I going back to sewing my own clothes!!!

[windwoman]

I am sooooooo sick of buying clothes! They either fall apart due to bad stitching, are handwash or dry clean only, have colors bleed, shrink, or are made from cheap fabric. There doesn't seem to be much choice in fabric designs either. I've decided to get my sewing patterns out, and start making my own. I buy a lot of fabric at household auctions, and like the idea of having a truly unique piece to wear. Is anyone else making their own garments still?

[Zarah]

I would probably sew more clothes from scratch if I had more time & energy, but I find it's just not cost-efficient to make something when I can buy it in near-perfect condition for a dollar or two at a thrift shop. They usually have a much better selection of fabrics and styles, too, although you have to dig for them! Alterations are remarkably quick & simple compared to making a garment from scratch, so I frequently buy things that don't fit quite right, and then adjust them at home.

Many household things, like pot holders and the clothespin bag, I have made from scratch when I couldn't find what I wanted in any of the stores.

I'm intrigued about getting fabric at household auctions. I've gotten furniture and other things at auction, but have never seen any desirable fabric. It would definitely help to offset the high cost of fabric at a retail shop, which I think is one of the big deterrents to folks making their own clothes these days!

[CarolAnn]

Windwoman,
This will be my winter task. I'm loosing weight, and don't want to spend money on new stuff that won't fit for long, so right now, it's just "take 'em in" - and I hope I don't gain it back, or I'll be up a creek clothes-wise!

I have a new book about custom fitting, and I'm eager to try some of the stuff in it!

When I get down closer to my weight goal, I have some fabric stashed that will make some beautiful work clothes! I buy on sale, and the best fabric I can afford, so I hope it's not too out-dated by the time I get there.

I also like to buy fleese on sale and make the kids (Great neices and nephews) little vests for Christmas gifts - they tear around without their coats a lot, but they'll wear a vest and keep warm that way.

[MNMOM]

I've always sewn alot, I make all my slacks and pajamas and some tops and jackets.
I always get a better fit by making my own. I get better quality also. I always shop when materials are on sale and then I can get the quality I want for less.
I don't like alot of the fabrics that they are using right now in ready made, very cheap and ugly.
If I do buy something I always have to alter it anyway, I'm 5ft. 2inches tall and I don't weigh much, so I would rather sew my own than have to alter everything once I get it home.

[leera]

I am going to try making my own slacks.I have such a hard time finding them at a reasonable price(need to be a certain style)and I just can't justify paying $15-$20 for one pair.

So I found the pattern for the style I need and will begin making my own.I figured out the pricing,and I can make 2 pairs of slacks for about $10.00.

I've never had any luck fiding my size slacks in thrift stores or at yard sales,in a condition that I can wear them to work,so I think this will be a good money saver for me.

[wolfe]

I love to sew also. My dream is to have my own sewing room. I find material cheap at our thrift store and yard sales. Walmart also has good deals sometimes. Kathy

[AuntJenny]

I love to sew. I make my daughter's dresses alot and my kids pajamas, as well as my own nightgowns and skirts and some tops and dresses, and things like halloween costumes and quilts..BUT I take my hat off to those of you who make slacks.. I am just not happy doing zippers..and I am never as happy with pants I have made (except pajamas and sweats) as those I can buy. BUT...if that and underwear are all I bought it would still be good..right?

[Faye]

I still make some of my clothes and also for the grandkids. When my kids were growing up I made most of what they wore. Now I do a lot of sewing for the home. I have been trying to find a couple of those fleece 2-piece outfits and a lot of them have polyester in them and I don't do polyester. I have decided to make them instead.

[Cassie]

I've sew professional of and on for about 20 years.... With the advent of cheap clothes from over seas, I don't find it worth the time and energy to sew for my self.... I have found that good quality clothing is worth alteration but it must be a fine quality item to alter to fit.... My customers where mostly men and my best customer was a Dr. who bought his cashmere suits from over seas cut sewn and design from asia and finely crafted. After they are worn for a bit the wools would shape and sometimes mishape after many cleanings.... Slight flaws would show up in the fit and I would make ajustments to fix those problems.... The way a pants leg falls over a shoe is important to some and hemming or altering the cut or the way suit pants hang is fairly easy for me... Replaceing zippers and hemming are the bread and butter of seamstress. I can knock off 3-4 pre hour... During down time I took over the relining of leather jackets.... I under cut the Leather sew companies by as much as 30% and was busy with relining and repairing leather products.... There was nothing to small or to difficult to repair in my book... I had a guy stop by with his favorite rubber style rain suit use to keep him dry and clean while working.... It had torn and was missing a few gromits.... Thank god for duck take and some sewing he was happy happy happy. Some guy had picked up a sleeping bag with a damaged out side cover . I found the rip stop material to replace it gave him an estimate on the repairs and ask him to give me some time.... Welll he didn't show up for a while and I got board and I had a bit of rip stop left so I made him a barrel bag with handles and a zipper close top to fit the sleeping bag......Jump forward to date the barrel bag and sleeping bag is in the back of our pick up truck to this day...... Cassie

[MNMOM]

Leera,
What I did for my slacks pattern is, I took a favorite pair apart. It was a pair of slacks that fit perfect and I couldn't find another pair or a pattern like it. This way you know they will fit perfect.

