Kind of like how people are always saying about coding—a good way to learn to sew is to have a problem you need to solve. I learned basic hand sewing on my own, and picked up machine sewing and pattern-using in college when I worked costume crew for plays. Volunteering in community theatre might be a good way to learn the basics quickly with tight feedback loops and success spirals/clear sense of pride/ownership. Plus then you also learn lots of cheats/hacks, which you won’t get from a book.
Halloween is an excellent time to put this to use (for you or for children). I made this medium rated dress as my first solo project after learning machine sewing for Pippin.
And, best of all, sewing really rewards spatial thinkers, especially when you’re altering or improvising a pattern.
I didn’t learn from books. In order to start, you can just do cheap mockups of clothes in muslin (really cheap fabric), but I expect for many people it’s worth it to pay for nice fabric and actually make something useable. (Still, use muslin to try out a new technique). The most expensive thing is the sewing machine, which is why you want to learn from someone (and borrow time on their machine) while you work out if you’d use one of your own.
Most fabric stores (Joanne’s etc) offer project based sewing classes on site. You can also try Craigslist.
Kind of like how people are always saying about coding—a good way to learn to sew is to have a problem you need to solve. I learned basic hand sewing on my own, and picked up machine sewing and pattern-using in college when I worked costume crew for plays. Volunteering in community theatre might be a good way to learn the basics quickly with tight feedback loops and success spirals/clear sense of pride/ownership. Plus then you also learn lots of cheats/hacks, which you won’t get from a book.
Halloween is an excellent time to put this to use (for you or for children). I made this medium rated dress as my first solo project after learning machine sewing for Pippin.
And, best of all, sewing really rewards spatial thinkers, especially when you’re altering or improvising a pattern.
That sonds awesome. Any recommendations in particular, in terms of good books, starting materials, time allocated, and so on?
I didn’t learn from books. In order to start, you can just do cheap mockups of clothes in muslin (really cheap fabric), but I expect for many people it’s worth it to pay for nice fabric and actually make something useable. (Still, use muslin to try out a new technique). The most expensive thing is the sewing machine, which is why you want to learn from someone (and borrow time on their machine) while you work out if you’d use one of your own.
Most fabric stores (Joanne’s etc) offer project based sewing classes on site. You can also try Craigslist.
I wish I could be this badass...