Sewing 101: With Patterns Vs. Without

November 16, 2020

Learning how to sew is a perfect mix of challenging and rewarding. Spending hours upon hours bent over a sewing machine with nothing but plain fabric and scissors can seem extremely difficult. But when you finally finish and hold up your perfectly stitched and fitted, one-of-a-kind garment, you feel like it was all well-worth the effort.

It is, however, a difficult skill to perfect. Using pre-made sewing patterns can sometimes help make adopting this skill much easier, but they aren’t suited to every situation. Here’s a list of reasons why you should use patterns, and reasons why you shouldn’t.

You Should!

·       If you’re a beginner, it makes cutting the cloth much easier and more accurate. Eyeballing it can leave you with some serious errors when you bring the cut fabric to the sewing machine.

·        If you’re making a more generic piece, patterns are your best bet. This is because pre-made patterns save you the hassle of designing a cut yourself and help you work fast. So, if you plan to make yourself a standard skater-skirt or straight-leg pants, there’s nouse wasting time on designing. Use the patterns and get the work done quickly!

·        If you’re working with flimsy material, patterns can save you from a ton of errors. Silk and other such materials tend to slip through the scissor when being cut, so this can lead to uneven cuts. If you’re using a pattern, it’s much easier to stay on track and cut neatly, despite the slippery cloth.

Masks cut from a pattern, ready to sew.

You Shouldn’t!

Despite all the points listed above, there are still some situations in which using patterns may be inadvisable. You shouldn’t use patterns:

·        If you want a unique design. Pre-made patterns will very rarely offer you a design that no one has seen before. So, if that’s what you’re going for, you should either try and cut your own patterns or cut free-hand.

·        If you’re making alterations. Every piece of clothing is made differently, and you may not find the pattern that matches it perfectly when trying to alter it. Even if you have to take something apart entirely, in most cases, it’ll be easier to trim off excess fabric without aligning it to a pattern.

Finding the Right Patterns

If you’re a beginner and you’re just getting into sewing, our Lefty Productions Co. clothing manufacturing service in Los Angeles, sells patterns for every sort of garment. These are bound to make your sewing experience much easier!

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