Sewing is a timeless activity enjoyed by women and girls for centuries. These women have decorated their homes, dressed their families and made gifts for family and friends. It is an example of women working in the home for pleasure, recreation and income. Sewing is not a past time confined to the female sex, men and boys love to sew too and that truth is reflected in the large number of men working in and leading the fashion and decoration industries.

If you want to learn to sew you can learn through many avenues. You can learn at school studing Textiles, at College studing Fashion or you can ask at your local fabric store for classes. Some of the larger fabric and craft stores offer classes for novices and skilled persons alike. The traditional way for anyone to learn to sew has been within the family or friends circles. My mother learnt to sew from her mother and at school but both my grandmothers learnt from their mothers. In fact my maternal grandmother came from centuries of sewers who handed down skills to their daughters as part of their dowry. When my grandmother married my grandfather he married centuries of Italian skill not to mention all the fabric my grandmother was given to start her home as part of her dowry.

If none of those ways appeal to you you can learn the way I did by teaching yourself. My grandmother died before I was born and my mother was an Opera singer so she didn't have time. If nona was alive when I was born she would have carefully instructed me as she did my mother. However I was always in contact with the art because of Fashion. My mother wore beautiful gowns to sing in and dressed very elegantly most of the time. My education was at Catholic schools and I learnt a little sewing from the Sisters of St Josephs. But mostly I did my sewing by trial and error. Occassionally I have taught friends and I have taught my daughter too and the two characteristics essential to developing good sewing skills are Patience and the Ability to sew a Straight Line. This guide is written with the intent that the readre has some hand sewing skills. After that you can start to sew with a machine.

The items you will need to start are:

1. A Sewing Machine. The machine should do simple straight stitch, zig zag and buttonholes. Don't be side tracked by the fancy machines with multitudes of stitches and gadgets- YOU DON'T NEED IT. Read the booklet that comes with the machine. It will tell you how to thread your machine, care for it and how to set the machine etc for sewing. Love your machine it will be a great friend. Practice sewing straight lines in regualr stich and zig zag. A good way to start is to draw lines with a ruler on some plain fabric and follow your lines. Don't sew too fast just at a comfortable pace so you can control your fabric (this is call feeding) position and you will after a while learn to use your hands to guide your fabric. It takes some coordination and takes some practice and is an essential part of learning to sew. 

2. A selection of Sewing Threads. You get what you pay for here. Buy a reputable brand. If you aren't sure ask the store assistant. Cotton threads are great for all sewing but there are many very good polyester threads. Silk threads are for embroidery. When you sew the thread stands you'll notice threads in many categories so if you have time take a look for yourself and notice how the threads differ in texture and thickness. You'll need needles for your sewing machine and hand sewing, a thimble to protect yourself from needle pricks, sewing pins and a pin cushion. Once again buy the best you can afford. It also helps to have a magnet that you can use to pick up pins from carpet etc otherwise you'll be forever buying pins.

3. Cutting Tools. Scissors- Large and small made of stainless steel. Try them in your hand, they should be comfortable and left handers are accomodated too at stores. They need to be sharp and once you have them you should only use them for sewing so they stay sharp. A seam unpicker is very handy too to unpick the boo boos you might have.

4. An Iron with Steam. Notice that irons have temperature settings so use them. Steam helps to really press a seam flat. Always iron your sewing on the inside of your item to avoid marking your seams. Ironing boards are optional. You can have the traditional ironing board but a blanket covered by a thick cotton sheet spread flat on a table is also satisfactory. You can buy smaller ironing boards that fir on the table. They are very handy too. You'll use your iron a lot when sewing so set it up each time.

 5. Decide what you'd like to make. Traditionally one learns to sew by making small simple items. e.g a tea or hand towel, pin cushion, glasses case etc. There are straight edges all around and you can play with the stitches on your machine.  If you use a pattern all the better you will have instructions to help you along with your project. You can find a lot of patterns on ebay, freebies on the internet and some larger stores also have free patterns. Ask the seller or investigate the pattern for what the degree of difficulty is before you buy. Patterns are usually non refundable so be careful here.

6. Fabric. The better the fabric the better the result and that applies to sewers of all abilities. You can find cheap fabric at thrift stores, on ebay or the fabric shop. Simple cotton is great for that simple item. Polyesters are cheap and they fray like crazy. They require some more skill. Plain monotone fabrics are a good beginner fabric as patterns and checks may obstruct your ability to see your stitching. Your fabric should be washed before cutting. Many fabrics should be washed before cutting so its preshrunk. Wool and Rayon are always exceptions but fabric makers have washing instructions for a reason so take notice. Press your fabric before cutting too so you have a smooth cutting surface. Your iron should have temperature settings for your fabric and you'll need to observe that too. The fabric will have a right and wrong side. Sometimes it is very obvious but sometimes it's not. Generally I hold the fabric to the light. The correct cutting side is usually the smoothest, most textured or deepest print side. Some fabrics have a selvage edge. The smoother side is the right cutting side.

6. Find a clear sewing space for yourself. Wash your hands- this might be a silly thing to write but dirty hands get stains on your fabric, pattern and mark your machine etc. Its great to have a special sewing space or room but failing that you can just use a clean kitchen table. Set up your machine and cutting area. Assemble your tools and start sewing.

It is a given that your first project may not be so great but persist. There are many helpful sewing books you can buy on ebay and at stores. The main thing is that sewing should not be hell but fun. Once you have made some simple items you can venture out to clothing. Choose simple styles with minimal fitting. Once again ask for help when selecting a pattern. You can learn to draft a pattern and there are books and schools that will teach you that. Once you can draft you can design your own styles.

I hope this guide has helped you. Its a very simple start to many years of pleasure.