12 Sewing Tips (For Beginners and Experts Alike!)

Sewing can seem intimidating if you’re a beginner. Lucky for you we’ve got some tutorials to help you learn the basics! Whether you’re sewing by hand, looking for ideas, or even want to sew your own clothes, we’ve got you covered with these twelve sewing tips for beginners and experts alike!

12 Sewing Tips For Beginners and Experts Alike

Sewing Tip 01: Organization System

Crafting is at its best when you start and stay organized.  Whether you opt for a peg board that will allow you to keep your thread, bobbins, and various sewing materials organized is up to you. Start by figuring out how much space you have. Then look at your supplies and decide how you want to organize. If you have the room, using a peg board organization system like this one is versatile and cute. If you don’t have a lot of space, try a compact basket like this one.

Sewing Tip 02: Fabric Files

When you start sewing, chances are you’re going to begin accumulating a decent amount of fabric. It can get overwhelming super fast. Before that happens, have an organization system ready. Whether you opt for cubbyholes like the photo or utilize an old filing cabinet is up to you and the amount of space you have available. If you’re short on space, then an old filing cabinet works perfectly. Start by folding your fabric over regular hanging files and organize according to your needs. We suggest organizing by fabric type first, then by color.

Sewing Tip 03: Threading the Needle

Threading needles by hand can be time consuming!  To help thread your needles, just spray the tip of your thread with hairspray and you’ll soon be poking that eye to your heart’s desire. If you’re not crazy about using hairspray, pick up a pack of needle threaders like these!

Sewing Tip 04: Stubborn Straight Pins

It can be really annoying when you’re working on a project and the straight pins won’t go through your fabric without catching.  To prevent that catching, give your pins a slippery coating by sticking them in a bar of soap.  The soap will help the pins slide right through that stubborn fabric.

Sewing Tip 05: Measuring

Cutting fabric by hand can be difficult when there’s a lot of moving parts. Free up your hands for cutting by sticking your measuring tape to the side of your cutting counter. That way you can measure and cut with less effort! This is one of my favorite sewing tips for beginners!

Sewing Tip 06: Pins and Needles

To help keep your pins nice and sharp, keep them in a stuffed pin cushion. There’s some debate between the benefits of using a steel wool pin cushion versus crushed walnut shells, but the goal of both is to help keep your pins and needles sharp.

Sewing Tip 07: Fixing That Drawstring

I always get so sad when my hoodies and sweats lose their drawstring.  Did you know you can permanently fix this drawstring dilemma?  Simply pull your drawstring even on both sides of your hoodie or waistband and then sew across the casting to secure the drawstring in place.

Sewing Tip 08: Cutting it Correctly

Learning to cut fabric is something you should invest your time in. If you cut your fabric incorrectly, it can ruin a project and can become a costly mistake.  All Free Sewing provides a 5-step process for helping to ensure that you cut your fabric properly without making mistakes.  It all comes down to taking your time, following the pattern’s instructions, and not rushing through the project.

Sewing Tip 09: Sizing Clothes

How disappointing is it when you see a pattern that you love but it doesn’t include your size?  Beat the disappointment by learning how to lengthen or shorten a pattern to your particular measurements!

Sewing Tip 10: Square Corners

Being square is no fun!  Well, unless you’re sewing corners.  To achieve the perfect square, there are a few things you can do.  Start by trimming away the corners of the interlinings to cut down on bulk.  You can also trim the corners off at two angles rather than only one. This will help the fabric to lay flat and line up easier.

Sewing Tip 11: Second Spools

Of all the neat stitches and finishes modern sewing machines can achieve, most don’t have a second spool holder.  Having a second spool helps you to achieve the double thick stitch you see on clothing hems just above the sleeve, cuffs, and other edges.  There’s a simple solution to this problem though.  Simply tape a dowel to your machine and let the dowel act as a holder for your second spool.  How cool!

Sewing Tip 12: Hand Sewing

At some point, you’ll have to sew part of a project by hand. When that happens, it can be a pain in the butt to deal with thread that tangles. To help keep the thread from tangling, run it across some beeswax. The beeswax will not only help the thread run through the fabric easier, but it will also help it stay untangled!

Let me know which sewing tips for beginners and experts you try. And if you’re feeling crafty, check out these 10 ways to reuse old fabric scraps!