--- title: Sewing description: Sewing is the craft of fastening or attaching objects using stitches made with a needle and thread. Learners will understand fabric selection, pattern reading, machine operation, and garment construction techniques to create, alter, and repair textile items. category: trades-crafts subcategory: textiles-and-sewing difficulty: beginner, intermediate, advanced url: /subject/sewing --- # Sewing Sewing is the craft of fastening or attaching objects using stitches made with a needle and thread. Learners will understand fabric selection, pattern reading, machine operation, and garment construction techniques to create, alter, and repair textile items. ## Where to start Start with Professor Pincushion, a free YouTube channel of step-by-step tutorials for people who have never used a sewing machine, from threading to seams, hems and zips. If you only use one resource, make it The Sewing Book by Alison Smith, a DK photographic reference to garment construction, from seams and darts to collars and linings. For fitting and tailoring, move on to Made to Sew. ## Available Resources 2 Books • 7 Websites ## Websites ### 1. SewCanShe Caroline Fairbanks-Critchfield's blog publishes a free sewing pattern most weeks, mostly quilts, bags, and simple garments, each with step-by-step photo instructions and cutting charts a newcomer can follow without buying a printed pattern. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://sewcanshe.com/ **Tags:** free-patterns, beginner-sewing, quilting, bag-making, tutorials ### 2. PatternReview.com A member-written database of reviews covering commercial and indie sewing patterns, machines, and books, plus active forums. Useful for checking fit, sizing accuracy, and construction pitfalls of a specific pattern before you cut fabric. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://sewing.patternreview.com/ **Tags:** pattern-reviews, sewing-community, garment-fit, commercial-patterns, forums ### 3. r/sewing Wiki The subreddit's community-maintained index: machine buying advice, starter tool lists, recommended books and free tutorials, fabric glossaries, and answers to the questions asked most often. A useful map of what to acquire and read first. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://www.reddit.com/r/sewing/wiki/index **Tags:** sewing-basics, machine-buying, tool-guide, community-wiki, getting-started ### 4. burdastyle.com BurdaStyle is a sewing-focused site offering downloadable patterns and sewing tutorials. It also features project inspiration and a community where makers share tips, patterns, and finished looks. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://burdastyle.com **Tags:** websites, trades-crafts, textile-sewing ### 5. tillyandthebuttons.com Tilly and the Buttons is a sewing blog and pattern company offering beginner-friendly sewing patterns, tutorials, and project guides with practical tips to help you learn and improve your sewing skills. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://tillyandthebuttons.com **Tags:** websites, arts-design, creative-arts ### 6. coletterie.com Coletterie is a sewing-focused resource from Colette Patterns offering beginner-friendly tutorials, technique guides, and step-by-step garment projects to help you learn sewing basics and patternmaking. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://www.seamwork.com/articles **Tags:** websites, trades-crafts, textile-sewing ### 7. sewing.org The Sewing and Craft Alliance's educational site, offering free downloadable technique guidelines, project patterns sorted by category, and a directory for finding sewing teachers. Aimed at sewists who want written reference material and practice projects rather than video instruction. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://sewing.org **Tags:** websites, arts-design, creative-arts ## Youtubes ### 1. Professor Pincushion Step-by-step video tutorials aimed at people who have never used a sewing machine, moving from threading, seams, hems and zippers into full garment and accessory projects. Each lesson isolates one technique, so patterns and finishing methods become usable without prior training. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://youtube.com/@professorpincushion **Tags:** sewing-tutorials, garment-sewing, sewing-machine, beginner-sewing, alterations ### 2. Made to Sew Dressmaking and tailoring tutorials from a London College of Fashion trained sewist, covering construction, fitting adjustments, couture-style finishes and fabric handling. Episodes range from first machine projects to tailored coats, showing the methods professional studios use on garments. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://youtube.com/@madetosew **Tags:** pattern-making, garment-construction, tailoring, sewing-tutorials, fabric ### 3. Sewing Report A sewing channel run by a former television journalist, mixing beginner project tutorials with machine and notion reviews, quilting, embroidery and monogramming. Useful for deciding what equipment to buy and for seeing techniques demonstrated before committing fabric to them. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://youtube.com/@sewingreport **Tags:** sewing-machine-reviews, sewing-news, beginner-sewing, fabric, tutorials ## Podcasts ### 1. Sewing Out Loud **Author:** Zede's Sewing Studio A podcast from the two instructors behind SewHere.com, answering listener questions on machine mechanics and technique: presser foot pressure, throat plates, overcasting stitches, sticky fabrics and fit problems. Episodes explain why a machine behaves as it does rather than walking through projects. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** en-US | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://redcircle.com/shows/sewing-out-loud **Tags:** sewing-podcast, garment-fit, sewing-techniques, pattern-alteration, sewing-tools ### 2. Love to Sew **Author:** Caroline Somos & Helen Wilkinson : Sewing Enthusiasts and Entrepreneurs Helen Wilkinson and Caroline Somos host Love to Sew, a fun weekly podcast about making clothes, sewing community, and small business. They talk about their passion for sewing a handmade wardrobe and their daily lives as creative entrepreneurs. Listen to interviews with indie business owners and inspiring sewists who totally understand your obsession with sewing. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** en | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://lovetosewpodcast.com/ **Tags:** sewing-podcast, handmade-wardrobe, indie-patterns, sewing-community, interviews ## Books ### 1. The Sewing Book **Author:** Alison Smith A DK photographic reference to garment construction: choosing tools and fabric, then seams, darts, zips, buttonholes, pockets, collars, sleeves, and linings, each broken into captioned steps you can follow mid-project. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/1405312955?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** books, arts-design, creative-arts ### 2. Sewing for Dummies **Author:** Jan Saunders Maresh Third edition of the Wiley beginner's guide: setting up and troubleshooting a machine, reading pattern envelopes, fabric and notion selection, basic seams and hems, plus small projects and a chapter on common mistakes. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0470623209?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** books, arts-design, creative-arts --- *This content is part of Dantes.io - Your Treasure Map to Knowledge* *Curated by humans at Dantes.io. Personal study use welcome; republishing this curation requires permission (team@dantes.io).* View this page online: https://dantes.io/subject/sewing