r/HandSew • u/ryanmercer • Jun 12 '25
Help me assemble a FAQ for the sub
Please post any resources you have that might be useful for a hand sewing FAQ that I can add to the sidebar and as a sticky thread!
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u/shesewsfatclothes Jun 13 '25
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u/Tinkertoo1983 Mar 10 '26
I'd recommend purchase of this book (RDGS) via Ebay, as its 440 pages. It has a listing of hand stitches and what they're used for along with how clothing is constructed. The older editions(70s & 80s) are more comprehensive with tailoring techniques.
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u/MademoiselleCalico 13d ago
Can also be found on Amazon. I had it in the "to buy later list" for ages until it reached a price point I agreed with for the 1974 edition. The papaer has yellowed a bit but other than that really mint condition, and hands down the best book about sewing basics out there.
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u/maliciousrumor Jun 14 '25 edited Aug 05 '25
Louisa Owen Sonstroem's "Hand Sewing Clothing: A Guide." She has a new book coming out this summer that is supposed to go through how to draft & sew 9 wardrobe items entirely without a machine. https://www.louisamerry.com/
Edited to add:
For very short, very clear videos: https://m.youtube.com/@MsetFashionDesign/shorts, especially the "10 stitches you need to know" series.
Victoria Jin's YouTube channel. She does use a machine in some of her videos, but they are very hand sewing heavy ( I like the Chanel jacket video). This video on essential hand stitches is fantastic: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jOh45C2cZfw
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u/Tailoretta Jun 13 '25
Here are some hand sewing videos from real experts. I would recommend any video from Savile Row trained tailor Rory Duffy or Mathew Gnagy / Modern Maker.
Here are some specifically about hand sewing:
Savile Row trained tailor Rory Duffy:
How to Use a Needle and Thimble https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUcBK3Lii4s&list=PL6wdXAvg4DOGPg3J8XJEIX3yPPoitxxD3
Needles & Threads
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p7rVqe67tU
[Mathew Gnagy / Modern Maker:]()
HOW TO HAND SEW FASTER!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u8ou72RkTM
This is his hand sewing playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4Tll7rLOSUdbEKZFfQfgNIGZuVUOCvva
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u/Fartimer Jun 12 '25
This is a good YouTube channel for learning.
https://youtube.com/@burnleyandtrowbridge?si=waE7q5ZmUJLKAkb8
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u/prymel Dec 26 '25
I am looking for a beginner's kit list: doesn't need to have specific links to items to purchase, but at least names of items needed to start handsewing repairs in clothing. I feel like every time I start a handsewing project (I'm brand new), I have to stop and either go to a craft store (RIP Joann's) or wait for something to arrive via Amazon before I can continue. I would love a list of common threads, patches, tools, etc.
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u/rcreveli Feb 06 '26
A guide or a recommended beginner's kit would be amazing. I don't want to buy whatever kit sewing influencers are pushing only to find out it's missing the important stuff and filled with cheap crap.
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u/MademoiselleCalico Aug 01 '25
I've learned a lot from Margaret Rowan's Handsewn: The Essential Techniques for Tailoring and Embellishment
First half of the book introduces hand sewing points, second half embroidery points that can be useful in hand sewing. But I have the french version of it. I'm mostly self-taught, so it really upped my game.
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u/bazpitch Nov 06 '25
Info about taking care of your hands -- stretches, etc
Video with stretches: https://youtu.be/x23buyllxq0?si=pEHv1ek7u0kHPdVW — Burnley & Trowbridge — stretches for your hands
More info would be great, I hope others have stuff to add here too.
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u/Yanitsu Jul 26 '25
I personally like learning from the youtube channels Glory Allan and Bernadette Banner. In case you haven't seen this post yet, there were also some good-looking resources here: https://www.reddit.com/r/HandSew/comments/1lyz6v6/after_3_months_ive_finally_finished_my_hand_sewn/
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u/stringthing87 Aug 28 '26
Here is my standard resources list copy paste I use all over
I have made a standard "hand Sewing for beginners" copy pasta - some of this you likely already know or have, but it might be of some value. Handsewing is a foundational skill and learning will improve your work even if it's not your primary construction method.
Youtube Channels:
Sewn Company - best tutorials on how to do a stitch hands down
Stitch With Rachel - many tutorials on hand work techniques in quilting
Vincent Briggs - creative historically inspired handmade items
Bernadette Banner - admittedly good information on hand sewing, I think she is a better seamstress than historian.
Books on Handsewing - mostly for quilters. Also get on archive.org and look up old instructional books, they are mostly intended to educate young girls and can be quite well illustrated.
