Here’s why your clothing looks homemade… and bad (feat. examples from when I sucked at sewing)

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Hello fashion friends!!! Today I am going to be showing you why your clothes look homemade... and bad. I have brought examples from when I was struggling with sewing for you. Hope you learn some new tips. Love you all!
~Kiana

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#beginnersewing #sewingtips #fashiondesign #sewing

MY SEWING SUPPLIES & EQUIPMENT:
^^^Mine is expensive... SO HERE ARE MY RECS FOR SEWING MACHINES FOR ALL LEVELS:
Dress form: PGM Industry Dress Form (Mine is a size 4)
(psssst... I've purchased so many expensive scissors throughout my life and these ones are both my favorite and the cheapest)
(I use plastic head pins during videos so you guys can see what I'm using... but I don't love them. ^THESE are what I use religiously and whenever I am not filming.)
(This is the pack I bought^ They have cheaper packs with less rulers. This one happens to also come with a retractable measuring tape)

CAMERA GEAR USED:

Music/Sounds:
Introduction:
Record Static Sound Recorded by Bernhardleimbrock
License: Public Domain
Click on Sound Recorded by Mike Koenig
License: Attribution 3.0

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This video is sponsored by Audible.

[laurenpesci]

My tip: when I am tempted to cut corners, it's time to stop, rest, and get a bite to eat. I make bad decisions when I'm hungry/tired.

[omgdqci]

My big tip is: if you want to finish really fast go slow.

[shelbyhiromi]

my #1 tip for sewing is that EVERYTHING can be undone, redone, adjusted, etc. UNTIL YOU CUT. So measuring properly, trying things on, and using good scissors/blades that give you the control and precision you need is essential

[rachelclark]

Very good tips!

But just a note for people who are beginners, who are hobbyist, who have other responsibilities and little time to sew, who are trying to learn a new skill....

Don't stress it. This is something to aspire to, not an absolute rule you absolutely have to follow. I don't say this to undermine her, but because I understand what it's like to not have the tools or the skills or the time. And I don't want people to think you can't sew if you can't achieve this right away. Think of it as something to work towards over time, not a qualification you have to hit immediately.

If you sew something for yourself or a family member, and it looks homemade, that's not the end of the world. It's okay. The next time you sew something, you'll do better. And the next time, even better.

So many people (like me) have the perfectionist mindset and we struggle to actually produce what we see in our mind's eye. It's okay if you can't quite get things perfect yet, it's okay if you don't have money for a dress form or a serger or a steam iron or extra fabric or any of it. It's okay if you don't know how to do various hems and finishes. It's okay if you struggle at the math or reading patterns.

So long as you try your best and enjoy your experience, you'll still be learning valuable skills. If you stress yourself so much you no longer enjoy sewing you'll stop. As long as you keep going your skills will grow, and eventually you might even fix some of your earlier problems, and that's really satisfying.

So, these are excellent tips for looking more professional! But if you're not there yet, it's okay, just take your time!

[livaugirard]

her bad examples look so much better than everything i've ever done 🥲

[aingaeltummers]

I've been sewing for 30 years. My number one tip. TAKE YOUR TIME! I made a wool/satin coat three years ago. It took me 3 months to complete because I refused to work on it when I was tired as the fabrics cost far too much to mess up on. Three years later it's still my favorite coat and I get so many compliments on it. Feels pretty good knowing how much work went into it. My second tip would be youtube tutorials and trial patches. New technique, do a scrap sample to get to know it. Dont do it in the garment the first time. Good luck!!

[sadegodfrey]

Number one tip: learn how to finish seams nicely without a serger/overlocker. I've been sewing for 6 years for myself and never bought a serger. This led me to skimp on finishing when I was a beginner: as I was using knits and jerseys, fabrics that don't fray a lot, I thought I could get away with it. As I got better, I realized just how crappy unfinished seams looked and learned how to finish my seams properly either by using French seams, mock French seams, felling down by hand the seam allowances, bias binding, or lining the garment. It makes your clothes look and feel so luxurious to have beautifully finished seams, and they last much longer.

[pangkeechangvang]

Time stamps for anyone rewatching this:
0:38- tip #1, fabric choice
4:09- tip #2, proto-freaking type
6:54- tip #3, press and trim…always!
8:01- tip #4, perfect your finishings
8:50- tip #5, do your research
9:47- tip #6, the inside is as important as the outside
11:19- tip #7, cut zero corners

[nataliedellaselva]

#1 sewing tip: Follow your joy! Sew the fancy fabric, make something using a new technique, share your successes with your sewing friends. Sewing is my passion and perfectionism has stopped me from connecting with the joy I feel when sewing

[LisaLisa]

My dad made me the most gorgeous wooden clapper. I use it EVERY time I sew/press.
I definitely spend more time at the ironing board than the sewing machine. For me, sewing has turned into 10% sewing, 20% pressing, 50% collecting fabric, 20% watching other people sew on youtube and taking notes for my sewing binder. Reallocation of time is desperately needed.😮

[KCeeGee]

The number one tip is "press as you sew." Pressing IS sewing. As you showed, the more one sews, the more seriously one takes all the steps it takes to make a well fitted, well constructed garment. First, if the question is how to make clothes that look store-bought? The answer is: press as you sew. Again, and this is a quote from Roberta Carr: "Pressing IS sewing." If one spends more time at the ironing board than in front of the sewing machine, they're doing it right.

