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HandoutHandout 1: Supply & Shopping List
Handout 1: Supply & Shopping List
Before we touch a machine, let's get you outfitted. You don't need much to start, and I already thought about the part where you're tempted to buy every gadget on the endcap. Don't. Buy the basics, buy them decent quality, and spend your extra money on fabric to practice with, not tools you'll use twice.
Here's the list, split by what you need day one and what can wait.
The Essentials (Budget Tier)
- Sewing machine — a basic mechanical machine, new or secondhand, $80–150. You don't need computerized stitches for this class. You need straight stitch and zigzag, that's it.
- Needles, assorted — a multipack with universal, denim, and stretch needles. Maybe $6. Change these way more often than you think you need to. A dull needle causes half the tension problems people bring to me.
- All-purpose thread — a few spools in neutral colors (black, white, gray, tan). Don't buy the giant cone yet.
- Straight pins and a pincushion — pinning is not optional in this class and I don't care that it's slow.
- Fabric scissors — one good pair, kept only for fabric. If you use them on paper I will know.
- Seam ripper — you will need this. Everyone needs this.
- Measuring tape and a ruler — measure twice. I mean that literally, not as a saying.
- Hand sewing needles — for the finishing bits a machine can't do.
- Old clothes to cut up — jeans with a blown-out thigh, shirts nobody wears. This is the upcycling half of the class and you supply the raw material.
Rough total if you're buying everything new: $120–200, most of that being the machine.
Nice-to-Have (Tier Two)
- Walking foot — makes denim and thicker layers behave. Not required, but if you end up loving this and sewing a lot of jeans, get one.
- Rotary cutter and self-healing mat — faster and straighter than scissors once you're comfortable. I use mine constantly now, but I sewed a full year with just scissors first.
- Bias tape maker — small tool, makes clean edge finishing easier. Fun, not urgent.
- Iron and a small pressing surface — technically I'd argue this belongs in the essentials list, honestly. A good press makes every seam look ten times more professional. If you already own an iron, bring it. Don't buy a new one for this class.
- Machine oil — if you're buying secondhand, get a small bottle. Most "dead" machines people hand down are just dirty and dry, not broken. I fixed my mother-in-law's forty-year-old machine with oil and a new needle and felt smug about it for a week.
Shopping Notes
For the machine, check secondhand first. Thrift stores, classifieds, a neighbor's basement. Test it before you buy if you can, or ask if there's a return window. Cheap machines aren't usually the problem. Dirty, neglected ones are.
For fabric and notions, you've got options along the Utah Valley corridor and I won't tell you which specific store to use, but I will tell you this: drive a little further if the reviews say the closer place has thin selection or unhelpful staff. I learned that lesson the hard way and I still think about it.
For everyday supplies, pins, thread, scissors, your regular big-box or craft store run covers it fine. Don't overthink notions. Save the money for fabric.
One more thing: don't go buy a stack of new fabric for this class. Raid your own closet or your family's give-away pile first. Buy less fabric, cut better. That's the actual skill.
See you at machine one. It'll be threaded and tested before you walk in, so no excuses.
HandoutHandout 2: Cheat Sheet — Core Techniques & Settings
Handout 2: Cheat Sheet — Core Techniques & Settings
Keep this by your machine. Not in a binder in another room, right by your machine. Half of fixing a problem is remembering what normal looks like.
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Tension, By Fabric
Write your own numbers in once you test on scraps, every machine's a little different, but here's where to start.
Fabric Tension (start here) Needle Stitch length Denim 5–6 90/14 or 100/16 3.0–3.5 Quilting cotton 4–5 80/12 2.5 Flannel 4–5 80/12 or 90/14 2.5–3.0 Knit/stretch 3–4 75/11 ballpoint 3.0, zigzag Fleece 4 90/14 3.0 If your bottom thread is looping on top, tension's too tight. If your top thread is loose and loopy underneath, it's too loose. The machine's telling you something, listen to it before you crank the dial randomly.
