Sewing Patterns

Patterns for Sewing

You are interested in sewing, have already gained some experience or are already very experienced in needlework? No matter what your starting situation is, here at Crazypatterns we want to support you in your hobby as much as possible. For this reason, we not only have many exciting ideas and projects ready for you, but also want to help you with the most understandable and versatile patterns possible. On Crazypatterns, you can learn the first important basics to be able to sew complete projects later on, or you can jump straight into needlework that really challenges you. No matter what you're looking for, you're guaranteed to find it here! Our patterns are also divided into free and fee-based copies, so you can browse at your own leisure without necessarily having to spend money. And if you are looking for good advice or just want to talk about your hobby, take a look at our forum – this is where our users talk about various topics and are happy to include you as one of their members! Now we want to introduce our patterns to you a little bit more detailed, they are divided as follows:

• Cutting patterns
• Sewing patterns for beginners
• Sewing patterns for advanced users

Cutting Patterns

If you want to start sewing, then you will inevitably come across the term "cutting pattern". You'll find it in just about every pattern and it's an indispensable part of your sewing. Simply put, a cutting pattern is a template that you can use to cut your chosen project - whether it's a jacket, bag, or stuffed animal - to the correct dimensions. Cutting patterns come in many different varieties, they are divided into single cutting patterns or multi-size cuts with many different lines. In most cases, you use tissue paper to lay the pattern on a suitable medium (such as your favorite fabric) and transfer it. The lines are traced, and all seams must be copied as well. Then you can cut out the copied cutting pattern and use it. Important terms that occur in connection with a cutting pattern are, for example, the break line, the fold line or the cutting plan. The break line is the line where the fabric is folded after cutting, it exists both symmetrically and asymmetrically. Fold lines, on the other hand, are used to obtain symmetrical pattern pieces later on. The so-called cutting plan is included with every cutting pattern and shows you exactly how the individual pattern pieces must be placed on the fabric. It also takes into account things like fabric usage and the grainline.

These terms mean nothing to you yet? No problem, you don't have to master every detail of sewing right from the start. Instead, start with a simple project and gradually learn what's important - our detailed patterns will help you do just that!

Sewing Patterns for Beginners

Are you still inexperienced in sewing or have never had sewing needles, thread or cutting patterns in your hands? Don't worry, we'll show you how to successfully take your first steps in sewing with beginner-friendly patterns. For the beginning, you can easily rely on our free sewing patterns, so that you can first get a taste of the hobby without having to spend money directly. If you like sewing or want to start a new project, you can always look through our fee-based patterns, which offer you a lot more choice.

Our sewing patterns for beginners introduce you to needlework with the help of many pictures and easy-to-understand descriptive texts – you decide how quickly or slowly you want to proceed. Another handy feature is that you can download our patterns directly to your computer, so they're always ready for you and can be retrieved whenever you need them. By the way, this also applies to our fee-based copies: Everything you buy from us can be downloaded and used again and again.

Sewing Patterns for Advanced Users

But maybe you're already well-versed in handling fabrics and sewing tools and just want to brush up or deepen your knowledge? Then take a look at our advanced sewing patterns instead, which will give you lots of new ideas for your next project. Again, you can count on us to provide you with plenty of high-quality images and instructional text, so you'll always know exactly what to do. The possibilities are almost endless, from garments or decorative elements to cuddly animals and many other projects.

By the way, you can also contribute to our selection yourself by simply creating your own sewing pattern. Upload it to our portal and make it available to our other users – of course not for free, you can decide on a price for your pattern yourself. This way you can earn a little or even a lot of pocket money.

What Can I Sew with Crazypatterns Tutorials?

Are you wondering which projects you can actually realize with the patterns from Crazypatterns? We have put together a large selection for you that leaves nothing to be desired. So, whether you prefer to go wild with homemade clothing, sew a cute amigurumi – these are small Japanese cuddly animals – or want to make a decorative element for your home, it's entirely up to you. A wide selection is also available if you want to try your hand at children's or baby clothing. This is not only suitable for your own offspring, but also serves as an ideal gift with a special personal touch.

