Pre-wash the fabric, yes I know, you wish you’d done it yesterday I know, but it must be done.
Trace your pattern pieces, mark the tracings up with the size and all the little notches you need. Your original pattern sheet can be folded and put back pristinely ready for you to trace another size at a later date.
Cut out all of your fabric pieces, if you’ve got some sticky labels or masking tape make a little name label for each piece, that way you know what it is and there’s the added bonus of remembering which is the ‘right’ side with tricky fabrics.
Make sure you’ve got enough space, take 2 minutes to clear up your work space. You’re probably going to be sat here a while.. Make sure you can spread yourself and your fabric out.
Fill a bobbin, no, fill two bobbins, although playing chicken with a fast running out bobbin is quite exhilarating…
Change the thread colour in your overlocker if you need to, I know it’s boring, and you’ve lost the instruction booklet, but youtube has millions of instructional videos, surely one must be your machine.
Find all the zips, buttons etc you need and put them together, maybe in a nice little pot, like they do one cooking shows when they are super organised with their ingredients.
Unfurl the instruction sheet and read it through to the end (yes, the end..) Google the bits you don’t understand.
Make a cup of tea/coffee/beverage of your choice, you’ll be here a while and there’s every chance you will forget to eat and drink.[
