Beginner Sewing Essentials

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Beginner Sewing Essentials

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A lot of people think that sewing is a skill that is quite difficult to master. Although it does take some time, once you get the proper techniques down, it’s easier than you may think! We’ll walk you through step-by-step all the sewing essentials to get you feeling confident when it comes to mastering the art of sewing.

Keep It Nice and Simple

When it comes to sewing, it’s best to start off as simple as possible. With starting with a basic thread and needle, you’re on the right track to learning the proper sewing techniques correctly from the beginning.

When you bite off more than you can chew, especially when it comes to sewing, you can easily get confused, overwhelmed, discouraged, and maybe even want to quit.

That’s why we think with anything, especially sewing, it’s important to start simple and learn the basics before overcomplicating things.

How Expensive is Sewing?

Sewing is a very diverse hobby. There’s a lot of expensive options out there for materials and equipment and there’s a lot of cheaper options out there. Does the quality of sewing equipment really matter? The answer is a little complicated. Yes, you can get the cheapest items possible and they will work probably just fine, but over the years, we have learned that there are a few things worth spending a little extra on, and a few things you can pick up the cheapest option.

We recommend the following…

The Basic Sewing Essentials for Beginners

Sewing Accessories

If you have all seven of these items, you will overwhelm yourself with spending tons of money at first but definitely feel prepared when it comes to learning the art of sewing. With these seven items, the next time you want to learn a new sewing skill, you will most likely have everything you need and won’t have to rush to the store to buy something.

Over the years, we’ve found that these seven items are a great beginner kit.

Thread

The thread may be the most complicated purchase when it comes to sewing. Something so simple, you may be wondering how it can be so complicated. However, there are so many different types of thread out there and each one has its own, specific purpose, which is where it can start to get confusing.

To make things not as complicated in the beginner, just using the thread you have on hand or picking up assorted colors such as these 24 Assorted Colors Sewing Thread pack from Amazon will work as good as anything.

When you’re ready to start learning about individual threads or upgrading to something more advance, I recommend checking out

Ultimate Guide to Sewing Threads for Any Sewing Project

Needle

There are two ways to go about sewing, one with a needle and one with a sewing machine. We really recommend to start off with the basics of using a simple needle and thread.

When you start with a needle and thread, you will learn the basics when it comes to sewing and truly what the sewing machine is doing when it’s “doing the work for you.” Although the sewing machine is much faster, it’s best to learn how to control the stitch before jumping on the sewing machine. You will have much more control over your stitches this way and grasp a better understanding.

If you don’t have any needles already on hand, we recommend this pack of Assorted Craft Needles. You can also check out more information about needles in the post:

Ultimate Guide to Sewing Needles for Hand Sewing

Sewing Machine

When it comes to sewing machines, this is where spending a little bit more money does pay off. To get you started though, just about any simple sewing machine will do. If you have something on-hand, there is no need to upgrade yet.

If you don’t have a sewing machine yet or looking for a little bit of an upgrade, we really like the Brother SE600 Sewing Machine.

To learn more information about sewing machines, we have a dedicated post going through the ins and outs of sewing machines.

The Beginner’s Guide to Sewing Machines

Patterns

Patterns are a very important part when it comes to sewing and you’ll be using them practically every time you sew.

Patterns give you the outline and guidelines to follow when sewing. This helps you stay in control but also avoids you from making a lot of mistakes.

We recommend the Skirt-a-Day Sewing Pattern which works great for both needle and sewing machines alike.

If you’re looking for something a little more advanced check out our post:

Ultimate Guide to Sewing Patterns

Notions and Supplies

Although technically you only need a needle and thread to start sewing, we personally feel like you need a few more things to properly sew and learn the sewing basics.

Sewing is all about precision and control and you can’t do that without some additional tools and materials.

You can check out a more comprehensive list of items by checking out our post:

Ultimate Guide to Sewing Notions and Supplies

Storage

Just like in any aspect of your life, having proper storage and organization will save you a lot of time and money. With sewing especially, with a lot of smaller objects like needles and pins, having a proper storage system for your sewing equipment will allow you to see everything you have and know where everything is, in an easy and organized way.

We love the Singer Vintage Sewing Basket that’s available right on Amazon.

You can also check out our Ultimate Guide to Sewing Storage Solutions for bigger and more advanced sewing storage.

Sewing Accessories

A lot of these sewing accessories may not be completely necessary when it comes to starting out, but they definitely will make your life easier. However, it’s good to start off with the basics before using any “shortcuts” or accessories so you can learn the ins and outs before adding extra equipment.

When you’re ready to start experimenting and adding additional accessories, some of our favorites include the following:

Want to learn more about sewing accessories? Check out The Best Sewing Accessories for Your Sewing Machine.