Welcome to the West sewalong! In this first lesson, Erica will introduce you to our sewalongs and give you some helpful tips. And in the next lesson, she’ll show you how to pick a size and prep your pattern and fabric.

If you’re feeling confident about getting started, you can go ahead and skip to lesson 3 and you’ll learn some helpful fitting techniques for the pattern.

Here’s what we’ll cover in this sewalong:

Here is everything you need to know about the West shirt before you start sewing!

Fabric recommendations: Look for light to medium-weight woven fabrics such as chambray, cotton lawn, shirtings, batiste, Swiss dot, linen, cotton voile, cotton gauze, rayon challis, rayon crepe, and silk. 

Fabric qualities to look for: The West pattern is designed to be oversized, and it has cut-on sleeves. This means you’ll want a fabric with at least some drape so that the fabric hangs on your body and doesn’t stick out and look stiff.

Seamwork members, take advantage of your fabric deals this month! You can save up to 20% off your fabric order at dozens of shops around the world here.