Professor Pincushion's Beginner Guide to Sewing: Garment Making for Nervous Newbies

by Tova Opatrny

Overview

Start sewing in no time with basics broken down to the simplest form! Professor Pincushion’s Beginner Guide to Sewing is part textbook, part how-to, and all cheeky fun. Perfect for anyone interested in learning how to make clothes, the book assumes the reader has no sewing experience and breaks everything down to its simplest form, making it easy for anyone to follow along. In typical Professor Pincushion style, the tone is lightened with humor to provide an enjoyable learning experience. Beginning with an overview of sewing tools and supplies, she covers topics like using a sewing machine, reading commercial patterns, and basic garment sewing techniques and gives you five projects to get you started. Five key garment projects to get readers started and build confidence Projects gradually increase in difficulty, allowing new sewers to build up their skills and knowledgeIncludes downloadable patterns and full instructions for pajama shorts and a t-shirt

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781644032428
Publisher:	C&T Publishing / Stash Books
Publication date:	11/25/2022
Pages:	112
Sales rank:	133,661
Product dimensions:	7.80(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Tova Opatrny sewed her first hair scrunchie in high school and has been at the sewing machine ever since. In 2009, she co-founded the website and YouTube channel Professor Pincushion in order to produce high-quality video tutorials for beginners. Tova’s work has appeared in HuffPost, Good Housekeeping, and Cosmopolitan, among others. She currently resides in central Oregon with her husband and their cat, Hitchcock, and dog, Pippin. professorpincushion.com

Table of Contents

So You Want to Learn How to Sew Clothes …

An Introduction Professor Pincushion 6

Chapter 1 Tools and Supplies 8

Sewing Tools 9

Supplies 15

Chapter 2 The Sewing Machine 18

Choosing a Sewing Machine 19

Sewing Machine Safety 20

Anatomy of a Sewing Machine 20

Let's Practice! 25

Let's Thread! 27

Changing the Needle and Presser Foot 33

Chapter 3 Fabric 34

Fabric Stores 36

Woven and Knit Fabric 38

Right Side and Wrong Side 40

Chapter 4 Fun with Knit Fabric 42

Project Time: T-Shirt Upcycling 43

Project Time: T-Shirt Bag 46

Break Time: Needles 47

Chapter 5 Fun with Woven Fabric 50

Project Time: Hair Scrunchie 51

Break Time: Let's Learn About Seams 52

Break Time: Let's Thread a Hand Needle 55

Chapter 6 Intro to Pattern 60

Lookbooks 62

Choosing a Pattern Size 64

Gathering Supplies 66

Chapter 7 Working with Patterns 70

Cutting Out Pattern Pieces 72

Downloadable Patterns 74

Treating Our Fabric Right 75

Putting Pattern Pieces to Fabric 76

Chapter 8 Pajama Shorts 80

Project Time: Pajama Shorts 81

Break Time: I Don't Like My Seam! 83

Chapter 9 T-Shirt 92

Project Time: T-Shirt 93

Break Time: Sleeves 95

Chapter 10 Conclusion 108

Index 110

About the Author 111

Editorial Reviews

★ 01/01/2023

What a wonderful introduction for the new sewist, offering everything readers could want to know in an attractive graphic presentation. Opatrny, from the Professor Pincushion website and YouTube videos, covers all the essentials here: gathering the most important tools, getting to know the sewing machine (a step often overlooked until problems happen), distinguishing between different types of fabric, and reading the information at the end of a bolt of fabric. The section on reading patterns and determining size is particularly strong—pattern sizing has nothing to do with ready-to-wear sizing. It covers reading the pattern envelope, preparing the paper pattern for use, and laying it out on the fabric. Instructions are also given for downloading some of the patterns; the project for upcycling T-shirts is a confidence builder. Then the author gets into sewing—only simple things here, such as pajama shorts with an elastic waist and a T-shirt. VERDICT The clear instructions, attractive photos, and graphics make this an essential starting place for sewing and a foundation to continue to build on.—Debbie Bogenschutz

Library Journal