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Needles
Change it more than you think you need to. A dull needle is behind half the tension complaints I hear in class. Rule of thumb: new project, new needle, or every 8-10 hours of sewing, whichever comes first.
- Denim/canvas → denim needle, sharp point, heavier shaft
- Knits → ballpoint, so it slides between fibers instead of stabbing them
- Everything else → universal, 80/12 is your workhorse
Bent needle, skipped stitches, or a popping sound when it goes through fabric means swap it. Don't wait.
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Pinning
Not optional. I don't care that it's slow. The time you save skipping pins, you pay back double when you're unpicking a crooked seam at ten at night. Measure twice, pin before you sew, every time.
Pin perpendicular to your seam line, points toward the edge. Sew slowly over them or pull them right before the needle. Do not sew over a pin at speed, that's a broken needle and possibly a trip to urgent care.
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Backstitching — my actual opinion
Every tutorial tells you to backstitch every seam start and end. On a casual upcycle project — a tote bag, a patched knee, a shirt you're altering for around the house — a couple forward stitches and a small knot is fine. Save the real backstitching for stress points: pockets, straps, anywhere weight pulls.
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Common Jams, Fast Fixes
Bird's nest underneath the fabric — almost always the presser foot was up when you started, or the thread never seated in the tension discs. Rethread from scratch with the foot down.
Skipped stitches — dull or bent needle, or wrong needle for the fabric. Swap it.
Fabric not feeding — check your feed dogs aren't dropped, check for lint packed under the throat plate. Take the plate off, brush it out, oil per your manual if it's due.
Thread bunching, snapping — rethread top and bobbin, in that order, don't skip steps to save time.
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Seam Allowances, Quick Reference
- Standard garment seam: 5/8"
- Upcycling patch or repair: 1/4"–3/8" is usually fine, you're not building couture
- Topstitching (jeans hems, visible seams): 1/4" from the edge, stitch length 3.0
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Elevation Note (unrelated to sewing, related to you)
If you're baking something to bring to class, remember we're at about 4,600 feet here. Adjust your recipe or you'll get cookies flat as coasters. Ask me how I know.
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Close enough isn't a setting. Test on a scrap first, every time you change fabric. That's the whole secret.
WorksheetHandout 3: Machine Trouble & Upcycle Planning Checklist
Handout 3: Machine Trouble & Upcycle Planning Checklist
Print this, keep it by your machine. Fill it in as you go, don't just read it and nod. Half of learning a machine is writing down what actually happened so you stop guessing next time.
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Part 1: Diagnose the Jam
Something's wrong with your stitch or your machine ate the fabric. Before you touch anything, check these in order. Circle what you find.
- [ ] Presser foot was actually down (be honest, check this first, everyone skips it)
- [ ] Needle is inserted correctly, flat side facing back
- [ ] Thread is seated in the tension discs, not just draped near them
- [ ] Bobbin is wound evenly and inserted the right direction
- [ ] Needle isn't bent or dull — hold it up to the light, look close
- [ ] Lint under the throat plate (take it off, look, you'll be surprised)
- [ ] Top thread and bobbin thread are pulled back and under the foot before you start stitching
What was actually wrong: ___________________________________
What fixed it: ___________________________________
Write it down even if it feels obvious right now. It will not feel obvious in three months.
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Part 2: Needle and Tension Log
Copy this table into your own notebook. I'm not being cute, I actually keep one of these and use it every time I switch fabric.
Date Fabric Needle size/type Tension setting Notes If you only remember one thing from this handout: change your needle more than feels necessary. A dull needle is behind most of the tension problems I get asked about. Nobody believes me until they swap it and the stitch just fixes itself.
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Part 3: Upcycle Project Planner
Before you cut into anything, answer these. Cutting first and planning second is how you end up with a pile of scraps and no bag.
What am I starting with? (old jeans, a shirt, a flannel, whatever's been sitting in the "maybe" pile)
___________________________________
What's actually wrong with it or why am I done wearing it?