Take your time to browse through our large selection and find a sewing pattern that suits you. Or maybe you want to take a look at our other categories? Crazypatterns can also help you with crochet, knitting or crafts. If you feel that our site is missing a specific project that you could contribute, we invite you to do so! Just create your own pattern and upload it either as a free or fee-based version – the other users will be happy about it! At Crazypatterns you can find sewing patterns for these categories:

• Sewing amigurumi
• Sewing beanies and baby hats
• Sewing scarves and shawls
• Sewing jackets
• Sewing overalls and sweaters
• Sewing boleros
• Sewing ballerinas and shoes
• Sewing gloves and baby mittens
• Sewing stuffed animals
• Sewing blankets
• Sewing baby shoes

Sewing Amigurumi

Do your kids love stuffed animals? Then try your hand at a cute amigurumi that you can make yourself. Amigurumis actually come from Japan and are characterized by a particularly cute design – big googly eyes, a small body and animal motifs are almost indispensable when it comes to making them. The small stuffed animals are available in almost countless designs and of course you can also modify or personalize them as you wish. Since amigurumis are rather small, a project like this doesn’t take long at all - ideal for beginners or as a sewing project for in between! If you want to sew an amigurumi, you will find the appropriate patterns in the corresponding category on Crazypatterns and can choose among many designs. From the dog to the cat to the dragon or chicken, everything is there!

Sewing Beanies and Baby Hats

Handmade crafts are especially popular for young children, first of all in the form of beanies and baby hats. They are ideal for sewing in between, because they do not require a lot of material and are usually not too demanding. Therefore, they are ideal as an entry-level project for beginners, although of course you can also customize and modify them according to your personal taste. If you want to sew beanies and baby hats, you can discover a large selection of cutting patterns and templates on Crazypatterns. Just browse through our selection and discover proven classics, particularly modern models, or very unusual cuts. No matter what you're looking for – you’re guaranteed to find it here!

Sewing Scarves and Shawls

Sewing is mainly focused on clothing and scarves and shawls make great entry-level projects. On the one hand, they are comparatively simple in execution, since it is only a long piece of fabric. On the other hand, you don't need a lot of material and you can finish your project relatively quickly. If you want to sew scarves and shawls, it is usually an entertaining project that you can start and finish quickly. Apart from that, scarves and shawls are also a great gift and are usually well received by friends or family! You can find many different designs and ideas here at Crazypatterns – just have a look around!

Sewing Jackets

Learn step by step how to sew a chic jacket by using our comprehensive patterns. They always include an accurate cutting pattern, but also numerous tips and tricks as well as pictures of each important step will help you during the work.

At Crazypatterns you can discover many different ideas, be it a jacket for autumn or a light jacket that you can also wear in spring or summer. Various fabrics, appliqués and decorative elements can also be incorporated to give your homemade jacket a special eye-catcher. Just let yourself be inspired by our patterns, surely there is something suitable for you!

Sewing Overalls and Sweaters

Sweaters and overalls are probably one of the most popular items of clothing, as they are particularly cozy, warm, and truly versatile. Both in everyday life and as a serious business version, a sweater is suitable, can be easily combined with many clothing styles and is available in countless designs. If you want to sew your own sweater or jumpsuit, this is also no problem and offers you many possibilities of individualization – unusual motifs, eye-catching patterns or special materials provide the right eye-catcher that makes your sweater a real unicum! In our extensive sewing patterns, we explain how you can sew your sweater or overall, yourself, what you need for it and what you have to pay attention to during the implementation. It doesn't matter if you are a beginner or an advanced sewer, we are sure to have some ideas and cutting patterns ready for you!

Sewing Boleros

A bolero is a very special piece of clothing, because it serves as a warm, comfortable jacket as well as a great fashionable eye-catcher. Boleros, which are often also called shrug, are also comparatively small and accordingly they need quite little material. This benefits you when making them, because you can make boleros relatively quickly. Nevertheless, due to the more complex cutting pattern, they are more demanding than a beanie or scarf, so you should already have some basic sewing skills. But don't worry, we at Crazypatterns will help you with our extensive sewing patterns, which contain explanatory texts as well as pictures for every single step.