[AuntJenny]

Now THAT is a wonderful idea for pants!!

[leera]

Thanks! I was just thinking about doing that.I do have the patterns I need too though.

I don't think it will be too hard,since with this style there are no zippers or buttons to deal with.Just a simple pull on style.

Now I just need the new sale at JoAnn fabrics to start so I can use my 50%off coupon on the fabric!

[mamajo]

Don't be discouraged if you only sew some of your clothing, anything helps!!!! If everyone only would sew one garment of what they wore (example: nightgowns or pjs, then you are saving money and doing something positive for your family! good show!!! I sew junk bags for my family and they are always begging for more, just a square of fabric folded and sewed with drawstring at top, beats duffle and sports bags prices!!

[QuiltingLady]

I have sewn my own clothing but I haven't been excited about the fit or the price of the matterial. So, to save more money for my passion and hobby I buy most of my clothes second hand or at sales.

Lots of times I can get good quality 100% cotton fabrics from these stores at a fraction of the cost to feed my quilting habit. :)

[Saoirse]

I want to make some prairie type skirts. I thought I saw some ideas for them on this site, but I can't find it. It's terrible being petite. The clothes usually look like they were designed for munchkins. Yuck.
I have made boxer shorts and lounge pants out of loud, crazy fabrics and people love them! I use elastic for the waist. For the ladies, I make sew a cute old button on the front and stitch the fly shut. Suprisingly enough, the guys love the homemade shorts, too --- especially the really odd fabrics. They make great pajamas with a matching tank top or tshirt.

[CarolAnn]

Aunt Jenny - I'm with you 100% on zippers. It's hard to get them to look right. But the last pants I bought from a catalog came with the zipper hidden in the pocket!

I am definately going to try this! The pants are nice and smooth on the front, and hook on the side with a button about 4" inside that on the waste band. If you planned the pocket pieces with enough overlap, I suspect you could even skip the zipper.

[rae-dean]

i love sewing and have 3 machines...all buried in my back craft room under piles of yarn.i keep saying i am going to sew.i think this would be a great way to get things we need.although i go to the 2nd hand store on sale day and get all kinds of clothes for 99 cents each...in good shape.
i still have dreams of sewing well.so i feel your postings are so encouraging and filled with so much good info.thanks so much.rae-dean

[CarolAnn]

Rae-dean, that sounds a little to much like ME! My surger (that I just HAD to have) hasn't been touched in two years.

If you want to read something truly funny, read this blog by a guy learning to sew:

http://www.ee0r.com/proj/brownslacks.html

He is SO right - but why don't women admit it?! Patterns are often sketchy or just wrong in their instructions; we get so used to it, we just do it right from experience and ignore the bad directions!

Sewing is fun when it goes right. It's rewarding to have clothes that REALLY fit right. We're all used to ready made stuff, and even "one size fits nobody" - but I've had on some expensive, extremely well made duds (not mine, unfortunately!) - and so I've actually experienced what the good stuff can look and feel like. It's fabulous! The only way I'll GET that again . . is to make it myself!

[rae-dean]

hee hee...he is telling me alot of stuff i did not know :o.lol.its a relief.i hate butterick patterns as they are too hard for me.Maybe now i know why.that was a very good blog to read.thanks so much CarolAnn!rae-dean

[lateaprildawn]

Oh MnMOM, You beat me to it with the "using old clothes as a pattern" post.

;D

In my sewing box I have a pair of slacks that I wore to death,a skirt , a blouse and an old work jacket that all form the patterns for future clothes.

I often buy larger sizes from thrift shops just because I like the material and discect them , place my templates on top and remake them.

Clothesmaking is such a satifying skill.

Best wishes,
April

[rae-dean]

ooh April..i never even thought of that one.using the good deals i get at the 2nd hand store for a pattern..ooh.love that idea too.this is great.getting ideas all over the place.rae-dean ;)

[lagatta]

IIt's terrible being petite. The clothes usually look like they were designed for munchkins. Yuck.


LOL, try being "too tall" and having your wrists and ankles sticking out of storebought clothes. Whoever this "Ms Average" is who can buy perfectly fitting clothes at the store, we can both envy her.

I used to make all my own clothes and design many of them as well, but that's no longer the economical choice it once was, so I agree with those who say it's thrift shops and garage sales for sure.

