Beginner sewing

[fantasticfringe]

Hi my DS has always tried to 'make' new clothes for his toys.
He has now been given a basic sewing machine, and he is keen to run stuff through it.

I want to help him with it but I don't know where to start. He has v basic hand sewing ability (making stuff with wool and holes) and needs to be introduced to the planning part of machine sewing.

The trouble is I am ok at basic sewing and using sewing machine for making curtains but have not used patterns (and while I can kind of make stuff I don't enjoy it and my lines are all wonky) it is not something I am naturally good at.

Many clothes I try to make with him for toys end up not fitting...

Are there any books or resources anyone can suggest please - because he has v low self esteem it would be great to give him some easy wins.

Or any suggestions as to how I can approach this please?

Thank you for reading
FF

Lots of really fun sewing classes for kids and teens. Google in your area, going will give him ideas of things to do at home and he may meet new people and build confidence.

Hi, I also went to a class
I also have v low self esteem and don’t like being out of my comfort zone but found that someone showing me what to do is much better than learning from a book/youtube

If you're in east London or Essex, I can recommend cheekyhandmades

She runs classes for adults and children and also has a brilliant book which is great for beginners

Thanks everyone, we are West Yorkshire so going to have a good look around. It genuinely didn't occur to me to get him to a class and he is dead excited by the idea. Thank you again :)

There are also sewing magazines you can subscribe to. Prima, Love Sewing, Simply Sewing to name a few. They'll teach sewing basics to intermediate level. They all have websites and Love Sewing and simply sewing both have download free patterns. The toy patterns are simple enough that you should be able to piece it together. Mood Fabrics website has free himself clothes tutorials online, so you can learn basic garment construction that way. Then you can Google any questions but my preference is to YouTube search it. "How to sew "

Other than that, change your sewing needles every 8 hours to keep them sharp. If your thread is doing wonky things (like bunching up underneath, skipping stitches, too tight too loose) first try rethreading, then try a fresh bobbin as sometimes a loose wind of bobbin thread can cause tension issues. After that, Google question.

With fabric, woven fabric like cotton is considered easiest for beginners to use because it doesn't squirrel around on the machine. You'll have to use darts and adjusting the seams to make a proper fit. Because stiff fabrics aren't as forgiving on the fit.

With stretchy fabric (knitted or jersey) you'll want to use a ballpoint needle so as to not cut the fabric as you sew. (Opposite from sewing woven fabric where that's not a concern) do not stretch the fabric, let it be loose. You can stabilize it by hand basting or using a ton of pins. In my opinion jersey is worth it for covering things with contours out where there's large size differences (think hourglass or bottle shapes).

I'm sure Amazon has a lot of basic sewing books, but I haven't read any to recommend. I'm self taught through following patterns with instructions and just reading a lot.

Thank you Cookie that is really kind, I haven't heard back about lessons yet from anyone I've contacted so this gives us something to go on, off to Google today :)
Ff