Sewing Ballerinas and Shoes

Want to make your own next pair of shoes? Then try a sewn version, which you can use mainly as slippers. Ideal for this purpose are ballerinas, which provide warm feet in the comfort of your home and look equally chic. By the way, they are also a great needlework project for children and babies, which you can quickly and easily put into practice. Just take a look around our selection and let yourself be inspired. Or take a look at our crochet and knitting section instead, where we also provide you with many patterns for ballerinas and shoes.

Sewing Gloves and Baby Mittens

If you're looking for an entertaining little project, then small sewing projects like gloves or baby mittens are perfect for that. On the one hand, you can complete these projects quickly and get a relatively quick result, on the other hand, gloves are simply practical and therefore always welcome. Not only for yourself, but also and especially for friends or family members, they represent a great gift with which you are guaranteed to provide joy. By the way, gloves can also be very easily individualized or expanded with a few beautiful applications, so that you create a particularly personal piece of clothing. Baby gloves are even quicker to make as a sewing project because they require even less fabric and usually come in the form of cute mittens.

Sewing Stuffed Animals

Sew a cute stuffed animal and treat your children or yourself. Cuddly toys come in a variety of styles, from the classic dog, cat and mouse to fantasy creatures, flowers and even household items. Just browse through our stuffed animal category and find your favorite sewing project. You don't really have the courage to do it yet, because you don't have a lot of experience in sewing? No problem, just rely on our extensive sewing patterns that will help you with a lot of pictures and tips – or look around in our other categories instead, where you will find a lot of beginner-friendly cutting patterns.

Sewing Blankets

Blankets are a great sewing project, because you can vary their size at will and the basic cutting pattern is relatively simple. Therefore, even as a beginner, blankets are quite an exciting and feasible first needlework, where you can let off steam and try out a lot of things. For example, how about one of the popular patchwork blankets, which are very cozy and comfortable thanks to their special design? Or try your hand at a small blanket for babies, where you can combine a wide variety of materials. Just take a look at our existing sewing patterns and choose a suitable project for you. And if you have any questions or problems, just visit our forum, where the other users will be happy to help you.

Sewing Baby Shoes

Small baby feet are not only cute to look at, but also invite you to dress them up with matching shoes in mini format. If you want to be active yourself for this purpose, then simply create your own baby shoes, which you can sew with the help of our patterns. Whether it's for crawling, as ballerinas, lace-up boots, or cozy warm winter boots – in our large selection, the users of Crazypatterns have provided you with a lot of ideas and the matching cutting patterns so you can get started right away. Detailed sewing patterns and photos of the steps will help you in the meantime. By the way, here you can also perfectly accommodate small amounts of fabric that may still be left over from your last sewing work.

What Types of Sewing Patterns Does Crazypatterns Offer?

On Crazypatterns you will find a wide variety of sewing patterns, from very simple patterns for beginners to more complex patterns where you can deepen your knowledge and learn new things. For example, on our platform you can find patterns for fashionable garments or popular classics like beanies, scarves, and jackets, but also stuffed animals, decorations for your home and a lot of more can be found in our selection. Best of all, thanks to our active community, our stock of sewing patterns is constantly expanding, so you'll always be able to discover something different. We also make an important distinction between free and fee-based sewing patterns, both of which we offer in numerous variations. In both variants, we attach great importance to detailed descriptions and a lot of pictures, so that you always know exactly how to proceed and don't have any problems with difficult parts.

• Free sewing patterns
• Buy sewing patterns

Free Sewing Patterns

If you're just getting started with sewing, check out our selection of free sewing patterns. This way, you can get started on a project at your convenience without having to spend any money right away. With our<>free sewing patterns, you can still be sure that they have been prepared in a user-friendly way and will support you in every step of your needlework. On the one hand, you have a variety of pictures at your disposal, but on the other hand, the patterns also contain comprehensive descriptions as well as tips and tricks, so that you as a beginner can quickly achieve a beautiful result. Just look around in our selection – when you have found a suitable pattern, you can simply download it as a PDF or ZIP file. All you need is an account for our portal – log in and you're ready to go! With an account you also have access to our forum, where you can talk to other users or present your projects and ideas. By the way, you can keep the free sewing patterns permanently. Once they are on your computer, they can be used again at any time. In the same way, you can always download them again afterwards, for example, if you happen to be on a different computer. If at some point you would like to discover more sewing patterns, you can always explore the fee-based section at your leisure.

