Making and adapting clothes

HOLsale

i've recently been given an old singer sewing machine after requesting one on freecycle, bless her heart, the lady could hardly bear to part with it but she'd just bought an all singing and dancing model and her husband wanted the old one out of their dining room!

i'm just working on doing some patch work quilts right now i'm really interested in picking up some hints on doing them... if anyone can help me please post!

i would like to find a dressmaking course in my area. i did a few sewing courses in high school and have made pleated skirts, done kick pleats, collars, cuffs and a button down shirt, put zippers in etc but that was 19 years ago and i'm a bit rusty :rotfl:

my 3 year old dd has very picky tastes in clothes already so i'm now adapting clothing for her and i would love for her to grow up seeing me making clothes for her. she is very intersted when she sees me on the machine so we intend to get her a childs sewing machine when she's about 5 or so. the younger the better i say!

any tips on sewing are really appreciated

mah_jong

I find its not only getting the fabric or wool...its the TIME factor, to make anything thats the problem!

I work full time, and part time and garden and cook and ...and ... I would have to give up going on line to find enough spare time to do anything other than essentials these days. However I have and use a sewing and knitting machine. I saved a fortune making my own percale bedding years ago!
ma
The thought of giving up going online brings me out in a cold sweat!!!

juno

I charge my sister vastly inflated prices to sew for her! It's about £3 for hems, but more if they need doing instantly, are a thik fabric, or if she wants me to make them shorter.

And I made some curtains once!

maryb

I nearly fainted when I saw the price they wanted for my younger daughter's school uniform dress at John Lewis - simple cotton - £37!!!! for a nine year old!!! No that's not a mistype that is £37! sorry don't know how to do smileys but I think that calls for an eek!
i managed to get 2 metres of the same fabric (not plain gingham you see) from the second hand uniform sale for £3 and it looks like I'll be sewing over the bank holiday weekend

flea72

i make nigh on all my kids clothes, and have recently started making for myself too - for the first time in my life, i have clothes that actually fit, as i can now adapt the pattern to suit

it may be time consuming, but the effort is worth it, espec when you get lots of compliments, on how great your kids clothes look - its also a handy sideline, as there are always people needing stuff altered/made - its a dying art really

culpepper

I made my sons karate suit when he was 6. OH had one so I just laid it out to see how it was made and worked from there. It looked fine and was about £10 for the materials.There was enough white cotton material left to make a second jacket when the first got too small. I also made action man a karate suit out of the off cuts (of course he had a black belt )
When the kids were at aged about 5 and 6 , I made their winter coats. I had an old dark blue woollen coat which had lost its fluffiness,I took it apart and turned it inside out (the inside was like new) and drew a pattern from a pattern cutting book on newspaper.It looked fine. I made my daughters from a large woollen coat from the charity shop and lined it with a quilted dressing gown.
Nowadays I knit the occassional jumper .

Lillibet_2

I can get by doing hand sewn repairs but would really really love to learn to sew properly. I did it at school but sadly, like most of my education, have only retained memories of selective bits:rolleyes: Maybe I should put a sewing machine on my car boot sale wsh list? My Mum can sew really well, made all my clothes up until I was about 8 years old, without wanting to sound morbid it's one of the things I'd relaly like her to teach me before she gets too old to pass the skill on! However, if it goes as well as when she tried to teach me to knit....... :eek:

ET03

wish I could afford a sewing machine, used to be quite good and this thread has me itching to start making own clothes again

elona

ET03

Have you thought of putting a free advert in your local paper?

ET03

elona wrote:

ET03

Have you thought of putting a free advert in your local paper?

great idea
also thought of lookinf in car boot sales but would be worried in case bought a dud