Does anyone else make their own clothes

purpleivy

http://www.knitwitfabrics.co.uk/ has a fabulous range of knit/jersey fabrics. They're not the cheapest fabrics going, but not the most expensive either. I visited the studio when I was in Dorset on holiday, but it's principally mail order.

If you want cheap clothes then your best bet is to get down to Primark. There are very few places that sell fabric to make clothes cheaper than you can buy them there. They're even cheaper than charity shops a lot of the time, which is ridiculous!

If however you want clothes that fit you well, then making your own is the solution. Ebay sometimes throws up some good buys in the fabric line. If you can get to Abakhan there are are bargains to be had. They have some mail order too.

I bought some fabric in what I regard as a quite expensive fabric shop. It cost £18.95 per metre. I made a top similar to one I got in Monsoon in an extravagant moment. Even at £18.95/metre the top was cheaper than the Monsoon one. It all depends what you're after.

Justamum

purpleivy wrote: »

If you want cheap clothes then your best bet is to get down to Primark. There are very few places that sell fabric to make clothes cheaper than you can buy them there. They're even cheaper than charity shops a lot of the time, which is ridiculous!

If however you want clothes that fit you well, then making your own is the solution. Ebay sometimes throws up some good buys in the fabric line. If you can get to Abakhan there are are bargains to be had. They have some mail order too.

I bought some fabric in what I regard as a quite expensive fabric shop. It cost £18.95 per metre. I made a top similar to one I got in Monsoon in an extravagant moment. Even at £18.95/metre the top was cheaper than the Monsoon one. It all depends what you're after.

This is so true. There are other threads where people are asking if it's worth making your own food from scratch as you can buy a value item much cheaper - and the response is usually that you should compare home-made food with the top of the range ready meals, not the cheap pap.

Same goes with clothes. I'm not confident about making clothes to fit me, but once the children are back at school I'm going to have a d*mn good go! I'm sick of buying clothes which don't fit properly, are poorly made from cheap and nasty fabric and which don't last more than a couple of washes. If you think of it that way, making your own works out cheaper in the long run.

Re your Monsoon top lookalike - I'll bet the fit and finish on yours was better than the Monsoon one!

Savvy_sewing

ktpie wrote: »

You probably know this already but Craftster is a good place for ideas for reconstructing clothes, this bit. It's a bit American teenage style but if you're prepared to spend a few minutes browsing there are some good ideas on there. I made a couple of these bags last year and they were pretty easy and looked good.

Hello Htpie, thanks for these links, I hadnt come across this one, there are so many out there. I have registered with them, but will have to leave my surfing for a bit longer. I am trying to move my sittingroom / dining room around, so that I can have a warmer room for my sittingroom, and a bigger room for my sewing. (Dining room).:rotfl:
I of course cannot move the sofa and chair through the doors, and up the stairs, so I hope DS gets home soon.! He and I will have to struggle together. I am determined to get things sorted so that I can be comfortable in both!.
When its swapped over then I can really concentrate onthe sewing.

Rikki

www.jaycotts.co.uk have 50% off their vogue patterns and 10% off the rest.

smileyt_2

Hello

I am completely new to dressmaking and have just joined a class. We have to buy a pattern to make a simple garment. However I have been looking online (at sewdirect) and a lot of the patterns are called Misses'/Women's. What on earth does "Misses'" mean? I am guessing it means OK for teenage girls but I'm not sure. Can anyone tell me what it means, please?

flea72

smileyt wrote: »

Hello

I am completely new to dressmaking and have just joined a class. We have to buy a pattern to make a simple garment. However I have been looking online (at sewdirect) and a lot of the patterns are called Misses'/Women's. What on earth does "Misses'" mean? I am guessing it means OK for teenage girls but I'm not sure. Can anyone tell me what it means, please?

Misses are petite, so under 5'4"

Women are curvier/taller

hth Flea

smileyt_2

Oh, thank you Flea! I'm definitely a 'Miss' then as I'm under 5ft.

Now I can browse to my heart's content.

flea72

smileyt wrote: »

Hello

I am completely new to dressmaking and have just joined a class. We have to buy a pattern to make a simple garment. However I have been looking online (at sewdirect) and a lot of the patterns are called Misses'/Women's. What on earth does "Misses'" mean? I am guessing it means OK for teenage girls but I'm not sure. Can anyone tell me what it means, please?

oh and dont be suprised by the size you have to make your garment in - dress patterns have no relation, size wise to shop bought clothes

if looking at patterns online, always look at the back of the pattern cover, for what their sizing translates to (most patterns cover either size 8-12 or 14-18)

Flea

Savvy_sewing

flea72 wrote: »

oh and dont be suprised by the size you have to make your garment in - dress patterns have no relation, size wise to shop bought clothes

if looking at patterns online, always look at the back of the pattern cover, for what their sizing translates to (most patterns cover either size 8-12 or 14-18)

Flea

I can echo that remark. I just traced off a skirt pattern and as I am currently 32" at the waist, and 38" hip it said I was a size 18, but really I am just a size 10-12 in the shops!. Mind you when I tried the thing on it was a few inches too big, so I have to take it in on the darts!. I used the waist line of 18 and the hip line of a 16. The seam allowances were included in the pattern.
Its been years and years since I made clothes for myself, so I had to go back to the measuring. Think I am going to go on a diet now!! Or at least try to tone my tum:o

Rikki

I have some lovely chocolate brown corduroy and fancy making a pair of simple trousers with it.I've never made corduroy trousers before any advice.