Sewing Alchemy: Essential Skills & Techniques For Your First Day.

1. Introduction: Learning to sew is empowering and liberating. Each sewing project leaves you with a feeling of being content and totally present in the mom. Sewing is also a wonderful way of self expression and individual. Imagine tweaking that favorite dress until it fits you just right, like a warm heart. Sewing isn't just about thread and means. It is mindfulness practice. When you focus on those tines stitches, the world faith survey. It's like meditation with the side of creativity. Hello, I'm Claudia. I'm a designer and a sewing enthusiast. I've been learning to sew since I was 9-years-old. I was introduced to this amazing craft by my mother, who is a professional seamstress. Ever since then, I have been in love with making accessories and custom dresses. Welcome to my class where I introduce the ABCs of sewing. If you're dreaming of yourself sewing, But don't know where to start. Then this class is for you. I take you through all the essentials starting from setting a needle. At the end of the class, you will have the confidence to handle basic sewing projects, such as realations, or making simple items, such as pillow covers and Mpkins. Sewing gives you the satisfaction of making things my own hands. It's like a warm cup of t after a long day. The hum of Sewing Mission, the joy of completing a project, it's pure magic. Come on. Let's begin this exciting journey together. 2. Class Project: Sewing is a practical skill. The more sewing projects you try, the better you get with time. I have come up with a simple class project, so you can learn practical. This class covers basic sewing techniques. That can be used in a variety of projects. Your class project is to make any simple sewing project, such as a dress alteration, making a napkin or any other project that you prefer using the techniques learned in this class. Please suload a picture of your project in the Skillshare project section. So I can give my feedback. And the community can get inspired by your work. I would love to see what you create to this class. Let's begin. 3. Why Should You Learn to Sew: Here, there, fellow fabric enthusiast. Welcome to our sewing journal. Today, we are diving into the magical world of stitches, buttons, and creativity. In this lesson, let's see why learning sewing is like adding litter to our life. Picture this. Your favorite dress meets a little twe Ty its too or to sn. Learning sewing gives you the power to alter and customize your clothes. So you can say goodbye to ill fitting outfits. Now, let's talk about self expression and individuality. Your sewing machine becomes your paintbrush and your fabric? Is your canvas. This is great for handmade gifts. Nothing says I care, like a scar. You stitch with love. Your loved ones will cherish them forever. Like I have made a stuffed toy using my hand sewing techniques for my furry friend Bio. The fact that he loves to play with the boy, I had made gives me a feeling of happiness that is hard to describe in playing words. Sewing has a dozen other benefits, like being eco friendly and affordable. Besides, sewing is a super enjoyable hobby. All right. In the next lesson, let's discuss the tools we need to get started. 4. Essential Tools to Start Sewing: When diving into the world of sewing, we will focus on the absolute must haves. The tools. That will kick start your sewing journey without overwhelming you. Ready, let's get started. Cutting tools. Let's start with the cuttings. This is the most popular type of shear used for cutting large pieces of fabric. The length of the blade can vary 8-12 ". Next, we have the snips, a small spring loaded tool that easily cuts the ends of the thread. It is very useful handy tool. That can make precise cuts. Although it can cut, it's only recommended for cutting threads and not fabrics. Next, we have the taking sheds. Similar in the size to the cutting sheds, but with a blade that cuts with a zig zac pattern. This is very useful for neatening seams and decorative edges. Next, we have the seam ripper, a sharp pointed hook to slide under a stitch with a small cutting blade at the base cut the thread. Next, we have the rotatory cutter. This tool is available with different sizes of retrib blades. They are invaluable for cutting. Multiple straight edges. However, this must always be used with a cutting mat underneath to protect the surface underneath. Cutting mat is one of the most important cuttings available. This is a self haling mat. Next, we have the paper cutting scissors. Use these to cut around patting pieces thin paper. Always use separate scissors for cutting paper. Be cutting paper will dull the blades of fabric shares. With this, we conclude the basic cutting tools. Let's look at the next set of tools. Measuring and marking tools. First, let's begin with the measuring tape. This is available in different colors and widths. I recommend going for a width of 1.5 centimeter as this is the width of standard seam elements. This will prove to be useful along so in journey. Next, we have the rule. On many occasions, a ruler comes in hand. The longer, the size, the better. So you can measure large pieces of fabric. Next, we have the set squares. Set squares are used for draping. It is used as a guy when drawing geometric shapes such as squares and rectangles. These nifty tools are like the secret source for creating toad backs and cushions. It's your trusty guy to geometric glo. Without it, your squares might end up looking more like