One of the first things you'll need to know when you sew a garment is how to lay out and cut out a pattern.

Laying and cutting out a pattern was once a basic skill taught in school home economics classes, but now more than a couple of generations have graduated high school without knowing the basics, and that can be a major roadblock to getting started sewing.

If you are lucky enough to have a friend or relative to teach you, take advantage of it. If not, no worries. A quick search will reveal plenty of information on the Web.

Like everything else in sewing, laying and cutting out a pattern isn't that difficult; it mostly takes patience and common sense. Fortunately, it's a task that can be done separately from construction, so if you can find just an hour or two in the evening, you can get a pattern cut out while you're watching TV, for instance.

Often I'll set aside several hours and cut out several patterns at once. Either way, it's best to make sure that you can complete cutting out in one sitting, as once you get the pieces laid out, you'll want to finish.

You don't need a fancy cutting table; you can cut out a pattern on just about any large, flat surface -- an ample kitchen table or even the floor. Inexpensive cardboard cutting boards can help you convert any good-sized flat area into an even cutting surface.

The more you sew, the more you'll realize that fabric grain is everything when it comes to creating a beautiful garment. While most pattern pieces are usually laid out on the lengthwise grain, there's also a crosswise and bias grain. Learn more about grain here.

Survival tip: On each pattern piece you'll see a big arrow and information on what grain to align the arrow with.

After you lay out your fabric, you'll lay out your pattern pieces. Here's a great little step-by-step guide to laying out your pattern. Remember, your pattern instructions are your go-to, and while reading the symbols and diagrams may be a little confusing at first, just take your time.

Pattern instructions come will lots of information and it's just a matter of reading carefully. Learn more about reading sewing patterns here.

Once you have the pattern laid out, it's just a matter of cutting the pattern out. This short video gives an excellent walk-through of cutting out a pattern.

A carefully laid and cut out pattern is one of the most important steps to making a garment you'll be proud of. If you watch experienced seamstresses, you'll notice how painstaking they are in this phase of sewing. But it's worth it!

You can learn more about using the Internet to further your sewing skills in this virtual sewing circle post. Next week: Get going in your sewing with some fast and fun projects.

Amber Eden is the former editor-in-chief of Threads magazine and founding editor of SewStylish magazine and CraftStylish.com. She has studied draping and haute couture techniques at The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), and according to her, will probably be a student there for life.