Reasons Designers Should Know How to Sew

You should know, sewing is a craft that has been around since the Ice Age. Over a period of 200,000 years, humans have gone from using bone needles to sew leather and fur to highly skilled machines that can sew buttons and pockets on clothes that are ubiquitous today. Even though there are machines to help fashion designers and craftsmen alike, the art of knowing how to sew is a skill that only 40% of people have. Yup, this requires certain skills too. It will also be different in each time in the past.

Here are 3 reasons why knowing how to sew will benefit you as a growing designer:

1. Sewing Lets You Get It

Knowing about materials in depth will help you design clothes better of course. Learn to work with cotton, spandex, linen, cashmere, satin, etc. will expand your knowledge of the material. You’ll learn which materials are lighter, have elasticity, are more durable, and what works best for each type of design. Learning the basics of fabric construction will also help you decide how you want your garment to be professionally produced.

2. You Can Make Your Own Sample Cuts

If you know how to sew, you can make your own sample pieces. When a factory makes one sample piece, it can cost hundreds of dollars. Knowing your materials and designs will help prevent you from needing more rounds of sampling to get the version you want. This alone will save you hundreds, even thousands of dollars. You can also use your homemade sample pieces as a reference when creating technology packages for your manufacturing partners.

3. It Teaches You to Value Handmade Clothing and Manufacturing

Clothing is a normal part of everyone’s life. Sometimes we don’t realize that many of our clothes are made by hand by other people. For some people, making clothes is their way of making a living. When you learn to sew, you realize how much effort it takes to make something as simple as a t-shirt.

As a designer, you will pay a manufacturing company to make the clothes you sell to your customers, especially if you plan to sell dozens or hundreds of products at once. This allows you to profit from those ready-to-ship garments. Respecting the livelihood practices of others will help you better appreciate your opportunity to sell clothing under your own brand name.

Entering the design industry, you don’t need to know how to draw. However, knowing how to sew will greatly expand your knowledge of clothing and its construction. As you develop your sewing skills, you should be familiar with the most frequently used tools of the trade. Getting to know these tools will help you feel more in control of your craft and the clothes you end up making from practicing them.

Materials and Tools Needed for Sewing

There are 11 essential items you’ll need to start sewing:

• Hand Needles / Sewing Needles – Hand needles will help you sew buttons and smaller tasks; sewing needle will go into the sewing machine.
• Threads – Invest in quality threads that don’t break easily. Start with black and white in your kit, then choose which colors work better for your project.
• Sewing Machine – You will use the machine to sew your pattern pieces, producing the final garment.
• Fabric Scissors – Scissors will help cut loose fabric and thread ends.
• Measuring Tape – Making sure your pattern pieces fit is very important for making clothes.
• Push Pins – These pins will keep your fabric in place as you sew and help avoid mistakes.
• Stitch Ripper – Mistakes can happen, so you’ll need a seam ripper to make it easier to remove the stitches and try again.
• Rotary Cutter – This easy-to-roll blade helps you cut fabric faster and more precisely around curves.
• A Cutting Board – When working with knives, you want to make sure you protect your work area.
• Washable Chalk or Markers – This will help you safely mark fabric sizes and plans.
• Fabric – Make sure you choose a suitable material for your project. You will get better at this pick with practice.
• You can find these supplies at your local arts and crafts store. Many stores even offer a wide variety of sewing kits that have these items in them prepackaged and ready to use.

Designing and sewing clothes is a form of self-expression. As a designer who knows how to sew, you can create unique pieces, become a better and pragmatic fashion designer, and learn to appreciate the construction of clothes.