Welcome to Sewing 101! And the first question is…what kind of sewing do you want to do? I’m not talking about techniques, just literally what kind of stuff do you want to make? You’re not sure? That’s totally ok, let’s talk about that!
Sewing Clothing
This is the type of sewing most people picture when they talk about sewing. Making clothes fore themselves or others. You can use patterns, you can drape it right on a dress form, you can make it up out of thin air, however works best for you. But ultimately, the goal is to make something that you (or someone else) loves to wear as a part of their wardrobe.
Sewing Costumes
This is probably the second most common type of sewing pictured. Fancy costumes, superhero outfits, elaborate historical recreations, and more. I feel like this one is the gateway drug – you start out by making a simple Halloween costume for a party, and then suddenly you are researching the best way to do tambour embroidery for a screen accurate costume from Game of Thrones.
Quilting
Quilting involves cutting fabric into smaller pieces, of various sizes and shapes, and then sewing them back together to create a blanket. That blanket, called a quilt top, is then placed on top of batting and a backing and sewn together in a pretty design to make sure it all stays together. They make great bed warmers and can be made in all different designs and colors.
There are other types of sewing, such as upholstery sewing to recover a chair or couch, or leather sewing/working. We aren’t going to touch on those here at the moment, as they are more specialized, and may require special tools to accomplish. The ones I have listed are what I think are the most common types of sewing, although each has offshoots as well.
With all that in mind, let’s go back to the original question. What kind of sewing do you want to do? Let me know in the comments!