New sewing machine- what next?

[useitorlose]

I've just bought a reasonably basic but perfectly adequate sewing machine. I last had one 8 years ago but sold it when we emigrated. I haven't done any dressmaking since my early 20s although I made a few costumes for nativity etc. around 20 years ago. Mainly I'll be making alterations as I'm not tall and dresses and trousers are almost always too long - I realised that for the price of ten alterations I could buy my own machine!

I'd love to get some simple patterns and fabrics though and get started again. I'll be in the UK again in August and can order some online to bring back with me. The days of Debenhams haberdashery dept are long gone! What sites do you recommend? Thanks.

How much is a sewing machine? Is it easy to make curtains and cushion covers? I'd love to be able to use one. Is it easy to get started?

For cheap good quality fabric I use Pound Fabrics - they are based online.
For ideas I would look on YouTube - there are thousands of really good tutorials on every aspect of dress making
If you're in the UK at the beginning of August I can highly recommend The Festival Of Quilts at the NEC in Birmingham. All the top sewing and quilting companies have stalls there. It's not just for quilters - there's also lots for dressmakers too.

Guthrie&ghani is my fav for fabrics - not the cheapest, but really good value for money and everything has been excellent quality. They also do kits that include pattern, everything you need to make, as well as some additional tutorial video content which can be quite useful for a new / less confident maker.

I’ve ordered from Minerva and quality has been a bit variable with fabrics, but good for all the other bits and bobs as they stock just about everything

most of my patterns are pdfs bought online. There a massive amount of content out there, including lots of free stuff. ‘Sozowhatdoyouknow’ has a blog where she highlights and reviews free patterns and might give you some inspiration.

@ZenNudist Mine is a Brother JC14. As I said, I'm not in the UK (and VAT is only 5% here) but it cost the equivalent of around £85.

You can get a good quality basic machine for less than £100 in the UK. Using them isn’t difficult, but just like any new skill there will be a bit of a learning curve. You could learn everything you need to know on YouTube video tutorials, but craft studios or fabric stores frequently offer intro courses where over a day or a weekend they teach you all the basics and give you hands on support, which can really reduce some of the initial frustration and build your confidence.

I love Merchant and Mills, their fabrics are gorgeous and I personally like their patterns. Tilly and the buttons are nice too. Extremely simple and what go me started were patterns from The Owl and the Sewing Cat.

enjoy!

Masons of Abingdon are worth a visit if you're not too far away. There are three shops, all with a visit. https://www.masonsfabric.com/blank-page-3

Northern Monkey Makes are good for all sorts of fabrics, ok price wise and quality is consistent.
One of the things that I use is stretch thread, Maraflex by Gutterman or Seraflex by Mettler. If you are sewing stretch fabrics, you can use straight stitch as the thread will stretch rather than 'pop' like traditional thread, no more triple or lightning stitch needed. You can get it on cones, I get mine here: https://www.misanstore.co.uk/all-products/haberdashery/thread (prices are all ex VAT). Lots of other goodies here too. They have a store in London too.

Also, Liberty.