Learning to Sew? Try These Resources!

Sewing is a very unique hobby. It can be useful or strictly for fun, it can be artistic or utilitarian, it can be simple or elaborate, you can follow directions or follow your own path. Sewing is a hobby where you can pick and choose what interests you and what you want to do. If you've found yourself thinking about sewing lately, but you're unsure where to start, here are some great online resources.

Creativebug

With your Alachua County Library District library card, you have completely free access to Creativebug, a treasure trove of crafting how-tos. Creativebug's sewing classes (there are 279!) include offerings for every level of learner and every interest. Beginners will be especially interested in the One Hour Top by Fancy tiger, the Learn to Sew Clothes series by Deborah Kreiling, the Easy Home Decor Sewing by Annabel Wrigley, Sewing Machine Basics by Liesl Gibson, or the Embroidered Constellations  class by Faith Hale. No matter what class you're interested in, they make sure to outline everything you need to get started and everything you need to know to succeed in the class, so you can really pick and choose based on what interests you!

Tilly and the Buttons

If you're learning to sew, you should keep this page bookmarked. Tilly Walnes specifically caters to new sewers, and the Learn to Sew page on their site (linked in title) is incredibly useful as a beginning sewer. She goes over a lot of basic strategies and techniques, and sewing terms; if you're finding you're getting stuck on a new concept, she usually has an explanation for it. A few of her links go to paid workshops, but most are completely free. The Alachua County Library District also has copies of Walnes' book, Love at First StitchThis book is meant as a workbook for new sewists, using a series of projects to help you step up and grow more confident in garment sewing.

Thrift Flip YouTubers

In case you didn't already know, YouTube is a great place to find tutorials for just about anything, and that's especially true of sewing. If you're a new sewer, I recommend searching under the keywords "thrift flip sewing" to find a whole host of great YouTubers. "Thrift flip" refers to taking clothes you find in your closet or at the thrift store and re-making them into something new. These flips can range from simple to very complex, but the major advantage is that they teach you how to work with clothes and fabrics you probably already have. Some YouTubers to check out include withwendy, coolirpaand Annika Victoriaamong many others.

Do you have any preferred ways to learn something new? Let us know through our social media; we have the handle @alachualibrary on just about every platform. Stay safe, and start sewing!

By CynthiaM on May 12, 2021