A few weeks ago I stumbled across the New Vintage Lady store on etsy, shortly followed by her blog, both with the awesome catch phrase “vintage sewing for the stout woman”. She not only sews, but also works as a freelance animator and creates all the drawings for her line of vintage patterns. We’re very lucky to be able to present her tips to make you a quality sewer!
Hello lovely people.
You know over the years I have primarily focused my skill set on vintage sewing and all the tips and tricks that sewing ‘old school’ can offer. Paying attention to detail, taking your time, and just feeling out the quality of your work is a given. Often we find ourselves so hyped up in finishing our projects that we don’t take the time to, ‘smell the roses’ of the progress. It is often that progress, or journey, that lends itself to great discoveries in how you go about doing your sewing.
I’m going to lay out some tips that I have discovered over the years that really can help you develop your craft. If want to get better at sewing, it isn’t simply sewing more, but finding a way to take something from each project and applying it to your overall sewing lifetime that will make your better in the long run.
*Tip one: Hand sew
Okay look, I know a lot of people hate to do this, but I said it once, and I’ll say it again, there is nothing that can’t be fixed with hand sewing. Hand finish that hem or the sleeve on a blouse or dress. Hand tack that facing down. Pick stitch that zipper into the back of your dress. Baste when needed. Yes it takes longer and yes if you don’t have the patience for it you will get frustrated, but it’s also a great way to build muscle memory and soon you will be whip stitching that hem with no thought.
Hand sewing is so often overlooked in modern sewing. It’s the difference between artisan and manufactured. Not everything can be fixed by machine work, so I urge you to find more reasons to hand sew.
*Tip two: Hand sew with quilting needles.
(Compared to the other needles, the one on the left is way thinner.)
This is a tip that I recently fell into. Most hand needles are thick and can present problem when sewing some fabrics or multi layered fabrics. Quilting needles are like the ninjas of the needle world. They are so thin its almost like they are not there. I’ve used them through layers of wool and denim and they passed through like butter. So easy.
*Tip three: Don’t hesitate to fix a ‘good enough.’
We have all been there. That zipper stitch is a bit crooked, or that collar is a bit too long on the left. Fix those problems. Take the time and get out your seam ripper and fix them. The moment you suffer from ‘good enough’ in your sewing is the moment you won’t improve. Whether making a pot holder or a wedding gown, never ‘good enough’ yourself.
*Tip four: Tend to your supplies.
(Good thread)
(Sharpened scissors)
This is a a more general rule but often we seem to negate the necessity of quality materials. Use good thread, keep your scissors sharpened, pre-wash and iron (yes, iron!) your fabric if needed (I’m still shocked at who won’t do that). These small things are your tell: I just sew because, or I sew, because.
*Tip five: Restore a garment.
The key to learning about sewing is to see what someone else sewed. The more things you take apart the more you learn about construction, fit, and often tricks that you didn’t think of yourself. There were many great sewers before you, so take a peek at what they left behind.
*Tip six: Make a project that is over your head.
Ever wanted to make a coat with facing and lining? A corset or a Regency dress? Do it! Do it and don’t worry about failure. Or better yet, make one for practice out of scrap fabric just as well and with as much quality as you would one you would wear. Nothing says more about learning sewing than making something you won’t wear.
*Tip seven: Invest in a serger and a dress form.
This tip is more for those who want to go to the next step. Having an overlock machine is key in that. You can get them for a few hundred dollars and they are worth every penny. Like with your sewing machine, have them serviced every year or so.
A dress form is key, and I don’t mean one for someone else. If you sew for yourself, make one of your self. I did, and her name is Onda. She’s my bestie! A duct tape dress form (which Onda is) is a cheap and accurate way to have your figure on hand.
*Tip eight: Do a project that will take over a year.
Hear me out. Patience is vital with sewing. Monotony, like with anything, is a way to learn and doing a substantial project not only announces commitment, but money and determination. Plus, it’s satisfying to see all that work, done in off times in your life, come to fruition before you.
I hope these tips have helped. I think these are canon from couture sewing to crafting.
Thanks so much and have a great day!
How many of these tips do you already do – and do you think you’ll try any out?