But for those who do still make clothes (as I'm still occasionally tempted to do), where do you find a good variety of reasonably priced fabrics? In my corner of the backwoods, we'd have to drive hours to find anything like a decent fabric store.

[tufhelp]

Hi Windwoman, I'm Tufhelp. We find Joann fabric and crafts stores are well priced generally. They are all over the place and on line - you can even buy on line - don't know how you'd pick fabric on line though - I like to touch it first...

They always have 40-50% discounts on almost everything and we find that most of their sale items are a value. Sign up for their mail-out discount flyers, there is always something to get a bargain on...

Anyway, here is the link:

http://www.joann.com/joann/index.jsp

[Suzy]

When my girls were little (back in the 70's) I made most of my clothes and a whole lot of theirs!

Now I've been quilting and more for a while and am just getting back to sewing things for myself.

I buy a lot of fabric at Estate Sales around here! And I also bought a huge table of material for $30 where a store was going out of business!

And I love the idea about taking apart a favorite pair of pants, dress, etc. and making your own pattern. I've done that using taped together newspaper for the new pattern. Then I store my "new" pattern in a large gallon size (or bigger) plastic baggie.

If I could just loose some of this weight I've put on I'd be happier sewing for myself!!!!

[MNMOM]

For all of you sewer's that are making your own clothes, another suggestion when you take apart one of your favorite items is when shopping for material for your new piece of clothing, make sure that you get the same type of cloth, otherwise you might not like the results.

For my slacks that I make, I use cotton twill. It's a good durable and comfortable material.

You just can't go wrong taking apart something that you love, you know exactly how it will fit. :)

[Maverick]

As far as fabric shopping online, I like this company. http://www.corinthianmills.com/index.html If you ever happen to be visiting Dallas, TX it's well, very well, worth the visit to their warehouse.

However, I get most of my fabric from Joann's... usually hitting the red tag sale (50% off clearance) and usually they run patterns on sale at the same time. I also find quite a bit of fabric in thrift stores.

I've found bed sheets make really neat garments (camp shirts, shorts, pj's, toddler dresses, lounge pants, tote bags, etc.)... I find the sheets at thrift stores and garage sales but I've also gotten some off ebay as well when searching for that special something for a "vintage" Star Wars or Superman enthusiast. ;)

[Gracie]

Reading all you ladies posts got me to thinking (and yearning to get my ol' singer out and see it it still works): do any of you do your sewing on a treadle-type machine. And if so, how hard are they to sew with, find needles for, maintain, etc. If times do get really tough, seems this type machine would be a serious consideration, if only to have on hand, just in case it is needed. And those of you who have/or do use them, are they worth the expense. Thank you :)

[GoodDaughter]

I bought mine and refurbished it. Mine is a model that uses the shuttle with the long spindle bobbin inside instead of a round bobbin like 'modern' machines have. I had to buy one of the needle plates, a belt and bobbins (the shuttle came with the machine) and I had to take the front plate off and clean/oil it and tinker with it to adjust it. There is a spring on the tensioner that was messed up but I managed to make it work anyway.

I'd like to find a set of decals for it, but can't find any.

I think it would be a good option for simple sewing (not a lot of fancy or double folded seams) but if making simple, straight seams, on fabric that is not too thick, they are ok.

[QueenoftheFlock]

To those who make their own patterns from a current item, can you give a quick step by step on this? I'd love to do this but am afraid I'll end up with 3 sleeves. Is it better to use a very simple garment (ie, skirt) rather than something more complex (for instance, something with darts) or does it not matter?

I have wanted to sew for a long time but just have little confidence that I would be able to make something that I could actually wear!

[Gracie]

Hi QueenoftheFlock,
Am not a seamstress, but will do my best to answer your questions. To start with, i'd use a simple pattern, till the process is more familiar to you, then advance to a more detailed pattern. I've used seam rippers to carefully take the garment apart. Then measure and write on a piece of paper your seam allowances, as well as hem length(s), and/or the amount of material that was turned down, say to put in the waist or an elastic waist. Also, will jot down on same paper, any other pertinent info. that think should watch for, or think might be helpful when sewing the item, such as remember to reinforce stitch a certain area. Take your pieces and iron them one @ a time, so you can cut a more accurate pattern piece. If the material is thin or flimsy, you could lightly spray starch your pieces as you iron them. Next lay your pieces (right side of material piece facing you), one @ a time on your paper of choice. Frankly, I've found meat wrapping paper to work really well. Straight pin your pieces carefully to your paper, then when completed, carefully cut out each piece. As am unpinning, will jot down in pencil on the pattern piece what it is, and how many I need, say, 'pocket - 2 pieces'. Suppose am anal/retentive, but will also lightly print in pencil (on the wrong side of the material), what the piece is. After assembling your pieces with straight pins, take note of your seam allowances, etc. and begin to sew your garment accordingly. Hope have explained this clearly, and is helpful. There are probably easier ways of doing this, but this method is what works for me.

