considering reusing a pair of worn out jeans by turning a bit of it into a pin cushion (preferably including one of the pockets on the outside to hold some of my related tools)

I've included photos of the pair on the chopping block, because I think the damage isn't really fixable by hand without using a different pair of jeans for patches. I've also attached photos of my sewing supplies (there are 23 spools of thread inside, just out of white)

Back on topic, what stitches should I use if I'm making a pincushion by hand and do you have any online sources you recommend for a beginner? ( I used to embroider by hand but it's been years since my last project)

Tldr: Any advice for making a pin cushion from broken jeans, or any sources that explain how?

u/Ember_Inferno1308 — 1 day ago

How to make creating your own clothes/bags cheaper than buying off rack?

Hey everyone. I am new to sewing (never used a machine, can only do things by hand) and I recently tried cheaply upcycling a bag I found at a flea market to basically test the waters before I recreated a novelty bag I fell in love with online, but didn't want to spend $40 on. After acquiring everything I needed (embellishments, ribbon, chains, hooks, etc) I already sat at $30...and then had to actually make the damn thing!! Growing up, I was always told by my maternal grandmother that it would be cheaper to make your own stuff. I especially wanted to do this for clothing because I have a very unique body shape where nothing. ever. fits. off. rack. EVER!!! And on top of that, I really hate buying cheap clothes made with child labor that eventually ends up falling apart. I also know the chemicals in fast fashion are bad for humans/environment, so I wanted to do the financially and morally safe thing to do, but this project has kind of overwhelmed me and made me question whether making things myself is really cheaper/longer lasting ... Please !! I am looking for advice on how to bring these costs down, or what my other options could possibly be. Thank you

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u/sourcakecheese — 1 day ago

first 2 months sewing

  1. my latest project: it was an old skirt which i part of the top of the old skirt and lowered it also and removed the zipper to have kind of an open „skirt belt“

  2. my first ever project: also a „skirt belt“ but for this one i constructed it all bymyself and laid the folds aswell as the black ruffels (and very horrible straps but at that point i was done with it ahahah)

  3. 2nd project: shortened the trousers to 3/4 length and made ruffles at the end

  4. wearing project 2+3 since they match so cute hihi

  5. bag from old jeans for me, made the patches on an old shirt with lavenderoil and a laserjet printer :)

  6. bag from same pair of jeans for my bf hihi

(sorry for my english it‘s not my first language)

u/Remote_Software_495 — 1 day ago

Size grading a dress in my closet

I have some clothing in my closet that I love, and I've gained some weight over the past 16-18 months. I'm a beginner with sewing. I've made some successful garments, both knit and woven, though I've been sticking with knits lately as my body is still changing. I haven't made a dress before.

Anyways, even before my body changed, I wanted to remake this dress that I got OTR that's discontinued. It's so easy to just throw on and go out the door!

In theory, I know to trace each pattern piece from the dress onto paper and then add seam allowances. But for grading it larger- how does one approach? Is this a realistic beginner project that won't leave the average beginner pulling their hair out?

Would I start by tracing it, adding SA, doing an FBA, then grade out based on how much I added to the bust?

And for tracing the pattern pieces from knit fabric, are there tips other than weighing it down to keep the fabric from stretching while I trace it?

I'd plan to use either a solid or "so patterned there's no hope of pattern matching" fabric, fwiw.

u/friendlypupper — 1 day ago

Machine Troubles

Hey all! Appreciate any advice you might have here.

Using a Brother Project Runway PC 420 with denim needle (100/16) and Coats and Clark Upholstery Thread.

Machine works well on with two layers of material (fleece mostly). But with more fabric layers (4 to 6 layers fleece) will not capture the bobbin thread (no stitches laid) and top thread frays & knots near the needle eye.

Too many layers for the machine? Need different needle? What do you think?

Appreciate you all!

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u/VeryUnduderino — 1 day ago
▲ 2 r/SewingForBeginners+1 crossposts

New Janome 1522 vs Used Janome HD 1000/3000 for Workwear Enthusiast?

I have been agonizing about this decision for days! For context I am a very new sewist, and this is will be my first machine. My budget is $350 at most. I mainly hope to do alterations and sew my own clothes; however I am a guy who wears a good amount of denim and canvas menswear/workwear as well as more standard materials. Would the Janome HD 1000 or 3000 be the worth the extra cost, or is the 1522 adequate for my purposes?

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u/Amazing_Truck_5177 — 1 day ago

Suggestions for securing 1" foam inside fleece

I made perch pads that are two pieces of fleece sewn together with 1" foam inside for an education squirrel at my work. The bottom has velcro to stick to the perch. We have an industrial washer and inevitably the foam gets balled up inside the fleece. I've tried placing four stitches with minimal tension straight through the entire pad a few inches from each corner but they just rip after a few washes. Does anyone have any advice for securing the foam inside the pad?

Hole in the side from me re-opening to fix the foam

Squirrel tax (Daisy)

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u/lilclairecaseofbeer — 1 day ago