Sewing for Beginners - Fabric, Cutting out, and Patterns

This is a Jaycotts Post

All about Sewing Patterns, Fabrics and Cutting out.

It is daunting knowing where to start isn't it, so I am going to talk about the basics of cutting out and why you need to follow the guidelines on your sewing pattern.  I am making two garments, one in velvet the other in suiting and at the end of the post you should be well on your way to cutting out with confidence.

You can start with any garment but I have chosen a pair of straight leg trousers which are actually simple to make and always look good on.
All the links to patterns and haberdashery are given in the post making it easy for you to place you order with Jaycotts
When choosing a pattern consider what styles you already own and like and look for patterns which are similar. After a while you will want to make garments which are new to you, so it is a good idea to go and try clothes on and  to take a photograph if at all possible, then you can look for patterns in a similar style.

Sewing for Beginners. The Lady in Red - a fab dress or top in Ponte Roma .

This a post for Jaycotts.co.uk

The Lady in Red (Ponte Roma)

Sewing with Moderately stretch knits for beginners .

There are many different fabrics which stretch, some more difficult to sew than others. Some just stretch along the width, others will stretch every way, and it is these we want to avoid .
This fabric is called Ponte Roma and it is a delight to sew. Some knit fabrics can be extremely challenging even for experienced sewers - the edges curl up, it stretches out of shape as you sew it and you need special equipment such as a walking foot and a LOT of patience!

Ponte Roma can be purchased from Minerva.com Ponte Roma there are lots of choices both in colour and price so do take a look
Ponte Roma is a double knit fabric, so it looks the same on both sides. It doesn't have much stretch and this factor alone makes it easy to sew, even for a beginner.
It is easy to care for and it can be tumble dried.
A word of warning though. Although it doesn't shrink very much, a strong colour like this red bleeds,  and if you do not wash it before sewing you will end up with dye stains on just about everything - the ironing board cover, your underwear and even your sewing machine.  Don't say I didn't warn you!