Welcome to our Beginners area! We are so pleased you found us!
Learning any new skill can seem a bit daunting at first and its hard to know where to begin. We totally understand, and would like to make this process easier by devoting this area of the website just for you! Try to think about the process as a journey, maybe think of it like building a house. Start by getting solid foundations, get your basic equipment and tools ready, pop on the kettle and set aside some time to yourself. Start your sewing journey ……. one stitch at a time! Here’s how to to get started
Step one - Beg, Borrow or Buy a Sewing Machine
Purchase or borrow a sewing machine – A question we get asked a lot is what to look for when buying a basic machine. To start you need a sewing machine that can perform simple dressmaking tasks such as simple stitches and buttonholes. You don’t have to buy a machine, you could borrow one to try out but if you would like to buy one our top tip would be to purchase a good quality machine, cheap machines often become very frustrating. We can recommend Janome sewing machines who are the brand leaders in the uk. See our dedicated Janome sewing machines section here and allow Paul at Rona Sewing Machines to help you choose.
Step two - Bag yourself some basic tools
It is a really good idea to have a set of good quality basic tools. At The Studio we use Prym haberdashery, they are a German family business with roots back to 1530! They manufacture quality, innovative products which make our work simpler, easier and more attractive. From their extensive range we have selected a small started kit of essential tools which we think you need to start. Of course as you move through your journey there are lots more to find. Your Christmas and Birthday lists will never be difficult to write from now on!! Click below for more information on our basic dressmaking tool kit.
Find out more about our beginners kit
Step three - Join us to learn the basics
It’s so important to invest in some quality training. We have a strong vision here at The Studio and it is based on building your skill set from the foundation upwards. We have designed a series of courses to guide you through your journey and hold you hand until you feel confident enough to let go a little and join our social sewing sessions. We pride ourselves on quality education and each of our courses includes a course workbook for
you to follow and add your samples. We support you with membership of our closed Facebook group and lots of regular community events sew-alongs and get togethers. Why not join us and get started!
Step four - Choose your first project
Wow where to start! You may decide to start by making a simple project like a tote bag or cushion cover and there a lots of free patterns for this sort of thing online but if you want to make clothes we suggest patterns that are specifically aimed at beginners. To make life easy we have created some beginners bundles which has everything you need to start your first project. All wrapped up and ready to post or click and collect our bundles include the pattern, fabric and all the haberdashery you need to complete your first project. Choose you bundle and let’s get started!
Choose a beginners bundleStep five - Choose some fabric
Choosing fabric can also be a difficult task as there are so many different types, weights, qualities. We suggest you start with some woven cotton or cotton blend. These will be easy to sew and press producing nice crisp satisfying seams. See our range of cotton fabrics here.
Choose some cotton fabricStep 6 - Take a look at our resources centre
Supporting our students is very important to us and we are developing our resources area at the moment. This area will allow you download resources, workbooks and eventually YouTube tutorials. These resources will complement our courses and allow you to practice things you have learn in class at home. Please bare with us whilst we upload more information to this area in the coming weeks. Check back regularly for more additions.
Browse our resources centre