Dressmaker advice

Woodyrocks

This is my first time in here so please be gentle. I have decided that I would rather just buy material and get clothes made now. The only problem is I don't sew. Where would I i begin to look for a dressmaker. Obviously I am trying to save money so please bear that in mind!

I am based in London if that helps. Thanks in advance :beer:

plumduff55

Hi, The cost of buying material and hiring a dressmaker would be very expensive. Our local college runs basic and advanced dressmaking courses (£50 for 10 weeks) - have you thought about learning to dressmake yourself ?
You could pick up a sewing machine quite cheaply and would recoup the cost very quickly. Just an thought :rotfl:

dolly_day_dream

I have made clothes for well over 40 years and right now the price of patterns, fabric etc make it prohibitive and certainly not cost effective to make your own. I tend to use fabric I have got from charity shops. If you factor in the cost of having your clothes made for you then you are going down a very expensive route.

It all depends on why you want to make your own clothes. I have made all my family's clothes in the past because of cost implications and getting them to fit properly - tall thin boys.

I will still make my own special occasion clothes because I am short and fat and prefer to have something different. Also if I can get the fabric and a good price I then don't have to worry about the working conditions of someone making it for a few pence. Apart from that I buy my clothes in charity shops because it is generally cheaper than making them.

So home made clothes are not necessarily cheaper but if you want them made for you for another reason I would ask at some of your fabric stores if they know of any local dressmakers.

Mrs_Flittersnoop

I think it may depend on what sort of clothes etc you want to have made. You could ask in hire shops, bridal shops, dry cleaners etc, all of whom may have details of local dressmakers, or even the Yellow Pages may be worth a look.

I sew clothes for myself, my daughter and also do bridal alterations for a local shop. I find most people are unwilling to factor in the cost of time taken to create something (which is why I don't do it professionally) and I often have problems getting people to pay for the work I do for them. It isn't cheap, but if you're a different size from the standard ready-to-wear sizes, then having something made that fits makes you feel great.

Good luck. I hope you find someone who suits your needs.
Mrs F x

beemuzed

Try a card in the local newsagents asking if anyone does this. But I agree that these days it's an expensive option - I used to make my own clothes and shirts, trousers etc for the kids when they were young, but nowadays can't find a good source of fabric - and the price of patterns is ridiculous!
It also used to take me ages - and you'd need to pay a realistic price for someone's time and skill.

Woodyrocks

Thanks guys. Believe it or not I did a fashion course about 8 years ago and learnt how to take apart (and put together of course!) an industrial sewing machine. Left with some patterns as well but it has all but seeped out of my head!

I can get hold of material pretty cheaply and have just bought a load (my mom travels 'back home' often).

Lucina_2

I do loads of dressmaking and have hundreds of patterns which I agree can be expensive but I've started buying mine in bulk from https://www.sewingpatterns.com they work out about 1/2 the cost of buying from the UK even when you take into account shipping.

They also have lots of regular promotions reducing patterns even further.

I just have to be careful that I don't order too many I must have loads I've not even cut out yet.

Hardup_Hester

Our local dressmaker charges £20 to shorten a pair of trousers & approx £80 to £150 to make an item from scratch
Hester

meanmarie

I would be very careful of getting someone whose work you have not seen to do some very expensive work for you....several years ago I paid €450 to a 'designer' to make me a suit...I chose the fabric and she did the rest. I had several fittings and was uneasy about the fit at a couple of these, when I voiced my unease she made pin alterations but in the end of the day the suit made me look even bigger than I was...I was so upset and just took it and ran...not a very assertive day, ended up wearing it 5 or 6 times and not feeling good in it...the trousers went to the charity shop ages ago and I wear the jacket over another suit in the winter...sometimes if I'm just going to the shops.

This is not to say that all dressmakers are going to be like mine, in honesty I think that she was fine with dresses etc but not up for the tailoring.

My advice would be to revamp your skills and do it yourself!

Marie