My Top 10 You Tube Channels For Sewing Beginners

You may have picked up from previous posts, just how much social media in general and You Tube in particular,  has aided my progress; so I think it only right that I dedicate this post to those who have assisted me.

This is my list, however  if you have your own, do share and comment below!

1). Professor Pincushion Remember that school teacher who always had patience and took the time to explain things in great detail, or that relative, who just by their presence, made you feel everything would be OK? Alright maybe I''m laying it on a bit thick, but Professor Pincushion, in my opinion deserves the top spot as they have some of the most polite, calm, professional and patient presenters I am yet to find. No rushing ahead at 4x camera speed here; most tutorials are carefully planned and a great example can be seen HERE where they take you through the basics of  inserting an elastic waistband.


2) MeeshaTV This channel inclusion is tinged with sadness. I came across this lovely, enthusiastic young woman who seemed to have no fear in using her scissors in a freestyle way to create amazing designs. I love the way she abandons traditions and finds interesting ways to save time (one of my goals) whilst working without patterns. The sadness came after I realised that she had met an untimely death so my inclusion of  her channel is also a tribute as she continues to inspire and educate in spite of this. See this video HERE where she creates a dress using her inimitable style. 

3) The Little Tailoress This woman is a bundle of creativity and has a great style to boot. Her tutorial on creating bias binding was all I needed to get going and I have found her portfolio, featured on her blog , really inspirational.


4) Sew In Love Having watched her reversible shift dress tutorial I was so much more confident about the science behind sewing (or rather the mathematical principles) and her style and delivery are very clear and straight forward as depicted HERE.


5) Pinkchocolatebreak Occupies the 5th spot and is another, what I would term, freestyle sewer, in that she just uses her eyes to judge and then cuts. This tutorial HERE really made me think about not over thinking (ironic I know) and I set a goal to start using my own judgement when looking at patterns.

6) WithWendy As you know, this journey of mine started with a desire to clone a dress so this video made me know it was very possible!

7) Anita from Made To Sew is another presenter worthy of the plain English accolade and I found her tutorial on how to attach a V neck facing really easy to follow.

8) MyStylediaryy did a great video on key measurements in order to make a bodice block and whilst my intention was not to make the bodice, the process of how to  accurately measure myself was perfect and an ideal resource for every beginner.

9) FashionSewingBlogTV had some great  tutorials covering many areas you  typically encounter whilst working through patterns as well as some innovative ideas. I found their tutorial on how to make an off the shoulder top using a recycled shirt, particularly useful.

10) Last but most certainly not least, I found these 17 DIY and sewing Hacks/Tips from Nadira037 really useful - from quick ways to sharpen scissors to an innovative use of  hairspray, these tips not only saved me time but also money as she demonstrates how to utilize many household items you may already have.

Back To Burda.. Making A Short Flared Skirt With Pattern 6698

Have you ever revealed something and the minute the words leave your lips you're regretting it? Well this was how I felt when I mentioned to a relative that I had started sewing.

I should have been suspicious at her immediate enthusiasm and subsequent inquiries for me to show all I had made so far - to cut a long winded dance around short - I received my first sewing commission or favour request depending on your point of view.

The request was to make a short, flared skirt (below) and having grown so much since my first encounter with this brand I was only a little perturbed to discover that the style she liked was a Burda pattern.

Here's what I envisaged/hoped;
Sewing skirt seams together to create a full effect, creating a casing for elastic, threading through, sewing up the hems and job done. Now if you've read my previous post on " My Top 5 Sewing Mistakes", you'll know I'm no longer that naive, so I did triple the complexity and time estimates just in case- and just as well I did!

The first stumbling block came in understanding what Burda meant by "cutting from a double layer of fabric".

There was no diagram so I spent time trying to work out what this would look like and why you needed to do it. 10 minutes later and it was clear (if only they included videos with patterns).

For any one else stuck at this point, you can see below that you need to have a fold on both the left and right sides, with the selvedge ends joining in the centre.

There were quite a few markings to transfer (more than I'd hoped) and each needed to be hand basted, but once done, sewing the seams together was straight forward. I cannot help but wonder why thereafter I had to pin the elastic evenly around the skirt whilst stretching it out and often jettisoning pins all over the room.

I understand the desire for even distribution of elastic, but having finished the skirt (I know I'm jumping ahead a little) I can't help but wonder would the finished article be that different if I had created a casing and simply threaded through elastic?

I think this is my creative spirit coming through as I genuinely want to see if things can be done quicker or just differently- all positive signs that I'm enjoying this journey....anyway back to the skirt..

I was pleased that this skirt introduced me to bias binding, something I had heard about but was yet to create or use.

I got to use my latest addition, to an ever expanding range of kit (worthy of a separate blog post for sure) none other than the #patternmaster which helped me to find the bias line on the fabric (45 degrees) and cut a strip which was to be used as the upper skirt edge a Burda describes it.
As the bias strip needed to be 4cm wide, it could not fit into my bias tape makers (more kit) so I had to iron flaps down on both sides, taking care to keep them even.

Applying the bias strip was surprisingly straight forward and thereafter the elastic was pinned in line with the markings, sewn, then hemmed. I also used my new pinking shears to trim all the seam allowances, negating the need for zig zag stitch and saving time, hurray!

The recipient was very pleased, so much so that I fear more demands, sorry I meant requests, are on the horizon and you can see the finished article below;

If I were doing this project again I would....

1) Use small safety pins to mark points instead of basting by hand
2) Create a casing and thread through the elastic to compare finished looks.

If you've enjoyed this, or any of my posts, you are always welcome to comment, share or subscribe. Thanks for reading and have a great day.