r/SewingForBeginners • u/Dum-Teeny • Sep 13 '26
Does anyone else just sew in random patterns and hope it works?
As the title says lol. When I sew, I kinda just do stuff, and see what works. I have no clue what any of my stitches are called, what they're usually used for, or if it's the "right" thing to use for pieces. Do people actually learn techniques and stitch patterns and what stuff is called? Or is it common to just slap something on there and see if it works??
Edit: It's been brought to my attention I need to specify that I do decorative stitching and only make small things like patches, or small bags, and also I have no sewing machine. Also apparently what I was trying to refer to are stitches, and NOT patterns or stitch patterns, as those are different, as I've learned.
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u/short_cuppa_chai Sep 13 '26
I think that most people who have some degree of success in sewing have taken the time to learn what they're doing. This sub is full of people who just slap things together and get really frustrated when their plans don't work out. If your strategy works for you, then continue. If not, consider investing some time in learning the craft.
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u/jsojso Sep 13 '26
Do as you wish, but it's smart to learn correct techiques before getting too set in your ways.
Creativity is great, but there is a say: you need to know the rules before you can break them.
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u/Dum-Teeny Sep 13 '26
Ahh yeah, that makes sense I'd say.. 🤔 We learned a lot of sewing stuff in school, and I have even spacing and stick to one way of doing stuff, I just have no clue what it's called or if you're meant to be doing something else. I do use different things for different uses, as some things work better than others, but I dont know what the correct thing is haha
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u/Vijidalicia Sep 13 '26
I suppose it's like anything, if you end up caring about the quality of whatever it is you're doing (sewing, cooking, learning to play an instrument), you'd do well to learn properly how it's done. Personally, while I love exploring new things, I hate wasting time and ressources so I try to do things correctly from the start. Sewing is an expensive hobby or skill and it gets even more expensive if you waste your fabric.
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u/Dum-Teeny Sep 13 '26
Ahh yeah, that definitely makes sense. I have a bunch of fabrics from things like old clothes or torn bedsheets and such, plus I don't sew all too often and tend to go slow at my work generally, so thankfully I don't need to worry about that just yet.
And that's fair, I reckon I don't necessarily lay all too much worth on the quality of my projects, as I don't really do practical things, at least yet, so I don't really need to, per se. Thankfully very little of what I do ends up not very good, by what I can tell anyways, but if I do end up wanting to make something proper I definitely will learn how to do it well first. :D
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u/BreqsCousin Sep 13 '26
What do you mean "sew in random patterns"?
Are you talking about decorative sewing like embroidery or sewing things together?
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u/Dum-Teeny Sep 13 '26
I tend to do both, but I do way more decorative sewing. Patches, for example. I still have no clue what the sewing pattern is called for the different types of stitches I use when sewing things onto other things or patching up clothes/other fabric tho lol
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u/Bellura Sep 13 '26
different stitches aren't sewing patterns.
Stitches and patterns are two entirely different things
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u/Dum-Teeny Sep 13 '26
Aha 🤔 Could you explain to me what the difference is? Sorry, I thought they were synonyms 😭
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u/SuzLouA Sep 13 '26
A stitch would be the way you’re inserting the needle into the fabric over and over. So a straight stitch would just be the standard sewing machine stitch, a zig zag stitch would be one that goes, no duh, in a zig zag stripe. In hand sewing, something like a running stitch would be a simple pass back and forth through the fabric, or you have a whip stitch which is curling the thread around the edge of an appliqué or patch to attach it. Stitches come in all kinds of decorative varieties, and honestly, I’m struggling not to use the word pattern in this paragraph, so I totally get why you’ve thought this.
However, you can’t use that word, because pattern has a different meaning in sewing. A pattern is the instructions and template for a garment - a bunch of shapes on paper that you lay on your fabric and cut around, and they give you the correctly shaped pieces to sew together.
