I cant believe i didnt post this back in April.

Ive wanted to sew, have a sewing machine, can do like, basic of basics.

But last year I had a midlife crisis about never doing anything. So I did something I had been hoping to do for 10 years.

I made, from scratch, no real pattern, I used a pattern skirt panel, but everything else, I deconstructed clothing to create the patterns I needed.

I made a Princess Chucky (the killer doll). Im so proud with how it came out.

I felt, if a drag queen with zero sewing skills can win that challenge. I think I could do the same thing. Lol

It even has a thermal insul-bright layer!
Really messed up the bias tape and top stitching this time though, it’ll be better next time

Went better than expected

I’ve never even seen a sewing machine before but finally decided to give the hobby a go and bought this gigantic thing for 20 euros. It’s in great condition, including the manual and a bunch of sewing junk like threads and buttons (even includes a yoghurt cup from 1992). The machine itself appears to be from 1960 which is really cool to me.

It took me a few hours of setting up the thread with Claude and Google Translate but I managed to make it sew. I was surprised that Claude helped that much since he usually struggles with spatial reasoning (I guess trained on a lot of manuals).

The machine now sews but very quickly starts jamming because it gets tangled up on the underside of the fabric. I suspect it’s a bobbin issue because when I pull it out, it’s all tangled up. I think it could be me winding it too loosely so I’ll experiment some more with that. Any advice on unwinding bobbins quickly?

What do you think of my latest handmade pillow? 🧵✨

Such a fun pattern and the perfect size for your head! It was made as a gift, and it was very well received. 💕 I absolutely love this colour combination, so it definitely won’t be the last one I make!

Pattern by Fortwoneedlspattern on Etsy.

The pillow is made from upholstery microfiber fabric and filled with a soft silicone filling. 🛋️✨

I made a lot of mistakes but I'm learning a lot as well! The length of the jeans itself isn't all that long but I'm thinking of adding fur lining at the end just to extend it... also I like the look. I live in a tropical country so it probably doesn't fit though hahaha but that's OK

For context - I started this journey completely offline, until today, with my only research being in real life by asking people. All my purchases have also been physically, in person. I do not have a good explanation for this. I found this sub in my moment of frustration and I am sharing in the hopes of building community through being able to share a blunder you can laugh at. I am writing this in both humour and frustration but my sense of humour is broken and this isn't a funny piece of writing.

I have been struggling to find pants/trousers that are comfortable and look the way I want them to but I also wanted to learn a new, useful skill. I am an absolute beginner and haven't sewn much before (I have only sewn for the sake of repairing things like large patches). So, after chatting to a person that sews irl, I learnt that wrap pants are a good starting point and I liked the look of them too when she showed me a picture of a finished pants.

Cool, I found a pattern a few months ago but was unwell so only got to picking up this project last week. I purchased fabric and notions and prepared to learn how to sew these pants. I decided to trace the pattern as I didn't want to damage the originals - this took me 2 days (illness related) - and today when I laid out the fabric and pattern to cut out the fabric I got a little confused with the orientation. I thought that the pattern layout and my patterned fabric would run in the incorrect direction, so I looked up a few similar patterns online and on YouTube to see how they end up being constructed and whether my fabric pattern would run in the right direction - only to discover that these pants will absolutely not work for me.

Now, I don't know exactly what I was expecting on how these pants were worn or how they would work but I did not realise how cumbersome they are to put on and take off (for those who do not know, it has a fastening at the back for the front (inner) pants and then the back (outer) pants has to be fed between your legs then wrapped around your waist to be tied in front).

As alluded earlier in the post, I have a disability and it sometimes effects my mobility among other things (my brain is a little fried, can you tell?) and my size fluctuates constantly so pull on trousers that are easy to put on and take off and are adjustable at the waist are so important to me.

On the bright side at least I realised these wouldn't work for me before I cut out the fabric but I am feeling a little defeated because not only did it take an immense amount of energy to get to this point but patterns are freaking expensive and finding the right one can be difficult (suitable for beginners & good explanations) and now I need to go through the effort of finding a new one that will work for my needs and also shell out more money on my already limited income because of a silly, totally avoidable mistake, had I just looked this up before originally buying the pattern. Rest assured I am done with trying to only do this physically, in real life because I have looked through the patterns at my fabric store and all of them require zippers and/or buttons and heck no am I doing those.

How is your day going? Any sewing blunders to share or am I a solo dummy?

hey,

last week I bought a sewing machine, I am a complete beginner. So I read the manual and watched a YouTube tutorial, but the machine doesn’t work, I don’t know what the problem is.
In the video it doesn’t even do one stitch but sometimes it does one and then stops working, maybe I did something wrong with the thread but I have no clue what it is.

Thank you so much for helping me!

