I Recently Saw A Post Lamenting How Expensive Sewing As A Hobby Is, Which Has Been Nagging Me All Day

I recently saw a post lamenting how expensive sewing as a hobby is, which has been nagging me all day and of course now I can’t find it anymore.

It is, in fact, quite an extensive hobby and you can get bogged down by the capitalism monster thinking you need to buy a ton of things right away. You don’t! I’ve been sewing most of my life and have been slowly collecting tools and things as I need them but you can start off real small! Here are some random tips from me to you:

Sewing patterns: there are butt loads of free patterns all over the internet. Check out Mood patterns, Peppermint magazine, and your local library for the pattern bind up books if you’re lucky. However, indie patterns are totally worth the price, especially for beginners. They tend to have great instructions and better fit than the paper patterns you can find in stores and they come from people with a real passion for sewing. If you’re going more historical costuming, some of the free patterns can be finagled, but your best bet (besides drafting) is to purchase patterns depending on your era, just avoid Sense and Sensibility patterns. You can also find vintage patterns, but the instructions and fit are a tad different than you may be used to, especially for beginners. Shameless plug anyway for my vintage pattern shop.

Fabric: don’t be scared of your thrift store! Ive found lengths of fabric a couple times, but I always check for sheets and tablecloths that I like the look and feel of. You can get natural fibers wayyyy cheaper this way and tho it’s an extra step you can dye or overdye to get the color you want. The black fabric in this stack was faded so I dyed it darker black with Rit and the yellow I dyed with marigolds from my garden.

Notions/random bits and bobs: ask your friends and family! Sewing used to be basically ubiquitous and has gone out of style so as a result there are more vintage sewing supplies in the world than you could ever want and usually people hold on to them until they can find a good home. I’ve gotten so much random bullshit from my mom and grandmas and friends just by announcing that I love to sew. Obvi don’t be rude or conspiratorial, but esp older folks love to share their love of the craft.

Machine: cheapest is to inherit one, but you can usually find some older models at thrift stores or on Craigslist/fb marketplace. I found my serger for a decent discount from a company that refurbishes sewing machines.

I hope this helps anyone who is interested in sewing but scared of the starting costs. It’s a bit of a learning and cost curve, but the internet has helped break that down so much.