About Margaret Smith, creator of Let’s Learn To Sew

I live in Texas, and I am addicted to sewing. Actually, I’m addicted to DIY projects and crafting in general — but spending the day sewing is my primary fix.

I grew up with a mom who was a professional seamstress — she tailored suits for men, the kind of precise, structured work that doesn’t leave room for guessing. She raised me right in the middle of it. I can’t point to a single day she sat me down and “taught” me to sew — it was just part of what we did, and I had a genuinely great teacher. I remember being very young in the early 1980s, sitting on her lap while she worked, learning early to pull the pins out before she reached them (we never sew over pins!). I had my own scrap basket to play in, and I knew exactly which scissors were for fabric and which were for paper. Eventually, I was allowed to use her machines on my own.

Sewing stepped back for a while as life happened, the way it does — but I picked it back up for good in 1996, and it’s been the center of my creative life ever since. That upbringing and that decision turned into a career that’s taken me through more settings than most instructors ever see:

• Husqvarna Viking — as a store manager for about four years, personally teaching customers how to use their machines and presser feet, inside and out
• Public schools, churches, and JoAnn Fabrics — teaching classes across all three around the same time, for another four to five years, bringing sewing fundamentals to everyone from total beginners to kids

All the while, I was sewing constantly outside of teaching too — historical Colonial and Pioneer-era reproductions, even anime costumes for clients who wanted something no pattern envelope could give them. Eventually the math stopped working: the sheer number of hours a good historical or costume piece demands doesn’t scale, no matter how much you love the work. So I stepped back from commissioned sewing.

But I missed teaching. That’s really what Let’s Learn To Sew is — my way back into teaching, without the limits of a single classroom, a single store, or a single town.

Through all of it, though, most of my sewing was never for a client or a paycheck at all — it was for me and my family. When I was in nursing school, with long days and harder nights, sewing was where I went to unwind. It wasn’t about productivity; it was the one thing that let my mind settle. I know a lot of people found that same thing during the pandemic — picking up a needle and thread for the first time, not to build a business, but just to make something with their hands and feel a sense of accomplishment in a hard season. If that’s you, I understand that pull completely, and I’m glad you’re here.

Why Let’s Learn To Sew Exists

Not everyone has a mom who was a tailor, or a fabric store class nearby, or a Husqvarna Viking dealer down the street to walk them through their new machine. Let’s Learn To Sew is that guide for anyone, anywhere — whether you’re threading a machine for the very first time or trying to finally understand how pattern making actually works.

I don’t just teach what to do. I teach why it works, so you’re not just following steps — you’re building real, transferable skill. That’s the same approach I used at Husqvarna Viking, in classrooms, and in fabric store aisles, and it’s the same approach behind every free tutorial and every paid course here.

What You’ll Find Here

• Sewing machine fundamentals — settings, presser feet, troubleshooting, and the “why” behind your machine’s dials and buttons
• Pattern making — a skill most beginner resources skip entirely, and one I especially love teaching
• Step-by-step tutorials and videos — for garments, home projects, gifts, and seasonal crafts
• Structured courses — like Sewing 101 and Serger 101, for when you’re ready to go deeper than a blog post can take you, with the same foundation I’ve used to teach hundreds of students in person

What Students Are Saying

Serger 101

“I have had a serger for a while now and the threading of it has meant I haven’t used it much at all. After watching all the videos I feel confident and can’t wait to put it to use! The teacher is easy to understand, explains everything very well and her printed resources are going to be very handy for future reference. Thank you for compiling this course at a very reasonable price.” — Sally Herdegen ★★★★★

“Short, to-the-point videos clearly explain the fundamentals. Printable forms and instructions are very helpful. Camera angles are up close, well lit, perfectly focused, and easy to understand.” — Jeana Dinkelspiel ★★★★★

Sewing 101

“I haven’t even finished the class yet but just wanted to let you know I am loving the class and have already learned SO much! I have always been intimidated by my sewing machine and have never felt confident trying to use it to sew anything, until now! Thank you for the detailed step-by-step lessons — great tips for buying fabric, pinning, and especially sewing in a straight line. I can’t wait to finish all the projects :)” — Jessica Barst ★★★★★

“This is an excellent tutorial! The explanations are clear and the camera angles are great. I went through this tutorial without any hiccups and feel much more confident in my ability to operate a machine and make some basic pieces.” — Tammy Holloway ★★★★★

“Margaret does a great job covering all the basics and much more. The fabric information was especially helpful to me.” — Mary Hill ★★★★★