Buy Sewing Patterns

On Crazypatterns you can find not only free sewing patterns, but also a lot of other patterns that need to be purchased first. They are created and offered by our users themselves, and they can determine the price themselves. With our fee-based sewing patterns, you can be sure that they are always created with extra effort for you, provide great ideas and help you step by step on the way to your project. Use them to learn how to sew a jacket, beanie, or a lot of other things, what's important and what mistakes to avoid. In the meantime, you can access extensive image material so that you always know what to do. And if you get stuck, you can calmly take a step back and find the mistake. This gives you the opportunity to work at exactly the pace that is best for you. But you can not only buy sewing patterns, you can also create them yourself and offer them for sale on our portal! This way you have the opportunity to earn a little money on the side with your own ideas and receive a passive income month after month – some of our users can even live very well from it. But remember that the patterns have to be as understandable and user-friendly as possible, so that the other users will enjoy them, and they will really help them. Of course, you are also welcome to provide your own patterns for free, this decision is entirely up to you.

How Do I Get the Sewing Patterns?

Want to try out our sewing patterns or are you looking for a great new needlework project? Then find the right pattern, download it to your PC and get started! First you need an account on Crazypatterns, which you can create for free and with just a few clicks. Then log in with your username and password, choose your desired pattern and download it. If it is a fee-based pattern, you can first top up your Crazypatterns account – this way you will benefit from a 5% discount. Alternatively, other payment methods are also possible. To find the right pattern, browse through our many categories. For example, it's worth taking a look at the bestsellers, the home page, the latest submissions, or current offers. Once you have decided, click on the corresponding pattern. Now you can take a closer look at the details of the sewing pattern and make sure that it is exactly what you are looking for. With a final click on "Download" you start the same, before you can decide between a PDF or a ZIP file. Then save it or open it directly. Now the sewing pattern should be on your computer and can be used immediately. If you delete the pattern afterwards or can't find the file again, don't worry – you can always download it again from Crazypatterns without having to pay for it again. If you want to use a free pattern, the procedure is similar. Here, too, you need an account, but of course you don't have to pay anything. Just download the desired file and start with your new work. If you still have questions about the purchase or download, just take a look at our help section, where we have explained the process in detail and with a lot of pictures.

Can I Also Sell Sewing Patterns on Crazypatterns?

Crazypatterns is your first stop for fancy, beginner-friendly or advanced sewing patterns. As a large marketplace for everything related to your needlework, you can not only buy sewing patterns here, but also sell them yourself. This way, you can earn some money with your hobby by providing other users with your ideas, cutting patterns, and sewing instructions. Ideally, you should already have some experience in sewing, and the patterns you create should be written in a way that is easy to understand. Extensive visual material rounds off the pattern and at the same time ensures that users are more likely to choose your product. To put patterns online at Crazypatterns, you first need to create an account. You can then upload your finished pattern via a corresponding menu. Here we have also created a comprehensive guide for the upload, which you can use if you have any questions or problems. Remember that you as a seller should have some relevant information ready, for example, your VAT ID number, but also correct information for an imprint. This information is useful and recommended for your store on Crazypatterns. If you are not able to enter all the necessary data, you can always change it later. After that, the setup of your product begins, which you have to name and store in the right category. You can also add a product description, attractive photos, and well-chosen tags. Last but not least, you need to set the price. You can enter your price as you wish, but the final decision lies with the admin or technical support. Adjustments will only be made if a price is unrealistically high or low or contains typos – in this case we will contact you again. By the way, in the beginning it can make sense to provide one or more free patterns. This way you get a lot of publicity and attention, so that users will remember you even if you provide fee-based patterns later on.

