10 THINGS THE SEWING PATTERN DOESN’T TELL YOU! And you have to learn about sewing yourself!

There are many things the pattern assumes you know already.... but as a beginner at sewing, YOU DON'T! Let me show the top 10 things I found that the sewing pattern does not tell you!
It's how to read a pattern but a little bit different!

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// WHAT TO WATCH NEXT:

How to DESIGN AND PLAN YOUR BEST SEWING SPACE, using the space you have!-Get 'Sew Organized' Phase 1

The best way to SORT AND ORGANIZE YOUR SEWING supplies! Get Sew Organized Phase 2!

How to STORE AND DECORATE YOUR SEWING supplies for your ultimate sewing space! Sew Organized Phase 3

WHY DON"T MY SEAMS MATCH? Is it a pattern tracing, fabric cutting or pinning issue? Sewing Q&A

SEW PERFECT THE FIRST TIME? Nope! Test these things and instantly sew better garments ‘first time’!

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Until next time
Evelyn

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#evelynwood #sewing #beginnersewing

[Evelyn__Wood]

If you have another one I missed, leave me a comment! Which one of these do you relate to the most?? 😅 ( or should I say caused you the most grief!)

[JenInOz]

Keep your unpicker nearby. There is no shame in frog-sewing ("rippit, rippit, rippit").

[sonipitts]

Another thing not mentioned: Sew matching seams in a garment in the same direction. For example, if you sew the side seam on the right from the armpit down to the hem, make sure the left side seam is ALSO sewn from the armpit down, and with the same side of the fabric facing up (so the bobbin thread of both seams is on the same side for both). If you just go whatever way is most convenient for getting it through the machine (and sometimes it can be difficult if matching seam direction results in a bunch of fabric wadded up between the machine body and the needle), the tension from the way the machine feeds the fabric through or the texture/tension differences between the top/bobbin side of the stitching can cause the fabric, the seams or the seam allowance to lay, behave or pull differently on different sides.

[ladygray]

My pattern showed a layout with nap. So I took one! 😂 Just kidding.

[TechnikMeister]

At 69 and being a man, I am remembering all this stuff that my ex showed me because she made most of her own clothes. Its all coming back. I was fascinated by the whole process. Now I am going to do it. No pressure!

[nz]

The backstitching one is humorously to me bc I used to think I needed to pull the thread and bobbin thread out enough before I began my stitch so that when I was done I could go back and tie the two little strings together by hand several times 😂

[paulaweber]

Fit before you finish! Soooo important! I made my daughter’s prom dress and she went away on a school trip after I did the initial fitting. When she got back it was about a week until prom and she had gained a bit of weight. Fortunately I hadn’t trimmed the seam allowances and was able to let it out at the hips where it was tight. Then I finished it off. I wish I could put a picture of it here...my proudest accomplishment...she chose a 1930’s gown.

[juliacaro]

I used to firmly believe that pattern directions were written by monsters who purposely wrote them to confuse the reader. I was a child when I started sewing, but I still sometimes fling the directions across the room and curse them. 😂

[rpprevost]

My tips for new sewers are:

1. Prewash and iron the fabric before you cut the pattern pieces. You may need to surge the edges first.
2. Iron flat the pattern. Be careful not to singe the paper.
3. Transfer pattern markings (especially the dots) onto the fabric.

[PeterMavrikos]

Don’t think I’ve ever seen anything that instructs you to press your paper pattern pieces (say that three times fast!). Pressing and ironing pattern pieces ensures you get out those pesky wrinkles to help with accurate fabric cutting.

[janewittman]

Please do a video on matching plaids, one way prints stripes etc.

[notconvincedgranny]

Pattern companies assume that everyone started sewing as a child, with someone who had been sewing for years.

[janisbrunst]

I find ease and/or fitting to my size the most challenging. Matching the pattern size closest to my own body and then making the adjustments can be difficult.

[kpenn]

I did not experience many of these because although my Mom loved to sew she did not like laying out pinning and cutting out patterns. She taught me all of that from a very young age, as well as how to hand hem. But she never taught me how to sew on the machine! I started hearing all of these questions as I taught my daughter to sew (she is making cosplay costumes). Working with her has been a fun experience. The very first thing she made was a Fence Rail quilt, it taught seam allowance and sewing straight lines as well as basic machine operations. The rest has been fun. I eventually taught myself how to sew and made lots of baby clothes. I took all the free lessons the fabric stores offered 40 years ago.

[ethelryan]

This was a gigantic help|!
I've been sewing for well over 50 years now, so I've picked these up over time or my grandmother taught them to me in the beginning. It's great to have them listed in one place - one gets careless over time and this was an excellent refresher.
I would add a few to the list, based on personal mistakes through the years.
- Launder the fabric in the hottest water and strongest detergent you'll ever use on the finished garment. If it's going to be tumble dried or pressed with a hot iron, do so. The more the shops assure you it won't shrink or only shrink a tiny bit, the more you'd better plan on the fabric shrinking a lot in the first wash/dry.
- Your fabric may be linen and won't scorch under the hottest iron. The thread? It may well melt, ruining everything if you haven't chosen properly.
- I have a good serger/overcaster. Rarely use it for just one simple garment. I love the the combination stich/overcast on my ancient Nelco Ultra. It's nonsense that one has to serge seams or it isn't 'professional'. Goodness, I still have a few things my mother made up with pinked edges and, later, simple zig-zag edges and they haven't frayed one bit in decades and decades.
- We're always encouraged to use the smallest needle. Yes, well, after over a half-century of machine sewing I can. Beginners? Unless it's a sheer knit, a good, solid denim needle will make life very much easier.

[susanrussell]

You should have mentioned that pattern sizes correlate to much larger ready-to-wear sizes and the amount of ease built in is usually much more than one normally has in ready to wear.

[cassieoz]

I might be old but I remember when pattern sizes WERE the same as retail clothing sizes (which were pretty much standardised). What I really dont get is WHY people think a pattern will TEACH them to sew!!! Most real recipes don't claim to teach you to cook and also assume prior knowledge and techniques too.

[lindatisue]

I didn't realize UK and US sizes were different, so when I bought my first pattern in Sweden it was two sizes too small. Good thing I fitted it as I made it, as it was my wedding dress, I caught it in time before it was too late.

[michellecornum]

Thank you for this! Fitting as you go! I do this. I serge all my pieces before they ever get seamed (because seam finishing at the end is a flying pain in the ...) And then I drape all my pieces on the dress dummy before I sew them. I have noticed that SO MANY women follow patterns like a recipe, and only after everything is together do they try it on. I am so glad someone finally said the thing -- TRY IT ON AS YOU GO ALONG! Perhaps you could do a video on what stages to do fittings and what to look for where adjustments will need to be made. Fitting and adjustments alone could be an entire series. But a Do a Fitting Now kind of video would be good.

[dqauto]

I would add to wash/dry/press your material before using it.