I collect those black Singer sewing machines. They are awesome! And they will continue sewing as long as you keep them clean and oiled. My featherweight machine is named Inskeep after my mother-in-law as it was her machine before me. She sewed my husband’s school shirts with it and probably many other things but of course, as a child, he only remembers what involved himself. I don’t know if he actually liked the shirts. I don’t think that was one of his mother’s requirements.
I used to sew for myself. Pants and shorts and those gathered peasant blouses and shirts and jackets. Then I put it all away for a long time and just recently started sewing again. It’s a bit of a learning curve as my body is shaped differently now, and most of the clothing these days are some form of knit which I’ve never sewn up successfully. It comes off the machine with those lettuce-leaf waves along the seams and I’ve just not found the right technique. Nor the right machine, maybe. My Janome machine does have stretch stitches but I never mastered them and now I’ve given that machine away to my daughter. So this weekend I purchased a used Singer serger that is about 40 years old but has a great reputation and looks in good shape. My hope is that it will respond well to a good cleaning. (Update: it did!)
Anyway, machines aside, this is a post about beginning sewing with woven fabrics. Leave the knits for later. Start off with simple things that you will use around the home or try making something casual and fun to wear. One such project is from “Sewing Made Simple” by the editors of Threads magazine. It’s a simple sundress that starts out as a tube, and you add a few tucks and straps to turn it into a cute garment. I like this project because it’s a bit more upscale than the usual beginner projects: pillow, placemats, etc. Those are perfectly good projects, of course! “Sewing Made Simple” knows that our favorite canvas is our own bodies and the people we love. There’s a sweet little boho skirt, a tank dress and much more in this book, as well as the clear directions you can expect from this publisher. Their signature product, Threads magazine, is an excellent source of inspiration and we have it at the Columbia Public Library.
We have many project books if you want more ideas. “Makery, sewing: Over 30 Projects for the Home, to Wear and to Give” by Kate Smith has great projects and gorgeous pictures. One of the projects I like is an upgrade to your bed linens by adding a little trim of fabric. There are directions for pajama shorts, for a dog collar, for a shower cap and much more for home and gifting. The directions are a bit sparse if you are a complete beginner; all the steps are there but I feel the book assumes the reader already knows how to sew. A great book for inspiration, though!
Another good resource for learning is Creativebug, which offers streaming video tutorials on a wide variety of arts and crafts including knitting, paper art, cake decorating and more. There are 67 projects for the beginning sewist and over 300 focusing on sewing. I plan to take a Wardrobe Basic class which is for a tunic 
and coordinating jacket. I already have the fabric!
If you want to come into one of our libraries and browse the stacks, look for call numbers in the 646.2-646.4 range. If you start your search on the catalog, I used terms such as “learn to sew” and “sewing for beginners.” This will let you also browse through the books and eBooks we have. I find it is wonderful to browse the shelves, though, and maybe accidentally discover a title I’d love to read. Like “The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking” — this would be wonderful to explore!
