Blogs and online resources can be a huge help when you’re taking sewing lessons, but which blogs are the best? Here, Glendale, CA sewing teacher Marie B. shares her picks for the best sewing blogs and online resources…
In the ocean of information that is the Internet, it can be daunting to find the right information when you need it. One can easily get lost in the myriad of blogs and websites. I have put together a list of some of the best sites for sewing tips, sewing tutorials, sewing patterns, and general information.
Sewing blogs can provide great resources and inspiration, and they can also help you discover new independent pattern companies, learn new techniques, and even teach you to be adventurous and try something new.
In this list of sewing blogs, you will find a mix of blogs for beginners, aspiring fashionistas, and the creative, crafty crowd. Explore these sites and bookmark your favorites; have fun!
Sewing Blogs for Beginners
Tilly and The Buttons
The beginner seamstress will find a lot of valuable information on Tilly and The Buttons. This elegant site focuses on dressmaking, but also offers helpful tutorials on sewing essentials.
The simple dress designs aren’t intimidating for blooming sewists, and you can also purchase the printed patterns on the site.
Tilly Walnes, founder and author of the best-selling book “Love at First Stitch,” lives in the U.K.., but you can save on shipping and get started right away by downloading the patterns directly from the website.
How to Sew
For the crafters, How To Sew has an extensive selection of tutorials for beautiful projects.
The tutorials are easy to follow, and they include helpful pictures and clear, step-by-step instructions for cutting and construction.
ALLFREESEWING
This website is a great online sewing resource for beginners and seasoned seamstresses alike. You can access free sewing patterns, projects, videos, and eBooks.
AllFreeSewing also has a great blog for sewists called SeamsandScissors.
Fashion Sewing Blogs
Colette Blog
If you’re taking sewing lessons to unleash your inner fashionista, then these two fashion sewing blogs are for you!
The Colette Blog is packed with creative inspiration, tutorials, and sewing tips. Plus, you can check out the sister site, Colette Patterns, where you can buy fabulous sewing materials and patterns.
The blog is easy to navigate and divided into sections such as tutorials, inspiration, and the wardrobe architect, where you can learn about the basics of fashion design, from shape to silhouette. This site will help you build a better, more personal wardrobe that reflects who you are.
“We make sewing patterns that teach,” says founder and creative director Sarai Mitnick. “Our small team is dedicated to reviving the art of sewing through everything we do.”
Fashion Sewing With Angela Wolf
Angela Wolf is a designer, author, and TV personality. She is the couture sewing expert on It’s Sew Easy TV, and an online instructor on Craftsy and Pattern Review.
If you’re interested in fashion sewing, you should definitely check out her website. The site includes video tutorials and sewing tips, and there is a blog with lots of articles on all things sewing.
“I started sewing when I was six years old, taught from my mother,” Wolf says. “I continued to sew all through college and started a custom apparel / alterations business that I ran for over 20 years. Now, I simply want to share what I have learned and hopefully inspire others to sew, especially garments. A few years ago I started Angela Wolf Pattern Collection to provide sewing patterns based on my designs with a fit similar to ready-to-wear sizing. My blog quickly followed in order to provide sewing, fitting, and embellishing tutorials, tips, and solutions. Best known for teaching how to sew designer jeans, I try to make it SEW EASY for any level sewer.”
Craft Sewing Blogs
Sew Mama Sew
Whether it’s home décor, accessories like hairbands and bags, aprons, or special handmade gifts, Sew Mama Sew has something for everyone.
Founded by Kristin Link, Sew Mama Sew offers sewing tutorials, sew-along patterns, and sewing techniques for both beginner and intermediate sewists.
The Sewing Directory
This website is a great for beginners, but with so many free projects, The Sewing Directory is also an excellent resource for crafters.
“The Sewing Directory is the number one UK sewing website, and the first stop to find local and online sewing shops, sewing classes, and sewing groups,” says Fiona Pullen, founder of The Sewing Directory. “Plus you’ll also find free sewing projects, technique guides, sewing features, industry news, and giveaways.
Sewing is an addicting, fun hobby that you can come into with no previous knowledge. There are so many different types of sewing: hand sewing, quilting, dressmaking, soft furnishing, repairs and alterations, bag making, etc., you are sure to find something that suits you. It only takes one class to get you going so why not try it today?”