There is the old saying, you can do anything you put your mind to...good luck with your sewing project! Gracie

[Lynnkay]

Gracie, your post is excellent. That is largely how I've done it in the past, too. The only area that one who is inexperienced in sewing might have to be 'extra' careful about is seam allowances. Whenever I've used ready made item pieces for a pattern, I always keep in mind that the seam allowances have already been trimmed at the factory, so I cut out each paper pattern piece about 1/4" larger than the actual fabric piece that I'm using as a guide to make my pattern. Otherwise, it will be necessary to make smaller seam allowances as you are sewing. Personally, I like the 5/8" allowance, because it gives a little flexibility for personal fitting.

[QueenoftheFlock]

Gracie, can I do this with (for instance) a skirt without pulling it apart? I am thinking if it is something REALLY simple, like a 2 piece A-line skirt, you could hopefully pull it flat enough to trace it and then add your seam allowance?

[Gracie]

Good morning QueenoftheFlock, I don't know why you couldn't, would certainly be worth a try. Queen, Lynnkay is right on the seam allowances...sorry forgot to mention that, has been years since have made patterns, made elastic waist pull-on pants for our husky toddler...who's now a 18 y/o young man, so used the seam allowance the factory used. Would you let me know how it turns out? Happy sewing, Gracie

[QueenoftheFlock]

I will - I am going to try to not get in over my head and do something super simple with some cheap fabric to start and move from there. It would be great to be able to have my "own" skirt pattern and pants pattern and go from there! Thank you!

[Gracie]

Good morning QueenoftheFlock,
You are on your way...I didn't do anything, except to encourage you, and in so doing, now am thinking of possibly making a few things for myself too, so...thank you! Even if could afford the price of a few items, would not spend the money...the prices are just too high. Like everyone else, have other things that need done first, but God Willing, will get to it.
Have been thinking about making patterns on assembled garment & wonder if wouldn't get a more accurate pattern piece if: after pressing the garment (inside out), put down your cutting board (think that is what you call them, walmart have them, they're like folding cardboard), paper for pattern, then lay your pressed inside-out pattern on top. Then push several straight pins through center area of material (so item won't 'move' about as pinning it). Then would carefully place straight pins down through material, paper, and into your cutting board thingy (hope you have a table, that won't be marred should the pin pierce it) along the stitch line, at say every inch or so. When have pinned all around material, then take out pins, put garment to the side. Get a pencil, and if had a steady hand, would draw from pin prick to pin prick on pattern (I'd use a ruller, as never could draw a straight line). From 'drawn' pattern, then measure 5/8" seam allowances, around pattern again using straight needles (to 'mark' where you will cut), same with amount to turn under for bottom hem and also, measurement needed for your waist band, or a rolled waist band should you choose to use elastic. Take pins out, and again draw from pin prick to pin prick...get out the ol' scissors and cut your piece out. Does this sound reasonable to you...there is probably an easier way to do this, but if there is a hard way to do something, I'll think of it...have been this way all my life, and probably too old to change! I, too, am open to suggestions. Gracie

[catrules]

Hi, am an amatuer, but enjoy trying to make my own clothes gifts, etc. I find that costumes are a good place to start, because there is less pressure to get it perfect. I buy a lot of fabric at estate auctions, and wait for coupons and sales from JoAnn's. It seems that apparel fabric is harder and harder to come by because fewer people are sewing their own clothing. I am a long legged girl, so have impossible times finding slacks and skirts anywhere let alone inexpensively. While I know that it is cheaper to go into a store and buy clothing that is manufactured overseas, I cannot help but think that eventually this will no longer be the case. And I want the practice so that if I need to provide the clothing for my family, I have the skills to do so.

[CarolAnn]

Gracie,
To answer your question about treadle machines - that's what I learned on, and now I have two of them. Unfortunately, the two I have now are the type that are completely enclosed in a cabinet. When the door is shut, you can't even tell it's not a small end table. That means less clearance for the treadle.

Mom's machine was open on the bottom and the treadle was a large one so that the total sweep was longer. (Toe of one foot on the away side, heel of the other foot on the close side) - Because of the high distance the treadle could achieve at either apex, I could make the belt turn faster & smoother than the two machines I have now with the treadle closer to the floor.

So if you'll be doing any real sewing, go for a nice big foot plate on the treadle part, and try it out.

They machined those old girls with tolerances that a jet mechanic would be proud of. If they're well oiled, the parts just run as smooth as butter, even after 70 years of use. Show me a plastic machine that runs as well after two years!