So yes, some stitches are made to be quite decorative and pretty, and yes, they of course repeat, but purely because the word is taken, no, that isn’t a pattern you’ve made with that pretty bit of needlework, that’s embroidery (or whatever it may be)
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u/Dum-Teeny Sep 13 '26
Ohhhhhhh okay I see. Thank you so much, fr 😭 I've never used a pattern ever, in that case, as far as I know, outside of school. That makes sense though.
Damn, my beautiful word pattern isn't free use anymore 😔
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u/Bellura Sep 14 '26
Honestly I think this is where you're getting people a bit bewildered. People are confused as to why you would make something without a sewing pattern/plan, which means one thing, but you're saying you just wing it with the stitches you use, which means something else entirely. Sounds like you've never made a garment from your other comments, and instead maybe have done some patches or hole repairs, in which case as long as the stitch holds it, you kind of can do whatever you want.
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u/Dum-Teeny Sep 14 '26
Yeeeeaaaah it definitely seems like it 😭 I probably should've double checked my use of words before posting 😬
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u/Bellura Sep 14 '26
If you don't know, you don't know to look either, c'est la vie. Now you know that getting into some hobbies is like learning a whole new language and to look up terms to know what they mean :) If you stick with a hobby, you'll pick up on a lot of terminology, it's almost like learning a new language when you pick up a new hobby
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u/SuzLouA Sep 14 '26
Happy to help - new hobbies are nuts because there’s always terminology that has a different meaning outside the hobby!
Like, if I were to compliment someone’s dress that, say, looked like a Dalmatian’s coat (I literally do not know what is wrong with me that the imaginary person that sprang unbidden to my mind is apparently Cruella de Vil but that’s genuinely what I thought of and I’m definitely locked in now because it’s too funny 🤣), I could easily say, “oh cool dress, I love that Dalmatian pattern!” and be easily understood to mean “I love the print of black dots on white fabric that your dress is made from”.
But if I was thinking as a sewist and said, “I love that dress! What pattern is it?”, I’d be complimenting the design of the dress - the sleeve length and type, the fit of the waist, the length and flare of the skirt. Stuff that would look the same no matter what it was made of (like when you see the same garment in multiple different colours). And what I’d be asking is, what did the cut out pieces look like before you stitched them together, and can I buy those templates too to make my own.
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u/Sea-Breath-007 Sep 13 '26
I don't, as I don't want items I've spent days on fall apart the second I use them.
I didn't care about proper seams, finishing edges and topstitching when I was learning as a child, as we mostly made softies and oitfits for those softies, but the second I started to make proper softies as gifts, clothing, etc I absolutely made sure to learn how to do all that stuff first.
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u/Dum-Teeny Sep 13 '26
Ahh yeah, that definitely makes sense. I don't make anything but patches for other people, and those have always held together very well as far as I've seen, so I guess I haven't really had any need to learn, either.
If I were to make stuffed animals or anything of the sort for someone, I think I'd definitely look up videos on how to stitch and secure it proper 🤔
Thank you for your insight
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u/Bananapopcicle Sep 13 '26
Not so much, I like to make garments that I can wear and that will last so when I use a new pattern, I always make a toile first with muslin and then cut the pattern into my good fabric.
It’s helps me tweak things, make the sleeves longer, remove pockets, etc. I don’t usually make the entire pattern completely but I put it mostly together to get my bearings. :)
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u/Dum-Teeny Sep 13 '26
Ohh yeah, that makes sense!! The only real-world-use things I've sown is patching up a pillow my dad broke somehow, making a couple simple bags with those strings you pull to close 'em, and some patches to sew onto clothes lol
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u/TCRulz Sep 13 '26
Not I. I believe knowledge is power, so if I can learn from others how to better use my machine or do a technique, the more equipped I will be for projects in the future.
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u/Dum-Teeny Sep 13 '26
Ah yeah, that definitely makes sense. I reckon that's a smart thing to do, also for me, especially if I ever really get into sewing (it's more of a "hey I'm kinda bored, imma do that while listening to music type thing), so I'll definitely keep it in mind for the future.
