recorded course

Your First Sewing Machine & Practice Shirt

Learn the machine, then stitch a complete shirt before you touch your real cloth

14 lessons·2h 3m·all levels
Your First Sewing Machine & Practice Shirt

About this course

Nobody's first shirt should be made from their good fabric. This course does what every tailor's apprentice does first — makes a sample. You'll set up and thread your machine from scratch, cut a practice shirt from cheap cloth, and stitch it start to finish: neckline, shoulders, side seams, both sleeves, and the hem. By the end you'll have a real, complete shirt you made yourself, and the muscle memory to do it again on fabric that matters. Gaani films without cuts or edits. When something goes slightly wrong she shows you how she fixes it, right there — which is the part most sewing videos leave out. It's taught in Punjabi, the way a real tailor speaks, with English captions throughout. What's inside: • 11 lessons — 1 hour 58 minutes of video • Machine setup and threading, step by step • A full shirt stitched from first seam to finished hem • A Punjabi stitching glossary in plain English You'll need a paper pattern to cut your sample from. If you don't have one, take "Draft & Cut Your Punjabi Suit" first — or start free with "Measure Like a Tailor."

What you'll learn

  • Set up and thread a domestic sewing machine on your own
  • Know which machine does what, and what to look for when buying one
  • Cut a practice shirt so your first mistakes cost nothing
  • Paste a neckline with buckram so it holds a crisp shape
  • Attach a neckline neatly, including the curve where creases want to form
  • Join shoulder seams with the right sides facing correctly
  • Sew side seams and set both sleeves into the armholes
  • Fold and finish a hem
  • Fix small mistakes as they happen, instead of starting over

Requirements

  • A sewing machine — domestic is fine, Gaani uses a Singer
  • A paper pattern to cut from, from "Draft & Cut Your Punjabi Suit" or your own
  • Cheap practice fabric, thread, buckram, pins and scissors
  • No previous machine experience needed

Who this is for

  • Anyone who has bought a sewing machine and is nervous to start
  • Beginners who want to finish a real garment, not just practise seams
  • People who want to make a fitting sample before cutting expensive suit fabric
  • Punjabi speakers who learn best in their own language
$79 $149 Save 47%
Enroll Now

Already purchased? Sign in

Course Content

4 chapters · 14 lessons · 2h 3m

Chapter 1: Getting to Know Your Machine 5 lessons
1.1 The Machines & What Each One Does Preview
1.2 Setting Up & Threading the Machine Preview
1.3 Winding & Inserting the Bobbin
1.4 Using the Zig-Zag Stitch
1.5 The Tailor's Juki Machine
Chapter 2: Cutting Your Practice Shirt 3 lessons
2.1 Choosing Your Fabric
2.2 Cutting the Sample Shirt
2.3 Pasting the Neckline
Chapter 3: Stitching the Shirt 4 lessons
3.1 Part 1 — Attaching the Neckline
3.2 Part 2 — Joining the Shoulders
3.3 Part 3 — Side Seams & the First Sleeve
3.4 Part 4 — The Second Sleeve & the Hem
Chapter 4: Your Finished Sample 2 lessons
4.1 Looking at the Finished Shirt
4.2 Punjabi Stitching Glossary Preview