Sewing Patterns for Lefties and Righties

Most people are right-handed, so it's hardly surprising that a lot of everyday things are designed for or by right-handed people. Crafting and sewing are no exception, so your everyday sewing items aren't necessarily optimized for left-handed people. Getting started in sewing may therefore be a little more difficult for you, but it's still worth keeping at it. In the end, needlework is a matter of habit, and with a lot of training and practice, the processes will soon come naturally to you. By the way, the situation is similar with other handicrafts such as knitting or crocheting. Basically, you simply have to imagine most of the hand movements as a mirror image. For crocheting, we have already provided you and our other users with special videos on YouTube for this purpose, which are intended to help you and will continue to expand this area in the future.

By the way, nowadays there are various accessories especially for lefties, for example special scissors. With them, you can make some manual work significantly easier. Unfortunately, there are currently no special sewing machines for left-handers, so here you will have to deal with the normal device. But with a little practice, you'll soon be successful – and if you still have questions or problems, just visit our forum. This is where our members exchange information about their handicrafts in a relaxed atmosphere and help each other with any problems that may arise. In addition, you will certainly find some "fellow sufferers" who can show you helpful tips and tricks.

• Where is the right and wrong side when sewing?

Where is the Right and Wrong Side When Sewing?

You always hear about the right and wrong side when sewing and wonder what is meant by that? Basically, there are these two sides to every needlework and finished garment. The right side is the outside that you show visibly later when you wear it. It is usually elaborately and above all neatly finished, is decorated with patterns, or provided with a special material – in short, it should look beautiful and is the part of your handiwork of which you are proud and therefore like to show it. The wrong side, on the other hand, is carried inside and is sometimes called the offside. It does not necessarily have to be very neatly worked, as it will not be visible when worn later. On the other hand, it is often lined with warming or particularly comfortable materials, as these lie directly against the skin. When sewing, the wrong and right sides are important for you in that you should always know exactly which side is where. Otherwise, it can happen all too quickly that you mix up the sides and the actually carefully worked pattern does not show on the outside, but on the inside. However, a clear cutting pattern and good sewing tutorial will help you avoid this.

Learning to Sew

Do you want to finally learn how to sew, but don't know exactly how to get started? Here at Crazypatterns, we've got a variety of patterns that are perfect for beginners and will help you every step of the way. Learning to sew isn't hard at all, by the way, even if you may not understand everything right away at first. The longer you get into the hobby, the more you will learn about the many different technical terms, different types of sewing or tips and tricks. Also, the correct handling of tools such as sewing needles, thread or sewing machine will be introduced to you through our patterns, so that you can improve step by step. For the beginning, however, you should first go for a rather simple project to gain first experiences and to find out whether you really enjoy sewing. Take a look at our free patterns, for example, where you're sure to find one or two interesting projects. If you realize that instead of sewing, you'd rather start with another craft, you'll also find something here – be it crafting, knitting, or crocheting.

Help for Sewing Beginners

In order that you are not completely on your own, we provide you with various aids for sewing beginners. First and foremost, we offer step-by-step tutorials for sewing beginners, which will help you to easily create your first projects. How about a nice beanie, a scarf, or the classic pair of socks to start with? With the matching cutting patterns, you'll find in our tutorials, you can get started right away and be guided through the steps of needlework. Or would you rather learn with the help of a video? Then visit our YouTube channel, where we regularly publish new tutorial videos for you. This way, you can follow every single step in detail and, if necessary, simply rewind if you didn't understand something. Relax and learn at your own pace, the way you like it. But not only our patterns and videos are a good start for you as a sewing beginner, it's also worth taking a look at the Crazypatterns forum. This is where you will meet a lot of other sewing enthusiasts with whom you can chat about your hobby. In the different threads you can talk about various topics, from typical sewing problems to a presentation of your own needlework to a little chat about your everyday life, the weather, or the last party. You can also get together in workgroups to work online on a common project or to motivate each other.

• Video tutorials for sewing beginners
• Step by step patterns for sewing beginners
• Community forum for sewing enthusiasts
• Crazypatterns support
• Where can I learn how to sew?

