I cannot stress enough that all those things in sewing pattern instructions that seem pointless are actually very important
Yes, how you fold your fabric before putting down the pattern pieces and cutting matters, because it influences how the fabric drapes, and ignoring that can cause fit issues in ways you wouldn’t expect
Yes, cutting an entire separate piece to sew to the edge to finish it is going to be better than turning the edge and stitching it on its own, because there are geometry issues in play that make it actually harder to just fold a curve to the inside.
Yes, cutting clips or notches into the seam allowance around curves should always be done, because those geometry issues will work on the seam allowances and keep the curve from laying flat (remember, clip when the curve goes in, notch when the curve goes out)
Yes, interfacing may seem completely superfluous and frustrating and an extra step to work with, but it adds rigidity and stability to areas that need it (especially under buttons)
Yes, using a fun quilting cotton print for lining looks nice, but the point of lining isn’t to make the inside pretty as much as it is to make the inside slip smoothly over the layer under it, and quilting cotton is going to instead be prone to grabbing everything under it, so you really should use those annoyingly slippery lining fabrics
Yes, in general, you should use the kind of fabric the pattern tells you to use, because there have been centuries, if not millennia, of people throughout the entire world figuring out what fabric best suits what kind of garment, for reasons beyond aesthetics
I know that a lot of people new to sewing see these things and feel like they’re things that just aren’t necessary, because they skip them when they sew and the item ends up just fine. And if you don’t mind the idea of your clothes looking homemade, then it is fine. But…if you’re consistently skipping these things and end up unhappy with how homemade your items look, please consider that that result is at least partly because you’re not following the entire directions
“Sewing” involves so much more than just the stitches
And I want to emphasize: You don’t have to understand why you’re directed to do any of this. I’m just asking you to please trust that the people at the big pattern companies have very good, real, physical reasons for telling you to do these things.
And, as with all things, when you get more experience, you’ll start figuring out ways that you can sometimes do things differently. It always helps to understand the rules before you can successfully break them, right?
Press. Your. Seams.
This doesn’t just make it look nicer, it ‘marries’ the stitching thread with the fabric and makes the two pieces behave as one.
Half of sewing is pressing and makes a huge difference in the look between “beginner at home” and “skilled craftwork”
Look up what heat settings a fiber can take (most irons have it on the dial). Know what your fabric is made of. Those two bits of information will keep you from melting or burning your fabric and ruining your garment.
amhrancas 