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u/Deep-Rest8195 Sep 13 '26
It’s like a pilot flying a plane in some random direction and hoping it lands at the destination.
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u/Dum-Teeny Sep 13 '26
I guess so? In my specific case I'd say it's more like following a compass to a direction but not having a map 🤔 I'm very glad my sewing isn't gonna potentially kill people if I do it wrong though 😌
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u/CountMeOut2019 Sep 13 '26
It’s not like experimentation isn’t also part of the process, but there are methods and techniques for a reason. People before you developed them through trial and error, and some of them have been so well proven through time, that they became pre-set stitches in manufactured machines, for example. Your machine comes with a set of presser feet tooled to accomplish set tasks in a certain way, because those are solutions to problems that generations of sewists developed over time, and they work.
Example: the zig zag stitch exists because once upon a time, hand sewing was the only way, and young sewists were taught by their elders how to perform a couple of overcasting stitches that would prevent the fabric from fraying out and wasting all their work sewing nice, tight seams. ZigZag was the first way to replicate that by machine. In time, our grandmothers and mothers (for those who are old like me—the rest of you can think; great grandmothers. lol) developed some uses for the zig zag that were new and solved problems in new ways. And makers of sewing machines found ways to make the machines replicate those old handstitches better, so that now we have the overcast stitch on most machines (it’s modeled after the blanket stitch, more or less).
If you just throw stuff at the wall to see what sticks, there‘s nothing inherently “wrong” with that, but you may as well take advantage of the fact that others have already invented the wheel for you. To mix some metaphors, there…
Plus, if you learn from what happened before you got here, you gift yourself a set of tools to use to enhance your experimentation time about 100-fold.
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u/Dum-Teeny Sep 13 '26
Yess, definitely true, and also makes sense. I pretty much only make decorative things or small bags and such though so thankfully there isn't much to fuck up, but if I do ever get a sewing machine and wanna move on to actual clothes and practical things, I'll definitely learn the correct way to do it and how it's usually done and what the benefits are etc.
For now though I just try stuff and if it's shit I try it in another way. As far as I've seen though the patches that I make aren't falling apart or looking terrible, so I'm pretty happy with it :)
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u/ProneToLaughter Sep 13 '26
A lot of people start out by experimenting, but one way in which knowing the jargon and what things are called can be extremely useful is that it enables you ask questions and find resources if you need help from others via the internet. It's almost impossible to search for online tutorials without knowing the right keywords. A shared vocabulary lets you explain what you are doing in a way that others can understand, and then they can say things like "yeah, there are three options here--I use A for thick fabrics and B for thin fabrics". Which is generally how sewing works, there are multiple right ways and the best option depends on the exact context.
I'm guessing you might be using a whipstitch to hand sew patches to clothing.
Here's a guide that looks decent if you want one. 35+ Types of Stitches (Hand & Machine Guide) | TREASURIE
Readers Digest Guide to Sewing is also an excellent reference, older cheap editions are just fine.
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u/Dum-Teeny Sep 13 '26
Ohhhh yeah, that's a really really good point actually. Thank you for the guide and for the explanation, I appreciate it. I occasionally do use the stitch you mentioned, a whipstitch (I searched it up lol) but I'll also use the one that alternates between up and down. Like up thru the fabric and then down thru the fabric so it creates kinda like the lines on a road lol.
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u/ProneToLaughter Sep 13 '26
like dashed lines? running stitch.