parle grams. Grab your set squares to make some geometric git. Next, we have the Es chop. This is also known as the French stock. This chalk Zs to mark, and as of from the Next, we have the fabric chalk pencil. This is also a marking available in different colors. Is easy to use in great for recise markings. With this, we conclude the basic measuring and marking tools. Let's see the next set of tools. Needles, pins, and clips. Pins are used to hold fabrics together before sewing. A good collection of needles are required to tackle any kind of hand sewing project. Wire needle threader is a handy gadget that is very useful in threading the needles PC. Fabric clips are helpful in holding fabrics together temporary threads. A high quality pollster thread is suitable to sew all types of fabrics, garments, and soft furnishings. It is the most popular type of thread. Embry threads are often made with the ration to make them shrink. They are suitable for creative stitches. Resting tools. In sewing, ssing is a very important step. A well pressed fabric results in a neat and professional finish. The two essential tools for pressing iron iron and a stable ironing board. A good quality steamin is an essential asset. Choose a reasonably heavy ion that has t. Next, we have the sewing mission. A sewing mission will quickly speed up any job from a quick repair alterations or any sewing projects. Sewing missions are available in different price ranges as per their applications. Choose one that matches your application and fits your budget. Here is the list of all the essential tools listed as per their categories. 5. Tips To Help You Learn Sewing: In this lesson, let's discuss some tips to learn sewing. Sewing becomes a lot easier. If you know, why would you like to sew? Hence, I advise you to create and maintain a sewing journal where you write, why you want to learn sewing. You can also use this journal to record your notes on sewing experiences. Writing motivates you and programs your subconscious mind. This will make you learn quick. Ask yourself, what would you like to do first? If you already knew sewing, today. This question will help you set your sewing goal. Sewing is a craft that demands commitment. You can learn sewing easily if you learn it for yourself. Learning sewing for anything other than yourself can make your journey difficult and frustrated. All right. Now let's continue with that next lesson. 6. Know Your Fabric: Fabric is our main material to work on. It's like a blank canvas for an artist. Each type of fabric will have different properties. Knowing the fabric well is crucial in your sewing journey. There are two major kinds of fabric. They are natural fabric, and manmade fabric, also known as synthetic fabric. Natural fabrics are derived from plants, animals, while manmade fabrics are manufactured in industries. For beginners, I recommend choosing cotton over other fabrics because they are lightweight and easy to handle. Then the fabric lights. Cotton fabrics also come in various colors and prints, making it ideal for sewing and craft projects. Raw edge and selvage. This standing flaw edge and selvage is crucial in sewing. When we say raw edge, it meets the edge where the fabric has been cut. This edge is most likely to fray or wear out. Selvage runs across the entire length of the fabric. This edge on fray or wear out. Right side and wrong side. A piece of fabric will have two sides. Printed cotton fabric has a very distinctive right and wrong side. The right side is much vibrant with the pattern more defined. With plain colored fabric, the right and wrong sides might not be evident, but we need to decide which side would be treated as right side. Finding fabrics. Fabric is easily available in craft shops and markets. You can also find them on. It is sold by length, and it comes in different widths. Alternatively, you can also cycle and reuse fabric from the clothes you no longer need Interfacings. Have you observed that the collar in our shirt stiffer and has more structure when compared to other parts of the shirt? Well, this is because of the interfacing. A interfacing is a piece of fabric that is attached to the main fabric to give its support or structure. A fusible interface contains a heat activated adds. This can be bonded to the fabric by applying heat using an ion fabric preparation and care. A well prepared fabric is much easier to handle and results in a superior sewing finish. Hence, it's important to wash your fabric, dry them out completely, heat press them neatly before approaching any kind of sewing project. Doing this write can make your sewing journey enjoyable and rewarding. Remember the fabric s canvas for the art of soil. With this, we conclude this lesson. Here you can find the list of all the topics we have learned. 