Sew something over your head is great advice! My first big sewing project was a strapless dress (with a lined and boned bodice). My second big sewing project was a lined costume coat. No one told me those were suppose to be hard projects or that I wasn’t “experienced” enough for them. I just did them because that’s what I wanted to make. A beginner mind mentality can be a beautiful thing!
I think number 6 is great advice. I learned to sew nearly 30 years ago. No-one ever really taught me to sew, but I guess I must have watched my mother from time to time. My first home-made items were cushions. My next was a boned, fully lined, strapless ball gown with a lace overskirt. My Reader’s Digest Complete Book of Sewing and I managed to make a beautiful dress. No-one ever told me I couldn’t, so I did.
What a wonderful site/sight to wake up to! I love New Vintage Lady’s blog; she is my go-to for tips and inspiration, and the hat patterns that bedevil me. Very happy to see the cathedral quilt progress; I don’t get quilting, but this one I get. It’s so pretty! Yay NVL! Don’t forget to check out her Vintageville comix on Pinterest/FB.
Sophie-Lee thank you for fixing the photos! Great food for thought New Vintage Lady, even for a beginner like me. I can put all of these ideas to work right now, especially the quilting needle tip, and saving for some good scissors! I think (hope) I even have the one year plus project covered; a Scarlet Quince cross stitch I’m working on. I’ve read through this twice now, and what keeps coming to mind is “gentle discipline”- to keeping working, be brave, and keep moving forward. I’m always afraid of ruining my investment in materials, even practice materials. I’ve had a light-bulb moment with this article: I’m actually investing in myself, so even if a project doesn’t turn out the way I want it to, I’ve still learned something, which is never a waste. Time to find some scraps to practice my hand stitching, and get busy! Thanks Ladies!!
Yes, that’s exactly how you have to think!! Even mistakes teach you something so it was never a waste. This is a craft/hobby rather than a cost-saving exercise – compare it to people whose hobbies cost hundreds or thousands of dollars, like sky diving or skiing – we all get the experience but we also have the possibility of having something lasting to enjoy.
These are great tips: I really need to try and love hand sewing. It’s just, when I do it is looks so so messy, and doesn’t give me a professional finish at all. How does one learn to be good at it?
And I couldn’t see the pictures either 🙁
Yep, I completely flipped up! Pictures are fixed, I hope (they were always showing up on my computer).
With the hand sewing, I guess that’s the whole “practice” thing? Mine always looks really messy too
I think most of us are a bit shoddy at hand sewing Rosie! I think it’s because we don’t get much practice – if you only do very small bits occasionally you don’t get into a rhythm and really learn. I did hand quilt a map of Boston once (http://www.cashmerette.com/2013/03/quilting-boston.html) which was a loooot of handsewing and I think that helped sharpen up my skills!
I love your tips! I couldn’t see any of the pictures either. Is it because I am using my iPad? Just an FYI for Curvy Collective (the best blog/website in the universe)!
NO it’s because I screwed up. They were showing on my computer but not anyone elses – fixed now!
I love the tips – Sew something that is over your head and sew something that takes over a year to sew. What scary but exciting challenges! It gets my mind churning with possibilities.
What do you think you’ll make??
I’ve been thinking about the “make something that takes over a year” tip and I forgot where I read it at until now and didn’t see your comment until now. I want to make a quilt for my parents for their bed. My mom has made quilts for her kids and I want to make one for her and my dad. I talked to my mom last night about it and she already had a couple of designs in mind that she really liked and the color palette as well.
Lots of good ideas here, things I will need to keep in mind.
I am curious, what type of projects would take over a year? The only thing I can think of would be something like a wedding dress or multiple projects like doing a wardrobe set. Even then it doesn’t seem like it would really take over a year.
Yes, I would like to know that too! Maybe sewing a marquee?!? Or a football kit for an entire team???
A good project that would take over a year is something like a quilt or perhaps a completely tailored coat (with lining and interlining) can take a few months). Im currently sewing a quilt with cathedral windows and doing those by hand is pretty much the only way it can be done so that is taking forever. Especially considering Ill have to do 1200+ windows!
Hand quilting; a particularly elaborate wedding dress; something like lots of hand embroidery..> But I agree, the longest I’ve taken to do anything is a coat that took 3 months!