[alexisbaltazar]

I cannot agree more. I realized that I was getting impatient and cutting corners with my first couple projects and had to nip it in the bud, embrace the perfectionist in me, and take my time. I also had to remind myself that as a beginner, I'm not going to be completing a whole garment within a few hours, even an easy one. Now I'm on my third and fourth projects and I've learned so much by simply researching techniques, fabrics, how to use pattern, and properly measuring and cutting. My biggest lesson has been to take it slow and choose projects at my sewing level. It's so good to practice basic techniques and learn what you're good and bad at. My other tip is to go ahead and invest in high quality supplies, like the right presser feet, better thread, good scissors, etc. You don't have to go crazy and get all the fanciest stuff, but you need a solid base of supplies that will last.

[madeatbentwood]

Wash, dry and iron the fabric before you start. Iron it! Washing and drying will pre-shrink the fabric but many then don't iron it. You're not cutting accurate pattern pieces if it's all bubbled underneath. Use the same thread type as your fabric type. Using polyester thread on cotton can be ok, but threads shrink and warp too. If they are doing this differently to your fabric it can create puckering, so try to match them. On that note, match the colours. Using black thread on navy fabric will be noticed, it will cheapen the look of your garment. But my biggest gripe is pattern placement. Centre the damn pattern. More than that, lay your pattern piece beside the print and get an idea of what is landing where. If you're working with a big floral you may not want those two flowers right over your boobs, so move the pattern piece up or down the fabric to allow for that. Yes, it might cost you some extra fabric but it will really affect your overall happiness with the project. Say you're working with a repeating unicorn print for a t-shirt and you centre the unicorn but then line the pattern piece as close as you can to the edge of the fabric, it's only when you've sewn it up that you realise front and centre, right at the neckline, you have a headless unicorn. Be mindful of these things before you cut your fabric. Even stripes need centering and thought, we aren't only referring to fun prints and florals. This can flow on into pattern matching which is a more advanced skill. Start by centering.

[ghostly.creature]

I'd also say don't skip pinning down fabric (been there done that) and ironing down hem before sewing too, or it will create weird creases, especially on thin fabrics. Oh, and also I saw some newbies skip making darts, which is a NONO and makes for a poorly fit gament.

[bellasmith]

Just to add to the 'Google the techniques you're not sure of'

I would say make sure you practice them on scrap as well. Got a new edge sititching foot? Practice with it. Got an overlocker? Practice with it. Not sure how to install a zipper? Sew a small pencil case and practice zippers before putting into your new dress.

Also take a scrap of the actual fabric you want to use and put it through your sewing machine and overlocker before starting the garment so you know you have the right feet/tension /etc...
Sometimes your machine setting work perfect for cotton but the dress is polly satin and it won't work as well, so using the 'real deal' will help you fine tune everything

[donnadelrey]

Man, you’re so right about the zero cutting corners thing but it is so hard when you love to sew as a hobby and not as a full-time thing/career. I barely have enough free-time to make a garment using fashion fabric, I don’t know if i could buy time to make 1-3 prototypes 😢

[amikrenzel]

THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO!!! I have been sewing since I was 5 and I am now 68 so I can say this. My number one tip is if you are going to sew (or just alter) something do your best effort. Many of your tips are things I was taught in the 60's in 4H and later in home economics ( which was required for ALL 9th grade girls). I am so sick of seeing young sewers bragging about cutting steps and chopping into the Shien of sewing. Me I want the inside to be as nice as the outside and nor have things that look homemade.

[dawn]

All true (but I still skip prototyping lol). My new rule is that if I don't feel like figuring out how to do it right then I should stop sewing and do it later. I use my lazy time to watch YouTube videos on the new technique. Immediate difference in the finished quality of my garments. They now have pretty guts!

[graceyhitchcock]

The only thing I would add, is basting. Basting let’s you really fit your clothing. Excellent video!

[ClaudiaArnold]

I find that with my short and stocky figure it helps to have a croquis of myself and to sketch the garment over it. It has kept me from sewing many a garment that I liked in the fashion illustration but which just doesn't look the same when made for a person with half the length but the same width 😂.