___________________________________
What am I turning it into?
___________________________________
Where are the good panels of fabric? (mark them, or actually pin a scrap of paper to them so you don't forget under pressure)
___________________________________
Where are the weak or worn spots I need to avoid or reinforce?
___________________________________
Measure twice — write your two measurements here so you can't fudge it:
First measurement: ___________ Second measurement: ___________
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Part 4: Seam Decision
For each seam in your project, decide:
Seam location Stress point? (yes/no) Backstitch or just knot? Here's the thing, you don't need to backstitch every seam on a casual upcycle piece. A couple forward stitches and a solid knot is fine for most of it. Save the backstitch for anywhere that's going to get pulled, sat on, or grabbed by a kid. A tote bag handle, yes. A decorative seam on a pillow, no, don't bother.
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Before You Leave Today
- [ ] I know what caused my jam and I could fix it again without help
- [ ] My needle log has at least one real entry in it
- [ ] I have a plan for my project, not just a pile of fabric
- [ ] I pinned before I sewed (yes, this is still on the list, yes I will keep asking)
Close enough isn't a setting. Bring this back next week, we'll check your seams.
HandoutHandout 4: Troubleshooting Guide
Handout 4: Troubleshooting Guide
Here's the thing. A machine acting up isn't broken, it's talking to you. Ninety percent of the problems in this list I can fix in under two minutes, and once you know what to look for, so can you. Work down the list before you panic and definately before you call it dead.
1. Thread bunching underneath (the "bird's nest")
Almost always the top thread isn't seated in the tension discs. Presser foot needs to be up when you thread, or the discs stay open and skip the thread entirely. Raise the foot, rethread from the very top, lower the foot, try again. This is the number one thing new sewers do wrong and I did it myself the first month, so no shame here.
2. Machine skipping stitches
Check your needle first. A bent or dull needle causes more skipped stitches than any other single thing. Second check: needle in backwards or not pushed all the way up. Third: wrong needle for the fabric, a knit needs a ballpoint, denim needs a heavier needle.
3. Thread snapping constantly
Usually tension set too tight, or a burr on the needle catching the thread. Run your fingernail down the needle, if you feel a snag, replace it. Needles are cheap. Change them more than you think you need to.
4. Fabric not feeding, or feeding crooked
Check the feed dogs (the little teeth under the plate) aren't dropped or gunked up with lint. Clean under the throat plate with a small brush, you'd be amazed what collects there, especially with denim.
5. Bobbin thread showing on top, or vice versa
That's a tension mismatch between top and bottom. Adjust top tension in small increments, one number at a time, and test on a scrap. Write down what worked. I keep a notebook for this, dated, by fabric type. Call it overkill if you want, I call it not guessing twice.
6. Needle breaking
Usually it's hitting the throat plate or presser foot, which means it's not centered, or you're pulling the fabric instead of guiding it. Let the feed dogs do the pulling. Your job is steering, not towing.
7. Puckering seams, especially on lightweight fabric
Tension too tight, or stitch length too short for the fabric weight. Lengthen your stitch slightly on thin material and loosen tension a touch.
8. Machine jams and won't move at all
Turn it off. Take the plate off, look for tangled thread wound around the bobbin case. Clear it by hand, don't force the handwheel. Rethread top and bobbin from scratch once it's clear.
9. Uneven stitches, some tight some loose
You're pulling the fabric. Or your presser foot pressure is off for the fabric weight. Denim and thin knit need different settings if your machine has that dial. Slow down, let the machine feed.
10. Crooked seams
Honestly, this one's usually not the machine. It's a pinning problem. I know pinning feels slow. Do it anyway. Close enough isn't a setting, and a crooked seam takes longer to unpick than it would've taken to pin straight the first time. Measure twice, sew once.
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Before you assume it's dead: clean it, oil it per your manual, put in a brand new needle. That combination fixes most of what people bring me convinced needs a repair shop. My mother-in-law's machine sat unused for years because everyone told her it was done. It needed oil and a needle. I was smug about that for a week and I'm not sorry.
podcast_scriptClass podcast — episode 1
Audio coming soon — show notes below.
