Gathering your Materials

Before you can sew, you need to round up your supplies. Make a list of anything you'll need to buy or get for your project. Think:

• Pattern - when choosing a pattern, make sure to get one in your size. Make sure you know in advance what size you need!
• Fabric - write down how much fabric, contrast, lining, etc. you will need. Many patterns call for different amounts of fabric based on whether the width of your fabric is 110cm or 150cm. You might want to write down both these numbers.
• Thread - My mother taught me to always choose thread to match my fabric. Many of my garments, I simply sew with white or black thread. Matching or contrast thread is important, however, for stitching that will show - such as hems or topstitching.
  My mother also taught me to always buy good-quality thread, such as Gütterman thread (which is sold in pretty much every sewing store I've ever seen). Cheap thread will break, both while you are sewing and in the finished garment. Don't cheap out on thread.
• Notions - remember to write these down -- think zippers, buttons, lace, elastic. Write down lengths and numbers.
• Interfacing - many garments call for this but I only use it infrequently. Places I do use it include belts, corsets, and some collars.

Ideally, you buy the fashion fabric first, and then match everything else to that. If you buy the fabric on a separate trip from the notions, you can cut a small triangle from the corner of your fabric called a swatch. I carry all my swatches pinned together with a safety pin in my purse for impromptu sewing shopping.

When you get it all home, you should launder your fabric before cutting it. This is another step that really shouldn't be skipped. Fabric is liable to shrink when first washed, and much of the fabric you'll buy hasn't been. If you cut and sew fabric that hasn't been washed, the seams may pull the first time you wash the finished garment. I try to wash all my fabric when I first get it home; that way, I can be sure that any fabric I pluck from a bin is ready to go. If, however, you are confused about whether or not you've washed a certain piece, look at the edges -- many fabrics will fray a little after a wash, instead of having the crisp edges they did when they were first cut.

If I bring home all the articles for a new project (pattern, fabric, trim, thread, zipper, etc) but don't plan to start it right away, I tend to store it separately in a plastic bag or something until I am ready for it. This way, there is no digging around when I begin.