Self-Taught Sewing: 12 Essential Skills for Beginners

You're eager to learn how to sew, but the cost of enrolling in a sewing or fashion school is out of reach. Determined to teach yourself, you turn to Google, TikTok, and YouTube, but quickly find yourself lost in a sea of sewing tutorials. You type in "sewing lessons for beginners" and are bombarded with countless videos on different topics.

Despite watching some of them, you’re still unsure which skills are best for a beginner to start with. Overwhelmed and confused, you feel discouraged and ready to give up. But before you do, let me share something with you.

In 2023, I embarked on my own self-taught sewing journey. I did not have to invest in a sewing machine because my husband already had a very good sewing machine, Singer Heavy Duty 4423 sewing machine so I just jumped on to it. Along the way, I picked up some skills from my mother-in-law and completed a 16-hour instructor-led course in my neighbourhood, which I’m grateful for. But the majority of the basic sewing skills I acquired were self-taught.

Within 10 months, I made over 30 women’s garments, five men’s shirts, five throw pillows, many alterations—including a wedding gown—and various small accessories like tote bags, drawstring bags, head ties, and scrunchies without patterns. You can check out some of these projects on my Instagram and TikTok.

I’m not sharing this to intimidate you, but rather to inspire you and show that it’s possible to teach yourself the fundamental skills needed to create a variety of clothing and accessories, bringing you immense satisfaction.

To help you get started, I’ve compiled a list of 12 fundamental skills that were crucial when I began teaching myself how to sew. I've put this together as a roadmap to guide you as you set off on your learning journey.

1. Know Your Sewing Machine: Familiarise yourself with the basic parts of your sewing machine and learn how to properly thread it. Every machine operates differently, so consult your machine’s manual for guidance.

2. Sewing Straight Lines: Practise sewing straight lines to get comfortable with your machine’s basic operation. It might feel slow at first, but with practice, you’ll gain speed and confidence. A tip: draw a straight line on your fabric and focus on keeping the fabric aligned, rather than watching the needle. I recommend practicing on a plain and less expensive fabric such as muslin so that you can clearly see your lines and stitches and spot your mistakes.

3. Hand Stitches: Learn basic hand stitches like the running stitch, backstitch, and slip stitch. These are invaluable for small repairs, hems, and detailed work that a machine may not handle well.

4. Seam Allowance: Understand what a seam allowance is and how to measure and sew accurately. This is key to making garments that fit well.

5. Cutting Fabric: Master the art of cutting fabric using fabric scissors or a rotary cutter and mat. Accurate cutting is crucial for a successful project.

6. Pinning and Tacking: Get comfortable with pinning fabric pieces together and using tacking stitches (temporary stitches) before sewing permanently. This will help you avoid mistakes.

7. Pressing and Ironing: Learn when and how to press your fabric and seams with an iron. Proper pressing gives your projects a polished, professional finish.

8. Finishing Seams: Explore techniques for finishing raw edges, such as zigzag stitching or using pinking shears, to prevent fraying and give your projects a clean look.

9. Hemming: Practise hemming garments and other projects to give them a neat, finished edge. This is a skill you’ll use often.

10. Sewing Zippers and Buttons: Learn how to sew zippers and attach buttons, as these are common closures in many sewing projects.

11. Fabric Selection: Understand different types of fabrics and their properties. Knowing how to choose the right fabric for your projects is crucial to their success.

12. Reading Patterns: Get familiar with reading and understanding basic sewing patterns, including pattern markings and symbols. As you advance, you’ll be able to tackle more complex patterns.

Did I say 12 skills? Well, I have a bonus tip for you.

13. Troubleshooting: Develop the ability to troubleshoot common sewing machine issues and perform basic maintenance, like fixing a broken needle or adjusting thread tension.

Now that you know which topics to search for as you learn, are you still thinking of giving up? Hopefully not! Start with these fundamental skills, and as you build your confidence, you can explore more advanced techniques and projects. Remember, practice and patience are the keys to improving your sewing skills.

This guide helped me greatly , and I hope it does the same for you!

I'm so excited to share my favorite sewing tools and products with you! And yes, some of the links in this post are Amazon affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission when you click one of these links and buy something. But this doesn't cost you anything extra! Also note that I only recommend products I have already tried or I'd actually use myself.