JESS: —wait, say that again, because I don't think people believe you when you say it fast like that.
JENNY: Which part.
JESS: The part where you can fix ninety percent of dead sewing machines with, what, a needle and some oil.
JENNY: Oh. Yeah. Most machines people throw out aren't broken, they're dirty. Lint packed under the plate, old needle, thread gunked up in the tension discs. That's not a dead machine, that's a machine somebody stopped listening to.
JESS: I love that you talk about it like it has feelings.
JENNY: It doesn't have feelings, it has feedback. The stitch is bad, the machine's telling you something. There's no arguing with it, and there's no negotiating either. You just have to go look.
JESS: Okay, welcome in, by the way, this is episode one of Sewing Machine Repairs and Upcycling Clothes, I'm Jess, I run the podcast side of things for Community Learning, and this is Jenny, who is teaching the actual class, and who apparently talks to machines.
JENNY: I talk to everything. Ask my husband.
JESS: I want the story you told me before we started recording. About your machine eating a seam.
JENNY: Oh, the bird's nest. Okay so this is maybe my first month owning a machine. I'm sewing along, feeling good about myself, and everything under the throat plate turns into this knot of thread, just a nest, like a bird actually lived under there. And my instinct was panic. Call somebody. Return it.
JESS: But you didn't.
JENNY: I didn't. I took the plate off, cleaned out the feed dogs, rethreaded the whole thing from scratch, top to bottom. Turned out the thread had never actually seated in the tension discs. It was just resting on top of them, not gripped at all. Total rookie thing. Presser foot was up the whole time too, which doesn't help.
JESS: How long did that take you to figure out.
JENNY: Longer than I'll admit on a podcast. But here's the thing, once I saw it, I never made that mistake again. If I'd called someone to fix it for me I'd have learned nothing. That's basically my whole teaching philosophy, I make people fix their own jams in class. I will stand right there and watch you do it.
JESS: That sounds mean.
JENNY: It's not mean, it's efficient. You remember the fix better than the warning. Every time.
JESS: Okay, give me something people can use today, no class required.
JENNY: Change your needle more than you think you need to. That's it, that's the tip.
JESS: That's it?
JENNY: That's it. People run one needle for months, sometimes years, until it snaps or bends without them noticing. A dull needle is behind half the tension problems I see. Skipped stitches, puckering, thread breaking for no reason anyone can find. Swap the needle first, before you touch a single setting. It sounds too simple and nobody believes me until they do it.
JESS: How often is "more than you think."
JENNY: Every project, honestly, if it's anything substantial. At minimum every eight to ten hours of sewing. Needles are cheap. A ruined seam on fabric you already cut isn't cheap, close enough isn't a setting.
JESS: I like that. Close enough isn't a setting.
JENNY: It's true of a lot of things.
JESS: Alright, next session, what are we walking into.
JENNY: We start with the machine itself. I bring my own kit, I clean a machine in front of everyone start to finish, lint brush, oil, new needle, and then everybody does it to the machine they'll be using all class. Nobody touches fabric until their machine passes what I call inspection, because I don't trust that the machines came back right from the last group that used them.
JESS: Quality technician brain.
JENNY: That's my actual job, so, yes. Then second half we start on the first upcycle project, which is turning old jeans into something useful. Denim's friendlier than people think, way more forgiving than a knit fabric, so it's a good place to start if you're nervous.
JESS: Any homework.
JENNY: Dig out one thing you were about to throw away. A shirt, jeans, doesn't matter, just something you've written off. Bring it. We'll see what it's got left in it.
JESS: That's a good note to end on. Alright, that's episode one, we'll catch you at the point of the mountain next time, or, well, at the actual class.
JENNY: Bring pins too. I will bring extra but bring your own. Pinning is not optional, I don't care that it's slow.
