Here's a quick list of sewing resources for beginners:
- Asian Sewist Collective - yours truly & team's podcast, great to listen to while you sew!
- Stitch Please - another fantastic podcast to listen to as you sew
- Love to Sew Podcast - has a great backlog of episodes on specific sewing skills and tips
- Evelyn Wood - YouTube creator with tons of tips and tricks for sewing
- Professor Pincushion - YouTube channel with lots of specific troubleshooting videos, like this video on thread tension
- Coolirpa (April) - YouTube creator with a ton of start-to-finish project videos and helpful beginner videos like this one
- The Fold Line - UK-based website with great search & review functionality for indie and Big Four/Big Five patterns, they also have a fun YouTube channel where they spot trends and patterns
- GwenStella Made - creator and friend with tons of resources and tips for beginners, plus Gwen has a cool retro style!
- Marcy Harriell - YouTube creator and singer with a great sense of fashion, she posts lots of quick sewing tips and NY fabric shopping tips
- Shilyn Sews - YouTube creator and friend with a wealth of knowledge and deep dive videos like this comparison of all circle skirts
- Sewstine - YouTube creator in the historical costuming community, while her sewing is not the same as what I practice, it's great to appreciate
- With Wendy - YouTube creator who focuses more on high fashion and current trends (and how to make them), but has a great backlog of how to videos, like this one about creating clothes from your clothes
- Strawberry Creek Quilts - quilt pattern designer, creator and friend with beginner quilting tips and small space setup tips, like this blog post on pressing and iron setup
My favorite creative reuse non-profits and stores for thrifted fabric:
If you are thrifting fabric, don't forget to do a burn test if you want to be more sure of its content.
The beginner sewing machine we use at Fleur Denver is the Singer Heavy Duty 4411. If you're in Denver and need access to a machine outside of workshop, class or open studio hours, I recommend checking out the Denver Public Library's Idea Labs.
Don't forget to follow @asiansewistcollective and @i.hope.sew on Instagram!
