Beginner's Guide to: Easy vs Hard Sewing Projects
I started sewing because I wanted to make a shirt and, as a novice, had no idea just how hard that was. As a novice, it's all tough, and very hard to appreciate some things are a lot tougher than others.
Here's my rule of thumb guide to how hard a project will be. These are obvs just guidelines. I am a big fan of jumping in the deep end and making your dream project and learning as you go, rather than patiently waiting to build skills. I'd never advise someone not to just start with what they want to make.
That said, the GWW remains unfinished after 4 years and has almost broken me on several occasions. I'm a happier sewer now for trying to pick up some easier projects and just get my motivation back. I guess the goal is to try and help people learn one skill at a time. I tried to learn fit, fabric, construction and style simultaneously with the Whale, and it was hell. You want to go into a project like a tailored shirt already confident at selecting material and constructing a garment, so you only have to focus on a few new techniques at a time.
Anyway. Here's my guidelines. I fully support you ignoring them, and starting with your dream garment ;) with the reassurance that you are playing on hard mode.
Let me know in the comments anything I have missed, or anything you'd place elsewhere:
For nice fitted garments you need to be able to measure the body accurately, assess ways it is not "standard" (ie humped back, broad shoulders, big tum, big butt, high waist, etc), know how to adjust pattern pieces or to make your own, and be willing to sew up practice versions and spot errors. In short, fitting is a completely different skill and hobby to sewing.
These garments all rely on finding the goldilocks spot between too tight and too baggy. The only way you learn is practice, but garments with multiple fit points are unlikely to be satisfying as a first sewing project.
Weird fabric: silk, chiffon, thin and gauzy stuff. Jersey, knits, sports fabric, anything stretchy. Leather, latex, vinyl. Faux fur. Bathing costumes. Anything with a pattern which needs to match neatly, i.e. stripes.
Handling weird fabrics is its own skill, and often needs a special foot, special needles and techniques.
Technical garments include: corsets, bras, girdles, lingerie, many crinolines, bustles and so on. Shoes. Swimming costumes, binders, back braces: these garments all have a Purpose, and you need to understand the properties of technical fabrics, the right amount of ease, and how it works with the body to make something comfortable, and more importantly, safe.
Soft bras are fairly easy, such as a bullet bra or one made entirely from cotton. But ones which look like they came from a high end lingerie shop are a whole new discipline requiring all sorts of specialist fabrics and boob-fitting skills. Corsets are easier than they look, so long as you can get the correct materials and don't use too much of a reduction or too out-there a shape for your first attempts..
Weird stuff like: Toys, bonnets, tents, sails, hats, lots of things are really their own discipline and need to be learned separately.
Sleeves are hard because arms move, exposing flaws all over the garment unless they are just so. Odd sleeves can cause fit problems all over the place. When we talk about sleeve problems, we are actually usually talking about armhole/armscye problems. A good sleeve needs a perfectly fitted torso, then a perfectly selected armscye, and then finally the correct sleeve.
Well! I hope this is helpful to a novice or improving sewer, to help them pick projects at a skill level which will produce a satisfying challenge and nice finished piece.
Or, if you prefer to attempt something super tough before you are strictly "ready", then some reassurance that yes, you are playing on hard mode, and it's ok if you feel useless or like you're not getting anywhere. You are learning a lot. It's just a bigger challenge, and results will come more slowly. And maybe breaking it up with smaller projects will help you build techniques. As I said, I definitely support people starting with their grail projects - especially because the more sewing I do, the more I understand that "sewing shirts" might as well be a totally different skill than "sewing corsets" or "sewing modern skirts", and that there will always be a new learning curve.
Feedback? Thoughts? What would you add or move on the list?
Here's my rule of thumb guide to how hard a project will be. These are obvs just guidelines. I am a big fan of jumping in the deep end and making your dream project and learning as you go, rather than patiently waiting to build skills. I'd never advise someone not to just start with what they want to make.
That said, the GWW remains unfinished after 4 years and has almost broken me on several occasions. I'm a happier sewer now for trying to pick up some easier projects and just get my motivation back. I guess the goal is to try and help people learn one skill at a time. I tried to learn fit, fabric, construction and style simultaneously with the Whale, and it was hell. You want to go into a project like a tailored shirt already confident at selecting material and constructing a garment, so you only have to focus on a few new techniques at a time.
Anyway. Here's my guidelines. I fully support you ignoring them, and starting with your dream garment ;) with the reassurance that you are playing on hard mode.
Let me know in the comments anything I have missed, or anything you'd place elsewhere:
Easy: Rectangles and squares, not for the body
- Tote bags, tea cosies, cushions, scarves
- Possibly some hats if you want to learn milinary anyway, such as a pillbox hat which sits on the side of the head.
- Tablecloths, place mats, antimacassars
- Headscarves, caps, shawls, hankies
- Aprons. Cravats. Capes. Ponchos.
- Flags. Towels. Curtains. Pillowcases. Bunting.