7. Getting Started With Hand Sewing: And sewing is a very important process to learn. This is because we cannot complete the entire sewing by machine. Some jobs like finishing and adding buttons need to be done by hand. I find hand sewing incredibly beneficial because it helps me reduce the stress through its calming repetitive motions. It also keeps me mindful and focused. As each stitch requires my full attention, allowing me to stay present in the moment. Plus, the creative freedom it offers is immensely satisfying and therapeutic, making it a wonderful way to express myself. Let's quickly learn about the tools we need to start sewing by hand. Needle threader needles. Thread scissors. Threading a needle. First, you will need to cut the end of the thread using sharp scissors. Push the thread through the eye of the needle. Pull the shorter end of the thread to around 30 centimetres in length. Cut the thread and make a simple not. Now we are ready to start sewing. If threading is challenging for you, try using a needle threader or a magnifying glass to make the process easier. Make sure to keep the thread short to a 30 centimeter because a longer thread can become tangled and slow you down. All right. We can now learn the basic stitches by hand basic hand stitches. Now, I will guide you through the steps to create a perfect running stitch. Grab a piece of fabric and a threaded needle along with the no. Begin by pushing the needle up through the back of the fabric. Pull the thread through until the knot is snug and locks against the fabric on the back side. Then push the needle down through the fabric, a short distance away from the starting point. Now we have got a dashed line. Continue this process, moving the thread up and down through the fabric along a straight line. A running stitch resembles a dashed line. Try keeping your stitches even in length. This is to ensure a net and strong stitch. When you want to end and close the running stitch, flip the fabric and pierce the needle through the fabric near the stitch. Well the needle is halfway through the fabric. Wind the t thread two or three times around the needle. And gently pull the needle. This make a small knot to secure the read in place. And there you have it a simple yet effective running stitch. That makes perfect. So keep sewing and sew you will master this. Let's learn the basic hand stitch over stitch. Over stitch is generally used to sew the edges together. I would like to demonstrate the over stitch on a small piece of fabric. I have folded the edges from both the sides. And finally, I'll fold this into half. Now let's use this fabric to learn the over stitch. Insert the needle through the folded edge. Make sure that your thread has a knot at the end. If you notice that the knot is hidden beneath the fold, hiding the knot is a good practice while sewing by hand. Now, insert the thread through the other edge, a little forward diagonal. Repeat this process again. This will result in a diagonal stitch, sewing the two edges firmly together. Notice the distance between the stitches can easily be controlled. You can make the stitches closer or further part depending on your needs. When you want to end and close the over stitch, knock the thread by winding it two or three times around the needle and gently pull the needle out to lock the thread. For these types of stretches, insert the needle a little far away through the edge on moat and cut off the loose thread. This will hide the thread beneath the folds. And there we have a neat and secure over stitch. The last stitch on our list of hand stitches, is a slip stitch. A slip stitch is a special stitch where you don't see a stitch lines. It's like a hidden stitch. I have the fabric with the edges folded. From the back side, I insert the needle through the folded edge and pull the thread out. Now, insert the needle along the folded edge of the other side and pull out the needle. The edges are joined together, but the stitches are barely visible. Continue the stitch by inserting the needle through the edge on the opposite side. Try keeping an even distance between the stitches. Go for a closer distance to have a stronger stitch and the stitch by the thread before cutting it. Now, you can see that stitches are invisible. Since we made the stitches on the edges of both sides. The slip stitch is very useful in making fabric toys or in any case, where you require the stitches to be hidden. All right. We have come to the end of this lesson. In the next lesson, we will learn about sewing buttons and buttonholes. 8. Sewing a Button & Buttonhole: Let's know about the dual magic nature of buttons. Buttons help us hold two pieces of fabric together. Imagine your shirt button or a button that helps you close a bag. You see, buttons are not just functional flushes. They are style statements and add beauty to our product. Let's see how we can attach buttons to a fabric. Attaching buttons. Insert the needle through the wrong side of the fabric and completely pull the thread until the knot locks. I recommend using a double thread to have a stronger attachment. Insert the thread into any one of the holes in the button and pull out the thread. Now insert the thread into the opposite hole of the button. You will now have a loop that locks the button in place. Again, from the bottom, insert the needle through the other hole and pull it out towards you. Finally, insert the thread into the remaining opposite hole. This way, you'll have two loops crossing each other resembling the letter ix. Repeat this process three times. Each diagonal stitch must be repeated thrice to get a strong hold of the button. We want to make sure that we want our buttons to last through our daily lives. Hence, repeating this step and using a double thread is highly advised. Once we are done, we can lock the stitch the usual way. Just grab some fabric with the needle and wind the thread thrice and pull the needle to form a knot. Now we have fixed our button. Next, let's see how we can make buttonhole. Sewing a buttonhole. First, place the button on top of the fabric. Using a pencil, make a mark slightly larger across the diameter of the button. Draw a line between the two marked points. This will be a slit where we will be cutting