A Tutorial for How to Sew
People have been sewing for centuries as a means to create clothing. Today, along with making clothing, manufacturers use different sewing methods to make items such as baseballs, parachutes and seat cushions. Doctors also use sewing skills when they apply stitches to a wound. Basic sewing is straight forward, and you don't need many items to get started. The better you get, the more advanced sewing techniques you can master, such as creating blind hem stitches, pleats and French seams.
Instructions
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1
Purchase a sewing needle and a spool of thread. Hold the needle in your left hand, if you are right-handed, and thread the end of the thread through the eye of the needle with your right hand. Wetting the thread with your saliva may make threading the needle easier.
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2
Pull the thread through the eye of the needle until you have pulled about 1 foot of thread through. Unwind the connected thread from the spool until you have about 1 foot from the spool to the needle. Cut the thread near the spool using scissors.
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3
Place the needle, with the eye still threaded, on a table. Pick up one end of the thread and tie it in a small knot, which will stop the thread from sliding through the fabric when you sew. If the knot seems too small and may still run through the fabric, tie a second or third knot in the same area to create a larger knot.
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4
Lay two pieces of fabric on top of one another, lining up the pieces' edges evenly.
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5
Pick up your needle, ensuring your thread is still evenly distributed through the needle's eye, with about 1 foot of thread on each side of the eye.
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6
Pick up your two pieces of fabric with edges still lined up and pierce your needle through the end of one edge, pulling the needle and thread all the way through both layers until the knot stops it. The two pieces of fabric should now be connected at one end. Continue holding them together with your free hand.
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7
Pierce your needle back along the edge about 1/8 inch away from your original hole. Pull the needle and thread all the way through. The un-knotted end of your thread should be pulled through each hole you create, since you will knot this end when you are finished sewing.
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8
Repeat step 7, piercing your needle again through the fabric about 1/8 inch from your last hole, and pull the needle and thread all the way through both layers. Continue until you get to the opposite end of your fabric.
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9
Pull your remaining thread free from the needle and put the needle in a safe place. Tie a knot as close as you can to the fabric's surface with the end of your thread.
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Tips & Warnings
If at first you can't seem to get the hang of sewing, keep practicing. Soon it will feel natural.
Choose a fabric that is easy to sew for your first attempts, one that is light weight with a stable weave, such as a cotton blend. Stay away from fabrics such as silk, jersey or denim.
If you are unsure of what to sew, purchase a sewing pattern online or at a craft store. Patterns can help guide you with basic techniques and shapes, and make learning to sew easier.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
