I'm sure it's quite obvious that I have been delving deeper into the world of sewing, but I struggled for years as my skills creeped along not wanting to gain any traction. My first big breakthrough was realizing that I needed to research how to use my sewing machine. I thought that sewing was simply a matter of getting a sewing machine. Boom. That was it. I kept buying patterns and attempting to attach fabrics together and for years I couldn't figure out why it wasn't working.
Now I realize plopping myself down in the middle of things like that meant I had several gaps in my knowledge. It was always a mess because I was using the wrong needles or using needles that were way too dull. I know now that each fabric is unique and takes a slightly different skill set to work with successfully. But even with that knowledge I struggled and still did more fighting with my sewing machine than actual sewing.
The real game changer happened when my sewing machine died. Croaked. Keeled over. Left this world for a better one. I did some research to find the best value and got myself a brand new, shining pet and oh, my. Sewing was suddenly easy! Actually enjoyable! I had nothing holding me back anymore and took full advantage.
I have spent the last few months actually concentrating on understanding construction and building a repertoire of go-to patterns. I love it!
I had made a gathered skirt before, but I accidentally stumbled on this video tutorial and found myself engrossed. I watched the entire thing absorbing new knowledge and decided to ditch all prior experience and start fresh. I made three whole skirts the next day and never have I sewn anything I was more proud of. Never had a project gone so well. I only wish there were a thousand more of these videos!
If you are a beginner sewer, I highly recommend trying that tutorial over any others.