Video Tutorials for Sewing Beginners

On Crazypatterns you'll not only find a wide variety of sewing patterns that you can download as PDFs or ZIP files, but also a lot of other ways to get to know your new hobby. Take a look at our YouTube channel, for example, where we provide videos that allow you to work on special stitches or patterns at your leisure. At the moment, you'll mainly find patterns that will help you learn how to crochet or individual steps. However, we strive to provide you with new content on a regular basis in the future, so that a lot of additional videos will be available to you as needed. With a good video tutorial for sewing beginners, you can decide for yourself how fast or slow you want to learn. Just fast forward to a specific point or watch a section again from the beginning if you need to. Unlike a written pattern, you'll also get the info directly as audio, so it encourages a completely different kind of learning. If you are more of an audio-visual learner, a video is often a good way to get started. If you prefer to have a pattern ready to read instead, you can of course still use our portal. The selection there is much larger, so you can always discover something new. Individual pieces of information are often easier to understand in the written patterns and can be found more quickly when you need them.

Step-by-Step Patterns for Sewing Beginners

On Crazypatterns we help you in many different ways, so that you can learn more about needlework, get a good start or improve your skills and create a lot of new projects. First and foremost, we provide you with step-by-step patterns aimed at sewing beginners. You can find them on our portal, for example, by browsing our categories or simply by looking at the home page and the recommendations suggested there. Depending on what you are looking for, you will find a lot of different projects – clicking on the corresponding image will take you directly to a page with more details, where you will also find the corresponding pattern, which is either free or can be purchased for a one-time price. Download it either as a PDF or ZIP file to your device and get started with your sewing project right away. Our patterns for sewing beginners are very clearly laid out and beginner friendly. You will first learn which materials you need and whether a certain technique is necessary or other special features are to be considered. Then follows the pattern, which explains each step in detail. Starting with the cutting pattern up to the last details, you will always know exactly what you have to do. On the one hand, you can use detailed descriptive texts for help, but on the other hand, our patterns for sewing beginners also contain a lot of pictures. This way you can not only read the steps, but also see and check them directly. If you make a mistake, you will notice it immediately and not only when you're done.

Community Forum for Sewing Enthusiasts

Exchange ideas with other needlework enthusiasts by taking a look at our forum. Here you can explore a wide range of topics, such as sewing, knitting, or crocheting. Other users will help you with valuable tips and tricks, but you can also chat about your current projects or present them with your own photos in a corresponding thread. Or do you just want to talk about everyday things? Then pay a visit to our chat corner. In our forum you can react and answer to the contributions of other users on the one hand, and on the other hand you can open topics yourself and release them for discussion. If you have a burning question, just start a topic and the other users will help you if they know what to do. To participate in the forum, you only need an account on Crazypatterns. Just register with a nickname and a password of your choice, log in and get started!

Crazypatterns Support

Do you have a problem on our site, did you notice an error, or do you want to give us feedback? In our support section we answer a lot of frequently asked questions and try to help you as much as possible. You want to know more about your possibilities on Crazypatterns, forgot your password or want to change your email address? For these and other questions we have created a detailed FAQ section, where you can read everything at your own pace. You can't find the right answer? Then simply ask your question in our forum, where we will try to find a quick answer or maybe someone from the community will be able to give you advice. If you can't find the answer you're looking for, you can also contact us by e-mail – our staff will try to answer your question as soon as possible.

Where Can I Learn How to Sew?

Wondering how and where to learn sewing? With Crazypatterns your search is over, because we are the right place to go when it comes to needlework! On the one hand, you have a huge community at your side on our portal, which always has new ideas and likes to let off steam creatively. You'll realize this as soon as you start looking through our many patterns. They come directly from our users, who have made the effort to share their own designs and projects with you. We make sure that the patterns are easy to understand, that you know exactly what you need for the realization and that you can fall back on a lot of pictures and explanations. That's not enough for you? Then take a look at our YouTube channel, where we show you a lot of tricks for various handicrafts or explain important basics. You can also visit our forum, where experienced seamstresses will be happy to help you, or you can exchange ideas with like-minded people. Last but not least, the Crazypatterns team is here to help you – we are your contact if you have problems or questions and are happy to help you via email or with our large FAQ section.

What Do I Need for Sewing?

