Dressmaking

maryb

flea72 wrote:

for a sewing machine for a beginner, i would suggest getting a Brother or Toyota - easily available for under £100 from places like Argos, Tesco online.

the things to look for are adjustable stitch length and width, a straight stitch, zizzag and button-hole (one step preferable). anything else you get on top of that, is a bonus

a machine like this will last a good few years for anyone, its only when you start to use the machine alot, that you see having other functions like rolled hems and smocking stitch, might be useful, so thats the time to upgrade

however the best thing i have found for making clothes, is an overlocker - you would still need a basic sewing machine to do some of the work, but running up garments with an overlocker, is so much quicker. - i wouldnt be without mine now

hth flea

what will be most useful will depend what you use it for. I make a lot of curtains (big Victorian windows in our house) and I find the blind hem stitch incredibly useful - hemming two curtains to cover a pair of French windows would have taken for ever by hand. I like to do locked in linings rather than making them by the bag method and you need to hem the top curtain first. Even if you don't make curtains, blind hemming comes in useful for turning up hems on trousers all the time

The other feature I would think essential is the ability to move the needle position to left or right - topstitching is a doddle and running a gathering stitch an even distance from the seamline is so much easier.

I don't use any of the embroidery stitches on my machine, and although i'd like to be able to quilt with it I've never been able to get it not to chew up the quilt, ditto darning (not that I do much of that)

Turning_into_scrooge

the_skint_minx wrote:

Anyone here tried making their own clothes?

I'm not exactly talented on the arts and crafts front, but I figure even I could knock up the odd skirt if I had an easy pattern.

Question is, when clothes are so cheap now, is it really worth the outlay on patterns, materials etc?

I love the idea of making beautifully fitted, stitched and lined garments that will last a lifetime, but suspect I'm delusional....

I recently got enough material to m ake up 4 skirts for £13. Unfortunately i can dress make so i had to find someone to cop a skirt for me which cost me £40 so in total £53. Had i gone to M&S the same would of cost me between £100 and £120, So i feel that was quite a saving but i am going to learn how to do it myself

frugalfairy_3

flea72 wrote:

wow, you can afford a coverstitch machine - thats my next dream item, after the embroidery machine, a new overlocker.........

flea

It was a 40th birthday present from OH and his mum, some years ago now I couldn't have afforded it on my own. I think it was reduced as well as the model is now discontinued. Actually the coverstitch doesn't work that well and it's a bit of a pain to keep changing the threads and looper; I tend to just use a twin needle on my sewing machine to get the same look unless I'm sewing a very stretchy knit fabric.

flea72

maryb wrote:

what will be most useful will depend what you use it for.

she is using it for making clothes, so just a zigzag and straight stitch is all any beginner would need to get them started - no point paying loads for extra options, if after making one item, the machine sits in a cupboard gathering dust

someone new to sewing prob wouldnt even consider making items that had a button hole, a zip or try blind hemming, as they are wanting to make something simple

if you find you enjoy sewing, then it is better to start off with something cheap that can help you through the basics - once you gain confidence with a machine, then its time to think about upgrading, but i have a machine with all the twiddly bits, and still tend to only use the basic straight stitch

flea

maryb

True, though if you buy a new or second hand machine from a dealer they are very good at talking you into buying the extra features on a more expensive machine that you find you never use and could easily have done without. (well, they wouldn't be dealers if they couldn't) That's why I thought it might help if those of us who sew said what we did find useful about our machines, even if it was only after we had been sewing for a while, as well as the features we never use in practice.

tootles_2

Look for a machine that does the basic stitches, straight and zigzag and a stretch stitch for sewing jersey type fabrics, buttonholes and an overedge stitch, you also need to be able to move the needle as well. The elastic stitch is useful if you are going to sew stretchy fabrics and can double as a top stich, a free arm machine is a must if you are going to make blouses etc...... its more difficult on a flat bed machine, if you can get one a Bernina is a very good make and there are some sturdy ones on e bay, I had a Bernina for years and sold it for more than I paid for it when I bought my present machine......the old machines are metal bodied and quite heavy, the modern machines are mostly plastic bodied, lighter and I am afraid not so robust.

exlibris

Oooo Bernina.

Mine is nearly 40 yrs old and was used such a lot when the boys were young. I even altered school trousers from my older boy for the younger who had a waist about 4 inches smaller than his brother.

It hasn't been used much recently, but 2 weeks ago I pulled it out and made head cushions for the fold up recliner chairs we use when caravanning. It ran as well as it had done years ago.

Next job will be lined curtains for the redecorating project when the kitchen/diner has been built. (5 months on and I fed up of the building site!)

HannahD_2

I bought a sewing machine from Tesco's online last week, it was reduced to £49.00 with free delivery. Very handy. It does everything I could have wanted (except make the tea!!!!!!).

Also we live next door to an interior designer. So if I want to make anything I just pop down to her's and pick some material that she has left over from all the things she has made, there are shelves and shelves of the stuff!!!! Plus, she's brilliant for advice if I'm stuck making something.

Perhaps other interior designers would do the same, or at least let you buy them a bit cheaper.