the fabric. Now, we will draw a rectangle, a little away from the slit line. This rectangle needs to enclose a buttonhole slit. We will be making a running stitch along this rectangle. Here, you can see the marked rectangle enclosing the buttonhole. Make running stitches along the rectangle. This running stitch defines the edge of the buttonhole while also preventing the fabric from framing. Fold the button hole into half with lots of care, make a cut along the marked line. Be sure not to cut through the randing stitch. To make the buttonhole stitch. Insert the needle in the beginning of the button hole on the marked rectangle. Hold the thread out completely. Insert the needle just near the first stitch on the same rectangular line. Plot the needle through the slit. While pulling out, just make sure that the thread that is forming a loop should be below the needle to form the stitch. Repeat this step over and over again, until the whole slit gets covered with the stitches. Make sure to make the stitches as close as possible to stop the edges from framing. Now, our button hole is ready for our buttons to fit in. All right. With this, we conclude all the basic hand sewing techniques. Let's move to using the sewing machine, the next lesson. 9. Understanding The Sewing Machine: The swing mission is a tool. We will be using most of our time sewing. In this lesson, let's understand the sowing mission. First, let's see how to choose one that is beginner friendly. Budget friendly, get level. First things first. Let's talk about budget. As beginners, we want a mission that don't break the bank, but still delivers quality. Look for models in the mid range. We strike a great balance. Durability matters. A durable sewing mission is like a steady pair of jeans. It will last two years. Check reviews, ask fellow Swiss, and choose a brand known for reliability. Keep it simple. Don't let all those buttons intimidate you. Opt for a straightforward mission with essential features. Versatility is key. A dream mission should handle basic stitches like a chap. Check for straight stitch, the zia stitch, and the elusive button hole stitch. So there you have choosing the right sewing mission. Doesn't have to be overwhelming. Remember, budget friendly, durable, simple, con versatile. Now go there and find your perfect mission. Components of a sewing mission. A sewing mission has a variety of components. Missions come in many different styles, but they all work in a similar way. Let's discuss the major components. First, is the needle, the needle plate, and the pressure foot. These are the main parts that meet your fabric to do the sewing. Below the pressure foot, you can find tiny teeth like structure called feed dogs. That works with the presser foot to move the fabric through the machine while the stitch. Next, we have the stitch selector, a knob that controls the stitch style. Notice the illustration marked on the knob to help you choose your preferred stitch style. Next, we have the tension control. This controls the thread tension or the thread tightness or looseness. Next, we have the thread guides. These guides are super important as guide the thread to the needle. The thread starts from the pole spindle and runs to the needle through the thread guides. Next, we have the thread take up lever. This lever moves up and down while sewing to help you control the flow of the thread. Next, we have the presser foot lever. Use this lever to rise and lower the presser foot. Lift this up to insert and remove fabric. This needs to be down while stitching. The ver stitch selector when engaged or pull down, will stitch backwards. This is useful in making lock stitches. The foot pedal must be placed on the floor and must be pressed with the foot. This controls the speed of the motor based on your in with your feet. Next, we have the hand wheel. Use this wheel to move the needle pen down manually. This wheel spins automatically when the motor is running. Open the banner under the needle plate to reveal the babin case. This is where you can find the babin ds a small spool of thread. We have covered all the basic components of a sewing mission. However, your mission may vary slightly. Hence, it's always a good idea to read the instruction manual before starting. In the next lesson, we will get our hands on the machine and start sewing. 10. Getting Started With Your Sewing Machine: In this lesson, let's set up the swing mission. So we can begin with a swing. First, let's start with the sitting position. Place your mission on a firm workplace such as a table. You want to make sure that the table is steady and not warping. See to it that you are sitting comfortablely, and the machine is at the right height for you. Place the foot pedal where you can reach it comfortably. Once we are done setting up a sewing table, we can fill the thread in the bobbin. So we get our bottom thread. Different machines will have a different arrangement for filling a bobbin. But the principle is the same across different machines. First, place the spool of thread on the spindle. Gently, take the loose end of the thread and thread around the bobbin winder thread kite. Grab your bobbin and bring the end of the thread into the small hole in the bobbin and pull out the thread a little through the hole. Place the bobbin on the bobbin winding spindle. Push the bobbin towards the stopper. The bobbin is now ready to roll. Gently press the foot pedal. You can see the bobbin starting to fill up with thread. Always fill the bobbin evenly and