- Legwarmers, armwarmers, those round furry headbands which warm the ears
- Very simple rag dolls (complex teddies and art dolls are tougher due to small scale)
Beginner: One exact body measurement, loose garments
- Slips, chemises, combinations, drawers, french knickers or other loose-fitting nighties or undergarments. Petticoats. 50s floof petticoats.
- Circle skirts and a-line skirts
- No-waist, flapper dresses, anything that hangs from the shoulders
- Most bustles and crinolines (can also be technical garments, as they involve odd materials - but they generally only fit at the waist)
- Loose fit t-shirts and tops which don't cling to the body in more than one place
- Casual, loose fit shirts ie Hawaiian beach shirts
- Tunics, many ancient/viking/Celtic/anglo saxon garments
- 1700-1820 pirate/poet/Darcy shirts
- Loose pajama trousers
- Kaftans, kimonos
These projects put fabric on the body, but have a looser fit - you may need to check one or two measurements on the pattern, but they won't break your project if you're a bit out. They are also lower stress and energy, making them great break projects between big things.
Intermediate: More than one body measurement (no sleeves)
The uniqueness of the body is the toughest part of sewing clothes. The more fitted the garment, the more important it is to understand fit to make it look sleek.For nice fitted garments you need to be able to measure the body accurately, assess ways it is not "standard" (ie humped back, broad shoulders, big tum, big butt, high waist, etc), know how to adjust pattern pieces or to make your own, and be willing to sew up practice versions and spot errors. In short, fitting is a completely different skill and hobby to sewing.
These garments all rely on finding the goldilocks spot between too tight and too baggy. The only way you learn is practice, but garments with multiple fit points are unlikely to be satisfying as a first sewing project.
- pencil skirts
- Slinky dresses
- Spats
- 50s style sleeveless prom dress
- Fitted shirts with loose, billowy sleeves
- Anything with a fitted bodice
- Tailored/professional trousers
- Waistcoats
Advanced intermediate: weird fabric, or technical garments
From here on, you're just adding complexity points for the different extra tough elements of sewing. Each of these projects requires learning some specialist skills from scratch, on top of getting the rest right.Weird fabric: silk, chiffon, thin and gauzy stuff. Jersey, knits, sports fabric, anything stretchy. Leather, latex, vinyl. Faux fur. Bathing costumes. Anything with a pattern which needs to match neatly, i.e. stripes.
Handling weird fabrics is its own skill, and often needs a special foot, special needles and techniques.
Technical garments include: corsets, bras, girdles, lingerie, many crinolines, bustles and so on. Shoes. Swimming costumes, binders, back braces: these garments all have a Purpose, and you need to understand the properties of technical fabrics, the right amount of ease, and how it works with the body to make something comfortable, and more importantly, safe.
Soft bras are fairly easy, such as a bullet bra or one made entirely from cotton. But ones which look like they came from a high end lingerie shop are a whole new discipline requiring all sorts of specialist fabrics and boob-fitting skills. Corsets are easier than they look, so long as you can get the correct materials and don't use too much of a reduction or too out-there a shape for your first attempts..
Weird stuff like: Toys, bonnets, tents, sails, hats, lots of things are really their own discipline and need to be learned separately.
Tough: fitted garments with sleeves
I've read stuff lately about the challenge of sleeves is perhaps overrated, and puts people off from trying. For me, I prefer the reassurance that this is hard, and the fact I am struggling is normal.
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| Beware of the Whale |
If you're not a perfectionist, then most people can construct sleeves - it's inherently pretty simple - but getting them to look couture is a right headache. Don't shy away from trying these projects if they are your grails, so long as you can compromise on having a perfect finish. I can't.
We have some advantages in some historic eras - 50s mens shirts were very billowy, for example, as were the Vikings, Georgians and Regency. That's counterbalanced by the fact we can't even look at the late Victorian womenswear, although even there it was customary for shirts to have more billow than they do now.
(I guess that, as clothes were historically more expensive, it was better to cut shirts large on the body so they would accommodate any changes of shape over time. It's only in the last few decades where throwing out clothes you grew out of and buying new became normal enough that slim fit shirts made sense. Plus, Victorian men and earlier would never remove their jacket in public: the shirt was never a design feature in its own right as it is now.)
- Bodices with sleeves
- Tailored shirts
- Suit jackets
- Coats (in professional tailoring, you can't even think about coats for your first three years. The more I work on the Whale, the more certain I am that they are right)
Well! I hope this is helpful to a novice or improving sewer, to help them pick projects at a skill level which will produce a satisfying challenge and nice finished piece.
Or, if you prefer to attempt something super tough before you are strictly "ready", then some reassurance that yes, you are playing on hard mode, and it's ok if you feel useless or like you're not getting anywhere. You are learning a lot. It's just a bigger challenge, and results will come more slowly. And maybe breaking it up with smaller projects will help you build techniques. As I said, I definitely support people starting with their grail projects - especially because the more sewing I do, the more I understand that "sewing shirts" might as well be a totally different skill than "sewing corsets" or "sewing modern skirts", and that there will always be a new learning curve.
Feedback? Thoughts? What would you add or move on the list?
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