JESS: Noted. See you all next week.
podcast_scriptClass podcast — episode 2
Audio coming soon — show notes below.
JESS: —okay but that's the part I want people to hear, because you just breezed past "so I took the throat plate off" like that's a normal Tuesday.
JENNY: It kind of is a normal Tuesday. That's the whole point.
JESS: For you! Not for a person whose machine just ate a seam and is standing there panicking.
JENNY: Okay, fair. Here's the thing though, that panic is the expensive part, not the actual problem. Most of the time the machine's fine. It's just trying to tell you something and people don't want to listen.
JESS: This is Sewing Machine Repairs and Upcycling Clothes, episode two, I'm Jess, I run the podcast side of things for Utah Community Learning, and this is Jenny, who apparently dismantles machines for fun.
JENNY: Not for fun. Out of necessity. There's a difference.
JESS: Tell the story though, the mother-in-law one. You brought it up before we started recording and I made you save it.
JENNY: Oh my heck, okay. So my mother-in-law had this machine, forty years old, metal body, heavy as a car door. Everybody in the family had declared it dead. Like there'd been a funeral for this machine. Nobody would even bring it up.
JESS: A funeral.
JENNY: Basically. And I asked why nobody just looked at it and everyone said the same thing, "it's just old, it's done." And I already thought about that answer before they even finished saying it, because old doesn't mean broken. Old usually means neglected.
JESS: So what was actually wrong with it.
JENNY: Nothing. I mean, nothing dramatic. It needed oil, it hadn't been oiled probably since the Clinton administration, and the needle in it was ancient and dull. I put in a new needle, oiled the parts that move against each other, ran it on some scrap denim, and it sewed a straighter line than my machine does on a bad day.
JESS: And you didn't say anything.
JENNY: I was quietly smug about it for a solid week. I let people bring it up first.
JESS: That's so petty and I love it.
JENNY: It's not petty, it's justified. That's my whole hill. Cheap machines aren't the problem, dirty ones are. People throw away perfectly good machines because nobody ever told them a machine needs maintenance the same way your car does. You wouldn't drive a car for ten years and never change the oil and then act shocked when it stalls out.
JESS: Okay, this is the part where I ask for something people can actually use, because not everybody's coming to class this session.
JENNY: Right, so here's a real one. If your stitches are looking messy, loose loops on the bottom, thread bunching, skipped stitches, before you touch the tension dial, before you call anyone, change your needle. That's it. That's the tip.
JESS: That simple.
JENNY: People run one needle for years. Years. A needle gets dull, it gets a tiny bend you can't even see, and it drags the fabric instead of piercing it clean, and that throws off your tension even though your tension setting never moved. Half the "my machine is broken" calls I'd get if I took calls, which I don't, would be solved by an eighty-cent needle.
JESS: Eighty cents.
JENNY: Depending where you buy them, sure. But it's cheap. And people don't believe me until they swap it and go, oh. Oh, that's clean now.
JESS: Do you have a rule for how often?
JENNY: Way more often than you think you need to. If you sew a lot, every project or two. If something feels off, that's your first move, not your last resort.
JESS: Okay I'm writing that on a sticky note for my own machine right now, mentally.
JENNY: Mentally doesn't count, Jess.
JESS: I know, I know. Alright, so next session, what are we doing.
JENNY: Next time we're doing actual repair work, hands on. I'm bringing in machines that have real problems, jammed bobbins, tension that's fighting you, a couple that just won't feed fabric right, and everybody's going to take one apart and fix it themselves. I'm not doing it for anybody.
JESS: You're just going to watch them struggle.
JENNY: I'm going to watch them learn. There's a difference. People remember the fix way better if their hands did it and I just talked them through it, instead of me swooping in and doing it for them. That's the whole teaching philosophy right there.
JESS: Tough love.
JENNY: It's not tough, it's just useful. Bring a machine if you've got one you've given up on. I want the sad ones. The ones everyone in your house has already declared dead.
JESS: Another funeral.
JENNY: Another funeral I'm going to ruin.
