making clothing

[hmcart]

I was just curious how many do this regularly. I am working on a dress for the first time as I am fairly new to sewing and I think it is going well so far. I will post a pic when i am through with it

[MVS0122]

I made all of my maternity clothes when I was pregnant, I'm not the best sewer so it was a lot of trial and error but it was good enough! I haven't done any since.

[sunshine]

I make nearly all of my scrub tops for work, I also make a lot of our special occasion clothing (dd's prom dresses, etc.).

When my kids were younger, I made nearly all of their clothes, but now it's cheaper to buy clothes at yard sales.

[shortcake]

When my kids where young I made most of their cloths and mine also. I stopped due to lack of time, maybe I will pick it up again. There is a lot of trial and error at first but don't give, good for you!

[Lady_V]

I know there are a few on here who make -everything- but I have made mostly simple things such as pajama pants and shorts. I still have a hard time with darts and sleeves.

My daughter wears a uniform to school so she doesn't need much in the way of school-time clothes. I will be making her summer clothes, as well as a few pairs of pajamas (with sleeves!) and a bathrobe for the holidays.

I may actually get to the stack of jumpers I had set aside to make for myself as well.

I think that with all the American Girl doll dresses I will be making this year, I will finally get over my fear of armholes

[LizaZ]

I've been making clothing since I was 12. I was very tiny when I was a teenager so resorted to making my own clothes to escape the children's dept. But I also make my own clothes because I definitely have my own style. Even though I can buy off the rack now I can make them to fit so much better.

When dh discovered I could sew he started putting in orders for shirts -- he has a very specific fitting problem. Several years ago I made him a full length, lined, duster style coat -- that thing's so heavy he can only wear it in the coldest few days or weeks of the winter. But that's what he wanted.

To be honest I'm not sure that making clothing really saves money anymore unless you do have fitting problems or want something special. Fabric, notions, etc. can be very expensive if you buy them at the fabric store. You can get ready made so cheap these days. But when I compare the cost of what I make to special sizes, custom clothing, or designer brands -- then yes, I am saving money. But compared to K-mart -- probably not -- especially if I buy my fabric from the fabric store (which I don't always). Compared to some thrift stores -- definitely not. I do a lot of things with scraps, leftovers, garage sale finds, remnants, etc. and that is where I can make things really cheap.

This is one of those things where I think there are other reasons for doing it than saving money. For me it's a very personal thing. Generations of women in my family have been seamstresses so it's an important part of my heritage. It also comes from my artist side. I can make, quirky, one of a kind clothing that no one else has -- I like that.

[PrairieRose]

I don't but honestly have been having the urge to sew recently. My mom was an expert seamstress and made most of my clothes when I was at home. She also made all 5 of my bridesmaids' dresses for my wedding along with the candle lighter and flowerr girl. She used to make our bedspreads, draperies for the entire house and all of her own clothes. I can remember her coming home from work and sitting at her sewing machine until the wee hours. She said 'it relaxed' her....lol. It tends to tense me up...but I'm having the urge so I think I'll do some sewing in the new year, possibly making some purses.

[LizaZ]

Got to warn you Prairie Rose it can be addicting. Especially when you start learning how to do some of the fancy stuff. You can make things that are just "too cool."

[hmcart]

I have kinda figured it wont save a ton of money but it is fun for me. The dress I am making is sleeveless but I am now debating on adding sleeves. I started mainly because I can make curtains for my house cheaper by doing them myself.

[nuisance26]

~I think reconstructing is fun. Sewing from patterns isn't as much fun. I do have several skirts I'll be making from patterns for spring. Luckily I picked up fabric for $1 a yd and zippers for $.15 at the thrift store. Supplies don't have to be expensive if you think outside the box. I've made some very nice things out of new and vintage sheets. These and sewing notions can be purchased for VERY little at yard sales.~

[FrugalDonna]

I was just curious how many do this regularly. I am working on a dress for the first time as I am fairly new to sewing and I think it is going well so far. I will post a pic when i am through with it

I make most of what I wear and make American Girl Doll clothes too. I like to dress the dolls (I have 18" dolls that were donated to me) and give them to Social Services locally. I haven't gotten many done, but I know they're going to good homes. I like to 'reconstruct' clothes too. I got an outfit from our local Freecycle group and the skirt was way too long (it was an older business outfit) and now I have a shorter skirt with a fairly nice matching top to wear if I go out. Home clothes? Not so hard. Slacks and simple tops, but I like to play with patchwork and make a little of this and a little of that. I made a pair of simple slacks with black and white 4" squares. I made the fabric first and zigzagged all the seams so they would be tight, then cut out the pants. I used non-patched fabric for the pocket insides. I love them and get a lot of compliments on them. I used a pajama bottom pattern (elastic waist, but could be made with drawstring).

Lastly, I took apart my favorite store bought slacks and will be using them for a pattern. They fit like a glove when they were being worn, but I wore them out!

Have fun with clothing sewing. Armholes are not so bad once you get used to them

[acidcookie]

I don't think making my own stuff would save me money, and it would suck up a ton of my time. But I do alter my own clothes when needed, and I sew other things where buying scrap cloth is just cheaper, like cloth napkins and handkerchiefs. These things save me money in the long run because I don't rely on paper products then anymore.

[monkeywrangler71]

I'm not very skilled, but I sew a fair bit. I make dresses for my youngest, and shorts and pyjamas for all the kids. All easy stuff. I can't do buttonholes, darts, or anything fitted - it's all elastic waists and straight (well, not quite straight) lines.

[FrugalDonna]

I'm not very skilled, but I sew a fair bit. I make dresses for my youngest, and shorts and pyjamas for all the kids. All easy stuff. I can't do buttonholes, darts, or anything fitted - it's all elastic waists and straight (well, not quite straight) lines.

I learned most of what I know from making things for the kids when they were little. I will tell you, though, one time I threw a whole outfit in the woodstove. I was so sick of working on it, picking out stitches, putting them back in, and ACK! I was just sick of it. It was one of my better projects. I learned a lot of what not to do

[PrairieRose]

Got to warn you Prairie Rose it can be addicting. Especially when you start learning how to do some of the fancy stuff. You can make things that are just "too cool."

I'm sure you're right LizaZ, I'll try not to get too addicted