New to sewing....ugh.

[Mommy2jnd]

I've been crocheting for about a year and decided, why not sew, too? So I bought a machine and some fabric and thought "can't be that hard". Really. Wow. I've made some OK curtains, but that's it. I can't get the hang of sewing in a straight line, AT ALL. I want to make some cute clothes for my kids, but seriously, if I can't even sew in a straight line, how am I supposed to figure all of that out? Any advice for a newbie?

[monstergramma]

I also crochet, I taught myself from a book.  It took time, patience, and practice to get my stitch tension even so that they all looked the same. 

The same is true of sewing, it takes practice.  Get some scraps and practice, practice, practice.  Go slowly.  Keep the edge of the fabric lined up with the edge of the presser foot.  Practice lining it up with the marks on the machine.  Put a piece of masking tape on the bed of the machine and use that to line up the edge of your fabric.

Most of all practice.

Good luck!

[omgitsalisa]

Yeah, I've only been sewing off and on for a year and I can promise that it does get better. The most important thing I've found is just to go very slowly until you're really comfortable going faster. I am not comfortable so I keep my machine's speed slider all the way down most of the time. Also, my machine came with a couple of accessories that make certain straight-line-sewing tasks much easier. I don't know the name of the foot but it has a little metal sort-of-blade that lets me butt my fabric up against that and makes my topstitching pretty much perfect every time.The other is the quilting guide that makes sewing parallel lines pretty simple - I have a much easier time lining my fabric up with a physical barrier than a line.

But yeah, like monstergramma said, practice and go slowly.

[LMAshton]

When I took home ec in school decades ago, the teacher had us use a dull needle, unthreaded, to sew through ruled paper. Over and over and over and over. Then do the same with circle patterns and that sort of thing. It really helps to develop the ability to sew in a straight line.

[sjones]

ditto! I think a needle (not threaded) and paper would be good too!

[hooksforfeet]

You can even try drawing your line on your fabric with chalk. Ít's sort of like the paper idea, you just have to follow the line. Make sure that you cut your fabric straight and then use the little measurement divets on the side of your machine, or the edge of the foot. So long as the fabric is cut straight and it lines up with the ruler or the foot, your seam will be straight.

Also, don't PULL the fabric. Set it up straight and gently guide it in place. And I always make a wierdo line when I go too fast, so take it slow until you feel comfortable. Good luck!

[Gleamy]

I crochet as well. I talked about sewing for a year and finally got a machine for Christmas (I opened it before Christmas). i completely lost the will to crochet and have been sewing some pillows.

I can definitely relate to the crooked lines. I sew with white thread so that it is hard to see on my fabric. I hope you have fun with it none the less and keep practicing!

[tasana]

I'm sort of in the same boat and encouraged to keep practicing more. I used to sew all my own clothes years ago, but haven't for a long time and now that I'm trying it again, I find that I am terrible at it! lol

[Birdette]

My best advice is to look where you're about to sew, and not at the needle. It's easier to control when you use that technique, it can also help to use one hand behind the foot and one in front lightly to guide the fabric.

I still have all the templates that my teachers gave me to practise on! Ff you buy some cheap calico cut it into square and draw designs like straight lines to start with and work your way up to swirls, learning to pivot cleanly and guide the fabric will come easier.

IT's hard not to get frustrated but it'll pay off!

[Stifflersmom]

I'm more of a jump right in and go type. There are darling children's clothing patterns to make simple dresses and shorts.  Skip the ones with zippers until you are more comfortable. Pick up a basic sewing book to place next to your machine. I've been hobby sewing for twenty years and still rely on a reference book occassionally.

I started making doll clothes. They usually call for an interesting technique to learn and you aren't gambling with much fabric or trim.