don't overfill it. Over filling and uneven bobbins can cause problems. Could get stuck, or you end up making uneven stitches. Hence, always make sure to fill the bobbin even without overfilling. Once the bobbin is filled, take your foot off the pedal and push the bobbin away from the stopper. Now, you can remove the bobbin and cut off the thread. After filling the bobbin, it's now time to load the bobbin into the bobbin case, and then into the sowing machine. First, place the bobbin into the bobbin case. Hold the end of the thread and pull it into the bobbin case slot. Draw the thread under the tension spring, and into the delivery eye. At this stage, if you pull the thread, the bobbin will rotate to deliver more thread. Leave a ten centimeter free thread and cut off the excess thread. Slide the tension table to remove it. Open the car to reveal the bobbin section. When inserting the bobbin, match the hole in the bobbin section. Gently press the bob in case to engage it. We can close the cover and slide back the extension table now. Next step will be to thread the machine, so we will get a top thread. We will now see how to thread the machine. Threading the machine will vary as per different machines. Check out your instruction manual to know the correct way to thread your machine. Here, I'm just threading my machine by getting it into the thread guides and passing it into the take up lever before inserting it into my needle. Hold the end of the thread after inserting it into the needle and rotate the handmade manually to draw up the bobbin thread. You can now notice the bobbin thread coming out. Carefully pull out the bobbin thread. Lift the presser foot and take go the threads backward as seen here. Now, we have got the top thread from the threads pole, and we have got the bot thread from the bobbin. Always make sure that both the threads are matching to the color of your fabric. This way, you will get a good finish. Now, let's load a small piece of fabric so we can make our first stitches. Lift the presser foot and place the fabric in place, hold the ends of the thread and carefully press on the foot pedal. Always place the hands away from the needle to avoid any accidents. Go slow with your measure. It will take some time to build your skills with the foot pedal. Always be extra careful while pressing the foot pedal. A gentle press is enough to get started. We will now learn the rivers stitch. This is also the way in which you can log the stitches in place. The ver stitch is made when you want to end the stitch before cutting off the threat to do the river stitch. We will hold down on the reverse stitch liver. Pressing the reverse stitch liver will make your machines stitch in reverse. As a general practice, place both of your hands resembling a triangular shape away from the needle. This position will help you to take control on your fabric safely while sewing. Now we will see how to stitch corners. Insert the needle into the fabric by rotating the hand wheel manually. While the needle is th the fabric, lift the pressor foot and gently rotate the fabric with the needle, Spivot. Now place back the pressor foot and continue sewing. This technique makes it easy to stitch corners. Here, I have made a few stitches on a spare piece of fabric to get started with the measure. Try making a few stitches and share here first stitches in the class project section. Now we know how to set up our sewing machine. Load a piece of fabric and make some stitches. It's your turn to practice some stitches on a spare piece of cloth. Practice making straight stitches, stitching corners, river stitches, loading, and removing the fabric. We will learn more sewing skills in the upcoming lessons. 11. Tips & Basic Care of Your Sewing Machine: A sewing machine is a device that lasts for years, maintained properly. In this lesson, let's discuss the basic sewing machine maintenance. Always cover the machine with a desk cover when not in use. These machines have got a handful of tiny puts working together. You don't want test to get inside your machine. The bobbing section needs to be cleaned, sometimes due to small threads getting stuck inside the compart. Use the paint brush to brush off the test and thread pieces. Sewing machine have mechanical parts working together. It's advised to lubricate the machine often to ensure smooth operation. Use machine oils that is mentioned in your instruction manual, and lubricate as needed. Saying machines need to be serviced regularly based on the usage case. I recommend servicing at least once every year. This way, you can ensure your machine is functioning properly. With this, I'll conclude some of the EC ways in which we can take care of our sowing mission. In the next lesson, let's get some practice. 