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Does anyone else make their own clothes

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  • luxor4t
    luxor4t Posts: 11,125 Forumite
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    Lovely thread!
    I must admit I have moved from making clothes to soft furnishings & quilts, partly because the kids grew up - DD refused to wear frilly frocks even for parties by age 9 :( - but it was great while it lasted. The kids grew up wearing HM clothes, and few people actually knew.

    Worst thing I ever made was a tie for OH: the fabric was ugly and the interfacing was not up to the job - he wore it to annoy his boss!

    I agree it is often cheaper to buy nowadays, but not if you re-use fabrics (I made DS1 trousers out of a cord skirt )or alter things eg long trousers into cut-offs etc

    I'm tempted to dig out my fabric box now!
    I can cook and sew, make flowers grow.
  • champys
    champys Posts: 1,101 Forumite
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    I feel the same about sewing my own clothes as I do about cooking meals from scratch, it is so much more rewarding! I'd love to have more time for it, though - there are always so many projects on the go....
    The upside is that I spend very little on clothes, because I try to use up my stash of fabrics before buying anything new - a bit like with the store cupboard.
    Great thread, thanks for starting!
    "Remember that many of the things you have now you could once only dream of" - Epicurus
  • morwenna
    morwenna Posts: 844 Forumite
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    Does anyone have this month's Prima yet? I want to make the strapless long dress for my companys' annual ball - it's an extra lush event this year as we are 40! As I am lacking in the chestal area :o (Sexy_Em, anything spare send this way!) I was wondering if I should add the optional straps and still do the boning...any thoughts?
  • metherer
    metherer Posts: 560 Forumite
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    Thanks for the suggestions guys - I'll look up the book someone mentioned. (Sorry, terrible memory for names).

    I made a load of cushion covers and a runner for the top of the drinks cabinet the other day, which was good practice. Still getting used to the sewing machine as I've only had it since Christmas.

    I'm lucky in that we have a good fent shop in Skipton, which has some very reasonably priced material. I'm rather fond of their discount pieces too - end of roll bits I think.

    Metherer
    :D
    Not heavily in debt, but still trying to sort things out.
    Baby due July 2018.
  • Uniscots97
    Uniscots97 Posts: 6,685 Forumite
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    morwenna wrote: »
    Does anyone have this month's Prima yet? I want to make the strapless long dress for my companys' annual ball - it's an extra lush event this year as we are 40! As I am lacking in the chestal area :o (Sexy_Em, anything spare send this way!) I was wondering if I should add the optional straps and still do the boning...any thoughts?


    I have the opposite problem and decided I wanted a littl extra security in a boned corset I'd done so I added ribbon straps, dainty without being too much and it felt more secure.
    CC2 = £8687.86 ([STRIKE]£10000[/STRIKE] )CC1 = £0 ([STRIKE]£9983[/STRIKE] ); Reusing shopping bags savings =£5.80 vs spent £1.05.Wine is like opera. You can enjoy it even if you don't understand it and too much can give you a headache the next day J
  • Pengwern16
    Pengwern16 Posts: 71 Forumite
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    Good Morning
    I've recently started to get into sewing and making clothes, and it's just sooooo addictive!
    My mum was a domestic science teacher before she got married, and is a fantastic dressmaker/seamstress. I fancied giving it a go a few months ago, and my mum gave me her old sewing machine (nothing wrong with it, she's just treated herself to a better model).
    So far I've made some pyjamas, a tunic, a skirt and some fancy dress costumes. I've also enrolled on a 'garment construction' evening course, where I'm making a red corduroy jacket.
    It's great to find some other like minded people - feel free to take a look at my blog where I'm chronicling my dressmaking adventures (as well as my other needle related hobby - cross stitch) the address is http://pwythaupengwern.blogspot.com/
    Lowri x
    Cymru am Byth!
  • C1aire
    C1aire Posts: 273 Forumite
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    Oooh, thrilled to find this thread! I started making my own clothes around the time I was old enough to have formal occasions to go to (end of 6th form/all through uni) because I simply couldn't afford the £100+ dresses that everyone was wearing. I have to say, it is rewarding when you've finished (though I have a pathological hatred of hemming and used to always get my mum to pin them for me). Its even more rewarding when you are the only person in the room with a unique style that suits you perfectly and fits the same!

    These days I find clothes are cheap enough to buy off the peg, with the exception of PJs. Though a shirt that doesn't need a safety pin to stop the gape would be nice...

    Anyone know a cheap remnant shop in North London...? (John Lewis are scandalously expensive!)
    Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realise that we cannot eat money.
  • C1aire
    C1aire Posts: 273 Forumite
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    morwenna wrote: »
    Does anyone have this month's Prima yet? I want to make the strapless long dress for my companys' annual ball - it's an extra lush event this year as we are 40! As I am lacking in the chestal area :o (Sexy_Em, anything spare send this way!) I was wondering if I should add the optional straps and still do the boning...any thoughts?
    Why not make it without the straps, see how it looks and if you want, add the straps last?
    Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realise that we cannot eat money.
  • morwenna
    morwenna Posts: 844 Forumite
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    Thanks for the help - I always worry with strapless, as there isn't (ahem!) enough Morwenna to hold things up! However, my shoulders are nice
  • Old_Meanie
    Old_Meanie Posts: 84 Forumite
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    There is a fabric shop in Edgware Claire that is very reasonable - far cheaper than John Lewis. I live just outside North London and I have bought fabric there in the past but not recently. It is at the top of the Edgeware main street past the tube and bus station where it joins the main A5 into London. It does have some funny opening hours if I remember but should be open on a Saturday. You do not say whereabouts in North London you are but Walthamstow Market is very good. I get my partner to drive me into Barnet and catch the 34 bus to Walthamstow from there. There are absolutely loads of fabrics of all colours and types some as cheap as £2 a metre. I have got a lot from there too - lovely velvets from £5 a metre. I bought 1.9 metres of pure silk with beautiful orange flowers on 150cm (60 in) wide for £15.00 plus £2 postage on Ebat this week - enough for a shirt dress. Where can you buy a pure silk dress for £17? I do not think you can make clothes for less than the cheapy clothes on the high street but if you want a good quality well made garment that looks good and fits properly - make it yourself - at least you know some poor child in India or China has not been forced to sit for hours making it for you so some high street chain can make mega profits. You can certainly make more up market garments a lot cheaper.
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