Looking for ways to improve your sewing? Some of the best ways to get a high quality finished piece are actually all in your preparation.
Think of it like painting a room or cooking a recipe, a lot of the work is actually in the set up. And if you rush through the steps to get to the fun part like getting that new color up on the wall, you won’t have as good of a result if you take your time, patch, sand and clean to make your wall as good of a surface as possible.
You are going to need to take your time in the prep to set yourself up for success. Whether you are making a bag or a childrens sewing pattern these tips apply to all types of sewing.
Here are 3 ways to improve your sewing:
First up, Ironing:
Get a good iron. And look up the care instructions for your fabric if you don’t have them already. Make sure to use lots of steam (depending on your type of fabric). And have a spray water bottle on hand to get a better press.
Iron your fabric before you cut it out. Iron it on the fold when you cut folded pieces. And iron after you sew each seam to flatten the seam. I like to press the seam on the right side and wrong side to get it lay as flat as possible. And press again after you serge or finish your edges. Basically, iron all the time for best results on most fabrics. If you are using a delicate fabric iron as much as you can but on lower temps in order to not damage your fabric.
Next up, Cutting:
Try to be as accurate as you can. Make sure you follow the grain of your fabric and line it up with the grain arrows on the pattern pieces. Go slow on the curves. If you cut your pieces accurately and carefully they will line up better and it saves you time in pinning if they don’t line up later.
A good sharp pair of scissors will make this job easier and save your hands and wrists. Also think about a ruler or cutting blocks for longer straight pieces like bias binding.
Lastly, Pinning:
Get your pins in place and line up your edges. Take your time, I’m often guilty of rushing through this step and the results are never quite as good. So take your time to pin and repin if needed to really line up your sewing pattern pieces.
You can use old fashioned pins, just make sure they are still sharp. Dull ones won’t be as easy to work with, which I remember every time I start a new project and not when I’m actually shopping. You can also use those cute little plastic ones or even binder clips depending on your preference.
Particularly on tricky areas or when you have to ease one piece into another if they don’t match up perfectly the extra time spent on pining will make your sewing easier. And you’ll be less likely to have to re-do the seam altogether to get the edges to line up or to get little fabric tucks or catches in your sewing.
Take your time
Using these tips will help get better results for your sewing projects right from the start. And a little more prep time will give you not only a better final result but an easier sewing project with less frustrations along the way. My least favorite part of sewing is taking out a seam I just sewed.
Check out my like up of childrens sewing patterns for your next project. What are you planning on sewing next?
Happy Sewing!