I’ll be the first person to say that sewing can be so rewarding, but it can also be so disgusting, ewwwwwwww! As with any creative endeavor, it has its pitfalls. The fashion industry produces so much waste, sewing patterns can be so confusing, and the PRICES! JEEEEZZZZ. Below, I have outlined several things I dislike (HATE) about sewing and, because I am an optimistic person, some solutions.
new fabric all the time
Why not start with the most controversial? I think you shouldn’t be using new fabric all the time. There is too much excess. That is not to say you can’t use new fabric to make clothes; that is kind of the point of sewing! Rather, I think you should try to make a garment from thrifted materials. The materials don’t have to be from the thrift store, they could be an item you already own! Try it out, see if you like it. You may be surprised at the sense of pride you will feel from repurposing. Still not your thing? You can always try using thrited sheets as your “muslin,” or practice material.
exorbitant sewing machine prices
I wanna barf when I see a company charging $1,500 for a sewing machine or serger. I wanna cry when I think of how I fell for it. I wanna punch someone when I realize my Babylock Victory is totally worth the money.
One of the hardest things about sewing is knowing how much money to spend on a machine. The Singer Heavy Duty that I use was around $200, and I love it! The key is to think about the features you want in a machine rather than a specific brand.
thread tension, period
It can be so disheartening to have problems with thread tension. When I was first starting and I didn’t understand, I would get so frustrated. The key to understanding thread tension lies in understanding your specific sewing machine.
instructions for sewing patterns being unnecessarily complicated
Sewing patterns are so intimidating. I have spent a lot of time upcycling and f’ing around until I find out, to avoid really cracking down on sewing pattern knowledge. However, as with anything, taking it bit by bit is the way to go.
limited sizing for sewing patterns
There is not a worse feeling than seeing a pattern that you want to make and it not being in your size. I have really tried to make inclusive designs, that is why my t-shirt sewing pattern, The Garbie Shirt, is available in XXS to 5X. There are tons of resources on the internet for making clothes outside of the traditional size sets. One I love is Free Sewing. Please share any recommendations you have in the comments!
amazonification of sewing tools
Where did all the good men sewing tools go? I feel like if I order something from you know where, I am met with utter nonsense. I am transitioning to ordering all my tools from trusted sources, like Wawak and Sewing Parts Online.
sewing machines not being sergers
I think the realization that you may need a serger to make certain clothes is heavy. It can feel bad because you just spent all this money on a sewing machine. However, I don’t think many people know that you can sew stretchy fabrics on a lot of sewing machines; you just have to use the right settings.
What are you sewing icks, and what solutions do you have?
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You can get free sewing zines by referring a friend to Garbie!
Thanks for reading! xoxo
My sewing ick is messing up on a project and having to seam rip the entire thing…I HATE seam ripping!!
My icks are tissue sewing patterns. Get that floaty, easily torn ish out of here!!! Pinning patterns to fabric? Please shut up and leave me alone.
I love a traceable cardboard/cardstock pattern. I love pattern weights. I use fancy glass paperweights for mine. So I have a practical excuse to collect them and an aesthetic time while cutting my patterns out.
Also, hate tracing pattern markings and hate cutting fabric in general!!! The best solution has been a cutting mat and rotary cutter but JEEZ it still sucks and takes too long.