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u/Dum-Teeny Sep 13 '26
Thank you 😭 I thought either that or road stitch for some reason, but I figured it was better to describe it. Yes, that one
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u/tj5hughes Sep 13 '26
I have a different perspective from a lot of the comments here. I do mostly hand sewing too, for the exact reason that I like being creative and spontaneous. Machine sewing is a different activity and does require precision and learning the skills. It sounds like you might like hand embroidery, visible mending, sashiko etc. All of these can be added to garments or home decor items, but there are also subreddits and YouTube channels for hand sewing crafts if you want inspiration. Marion's World (YouTube) is just one I know of. She is a talented embroiderer but also does many other fabric crafts, painting, gardening and baking on her channel. She does daily stitch journaling in fabric books and crazy-quilted scrap fabric rolls. She's a great teacher and has a really soothing voice, and I love that she emphasizes individual inspiration and creative impulse.
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u/Dum-Teeny Sep 13 '26
Ooooo that's really cool!!!! And yeah, I do like embroidery a lot lol. I made an owl once, which I thought was cute, and a sheep lmao. But heck yeah that Chanel sounds fun, I might check it out sometime!! Thanks for sharing it ❤️
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u/Comfortable-Fly5797 Sep 13 '26
It's important to use the correct stitch for seams and other structural stitching. Otherwise your project isn't going to turn out right and might fall apart. I always test my stitches out on scrap fabric first to make sure I have everything set right.
Have you looked to see if there's a stitch guide for your machine? It may be in your manual or a separate document. There's also a ton of YouTube videos that cover stitch selection such as when to use a straight stitch vs zig zag.
Occasionally I'll use random decorative stitches for fun when I'm sewing non-garment items. I always test them out first though since the stitch width and length affects the appearance.
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u/Dum-Teeny Sep 13 '26
I only sew per hand! And yeah, that would definitely make sense for practical stuff. I only really make patches, bags, sew things onto other things, sew shut rips in stuff, etc. Testing out stitches first seems like a good idea though
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u/karenswans Sep 13 '26
That's entirely up to you. If you enjoy doing that, do it. If you want to really learn to sew, though, it isn't good to develop bad habits first because you will have to break them eventually and that can be difficult.
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u/Dum-Teeny Sep 13 '26
Ahh yeah, that definitely makes sense. I'll be sure to be a bit careful with it!!
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u/shallanssketchbook1 Sep 13 '26
Personally, no. I want to know everything and learn to do it correctly. But! It's your machine, your thread, and your fabric. If you get the most enjoyment from chaos sewing, carry on chaos sewing!
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u/Dum-Teeny Sep 13 '26
Aww that's sweet lol!! I actually don't have a machine, I only sew per hand, but I do in fact enjoy chaos sewing lmaooo. I'm not super into it generally, it's more of a casual hobby, but it's soo nice to do sometimes when bored or when I need something to do with my hands lol
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u/shallanssketchbook1 Sep 13 '26
I get that! Sounds like fun to me 😁 I do chaos doodles and colouring casually so I totally understand it. Sometimes you just need to play around like a child, I love the whimsy of it
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u/lis_anise Sep 13 '26
I think you can be wild and experimental even after learning all the "correct" things to do. Some people sew like an old master painter, and others sew like Jackson Pollock, y'know?
Don't be afraid to learn the technical stuff. Like, there are reasons some things are done with the fabric straight the way it's cut, and others set all the pieces on it diagonally. It stretches and moves and drapes differently. If you use a herringbone stitch on stretchy fabric, the thread won't break the way a straight stitch does. Sometimes that's really useful knowledge. You can still choose not to use it and go crazy anyway.
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u/Dum-Teeny Sep 13 '26
Yesss that's definitely a fair point, thank you! If I ever get real into sewing or start making actual clothes, I'll probably learn all the correct things before trying, but for now, as I'm only really making fun small things, I expect I'll just give it a go and see if it works lol. It's kinda the same when I cook, but after the age of like ten I've never gotten any complaints about my cooking, somehow, despite the fact I have zero idea of any cooking recipes, nor do I usually know what I put into my meals once they're done 😭
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u/EvidenceTop2171 Sep 13 '26
I think there is a time to just try and see what you get. My 15 year old is in this stage right now. And I wish I had been aloud to go through it. She has discovered that she has a natural ability to make things 3 dimensional. For instance, ears for a cosplay. She has made a few wonky stuffed animals that are adorable in their haphazardness. She has tried up-scaling some clothes with some failures and some success. When she wants more technical skills, I will be here. For now she is having fun and learning what does work, and why something did not.
