Anybody know how to sew?

[tulip]

It's a shame that Home Ec/Sewing is not taught in schools anymore. It learned to cook and do woodworking in 6th grade and to sew and weld metal in 7th grade. All have come in handy in the intervening 30 years.

My 13-year old niece sews her own clothes and makes quilts. She just visited the VCU Fashion Design program because she's thinking about that for college.

There's alot of good advice here. I have a 1954 Singer that my Grandmother bought for me and had reconditioned. It does not do any fancy stitches, but so far I have not needed them. I really enjoy sewing, and in the past have made dresses and skirts, along with pillowcases and simpler items.

I second finding a class. Many sewing stores offer them. You will pick up so many tips from experienced sewers (that doesn't look right) that you cannot find in a book.

Best of luck and show us some pieces when you finish!

Oh, and patience is key. Never rush. It's very Zen.

[kermit]

Thanks everybody. I found a great fabric/sewing store nearby that I will visit. When I was little, 6 or 7 my next door neighbor made me a little sailor dress. I thought it was so cool I would watch her sew for hours. I would love to one day make my grandson a shirt or something. Even pillowcases will do. My patience will be challenged, is it bad to listen to the Grateful Dead while sewing? I'm thinking some 10,000 maniacs. That's good sewing music!

[Bike Chick]

The Grateful Dead is perfect sewing music. I dock my IPOD in my little stereo in my sewing room, set it to shuffle and just lose myself for hours. The ladies at the local sewing store listen to their IPOD's while they use the longarm quilting machine and say whatever music you are listening to is reflected in the stitches so you can't listen to The Grateful Dead and James Taylor on the same quilt

I've made quilts for every one of our children and grandchildren and learned a lot as I progressed through each one. There are a lot of mistakes in them but they don't care.

[tangentgirl]

You might check out your local city / park & rec classes. I know I've seen some very affordable intro to sewing classes in those catalogs.

It learned to cook and do woodworking in 6th grade and to sew and weld metal in 7th grade. All have come in handy in the intervening 30 years.

Badass, Tulip!

[shootingstar]

Mommybird, Classes are a blast. They are like the sewing shop version of the group ride and are a fun social outlet

I never really thought to compare a sewing class to a bike group ride.

During this forum thread development, I suddenly had an eureka moment...that my mother the expert sewer whom I did turn to for help and advanced techniques after finishing 2 Home Ec. sewing courses..she who sewed for family members' coats, pants, shirts with French stand-up collars, cuffs, etc.: I suddenly realized she self-taught alot on her own when she raised us.

She couldn't read any of the pattern instructions since they were all in English. She was the sort of natural sewer who could correct sewing errors and assess a complicated construction of a garment, then change it into a completely different garment.

Duh, didn't realize until ..now. 50+ yrs. later!

I loved raiding my mother's suitcase where she kept brand-new early 1960's dresses and blouses that she couldn't wear after gaining weight. So myself and others took some of that clothing to alter and wear ourselves. Immediate chic stuff!

Tthe manufacture of clothing has cheapened because of cheap labour and hence, has led to people wearing more poorly fitted clothing. But also perhaps loss of sewing skills and understanding tailored fit, means alot more people really don't know what properly fitted clothing should even look like.

As you can tell, I do look for reasonable workmanship and fabric durability when I buy clothing now. Having sewing knowledge can also make one a more quality-conscious consumer. This even extends to buying a sofa....looking for durable fabric for an expensive furniture item, if one doesn't buy leather.

[PamNY]

I know of two online sewing groups. Delphi Forums has one called Friendly Sewing, and About has general sewing information as well as a forum. The experienced sewists are helpful in the same way that experienced cyclists are.

In general, there is a lot of sewing information online, but it will be more useful after you have learned the basics in a hands-on setting.

Good luck with your new hobby. I am totally cracking up over the comments about music. Sewing music is a very important issue.