Growing up I had busy hands. My mom used to say that they were into everything as I was learning how to create by destroying. Oxymoronic, right? After I disassembled my daybed and then put together a mini version of the human body, my mom decided that it was time to make use of all this busyness that my hands were into. At 13, she enrolled me in my first {and only} sewing class where I learned the very basics.

I didn’t like it. It was too tedious. There were details I didn’t feel like being bothered with and at the end of the class all I got was some stupid drawstring bag that I hated. Sewing was a bust for me until my first marriage started to unravel. Looking for something constructive, my mom again sent me a sewing machine. I made a NYE dress that made me feel amazing {though looking back now it was horrible… see?} but I still wasn’t quite hooked.

After I had mini I finally re-set my sewing machine up and was immediately overwhelmed because I literally had no idea what I was doing. So I say all that to say that I’m a self-taught seamstress. Everything that I’ve learned I have read and tried out on my own. People look at the things I create and are in awe thinking that it’s something that they can’t do when they really can!

Sew let’s get started!!!! (See what I did there? Ha!!!)

I Want To Learn To Sew!

Sewing Machines

There are like a million and one sewing machines on the market and they’ve come a looooooong way from when I started! Some of the more popular brands of sewing machines are Singer, Brother, and Janome. I’ve never used a Janome so I don’t have much to say about them.

Singer and Brother are pretty comparable in my book. I’ve owned both of them. I’ve had 2 Singers and am currently loving my Brother. Which one do I have? I have the Brother Project Runway Edition pictured here:

Living in Atlanta I chose this machine because there are quite a few authorized Brother’s technicians which is comforting for me. I definitely recommend this machine–it’s easy to use, easy to troubleshoot, and requires little maintenance.

What to Look For in a Machine

When buying a sewing machine it can get overwhelming with all the features. Here some of the things you’re looking for:

computerized (most are nowadays)
50+ stitches
drop feed
automatic needle threading
drop-in bobbin
one-step, auto-size buttonholes

These things make life way more easy when sewing!

I’ve got a sewing machine, now what?

Learn the Language

The next thing you’re going to want to do is familiarize yourself with sewing terms. Just like any profession, we’ve got acronyms and crazy words we like to drop as if everyone knows them. Check out this great resource for all the words you’ll need to know over at Make It & Love It until I come up with my own.

Get the Tools

So we’ve all seen those handy, dandy sewing kits as you browse whatever your favorite craft store is and while those make it seem easy to get everything you need in one cute package, that’s not going to work! Here are the things I suggest you have on hand as you start your love of sewing:

2 pairs of shears (1 Pinking, 1 regular)
1 pair of scissors (for pattern cutting)
1 bobbin threader (you don’t want to mess up your motor on your sewing machine)
extra bobbins
thread (I recommend just having a bunch of black and white on hand for now)
magnetic pin holder

sewing pins (these are my favorite)
scissor sharpener
small pair of scissors to cut thread
self-healing mat& rotary cutter (this is the set I have)
interfacing (I feel like this is just something that most patterns call for so it’s easier to just keep it on hand!)

What next?

Ok, so grab these items and meet up with me next week as we talk fabrics. Your fabrics will make or break EVERY creation so this is an important lesson!

See you guys next week!!!

Have a question that wasn’t answered here? Shoot me a message to hello@aaronicabcole.com and I’ll answer ya!