JESS: Perfect. Alright, that's episode two, thanks for listening, we'll catch you at the point of the mountain, or, you know, in the classroom.
JENNY: That phrase doesn't work for everything, Jess.
JESS: It's growing on me.
podcast_scriptClass podcast — episode 3
Audio coming soon — show notes below.
JESS: —okay but that's the part I want people to hear, because you said it so fast in class I don't think anyone caught it.
JENNY: Which part.
JESS: That the machine wasn't broken. It was just never threaded right in the first place.
JENNY: Oh, the bird's nest thing.
JESS: The bird's nest thing.
JENNY: Yeah. This was early on, before I taught anybody anything. My machine ate an entire seam into this like, knotted mess underneath the plate. Just gone. And my first instinct was panic, obviously, because I'd put maybe forty dollars of fabric into that project and I thought I'd killed the machine.
JESS: Did you call anyone?
JENNY: Nope. Took the throat plate off myself, cleaned out the feed dogs, rethreaded the whole thing from scratch like I was starting over. And it turned out the thread had never actually seated in the tension discs. I'd just laid it across the top instead of dropping it down in the slot. Presser foot was up the whole time too, which you have to have down for the tension discs to grab the thread at all.
JESS: Rookie thing.
JENNY: Total rookie thing. But here's why I tell people that story. Everybody thinks a jam means the machine is broken or cheap or bad. Ninety percent of the time it means somebody, usually me, skipped a step they didn't know was a step. The machine's telling you something. It's not being difficult.
JESS: I love that you didn't call anyone though. You just took it apart.
JENNY: Well, close enough isn't a setting. I wasn't going to sit there guessing. You take the plate off, you look at what's actually happening under there, you fix it. It's not scary once you've done it twice.
JESS: Okay, so give me something useful for the person who's just listening to this in their car and never signs up for the class.
JENNY: Change your needle.
JESS: That's it?
JENNY: That's it. People run one needle for months, sometimes years, until it snaps, and then they blame the machine or the thread or the fabric. A dull needle causes probably half the tension problems I see walk into that classroom. If your stitches are skipping or your thread's bunching underneath, before you touch anything else, put in a fresh needle. They're like two dollars for a pack. It is the cheapest fix in sewing and nobody believes me until they try it.
JESS: How often is often enough?
JENNY: Every project, honestly, if you're being careful. At minimum every eight to ten hours of sewing. Denim and heavier stuff wears them down faster than you'd think.
JESS: See, and this is the part that surprises people, right, that denim's the easy one.
JENNY: Denim is honest. It does what you tell it. People are terrified of it because it looks tough, but it's forgiving, it holds a seam, it doesn't slide around on you. Knits are the ones that'll humble you. Everybody walks in scared of the wrong fabric.
JESS: Okay, last thing, then I gotta let you go. What are we doing next session.
JENNY: We're doing the jean bag. Everybody brings in one dead pair of jeans, the kind that's worn through at the thigh, and we're turning it into a tote. This is the one where the pinning lecture really pays off, so come ready to actually pin, I mean it, don't just hold the fabric and hope.
JESS: You say that every week.
JENNY: Because it's still true every week. Measure twice, pin the whole thing, and the seam will be clean. I promise you'll leave with something you'd actually carry around, not something that's close enough.
JESS: Alright. See everybody next week with your saddest jeans.
Videos worth your time
Hand-picked by your instructor, with notes on what to watch for.
- Troubleshooting Your Sewing MachinePaul Chevallier
Watch how she diagnoses common machine issues step by step, great for building basic troubleshooting confidence.
- 5 Upcycling Projects for Beginners! | DIY Clothes Easy SewingBlueprintDIY
Watch for the five simple upcycling projects and pay attention to the beginner friendly cutting and stitching techniques used on old clothes.
- How To: Deal & Understand Tension Problems (Sewing for Beginners)Made to Sew
Watch closely for the explanation of what thread tension actually is so you can spot loose or tight stitches on your own machine.
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