The 2010 crazy clothes challenge

karmachilovething

Keys,

I'd recommend the Reader's Digest Guide to Sewing as a good basic guide. It has really clear diagrams and instructions, and will explain how your sweing machine works, how to vary the settings for different fabrics, basic skills (like zips) and so on. I swear by mine.

You can find new and older copies on amazon, or eBay (and check both, I bougth mine on eBay, and then checked amazon and found it for loads cheapper :eek: I was kicking myself ofr days!). I have one from the 70s which is fine, there haven't been too many revolutions in sewing machine unless you have a REALLY up to date/fancy computer type model.

I also like Burdastyle.com, which has some good tutorials and how-tos, and cheap patterns on download, once you gain confidence and graduate from replacing zips!

Have fun!:)

keys_2

Wow ...Thankyou for all your help and suggestions , I wil ldefinatetly look i nto buying a book I think { hopefully get one from car boot or charity shop }
It is a old one that afriend gave me so a big heavy thing ..lol .
I may start by making something easy like a cuchion cover or something before I destroy my trousers ..just to get the grasp of it as I did a bit at school but that was over 15 years ago:eek:

niccatw

I've got the Reader's Digest one but still found it beyond my expertise. Am currently looking at Design-it-Yourself Clothes by Cal Patch onAmazon... it looks good.

Also the April issue of Sew magazine has 3 for £3... grab it, you get a free pattern with each copy! (And April's is an evening dress!) Loads of fab inspiration in there, even if you are as cluless as I am

Rosemary, you are so right about the John Lewis folk. The lady there showed me how to put a zip in and told me to pop by any time . Haven't found any suitable (and affordable to me) night classes yet but on the look out...

el1234

Bought a stripey navy top in charity shop for £2.75 so £90.38 left to spend - impressed with my restraint so far. cheers

picasso2

Just dropping in to add a spend to my total. I have spent £1 on a pair of M&S knickers. The £100 is to cover any clothing I buy this year to get me on the straight and narrow. I am very pleased with myself so far. will update my sig later

makeup

Coming by to confess a spend of £12.50.

I bought a technical T-Shirt at an Adidas outlet shop. Half price and I think will be fab for my trek later this year.

Managed to resist Gap, Next, Monsoon etc so feeling pleased with myself with that.

museumworker

£3.79 to add from a house cardigan... it is Gap body, boyfriend style, cotton with hood. I don't think I can get away with it outside the house but it is fab in the house (and has encouraged me to have the heating on even less, so probably will pay for itself soon!)

ThinkingOfLinking

No new spends to declare at the moment; there was nothing in the M&S sale which appealed to me, nor the Oasis one, and I just don't have the money or inclination to shop at the moment although I do plan to visit Matalan for some summer dresses next week as I saw a gorgeous one for £8 in the mini catalogue they posted me.

keys_2

Me again .....:rotfl:

As this thread has made me charity shop hunt for clothes when I had never stepped into a charity shop before in my life ..Im getting quite addicted to it and ive stil lnot spent a tenner yet this year on clothes

So yesterday I bought a River Island checkered blouse for £1 .00

Im just looking for fabric in them now to getting me started on the sewing machine ,,, hopefully make some nice things when I get practising

niccatw

Keys, I sat in a bookshop with my coffee, pouring over their sewing books deciding which I could understand best (to then buy more cheaply online)... Singer Simple Sewing one looked fool-proof! Then I went window shopping in the fabric shop... usually I buy shapeless skirts and dresses in the charity shops to cut up though... but today I didn't step inside one "real" or charity shop in the city centre

I'm not sure that's ever happened before!