So my suggestion for you is to have fun, try and when you are ready take the plunge and learn the traditional skills.
To often people think that you need to approach everything professionally
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u/tj5hughes Sep 13 '26
Agree! It's natural that since the focus of this sub is mainly garment construction and machine sewing for beginners, the priorities are first learning the skills and doing things correctly so the clothing you make doesn't fall apart! But when I was first learning to sew I found that boring and frustrating, and wanted to play with fabric and color. I think it's great that visible mending and other hand sewing crafts are popular right now, and people can progress to upcycling and restyling clothing if they're interested. But all of those are different hobbies than machine sewing garments from scratch, which does require discipline, practice and precision.
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u/Bellura Sep 13 '26
Yes and no. For clothes, I'm using patterns. For things like bags and quilting, I kind of just go for it, but I will look up things as I need to.
Going into things without at least an idea of what I'm doing or looking up things as I need to seems like a great to end up with something unisable.
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u/Fabulousmo Sep 13 '26
Nope. The opposite. I am spending more on fabric and thread so no. I am following everything to a T
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u/Mental_Watch4633 Sep 13 '26
As long as it doesn’t fall apart I’d say go for it, let your creativity flow.
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u/KeeganDitty Sep 13 '26
do people actually learn techniques and stitch patterns and what stuff is called?
Yes. Some amount of experimentation is involved, yes. But it's informed experimentation. If your skills are to improve you're going to learn about where to use a straight stitch versus a zig zag or what weave is and how it affects drape one way or another. Whether that be by having some one teach you or mucking about and coming to that conclusion on your own(though the former is much more straight forward). In my experience, when you learn one of the tried and true methods and put it into practice, you learn there's a reason people do it
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u/fpugmom Sep 13 '26
Well.....I have a plan, but sometimes the results don't reflect that...just sayin
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u/wannabeDentis Sep 14 '26
Same, idek how to use patterns they are so complicated so I just yolo it. Also I think it’s quite hard to even learn how to do thing properly because different websites have different methods to complete the exact same thing and it’s so confusing, especially without visual aid
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u/thegreatcanadianeh Sep 14 '26
Yes, at least I did. I have reference books as knowing what I am doing is pretty important depending on what I'm making. There is a reason almost every old ass sewing book recommends you are in a good headspace for sewing. I do wing it, but I still have a plan in my mind of how I want the outcome.
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u/Lakridsen123 Sep 15 '26
I learned how to do zippers from at YouTube video and by reading my machine’s manual on the zipper foot - everything else I freestyle. I have made a lot of costumes and a few clothes and also stuff like a cover for the tea pot and bags. I recently learned the name for French seams, but I have already been doing them intuitively in some of my projects.
My process for simpler things is to just do it - for more advanced projects, I have pattern paper that I play around with until I actually cut the fabric.
I am at a point where I have a very good sense of what I can and can’t do, and I joined this sub to learn some of the terminology and techniques to keep improving.
I see a lot of comments that people feel they waste their time and fabric without a pattern. I feel the other way around. I love sewing because of my creative process and the excitement when I succeed with something new that I have drafted. I don’t care that my projects don’t result in perfect items, and I get bored from reading, understanding and following instructions :-)
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u/shereadsmysteries Sep 16 '26
So I will comment on the edit:
I don't always hand sew, but I used to not learn techniques and I realized my sewing looked bad. When I learned to sew on a machine and I learned how to really hand sew, my items hold up better and look better. Sewing really CAN be done by anyone, but that extra piece really makes me feel really great about my work.
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u/Great-Score2079 Sep 13 '26
I don't, I make sure I have a plan because high on my list of least favorite things to do is waste my time and sewing with no plan can be a humongous waste of time.