5 Common Sewing Mistakes That Will Spoil Your Project (and Drive You Nuts!)
Here are 5 sewing mistakes you’ll want to avoid. If you follow these 5 tried and tested tips then not only will you save time and money, you’ll finish your sewing project with ease.
1
Not Pressing Seams as You Sew.
Seriously the quality of your sewing will triple as soon as you get into the habit of setting up an ironing board and pressing seams as you go.
You will also notice errors, bad stitches or wrong thread tension quickly.
Press each seam open after joining and do think about finishing seams neatly on the inside of your garment.
2
Choosing Wrong Fabric for a Project
Choosing the wrong fabric for a project or worse using a really cheap quality fabric because it was a bargain… we have all done it. But it can really cause you problems.
Learn to avoid low-quality fabrics & you will be happier!
Think of texture, weight, weave (loose, tight, knit etc), pattern direction/pattern size, washability and if it is natural or synthetic.
Remember plain fabrics show up sewing imperfections that a pattern may hide.
3
Blaming the Sewing Pattern for not fitting perfectly
Sewing Patterns cannot ever be made to fit everyone. They are a starting point and more often than not will need some fitting adjustment.
Think of them as basic templates and not custom made for your body.
Printing errors can and do exist but most published patterns are tried and tested. To blame a pattern for your mistakes is a common mistake.
If you are inexperienced don’t be tempted to skip ANY steps in the instructions. Always try to stay calm when a problem arises. Take a break and reach out for advice if something is new or hard to understand.
4
Trying To Make Something Really Complicated
Trying to make something more complicated than you have the experience to tackle can cause a lot of frustration…
Now I am all in favour of trying, I love to dive in at the deep end BUT don’t expect perfection the first time.
Patience and take it slow is the way. Read and re-read the instructions and watch tutorial videos.
More importantly, practice every step, more than once, on scrap fabric, then move on to the real thing.
5
Underestimating How Long Something Will Take To Finish
Underestimating the time to completion, whilst also not planning beforehand. There is an excellent French saying “A work well prepared is a work half-finished”.
Avoid starting when you don’t have everything on hand needed to finish the planned task. It always leads to feeling frustrated and clock watching. Rushing to finish leads to a lovely bunch of messy mistakes, eventually abandoning ship, feeling a bit useless and in need of a stiff drink.
Most sewers have done this at least once, it’s all part of improving, but if you do it a lot then time to plan more before you pick up the scissors!
