I have now been sewing passionately for several years and never tire of handling beautiful fabrics... If today, I have almost an entirely handmade wardrobe; I (like everyone) started from scratch... with trials but also quite a few mistakes! 

Based on these experiences, I decided to share with you my checklist (list of points to verify) of 12 points to avoid many disappointments during a sewing project.

Are you ready? Let's go!

1. Let's talk fabric

First point on the checklist, of course, is preparing your fabric. In the vast majority of clothing projects, it is necessary to machine wash your fabric or steam shrink it with an iron.

Of course, for this step it is necessary to know the type of fabric and the care recommendations from the supplier. This is very important because you don't wash a 100% cotton poplin the same way you wash a viscose or silk...

If you want to know more about this first point, I wrote an article specifically on this topic: "why should you wash your fabric before sewing?", you can find it by clicking here.

2) Moving on to haberdashery

Nothing is more frustrating than being in the middle of work and realizing you no longer have or don't have enough bias tape to bind your coat, not the snaps of the right color to finish a small child's cardigan, or worse... no more white thread on a Sunday 😱... So before starting your project, check that you have all the necessary supplies for its completion. It avoids a lot of frustration later on...

3) And now the pattern

It is important to check 3 points for the pattern itself. The first concerns whether or not you understand seam allowances. Some patterns have included seam allowances, most often 1cm for assembly seams and 3-4cm for hems. However, you can find patterns with 0.7cm allowances and for American brands most often these will be 1.5cm allowances. If the pattern has no included seam allowances, refer to the pattern instructions to add them or for the more experienced, you can determine them yourself according to your sewing preferences. 

Speaking of seam allowances, the next point to check is sewing technique you wish to use. Indeed, some sewing techniques will require larger or smaller seam allowances.

For example, you want to make French seams on a small blouse... in that case, you will need seam allowances of 1.5cm. If your pattern has included seam allowances of 1cm, you will need to add 0.5cm. Another example, if you want to sew with an overlocker and you have 1cm seam allowances, either you can adjust your overlocker settings (move the knife) or mark seam allowances at 0.7cm for example. 

Third check on the pattern is the cutting layout and symbols that you will find on the pieces. Check carefully the pieces that are cut on the fold, the direction of the pieces, ... I also invite you to check the placement of the pieces on the cutting layout because it is sometimes quite possible to save some fabric simply by arranging the pieces differently (this of course depends on your size and the width of your fabric). I admit that this is an exercise I particularly enjoy. 

4) place the pattern pieces on the fabric and cut your pieces

First check, is the fabric flat, without folds? If not, I invite you to iron your fabric, you will gain a lot in precision when cutting your pieces. Having a false fold when cutting can cause disasters! Be vigilant. 

Second check: the direction of the pieces and their number to cutNormally, you should have for each pattern piece the grainline direction (symbolized by an arrow) but also the number of pieces to cut. For pieces to be cut in even numbers, the easiest is to double your fabric; that way you won't have to worry about symmetry. Who has never cut the same piece in the same direction and ended up with two left fronts? 

Third check: the direction of the patterns or the nap (for minky, velvet or all fabrics with nap) and matching to place the pieces properly. Who has never cut animals upside down or had problems matching plaids?...

Fourth check: the markings. Make sure you have made all your notches and markings because forgetting them is really annoying once you start working.

Last verification step: prepare your machine and your tests

At this stage, it is important to check the condition and type of 'needle of the sewing machine and adapt it to the fabric you will sew. There are many needles: jersey, stretch, denim, leather... and in several thicknesses. Make sure you have selected the right one before you start. The result will only be better. For example, a worn or too thick needle on a thin fabric guarantees thread pulls. 

If you want to know more about needles, I had written an article dedicated to this topic, find it here.

We will also check the thread : its composition and thickness. For example, for jeans, a thicker and more resistant thread is preferred. For most projects, the universal 100% polyester thread remains the good basic choice. 

Finally, last check: do tests on your fabric scraps! It can never be said enough. For beginners, it helps to check the threading of machines and allows testing the stitch on the fabric. It helps you adjust the stitch length and width so your sewing project turns out perfectly!

There you go, you are ready to start sewing your project. Let me know in the comments if you liked this article or if you have another list of stitches you check, I would be happy to discuss with you.

Get your needles ready!