Craft Column

Hi everyone!

I’m Inayah, and I would like to introduce a new craft column! This column will be used to share rough draft patterns, tips on different fiber arts, and beginner-friendly tutorials! To start the first-ever craft column, I will be sharing a few sewing tips for beginners. Starting sewing was intimidating for me, so I’m sharing a few tips to make the process smoother for others interested in sewing. 

My first tip is getting some cheap fabric or repurposing old sheets and sewing a muslin, or a sample of what you are going to sew. This may seem like a hassle, but I know from experience that some accidents that a muslin could’ve prevented are much worse, and sometimes irreversible.

 Another tip that can save you time is being cautious of where you get patterns, especially if they’re free. Often, free patterns are hard to follow and only suited for experts. I’ve seen many ‘easy’ patterns that turn out to be unreadable. If you are looking for easy, free patterns online, I recommend checking out Mood Sewciety, but if nothing piques your interest, buying a pattern on Etsy or your local craft store might be worth the money. Additionally, if you find a free pattern from another website, read through it, and if you can follow it successfully, you will probably be able to sew it.

 My final tip is to choose a project before you choose the materials. If you’re using a good pattern, you will see what fabric you need: no stretch, one-way stretch, and two-way stretch are common options. Some patterns from craft stores may have exact fabric recommendations. If you choose the wrong type of fabric for the project, the seams may tear, and your project could be unwearable (this goes especially for projects requiring a certain level of stretch). Making sure you are sewing with the right needle and thread can also make or break your project. For example, using cotton thread with a stretch fabric will ruin the stretchiness, as cotton itself isn’t stretchy. I hope these tips help, and have fun sewing!