The Kitschy Notions blog
Sewing and fabric guides
Everything we have written down so far — how to buy cloth you cannot touch, which tools earn their drawer space, and how to keep a studio you actually want to sew in.
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Tools for sewing beginners
The short list worth buying first — shears, measuring, pins, needles and a seam guide — plus what you can skip until later.
Read the guide →FabricStart hereTips for buying fabric online by the yard
How to judge cloth you cannot touch: fiber specs, continuous cuts, screen color versus real fabric, and when the cheapest bolt costs more.
Read the guide →Fabric
Buying cloth by the yard without touching it first.
- Fabric
Tips for buying fabric online by the yard
How to judge cloth you cannot touch: fiber specs, continuous cuts, screen color versus real fabric, and when the cheapest bolt costs more.
Read the guide → - Fabric
How to read fabric specs
GSM, hand, drape, opacity and shrinkage explained in plain language, so a listing tells you how the finished garment will behave.
Read the guide → - Fabric
Natural fiber clothing: choosing fabric to sew
Cotton, linen, hemp and blends compared for everyday wear — what each fiber does well and where it will disappoint you.
Read the guide → - Fabric
Sewing dresses with natural fibers
Picking dress fabric by weight and drape, and matching a natural-fiber yardage to the silhouette your pattern expects.
Read the guide → - Fabric
Fat quarter bundles: how to choose and use them
What a fat quarter actually is, how to judge a bundle before you buy it, and the projects where yardage is the smarter purchase.
Read the guide →
Sewing
Patterns, tools and the techniques that hold a make together.
- Sewing
Tools for sewing beginners
The short list worth buying first — shears, measuring, pins, needles and a seam guide — plus what you can skip until later.
Read the guide → - Sewing
Beginner sewing patterns — and the fabric to match
How to pick an easy first pattern, read 45 versus 60 inch widths, and buy fabric and notions together instead of guessing.
Read the guide → - Sewing
Fabric glue: when to glue, when to sew
Where glue genuinely helps with hems, appliqué and no-sew fixes — and the seams that still need a stitch to survive a wash.
Read the guide →
Embroidery
Hand stitching, floss and keeping colors findable.
Crafting
Paper, tape and the supplies that live outside the sewing room.
Gifts
What to buy the maker who already owns scissors.
Studio
Storage and setup for a room you actually want to sew in.
Shop the shelves these guides point to
Every guide links into the catalogue where it makes sense. If you would rather start with the cloth, these are the shelves the guides send people to most.