These are the ten tips I give every beginner dressmaker. None of them are hard, but together they’re the difference between clothes that look homemade and clothes that look like you bought them.
1. Invest in quality thread
If you’re going to spend your time making clothes, stitch them together with good thread. Cheap thread snaps and tangles. See which needles and threads to use.
2. Keep your iron out
When you’re dressmaking, you should be ironing all the time: seams, facings, hems and more. Keep your iron set up and ready next to you. Here’s when to iron when sewing.
3. Use interfacing
Interface the parts of a garment that need support, such as the neckline, cuffs and collars. See how to iron on interfacing.
4. Iron seams flat
Every time you stitch a seam, iron it open and flat before you join it to anything else. Your garment will go together more easily and look much neater.
5. Match seams first
When you’re joining two pieces that both have seams on them, such as the waist of a dress, match the seams first and pin them together. Then pin the rest of the edge.
6. Pin from the middle
When you pin two pieces of fabric together, such as the side of a skirt, start in the middle and work your way out towards each end. Any extra fabric is shared evenly, instead of ending up at one end.
7. Match the middle notches
Look out for notches in the middle of a piece, like on the neckline of a dress and its facing. Match those first, then pin outwards from them. Here’s more on what notches are.
8. Ease a slightly shorter piece
If you’ve pinned two pieces together and one is a little too short, gently stretch the shorter piece as you pin and stitch, so they meet at the end. This only works on fabric that isn’t stretchy.
9. Measure the hem from the waist down
When you’re changing the length of a skirt, dress or trousers, always measure down from the waist. Mark the length all the way round the hem before you cut, and it will be straight. See how to shorten a hem.
10. Top-stitch the neck facing
To stop a neck facing moving around and peeping out while you wear your dress, top-stitch it in place.
Ready for your first garment? Start with how to measure for dressmaking and how to cut fabric using a pattern, then read sewing clothes for beginners. You’ll find more in all my sewing tips.
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