Basic Sewing Skills Notes
Subject Overview
Basic Sewing Skills introduces the sewing machine and hand-sewing tools every textile design student needs to build creative surfaces and eventually finished products. You'll learn the parts and maintenance of an industrial sewing machine, threading and machine control exercises, then troubleshoot common sewing problems on different fabrics, and close with hand stitching techniques and creative sample development. This is a 2-credit core practical paper across 3 units.
Subject at a glance
3
Units
17
Topics
2
Credits
3
Infographics
Unit-wise Syllabus
3 units — click WhatsApp below to get the full notes for each
Unit 1: Sewing tools & machine basics
- Introduction to sewing tools and equipment
- industrial sewing machine parts
- functions and maintenance
- sewing machine and hand needles
- threading
- machine control exercises
- paper exercises
Measuring
Tape, ruler, gauge
Marking
Tailor's chalk, tracing wheel
Cutting
Shears, scissors, seam ripper
Sewing
Needles, pins, thimble
Pressing
Iron, pressing cloth
Study guide
This unit introduces sewing tools, the parts, functions and maintenance of industrial sewing machines, needles, threading and machine control exercises. Practise stitching on paper first to build control.
Unit 2: Fabric handling & troubleshooting
- Relation of needle
- thread and fabric
- common sewing problems and their remedies
- sewing lines
- curves
- circles and squares with different stitches-per-inch
Skipped stitches
Wrong or blunt needle
Change to the right new needle
Thread breaking
Tension too tight or poor thread
Loosen tension; re-thread
Puckering
Tension or stitch length wrong
Adjust tension; lengthen stitch
Looping underneath
Upper thread not in tension discs
Re-thread with presser foot up
Study guide
You study the relation between needle, thread and fabric, common sewing problems and fixes and sewing lines, curves, circles and squares at different stitches per inch. Learn to diagnose skipped stitches and puckering.
Unit 3: Hand stitching & creative samples
- Hand stitching — darning
- basting and its types
- introduction to seams and their usage
- creative sample development using the techniques learnt
Basting (tacking)
Long, temporary running stitches
Hold layers before machine sewing
Running stitch
Small even in-and-out stitches
Gathering, simple seams
Hemming stitch
Small slanting stitches
Finishing hems
Darning
Woven rows of stitches
Repairing holes
Study guide
You learn hand stitching (darning, basting), an introduction to seams and creative sample development. Compile a seam sample book as a reference.
Why Basic Sewing Skills Matters
Sewing skill underpins garment construction, quality control and product development, and understanding construction makes you a better designer.
How to Prepare for Basic Sewing Skills
- Practise machine control until lines are straight and consistent.
- Maintain the machine as taught: oil, clean and check the needle.
- Keep a sample book of seams and stitches.
Basic Sewing Skills: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose the right needle?
Match the needle size and type to the fabric weight and thread, since a mismatch causes skipped stitches, puckering or fabric damage.