Sewing is undoubtedly not only one of the best hobbies anyone could pick up but also one of the most practical skills to have, as well. And, as you’ll find after a simple Internet search, it’s very easy to learn it on your own! In fact, we’ve found many sources online that offer courses free of charge or for a fee. So that’s what we’ll be discussing today.
Once you know how to sew, you’ll be surprised how many times you’ll see a cute dress in a store and think to yourself: “I could do that!” Aside from that feeling of accomplishment, you’ll soon find that there are many other benefits to being your own seamstress. We believe that everyone can learn to sew with only a bit of instruction, if only they know where to find it.
As we’ve previously mentioned, it’s quite possible to learn to sew online. Why, plenty of sites, including WikiHow, have visual tutorials that can help you go from threading the needle to finishing your first piece. Clearly, being able to pick up almost every skill online is one of the best things about the Internet! If you have an old sewing machine you want to learn how to use, you only need to type the name of the model into the search bar and something should come up.
Even hand sewing is easier to master than ever. There’s certainly no need to reach for the Hand Sewing for Dummies manual here. Whether you want to know how to patch a hole on your favorite pair of leggings or make an elaborate dress for a party, you can start by immersing yourself into the world of online sewing tutorials.
Although most of the sewing tutorials online are completely free to use, some sewing courses do require a fee. For example, sites like Skillshare or Udemy can be great ways to learn how to use a sewing machine. They also offer all sorts of specialized tutorials, such as how to sew specific items like shirts, pillows, and bags.
If you decide to learn about sewing over one of the many skill-sharing sites online, you’ll begin by registering. Usually, registration requires an email, or a Facebook or Google account. And, of course, you will need to provide credit card or Paypal information.
Although the courses on skill-sharing sites are usually paid ones, they often offer money-back guarantees. Udemy courses do have a 30-day money-back guarantee, so students are able to drop a class if it’s not working for them and try another one. Udemy courses are also fairly cheap at $20 — $30 per course. Better still, they’ve been known to go on sale for $13.
Most of the paid tutorials will teach you how to understand traditional, vintage, and modern PDF sewing patterns. Online sewing courses certainly serve as great introductions to the whole world of online sewing. So the course should point students toward sewing pattern libraries and sewing forums online.
One of the best things about online sewing classes is that students are able to access their courses on all of their devices. The course teacher often provides a video for students to follow as well as some additional teaching resources like articles and downloadable materials. Courses may have requirements like homework that your teacher might even grade. Moreover, once you finish a class, you could even get a certificate proving that you’ve mastered the skill!
However, it’s not all roses from there. You should know that you’ll have to pay for most sewing patterns you find online. One of the most famous sewing pattern magazines, Burda, sells them on their site for $6 per pattern. But you’ll also be able to try your hand at making original patterns as well. Just make sure that you’ve made a few pattern pieces and have a good grip on all of the basics, first.
If we had to pronounce the single best place to learn how to sew online, we’d say that YouTube is a great classroom in its own right. A single search will reveal hundreds of mentors, while a Udemy course would confine you to one or two. However, while a good sewing course would provide you with all of the necessary knowledge in one place, you may have to dig a little deeper on YouTube.
Paid online courses typically consist of dozens of 5 to 10-minute video clips that teach you about various sewing techniques. On YouTube, you might have to do some of that grunt work yourself. Although, many good people have made public playlists of their favorite sewing tutorials for beginners, as well.
Actually, we suggest doing the same. Once you start researching sewing, make notes of the threading and stitching techniques you’d like to learn. Also, write down some clothing pieces you want to try to make. Then, search for each of the items on YouTube, adding them to your own playlists. You can make the playlists private, unlisted, or public, so future hopefuls can look through your very own curated sewing course.
However, there is one catch to most of the sewing tutorials we’ve come across. Unless you’re planning to do all of your sewing by hand, you should get your hands on a sewing machine. Fortunately, those are actually easier to find than you’d think. We have a list of the best sewing machine for beginners if you need some help choosing one. Even a second-hand machine will do the trick if you get the “okay” to use it from a mechanic. You can also rent a sewing machine.
Hopefully, we’ve managed to shed some light on the kind of experience you can have learning to sew online. If you’ve found better ways to learn, we hope you’ll talk about your experience in the comments below! And, if you know someone else who would benefit from learning to sew, why not send them this article? The sewing community online is all about sharing — and we’re always taking in new members.