Guides and Tutorials

Guides:

  1. Kan, C. (2019, June 17). Sewing Glossary – sewing terms explained for the beginner [Blog Post]. Charlotte Kan. https://charlottekan.com/blogs/sewingblog/sewing-glossary-sewing-terms-explained

This post provides an A-Z style guide of common sewing terms and provides clear, detailed explanations of their definitions, while also including personalized advice, images, and videos. There are also some templates for planning sewing projects, tracking your alterations, and creating a swatch library available for website subscribers.

  1. Valle, I. (2016, March 12). Learn to Read Any Sewing Pattern! [Blog Post]. Craftsy. https://www.craftsy.com/post/how-to-read-a-sewing-pattern/

A guide on reading sewing patterns, both commercial and independent, and how to choose a pattern to match your skill level, understand their size guides, terminology/symbols, fabric recommendations and meterage/yardage, cutting layouts, as well as tips on how to use the pattern whether you are printing, tracing or cutting.

Video Tutorials:

  1. Made To Sew. (2021, March 14). Beginners Sewing Tutorials. [Playlist]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfxTlKMr7TsBay4qFSxMgxLxJDyv38J6v

This 5 part video playlist includes beginner instruction on sewing covering setting up your machine, choosing and preparing your fabric, an overview of machine sewing, a more in-depth look at zig-zag stitches and when to use them, and how to improve your skills to sew more accurately.

  1. Made To Sew. (2018). How To: Measure (Fitting, Dressmaking, Sewing). [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOQMeXW8ewc

This tutorial shows you how to measure yourself, providing tips for finding your measurement points and getting the most accurate measurements, what measurements are needed for sewing different types of garments e.g. dresses, pants, tops etc,, and which measurements are needed when making adjustments.

  1. (2022, February 26). 10 Sewing Mistakes Beginners Make. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltxdPPTHn-M

This video covers 10 common mistakes that beginner and more advanced sewers often make based on April’s (aka. Coolirpa) own personal experiences and those expressed by her viewers. She provides tips and advice to overcome these issues and have a more enjoyable sewing experience and better constructed items.

  1. McCall Patterns. (2015, March 16). Learn to Fit with Melissa Watson: McCall’s M6989 Dress. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6St3yx3Nd2c

Using the tissue method of fitting sewing patterns, this video demonstrates how to recognize a fit issue and then how to adjust the pattern pieces on your body to get the best fit. Although the pattern M6989 is discontinued, this advice can be applied to other patterns.

Note: This would be good to use in combination with Palmer & Alto’s book. Refer to the Books page for more information.

  1. Do It Better Yourself. (2020, August 5). FREE FULL CLASS | How to Custom Fit Your Sewing Patterns. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBq8A59BE4s

This video teaches you how to adjust your sewing pattern to fit you using the flat pattern method, and covers common fitting myths, an introduction to fit adjustments and how to make them, as well as how to grade between sizes and adjust for height differences.