12. Beginner's Sewing Practice Activity: Whether you are brand new to the world of needle and thread or dusting off your testy sewing mission. There a long gap. I have an activity for you. That will help you gain confidence and control with your sewing mission. I have included this activity sheet, this PDF in the resources section. Just download and print it out to get started. To perform this exercise, you need to stitch on top of the printed lines. First, on the top of my page, the straight line stitch guide. So I'm making straight running stitches on top of them. Similarly, I'm working on the curved lines guide. Trying to stitch on top of these guides will give a good handover stitching curves. Working with a fast motor can be challenging at tight curves. Whenever you want precise control, take your feet off the pedal and use the hand wheel and continue with care. This activity sheet is based on progressive levels of difficulty. The top straight stitches are easier than the bottom curved stitches. By doing this activity, I recommend you to print multiple copies of this sheet. So you can practice once every day till you gain confidence and control over a sewing with your mision. If you'd like to see your progress, try doing this activity while marking the date on top of the page. This way, you will be able to measure your improvement over your sewing skills. Remember, we are not talking about perfection here. Consistency is the key. Just make a few, not so perfect stitches every day. You will soon be impressed by your own props. 13. Basic Sewing Techniques: In this lesson, let's see the most simple sewing techniques. These techniques can be used extensively in a variety of sewing projects. The first one, the C Hamtitch. But Htitch is the most important elementary finishing stitch in sewing. It secures fabric raw edges while adding a polished. While there are many different kinds of hem stitch. We will see how to do an EC one. This is called as a double folded hem stitch. To demonstrate, I have taken a small piece of fabric with the raw edge. We will be doing a 1 " thick hem. So I will be taking a quarter inch for Sonos. I will press the fabric meat, so we get good results. With the rooder, I will measure 1 " plus a quarter inch from the side. I will start folding the fabric just like this. After folding, it's a good practice to verify or recheck if our fold measures up to one and a quarter inches. Once the fold measures up perfectly, he press the fold to get to form crease and fold on the fabric. Folds that are heat pressed properly will have a nice crease when opened. Since this is a double fold hem stitch, I will fold the fabric to about a quarter inch from the edge. This is why we had taken a quarter inch extra. Again, heat press the fold. Now we can fold the fabric to get it ready for stitching. Using pins, I will secure the fabric, so it becomes easy while stitch. Start making the stitch on the folded edge. As you can see here, the pins are holding the fabric in place, making my sawing process easier. Just remove the pin one by one as you progress through the edge. Now we have a nicely finished edge. H stitches are used in many parts of garment production. You can find these stitches on the bottom edge of your shirt and sleeve edges. We saw how to finish a raw edge. Now, let's talk about joining two pieces of fabric together. Introducing the French se. French seams look really neat, as they enclose the raw edges within the seam due to this reason. A French seam is sewn twice. Let's see how we can sew a French seam. Here, I have taken two pieces of fabric. We will be sewing them together using the French same technique. Begin by placing the fabric on top of the other. Make sure that the wrong sides of the fabric are facing each other. The right side of the top fabric will be facing you. Use pins to secure the fabric, so it won't move while stitching. Now, I'll make the stitch near the edge of the fabric. Remove the pins as we will be opening the fold to heat press the same. While heat pressing, make sure to press on the other side as well. Fold the fabric the other way, keeping the same as the phone line, such that the right side of the fabric are facing each other or the wrong side of the top fabric facing you. He press the fold one more time. We will be making a stitch on this line. This way, the raw edge will be enclosed inside the same. Now we have finished the French same. If I open up the fold, you can see a neat finishing on the right side of the fabric. On the wrong side, you can see a neat finished seam with the raw edges concealed within the sea. Friend seams are wonderful because they look so neat and finished. They make your projects appear clean and professional. Now let's see how we can beautify this by learning another stitch. The top stitch. Since this is a decorative stitch, we will do the top stitch on top of the frien seam. I will keep my fabric with the fn seam. Align the edge of the seam to the presser potter. This way, a top stitch will have upset from the fen sm, giving it an addition to the aesthetics. Stitch with care and go slowly and gently. Notice how I have my fingers away from the needle area, also pulling the sides but gently. Now we have made the top stitch like this. I think it looks very beautiful and adds up to the look of the same. For a better look, I'm going to lock the stitch manually instead of locking the stitch through the river stitch method. This is just a different approach. You may also choose the reverse stitch method. Here, I have two loose s threads hanging out. I'm just going to not these streads by hand three times. Here, you can note that I have used the reverse lock stitch at the bottom and the manual knotting method at the top. Now we can simply cut off the excess thread after the knot. You can see the beauty of the lock stitch here. As you can see, top stitches can be used in conjunction with the frenzy for aesthetic improvement of the seam. Now we have learned the most important techniques through this lesson. You can now join two fabrics with the frenzy. Finish the raw edges with the Ham stitch and decorate the seams with the top stitch. In the next lesson, let's discuss some simple sewing projects for you to get started. 