My intro to sewing

25 Aug, 2026

Mr. Six says I have too many hobbies, so I got another one. It helps to have a few different things to choose from when I'm feeling burnt out on something! I really am running out of space in my room though :-)

My delusion is that I will someday be able to make my own Star Trek uniforms, but we gotta start at the beginning! ENT Jumpsuit Pattern

pattern that I will likely not touch for five years

First things first: the machine. I am using a Brother CS7000X. I definitely recommend it as a beginner, but keep in mind that I haven't done much beyond basic quilting. I probably could have gone for something with less built-in stitches, but the extra features like speed control are so helpful and worth the cost imo.

I will mention it likes to wind my bobbins to be bottom-heavy, but I've been using my finger to guide the thread as it winds as a fix. I don't even know if it's a problem for a bobbin to be uneven ¯\(ツ)/¯ Better safe than sorry?

That's it for the machine though. Onwards!

To be honest, my machine sat on the corner of my desk for a long time before I worked up the nerve to learn how to use it. It didn't help that I just could not find a beginner project that got me excited to learn. The commonly recommended projects—tote bags, coasters, pillow cases—were not sparking any joy.

I can't remember which video told me about this sewing pattern, but what I eventually picked for my first project was the Soften Studio Bandana! I printed the pattern at home, and for fabric and thread I walked to my local Michaels to pick some out (if one more person tells me to go to Hobby Lobby I'm gonna scream).

As a quick aside: I watched a lot of youtube videos on how to start sewing instead of actually sewing, and one thing that is stressed over and over again is that you must read the manual. Listen to these wise people and to the wise manual. It told me everything I needed to get started, so winding the bobbin and threading the needle was no sweat.

There's not much to say about my first project! I did my first ever stitches on some scrap fabric and then got to sewing. There is something very relaxing about having the machine at the lowest speed setting and letting it do its thing. Cutting the pattern out was way harder than the sewing, I think. I also used the heart stitch setting to add some extra detail! It turned out so cute and I wear it a lot :D wine red bandana

baby's first sewing project completed!

Now I really didn't think I would want to sew a tote bag, but the creator of the bandana also has a pattern for one! The Mini Soften Tote was much more interesting to my brain than other totes because this one is quilted and lined!

AND LOOK AT HOW CUTE THESE TURNED OUT! pink floral print tote california poppy print tote

I gifted the first one to a friend. Second one is for meee

Even though they weren't perfect, the feeling of being able to look at them and be like, "Wow, I made these!" was everything.

There was a lot more involved here compared to the bandana. Even though I was still only sewing straight lines, I definitely learned a lot. Some things that are obvious to me now, but weren't before:

The needle should be changed often, after every project as a guideline.
Stitch length should be increased when sewing through thicker layers. (DUH, but I really hadn't thought about it until my second bag attempt.)
Skipped stitches can happen when sewing over thick seams. The hump jumper is your best friend!

Just going to end this by saying I am feeling quite depressed at the moment about spending so much time on yet another thing that doesn't make me money, but I'm sure I'll snap out of it and I'll get back to making something cool.

Thanks for reading!