Sewing machine fear

[RavenclawesomeCrone]

I've just bought a sewing machine for my birthday. I was so excited and now I am daunted by it.
I've read the instructions on how to thread it and I just can't figure it out.

I'm a fairly experienced hand sewer but now I feel so stupid.

Please can someone reassure me that I will get the hang of it.

YouTube is your friend OP. I was terrified of mine for ages and now I am getting pretty good at making clothes. Good luck!

You Tube is definitely your friend.

Do you have a local fabric shop? Check to see if they do basic machine lessons.

What machine do you have?

Show us a photo of your machine.

Option A- go to a specialist sewing store
Option B- ask a friend who sews for assistance
Option C- research and learn yourself
Option D- wait until July and see if Facebook groups can help you

If you bought it from a dealer they should show you how to operate and maintain the machine. Otherwise there is loads of info on YouTube. What sort did you get?

How exciting op! Y I second the suggestions here; YouTube and local shop. I googled and found a local woman who came to my house for an hour and showed me how to use my machine. She left me feeling really confident. I can't recall how much it cost but it was worth every penny.

I think we made a pillow case together if I'm remembering correctly.

There are literally hundreds of you tube videos that will help!
I get my kids to practice sewing across pieces of paper to get them going.
Then simple projects with straight lines to start!
You just have to go for it.
Does it have speed settings? If so, use them!

I needed a 2 hour in-person lesson to get hang of mine (very basic Janome). I just am not practical like that. Thanks to Friend who showed me how.

Youtube would not have done it for me.

I still have a phobia about needles breaking, had a spate of breakages problem but fixed after servicing (phew)

iirc, I needed 2 hours to even get a straight stitch out of it.

Thanks for all your advice, I am setting aside a day next week to look at You Tube and try to at least thread it and sew a straight line!

It's a Brother.

I bought it online. I'll look into local lessons once restrictions ease.

I have a Brother, which do you have?

You can practise sewing straight lines (and curves and whatever you will) without threading it by using paper, so you could get going with that before you settle down to threading it.

I think Hobbycraft used to do lessons, might not be on at the moment though.

@EBearhug

You can practise sewing straight lines (and curves and whatever you will) without threading it by using paper, so you could get going with that before you settle down to threading it.

This is a good idea. Draw lines on paper and follow them. Start off slow and as you get more confident you can get faster. Make sure you change your needle out when you start sewing properly.

Mrs L at school would approve. But yes, it will blunt your needle more quickly (like you shouldn't use fabric scissors on anything else, on pain of death.)

I really recommend Tilly and the Buttons. I did one of her online courses when I bought my overlocker and I’m pretty sure she has one for sewing machines, called ‘Make friends with your sewing machine’ or something like that. Well worth the money!

Lots of YouTube videos on threading, try sew essentials or sew over it or Tilly . There are lots of others .

@RavenclawesomeCrone, how are you getting on?

Reading with interest. I've a Brother 3600 and managed to thread it and sew some lines but now want a project!! I want to make outdoor cushions for my sofas - the ones it came with are too thin but also fancy a dress or skirt too! Daunted by where to even start though ...

Thanks for asking!
I did manage to thread it and can do straight lines.
I've bought some fabric to make a beach bag as my first project, but I'm so busy at work this week I won't have a chance to have another go until the weekend.
I feel there is just so much to learn though.
Just one project at a time I suppose.

I look at all the stiches my machine can d and it is just mind boggling.
I'd like to learn how to do buttonholes, but that seems to involve a very complicated foot change, which is beyond me as yet.

I just bought a second hand Brother just this week from a colleague who kindly took an hour to show me how to use it as I would have taken one look at all the bells and whistles and quietly consigned it to the cupboard under the stairs

If you can I would definitely invest in a one to one "lesson" - that hour was invaluable to me and now I'm raring to go!

I taught my sister in law in about 20 min and now she loves sewing

I’m a textiles teacher to a level and make most of my clothes, and I still don’t know what all the different stitches are for! Straight stitch and zigzag will see you right for most things, and when you need buttonholes just YouTube and loads of scrap fabric (I still have to watch a tutorial every time I make a garment with buttonholes).

Once you’ve made a few things you’ll be unstoppable. Decent machine and hand skills together are a superpower.