sewseamless

Once you have purchased your sewing machine, or borrowed one from Aunt
Suzy, it's time to go to the fabric store to purchase your supplies.

Here are a few tips to help you along the way:
First, look for a sewing pattern.

There will be a lot of information on the back of your pattern envelope. On
the back of a typical pattern envelope, there will be information about the
types of fabrics suggested for the garment, notions ( elastic, buttons, zippers)
that you will need, and how many yards of fabric that you will need to
complete the project. *

You will also see measurement charts for the garment. ( Although we do not
cover fitting techniques here, it is important to note that patterns should be
bought by body measurements and not by ready to wear (RTW) sizes.) This
includes breast, waist, and hip measurement as well as the back to waist
length, and is usually found on the back of the pattern envelope, near the
top, although some pattern companies put this information on the pattern flap
of the pattern envelope.

Just below the measurement chart, there is usually chart indicating yardage
for the specific views. Many patterns will have different "views", which will
give you options for a garment with or without a collar, short or long sleeves,
different lengths of the skirt, etc.

The information for the notions needed is often found at, or near, the bottom
of the pattern back.
At the very bottom of the pattern, you will find finished garment
measurements.

Once you have selected your pattern, the next step is to choose fabric.
(Please note that there is a list of suggested fabrics on the pattern envelope.)
A good fabric for beginners is 100% cotton print. (Cotton/poylester is also ok,
but I think 100% cotton might be easier for beginners.) These fabrics can
often be found in the quilting section. I would like to caution you against
buying a one way design (horses or dogs or snowmen all pointed the same
way on the fabric). Florals are often good for these projects. It doesn't matter
whether or not the fabric has a light or dark background.

Once you've chosen your fabric, then you will need to choose your thread.
The rule of thumb for matching thread is to buy one shade darker than the
background of your fabric. Since you will be doing some hand sewing on this
project, you don't want those stitches to stand out on your garment.