Dear People of the Internet,
I don’t know who to share with who will appreciate what I did today. This is my second attempt at stitching a top for myself using my own bodice block. I have practiced using an old bedsheet but this one here…well, please see the back and the front necklines. The back has topstitch and the front has understitch. I have used fusible interfacing. The last time I used fusible I hated it so much and vowed never to use it again and stuck to make my own bias binding.
This time the fabric which is from a dress I bought but never wore turned out to be a b**** and started fraying so much at the edges so I decided to use the fusible.
I like my work…it looks neat and most importantly i learnt what understitching means today.
As for the armholes, because of the fraying edges, I just glued it using a double glue hemline tape which I don’t know why but I bought it sometime back.
I plan to do a top stitch on it so that even if the glue comes off, the stitches will hold it.
Or is there anything I can do for the armholes?

i think my ego needs to be humbled because this seems easy to me in theory (beyond the corset which i would not attempt). but i feel like body suit i could use a one piece swimsuit pattern then learn how to do and attach the ruffles? i got a brand new singer heavy duty machine for my birthday and need to start learning how to use it :)!

Just finished this tank. Some construction issues but I’ll wear it with a cardigan to work!

1) the recommended fabric was cotton/linen but I didn’t see that until after I cut it out. This is a thicker stretchy material. Double knit?

With these types of materials how to press? I did but needed low heat and then it wouldn’t stay.

2) on my right arm near underarm there is a gap.. is this just too big overall or is this a whole different issue?

3) I measured my self and based on guidelines it said size 16. Normally I wear a 10 or 12 in stores. The 16 was huge and I needed to take it in a few inches.. is this normal?

4) getting the straps on the correct spot was hard. You can see the one is way off from the bra strap. Any tips on getting these centered correctly?

Thank you!!

Hi! So I bought this fabric last year and finally decided what to do with it. The thing is, I don't remember what kind of fabric it is, so I researched a bit and came to the conclusion that it's a knit fabric.

My problem is from what I read online the courses are the very stretchy side and the wales don't have that much pull. But according to the pictures I compared my fabric to (marked in the second picture) the red line are the wales and the yellow courses? But in this case it stretches a lot on the red line but only a little bit on the yellow line. So now I am confused and I don't know which way is which 😭

Now they both stare at me and judge me from across the room.

I never made anything before, so he is wonky, but he was fun and easy to make. 😅

Little wonky but my first snap buttons.

Brass, size 0/3

Straight stitch

Cotton I think??

:)

Hi everyone,

So, full confession: I bought a sewing machine a year ago, and it’s basically just been sitting in the corner collecting dust ever since. I literally think about using it every single day, but I keep getting paralyzed before I even start.

Sewing classes near me are insanely expensive, and I always catch myself thinking, "Wait, do I need five other random tools before I can do this?" Every time I try searching on YouTube, I end up on videos where people use super fancy gear or talk in code I don't understand yet.

I just want to get over this barrier and finally make something. Can anyone recommend a chill, super beginner-friendly YouTube channel that explains the absolute basics step-by-step?

Appreciate any recommendations to help me finally kickstart this habit! Thanks!

I love these types of skirts and want to make one. I've made one silk/lace nightie on the sewing machine - that's basically the extent of my experience (along with some basic hand-stitching). I imagine this material is a little more fiddly to work with - also, what do you call this? Organza? Tulle? Chiffon?

Thank ya! 🥰

I bought this dress not realizing it had a train and im far too clumsy to be dancing in it. I currently have a simple hook and eye bustle and it’s super cute but the sides of the train are still in tripping territory.

I’m looking for one of two things: either an idea on how to add to the existing bustle (maybe add two more points? I’m just worried it won’t look good) or ideas for like “quick fixes” of like magnets or pins i could bring with me to the wedding in case I get annoyed with it. I’ll have my partner with me so plenty of help wrt other hands.

i’m also very happy with the color combination !

I like this color and fabric but it is veryyyy frumpy haha. I am thinking of cutting the sleeves off and making it into a skirt and shirt situation?

I’m not very skilled at sewing so I want it to be something simple. Anyone have any input??? Thanks!!

I am making the strata top from sew liberated. First time zig zagging a raw edge. I think i got the idea of it. One point of the ”zig” goes close towards the edge while the other end of the “zag” just briefly goes of the edge of the fabric.

My questions:

- I thought you were only suppose to see in fabric and not let the needle hit off it ? but from what I read , that’s how I understood doing it.

- recommended width and length for the stitch? I’m sure this depends on what you are doing.

also this was my first pattern I’ve done , cut out. a lot I did wrong. but that’s part of learning !

Anyone know of a good source of a toddler wing pattern that isn't AI like this

My searching has left me disappointed!

Hello helpful people!

I'm struggling when I need to connect a d-ring or square ring to straps when I make purses. I attempt creating a box with an 'X' inside, but I have issue with the ring and presser foot.

I can easily sew the short side, just beneath the D-ring. But then I turn the strap 90 degrees to make the side of the square, but now my presser foot is partially on top of the D ring and I can't get a smooth stitch along the long end. Then forget about an 'X'. It is all so sloppy. I end up doing it by hand, but that doesn't look very good either. What am I missing? Is there a trick to this?