When sewing you need a certain basic equipment to be prepared for all cases. Thread and good sewing needles are indispensable, but it is almost impossible to work properly without scissors. Ideally, you should get a special pair of fabric scissors so that the fabric is cut as gently as possible. For cutting threads, an additional pair of embroidery scissors can also do no harm. A seam ripper is also very practical if you need to unravel a seam later on or if something went wrong with your sewing. It lifts the threads without scratching the fabric. In addition, ruler and tape measure, thimble and pincushion should not be missing.

Material for Sewing

Clearly, for sewing you need suitable material. For this you need spools of thread, with black and white usually being the most commonly used. Fabrics such as cotton, pure silk or synthetic/polyester are common, but buttonhole thread or the very thin, fine machine embroidery and darning thread are also frequently used. The so-called basting thread is also suitable for basting and tailor tacks. When buying material, remember that yarn that is too cheap can have disadvantages – it may tear more quickly or lose its color in the sun. To avoid tangled sewing thread, you can use a little cardboard. Simply notch it lengthwise on both sides and wind the threads evenly.

When sewing, you should remember that synthetic fabrics are often sensitive to heat. This poses a problem especially when ironing, because during this process the fabrics can shrivel or even melt. Since ironing is often necessary before and during sewing so that the individual pieces fit together accurately, problems can quickly arise. If you are still a beginner, it is therefore worthwhile to use natural fibers. Cotton is ideal for beginners, because it is easy to care for and easy to work with. It can be used for a wide variety of sewing projects, whether for tablecloths, covers, clothing or bags. Aside from these basics, when it comes to fabric science, things can get complicated quickly. There are numerous special terms. As a result, it's not uncommon for beginners to be guided by other factors such as the color, pattern, or special effects. While this may be easy, it can also be counterproductive. You don't necessarily have to know all the terms for appropriate processing, but a little know-how regarding the weight class of a fabric is practical. Roughly speaking, a distinction is made here between light, medium and heavy. Heavy fabrics such as jeans or leather can be a challenge, as special sewing techniques sometimes have to be used. Light fabrics, on the other hand, are particularly delicate and therefore require a lot of skill and care. The golden mean – i.e., medium-weight fabrics – are best for beginners. In addition to the subdivision by weight classes, fabrics are also distinguished by their fabric finishes. Denim, corduroy, taffeta, chiffon, tulle, lace, or tweed – you may have come across these and a lot of other terms, even if you can't define each one exactly. They all differ – sometimes strongly – in their appearance and their properties. It becomes more difficult when other variants such as flock, habutai, beaver, gabardine or muslin are added. These fabrics are quite common, and you may even find them in your own garments, but for a lot of people they are foreign words and don't necessarily make buying fabrics any easier. For starters, stick to simple, sturdy, and versatile fabrics like cotton and then gradually discover the many exciting possibilities that the fabric market has to offer.

Sewing Needles

For sewing you will inevitably need a sewing needle, it is probably the most important tool for your needlework. However, the range of needles is large and especially as a beginner you can quickly get overwhelmed. Basically, a sewing needle has a needle eye at the end and is used to join different fabrics together. Sewing needles are also used for embroidery. Interestingly enough, it happens again and again that people swallow whole sewing needles or their fragments, for example, and keep them unnoticed for their entire lives - they are usually only noticed by chance during an X-ray. While the normal needle is usually made of metal, it was already used in the Stone Age and was initially made of bone at that time - making it one of the oldest tools known to man. A special form of sewing needle is also the furrier needle, which is equipped with a special triangular tip. It is used for extremely thick fur materials and leather. In connection with the sewing needle, thimbles or sewing rings are also an indispensable accessory. They protect the fingers and prevent injuries. For storage, on the other hand, so-called pincushions, magnetic trays or sewing boxes can be used.

In the meantime, the sewing needle has been further developed into a sewing machine needle and is therefore mainly used with the sewing machine. 10,000 stitches per minute are possible, so a needle must be of correspondingly high quality and robust. Common sewing needle sizes are between No. 60 and No. 110, which are often also offered in practical sets. They are divided into pointed and rounded needles, whereby the former is suitable for woven fabrics and are used much more often when working with a sewing machine. Rounded needles, on the other hand, are suitable for jersey and knitted fabrics, as they slip between the stitches and do not damage the fabric.