NVL,
Lady, you are sew on point with ALL these suggestions. I needed to read (hear in my head), and implement them all. Oh wait, I was “given” a serger; however, we live off the electrical grid so it sits in my closet (ouch that hurts, but what’s a sewist to do?) I wish I could convert it to a treadle. I have the instructions but don’t want the hubby to chop it up.
Again, thanks for these reminders.
Thank you.
Lyric
Thanks! So glad the post is being so well received!
Marvellous stuff! I want to exhort all sewists to slow down and be more ambitious but it sounds so scary, it is good to hear it from other minds as well. Making wedding dresses gave me my sewing muscle, The only thing I disagree with is the overlocker thing. I own one but I never use it, I don’t need to and I don’t like the finish on most of the things I sew. But that is cool!
I really enjoyed this post. I just found this site and was thrilled as I have been considering learning to sew again. The points made really resonated with me. I taught myself to knit since no one in my family knows how. It was intimidating but, I persevered and now I enjoy it. I felt like I could learn sewing but it seemed incredibly hard and time consuming. I don’t have a lot of time and the idea of taking the time and allowing myself to go at my own pace is so refreshing. I often wondered if taking a garment apart would help me to understand sewing better so I’m excited to hear I’m on the right track. My great grandmother sewed for many years and was a perfectionist at it and I know that it’s worth the time to get something right. I have hand sewn doll clothes and I hem pants by hand. I felt like it was a lost art and it was great to hear someone encouraging sewing by hand.
My mother was a professional seamstress too, but I never learned to sew from her. It wasn’t until her passing that I really go into sewing (plus I use her machine), so I completely understand where you are coming from!
The best advice I’ve gotten is to devote an hour or two in the evening to sewing. Put on some music, the radio or an audio book and get in the zone. Compared with knitting, sewing feels really instant gratification. After all, the fabric is already made and all you have to do is sew it up!
I would say the same EXCEPT to change it to “half an hour”. Try and do half an hour every evening, even if you don’t feel like sewing you can just fold fabric, tidy, pre-wash etc – that’s time that you’d have to use later on instead of sewing!
When I made that rule last year, I found that I did end up spending more time in the sewing room, but the “just half an hour” was a great motivator
Can’t see the pictures! They don’t load when I right click on the little X box and click on “show picture”. Nothing happens.
It was my mistake! They should be fixed now 🙂
I follow Shelley’s blog. Her skills and creativity are phenomenal. Great tips she’s listed here. The quality of craftsmanship makes an exceptional difference.
Aw, Thanks!!!
The one I was taught, above all else. IRON your work as you go. IT makes all the difference between Homemade and Well-made.
Induge in the best iron you can afford. The extra weight and steam capacity makes all seams and edges “just so”. Treat yourself to a professional ironing board. Good tools are an integral part of sewing for pleasure.
Thank you for putting into words what I have also felt. And why, after so long an absence, I am returning to sewing my own clothes.
Pressing as you go is the key to successfully sewing. THE KEY.
Yes yes YES, pressing make such a difference. I’ve actually been thinking about getting a gravity feed iron for extra pressing power (and I keep meaning to buy a new ironing board, but I don’t want to drop the required $150-200 on one)
I didn’t include that one on purpose because I considered that one of the steps that gets you to where my post starts. Yes! A good iron (and a good ironing board-I have a Reliable brand ironing board) is a fantastic investment.
I can’t see the pictures either, and I think that means I missing some important information :-).
Thank you for the tips!! I have sewn for others and want to start for myself. I just have not because of my curves. I will be making a duct tape friend this week!
Thank you, I am just beginning to sew. My Mother was an outstanding seamstress/sewist,but I never did learn from her. I’ve just been bitten by the bug 🙂 I find this article to be very helpful. I need to remember why I’m doing it. I’m already a bit overwhelmed with projects that I’ve promised for other people. But, you know what? They are going to have to wait as long as it takes. I’m not here to just slop something out. And no doubt, I’ll learn something from each of them!I really loved your tips! (Note to self – get a scissors sharpener)
Oh, and it may just be me, but I couldn’t see any of the pictures 🙁 Thanks! Beth