14. Simple Sewing Projects to Get Started: Sewing is a practical skill that gets better with practice. With projects, we can get the practice. We need to advance fast sewing skills. Let's look at some projects that can help you advance your skills and also benefit in your daily life. First, we will start by fitting an oversized t shirt. Fitting a loose t shirt is a great way to put us beginner sewing skills to use. Fitting, improves how the T shirt would look on us and extend the life of the T shirt. T shirts tend to get loose over a short period of time, and most of us might have an old loose t shirt or an oversized one in our close. Or it. Let's begin. Here, I have taken a loose t shirt, and I have flipped the t shirt inside out. Because we will be making the stitches on the inside, so it don't show from the outside. I have also he pressed the T shirt. If you notice, I have pinned both sides of the T shirt together by aligning the edges perfectly. That is the front and back sides of the t shirt must overlap one over the other. This is the most important step in this process. We will be marking the amount of tightening in inches that we need from the side edges. I will start measuring and marking multiple points 1 " away from the edge towards rough center. This measurement has to be done from the base of the arm till the end of the T shirt. Repeat the step on the other side as well. We can start stitching on the line, removing the pins one after the other. Repeat this step on the other side. This way, we have tightened and fitted the t shirt by 2 " by tightening 1 " on both sides. There you go. You see how easy it is to fit an oversized T shirt. If you like this exercise, with your T shirt and post a picture of it in the class project section. Next, we will shorten the length of our old pan to convert tinto shots. You can follow this technique to reduce your pant lengths as per your preference. This pant measures at 39 " in length. Now, I would like to convert this to about 21 " to make it into a shots. From the bottom, I will measure 16.5 " and make a marking. We will be cutting the pant on this line. After cutting at the desired length, retain the cut piece to use as a reference to cut the other leg of the plant. Just fold the edges, use clips to hold them in place and make a double hand stitch to finish these shots. Repeat this step on the other leg as well to complaint. Now I have altered my pant into a shot. That was simple right. Now, let's see another example where we make something new, instead of altering something. Let's make a napkin. I have taken a square piece of fabric. We will be finishing the edges by making a double hold and stitch. Start folding the edges. You can note that I have made a DII guide for seam elements. Using a piece of cod stock paper, I have marked the common measurements like quarter inch, half an inch, and a full inch from the guide. I will fold the fabric using the guide and just make a double hams stitch. Just make sure to heat press the fabric after every fold. Special attention has to be given at the corners because the folds overlap on the corners. So just make sure the corners fold are neat. Use clips to hold the four corners before stitching. You might have to adjust the folds a little bit before clipping them together. Feed the fabric in and just make simple stitches over the fold to get a double and finish for the napkin. T finish corners, make a diagonal stitch like the marking I'm making here. I have now completed making a napkin that is really to be part of our daily life. Those were some of the beginning sewing projects. That is fun and can easily build your first steps in your sewing journey. I now ask you to try any of the project and share an image of your result in the skill share project section. I would love to see what you can create. 15. Conclusion & Best Practices: Hope you have enjoyed this class. I would love to know what you think about this class. Please write a review on how this class helped you on your sewing journey. This way, you can help me gain insights into my teaching and enable me to improve my classes in the future. I would like to wrap up my class with a few best practices that will help you learn sewing. Sewing is a skill that needs to be practiced often to get better. When starting to learn sewing, try to plan a short amount of time every day. This can be as long as you would like. Say about 30 minutes to an hour, for example. Try to have a sewing ritual every day, preferably at the same time. To make this easier, try habit stacking. Start sewing as soon as you finish any of your existing daily habits that you already have. Say you can sew for 30 minutes as soon as you finish dinner or start sewing, as soon as you have your daily morning coffee. Choose a time that's comfortable for you. Habit stacking is a very powerful method that will help you start a new habit into your life. Finally, don't compare your results with others. Just commit yourself and practice sewing just for a few minutes every day. You will get better day by day. Over a period of time, you may compare your results with yourself to see the improvement. Keeping yourself motivated is very important to create a sewing habit. Celebrate your small sewing accomplishments. With your sewing skills, make yourself something or gift something you have made to your loved ones. These are some of the easiest ways to celebrate your sewing journey. With this, I wrap up. I'm waiting to see your project and your review of my class. Thank you for joining Back. See you soon in the next class.