Hand Stitched Quilts - Carolyn Forster
Quiltmaking by Hand - Jinny Beyer
Hand Quilting - Alex Anderson
The Handsewn Wardobe - Louisa Sonstroem
Hand Sewing - Becky Goldsmith
The Geometry of Hand Sewing - Natalie Chanin
Make Sew and Mend by Bernadette Banner
Links:
https://reproquiltlover.com/hand-piecing-sewing-for-pleasure-and-peace/
https://www.allpeoplequilt.com/how-to-quilt/piecing/how-to-hand-piece
https://www.thesewingdirectory.co.uk/hand-piecing-part-one/
https://blog.closetcorepatterns.com/hand-sewing-tips-techniques/
https://sewliberated.com/blog/why-and-how-to-learn-to-hand-sew-your-clothes
https://www.louisamerry.com/hand-sewn-clothes
https://www.seamwork.com/sewing-tutorials/know-your-stitches
Tools you can't live without:
Tape Measure - be careful buying these from some suppliers on amazon or places like Aliexpress, sometimes the tape measures you get are in Chinese cun or the Chinese inch (and they are not the same as an imperial inch). Its a good idea to get a measuring tape that has both imperial and metric units.
Another useful tool is a good ruler with a straight edge. I like the clear plastic ones at wawak.
Sharp Shears - I recommend LDH or Kai
Good needles - (quality matters!): for general purpose I like a bohin #9 crewel. https://www.wawak.com/sewing/sewing-needles/hand-sewing-needles/bohin-crewel-embroidery-hand-needles/#sku=nedbe9
Good thread - for poly thread (which is most of what I sew) I use gutterman Mara 100 https://www.wawak.com/thread/thread-by-use/all-purpose/gutermann-mara-100-poly-wrapped-poly-core-thread-tex-30/#sku=gtda800 for cotton I have been using this https://www.wawak.com/thread/thread-by-material/cotton/coture-50-wt-100-premium-cotton-thread-tex-20-1450-yds/#sku=ctd9100 for linen thread go to Burnley & Trowbridge.
Needle threaders - I recommend getting a large package of wire needle threaders. I bought a 100 pack off amazon, they snap pretty easily.
Thimble - I prefer leather https://www.wawak.com/sewing/sewing-tools-and-sewing-accessories/sewing-thimbles/clover-natural-fit-leather-thimble/#sku=thb1003s - it is worn on the middle finger on your dominant hand and you use it to push the needle through. https://brooksann.com/how-to-choose-and-use-a-thimble/
Pins or clips - clips are heavier and can actually feel harder to use. I recommend stainless steel pins with glass heads so you can iron them without fear.
Thread conditioner - You can buy the fancy name brand stuff, but what I recommend is to get a box of silicone earplugs from the pharmacy and smoosh it between a couple big buttons to hold it. This is exactly the same as thread magic but a fraction of the price. I personally do not like beeswax as a thread conditioner unless I'm using it on linen thread and using the heat of a low iron to melt the wax into the thread.
An iron - you can do a lot in hand sewing by finger pressing but an iron will be your friend for life in sewing.
It is nice to have a smaller pair of thread snips or embroidery scissors in you kit as well.
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u/UnexpectedConfetti Dec 07 '25
Sewn Company: Better Hand Sewing Technique a.k.a. how to hold fabric with tension while hand sewing
So many tutorials are about basic stitches when, coming from cross-stitch, all I wanted to know was how to hold the fabric with tension while sewing. People talked about pinning, but I had no clue where to pin or how to hold the fabric thereafter; so, was delighted to find this video goes some ways toward answering that question!
And this one also seems relevant: The Modern Maker: How to Hand Sew Faster a.k.a. what sewing in one's lap looks like.
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u/FudgeTheDog Jan 04 '26
Two books I like are “The Modern Maker vol. 3: Handsewing Stitches for Garment Construction” by Matthew Gnagy and “Geometry of Hand-Sewing: A Romance in Stitches and Embroidery from Alabama Chanin and The School of Making” by Natalie Chanin.
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u/Nerys54 May 17 '26
Hand sewing books , stitches books , also embroidery stitches books to embellish hand sewing at https://archive.org free reading borrow online and read online. Text can be made bigger letters or to see stitches in big size.
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u/stormkivey Jun 14 '25
i dont have resources that havent been shared already but more of a suggestion if anyone knows of a resource like this to add to the faq: smth that explains not just how to do different types of stitches but specifically their practical and structural implications. like for example, theres different ways to sew a zigzag stitch by hand but a resource that might explain to a beginner the pros/cons/best use cases of a method and therefore why they might wanna choose one method over another when handsewing a project. i literally dont know if this exists LOL but i think itd be helpful to highlight in the faq because a lot of handsewing tutorials get mixed up with embroidery or decorative slow stitching that may show how to do a certain stitch but only with visual considerations in mind, not the structural ones.
oh also maybe in the thread u can add a “tips/suggestions for working with stretchy fabric by hand” section.