Sewing Blogs for Kids
Crazy Little Projects
Whether you’re a crafty mom or you have a young, budding seamstresses at home, Crazy little Projects is full of charming ideas for kids. Learn how to make hooded towels, school bags, stuffed dolls, and stuffed monsters. There are also project that kids can do.
The site has a 25 things to sew section, where you will find just that, 25 things to create in different categories such as 25 Things to Sew Under 30 Minutes and 25 Things to Sew for Baby.
“I love that when you sew, you can take a pile of fabric and create something great,” says Amber from Crazy Little Projects. “Just start where you are and keep practicing and improving over time. Little by little, you will find that you have learned a lot!”
Made by Rae
Rae Hoekstra is a former physics teacher turned blogger and sewer, and her website is fun, easy to follow, and inspiring.
Whether you want to sew some new kids clothes or you’re looking for some kid-friendly projects to do at home, made by Rae is full of creative ideas, sewing projects, and tutorials.
Sewing Blogs Tutorials
Grainline Studio
Jennifer Beeman, a Chicago-based designer and patternmaker, created the Grainline Studio website. Beeman publishes a line of patterns and posts sewing and pattern-making tutorials to create variations with existing patterns.
Although the tutorials focus mainly on her line of patterns, the techniques she demonstrates in her tutorials and sew-alongs can be applied to similar projects.
She also has a several free downloadable patterns and a series of fun-to-do projects for the home.
So Sew Easy
Deby, So Sew Easy blogger and founder, discovered her passion for sewing while recovering from a brain injury in 2012. She created So Sew Easy to document her own sewing journey, and she provides sewing tutorials and videos to teach sewists new techniques.
“While you can’t beat that one-on-one approach to learning a new skill, if you can’t find the perfect sewing teacher close to where you live, then do consider all of the options for online learning,” Deby says. “You can also supplement your in-person lessons with some extra reading and research. There are so many bloggers that give great advice and tutorials, have free sewing patterns for you to use, and even show you how to use them with video tutorials, too. Once your sewing teacher gets you started, you’ll soon be hooked and ready to explore the vast world of sewing, including making your own clothes, bags, and accessories. Drop into the Free Sewing Patterns Page on So Sew Easy and pick out your next project.”
In addition to sewing tutorials, you can access free sewing patterns, see Deby’s latest projects, and network with other sewing enthusiasts.
Plus Size Sewing Blogs
Curvy Sewing Collective
Americans’ waistlines have been expanding in the last 30 years; so let’s not forget about a group that’s often ignored in fashion circles. There are a few blogs worth mentioning, but one that seems to standout is Curvy Sewing Collective. Not just a sewing blog, it’s also a community of supportive, body positive sewing enthusiasts.
Curvy Sewing Collective is a great resource to find sewing patterns in your size, and how-to’s for making size adjustments. There’s lots of information on measurements and fabrics that work best for a curvy figure. The community members share pictures of their creations, and interact in the online forum.
With articles on healthy body image, discussions, pattern reviews, and tutorials, it’s a very informative site that not only offers help for curvy seamstresses, but also makes a difference in peoples’ lives.
Sewing Blogs for Sewing Tools
Sewing Insight
Just as there is no shortage of sewing blogs, there are also several options when it comes to where you can purchase sewing supplies online. While your sewing teacher can help you decide which sewing tools you need as a beginner, Sewing Insight allows you to read equipment ratings and reviews on the most popular sewing machine brands and sewing-related products.
“Sewing is a lifelong passion of mine,” says Sewing Insight founder Vernelle Nelson. “Being able to share that passion with others is a dream come true. When I started sewing, I never thought that my hobby would evolve into what it has become.”
There are thousands of fantastic sewing blogs on the web, and it’s impossible for one person to know them all. The sites listed here are some of the most popular, and some of my favorites.
I hope you find these resources useful. May these blogs keep you motivated and help you discover your love of sewing!
Do you have some favorite sewing blogs that aren’t on this list? Let us know in the comments below.
Post Author: Marie B.Marie teaches sewing, fashion design, and animation in Glendale, CA. Marie studied fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM). She has been sewing for over 30 years. Learn more about Nikki here!
Maile Proctor