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[Aki_90]

I took sewing lessons for a number of years at a woman's house with about 4-5 other kids. It was really fun, the woman was very nice.
She had sewing machines there that we could use, and after she moved away my grandmother bought me a sewing machine.
Now I sew on my own

[violetlights]

My limited knowledge of sewing comes from elementary school sewing club, the internet, and lots of trial and error

[Mykaios]

I learned by doing it. Start off simple, with some scraps, play around with all of the different types of stitches, do curves, etc. Study your clothing.

[Ilafatyu]

Originally Posted by Aki_90

I took sewing lessons for a number of years at a woman's house with about 4-5 other kids. It was really fun, the woman was very nice.
She had sewing machines there that we could use, and after she moved away my grandmother bought me a sewing machine.
Now I sew on my own

That sounds so nice.

[JediofTime]

Originally Posted by HelloKittyQueen

Lovely you guys. I'm thinking about purchasing my first sewing machine. Anything you guys recommend? As you can tell by my username I'm an extreme Hello Kitty fan, so I was wondering about what you guys thought about the Janome Hello Kitty sewing machine. I've heard good reviews for it for beginner sewers

I would seriously avoid the sewing machine you are considering because I am sure it will be in the shop constantly.

I went to a reputable sewing center that has the best of the best in the sewing world and the only sewing machines he sells and recommends are Baby-Locks and Berninas. They are expensive, but you really get what you pay for with those machines as they are well built and will last a long time. Those are what I would seriously consider especially if you want to make costumes.

[Talossa]

Originally Posted by HelloKittyQueen

Lovely you guys. I'm thinking about purchasing my first sewing machine. Anything you guys recommend? As you can tell by my username I'm an extreme Hello Kitty fan, so I was wondering about what you guys thought about the Janome Hello Kitty sewing machine. I've heard good reviews for it for beginner sewers

I've heard similar things about it - that it's surprisingly decent for the price. Why not check out the sewing machine thread here? There's a lot of machine reviews there; I think this particular model has come up once or twice.

To the poster above, I definitely wouldn't say that there aren't any other good machines. Janome, from what I understand, is a pretty reputable brand, and my Viking is certainly a tank! There's a wealth of info out on the internet and it definitely pays to explore all your options.

[Noize]

I taught myself from hand sewing and sewing machines since no one would really teach me the basics. I learned just by watching my grandma sew and setting up a sewing machine (mom didn't want me to sew). My mom later let me take sewing class after since she saw how much I love to sew.

[Gummibar]

Mostly I learned by my own devices. Started off by dissecting and destroying clothes from the second hand store. Eventually I learned what a pattern was and went on from there. I learned a few tricks from mutual friends too. XDDD

[Reily96]

Well, there's been a sewing machine with my parents since before I was even born. My mom used to sew all of the time... and then she stopped. So our sewing machine just kind of gathered dust for a few years, even after I started cosplaying. That was because my great aunt made my costumes for me, but after several costumes and very close deadlines, I decided I'd start on my own.

My mom taught me the basics: how to thread the machine, how to do a proper hem, and always sew on the wrong side. That's about it. Everything else I've picked up from the internet mostly, as well as gotten some advice from the great aunt. So while I'm not by any means self-taught, I have had to figure out a lot by using YouTube and such. Surprisingly, I can't claim to have picked up anything in the costume shop of my university's theater. :/

[Celcia]

At the end of my 8th grade year, I was looking at the class catalog for my high school. I had learned briefly about cosplay while searching Escaflowne websites so when the class "Costume Design" was being offered, I jumped right on it. I took that class for 2 years then Fashion Design for 1.

[tictictok]

I've hand sewn things my whole life but in 9th grade we got a huge bag of fabric from Goodwill and we decided I'd get a sewing machine. I didn't use it much until 11th grade when I got into cosplay because of my school's Anime Club and the school year after that I helped with the school musical's costumes.

[Xinouth]

I'm currently learning. I'm blessed with a mother in law that's been sewing since she was 14 who is willing to teach me the ropes. I'm glad she's willing to help, because I've been a destroyer of sewing machines.

I actually blew one up while working on a costume once. There was this loud 'bang' from the inside of the machine, with a flame erupting from the side. The kitchen was filled with smoke after that, and I've kind of been scared to touch those things again, even after my parents gave me a new sewing machine for my birthday that year. :P

[MedusaBeheaded]

I learned the basic running stitch and how to work a sewing machine when I was in girl scouts, my dad taught me more about using a sewing machine, like controlling the speed with the peddle, threading, and un-jamming it. I learned more hand stitches and how to read patterns in an introductory costume design class over the summer.

[My_Insanity]

I used to dance and going to my seamstresses places to try on costumes from the initial pinning together to the final product taught me a fair bit about the process. Apart from that it's really just been me playing around with my Mum's machine when I was younger, figuring out how to make basic dresses, leotards and the like (I hate to think of how much good quality lycra was wasted by an unskilled, 12 yo me). By the time I begun cosplaying I was comfortable enough with a sewing machine to sew and it was just learning how to draw my own patterns which took a couple of not-so-well tailored costumes before I figured out how to do things.
I'm still thrown off when I work with a new fabric sometimes though. My first costume that I made out of pleather was a bit badly fitting due my wanting to curse my choice of fabric.

[Manwariel]

I'm mostly self-taught, with some basic pointers from my mom when I first started out, questions I asked a friend who sews, the internet, and things I learned from the other seamstresses when I worked in wardrobe on a movie. I give this advice to newbies: don't be afraid to tackle the projects you really want to make, because you'll learn more quickly from mistakes with them than you will from sticking with little projects you don't really care about and slowly working your way up.