Does anyone else make their own clothes

[Deleted User]

here you are mrs F

http://www.fabri-baste.co.uk/

it doesn`t crease so after cutting, I store it `held down` with a pin in a cheap A4 envelope and i`m going to put a photocopy of the design on the front

If I use the lutterloh system then I do the patterns on brown paper as I have a giant roll from my ebay selling days

[Deleted User]

It is a horrible wet day today and I have pulled out all my patterns and stash of material and I am in a TIP but it will get better because today I am organising myself and have bought (woolworth online) 3 more really useful boxes so that I have 2 each side under my sewing desk

Now to practice what I preach and get those pattern fronts photocopied

Mrs_Flittersnoop

kittie wrote: »

here you are mrs F

http://www.fabri-baste.co.uk/

it doesn`t crease so after cutting, I store it `held down` with a pin in a cheap A4 envelope and i`m going to put a photocopy of the design on the front

If I use the lutterloh system then I do the patterns on brown paper as I have a giant roll from my ebay selling days

Ooh thanks kittie. That looks really interesting, I'd never heard of it before. Is it expensive? There are no stockists anywhere near me, according to that site you gave (typical!) but I'd like to send for some to try.

Good luck with the organising! I keep telling myself I should do that but I hate giving up sewing time to fiddle about with patterns and boxes, which is why my sewing corner looks like it does:rolleyes: :rotfl:

Mrs Fx

Justamum

A friend gave me some duvet covers the other day. Some of them I can use, but would it be possible to use others for making tops? They are 50/50 polycotton. There is a nice black one with a grey pinstripe which I thought would look good as a shirt. Otherwise I can use them to make toiles I suppose. I'm not chucking out my old duvet covers because I can use them as toiles (unless anybody can think of any other ideas). Getting better and better at this MS lark thanks to so many helpful and friendly lovely people who give such wonderful advice

essexgal

Justamum wrote: »

Otherwise I can use them to make toiles I suppose. I'm not chucking out my old duvet covers because I can use them as toiles (unless anybody can think of any other ideas). Getting better and better at this MS lark thanks to so many helpful and friendly lovely people who give such wonderful advice

Not sure what toiles are........but I've got a couple of old duvet covers that I'm planning to a) make into shopping bags, b) use to make up 'practice' garments and get it right before using the good stuff:D

I haven't really sewn for about 10 years - and it was fairly simple sewing even then, but I'm quite pleased with my latest items. I was lucky enough to come across a (new from 1970s) maxi skirt in a wonderful patchwork print in orange/brown/cream/black with deep ruffle co-ordinating hem. This was in my local charity shop - and it was only £3.00, or £1.50 if you bear in mind it was bogof! So far I have made/am making (for DD aged 6): elasticated waist skirt with ruffle hem; ruffle top using the rest of the hem attached to the original waistband and added ribbon straps; headscarf (very 70s:D ); bolero/waistcoat thing; small shoulder bag. All I have left now is a zip and a few scraps - can probably use scraps to trim a pair of trousers - or make barbie a matching outfit... so not bad use of one item of clothing. I just wish I could find stuff like that in the charity shops every week as I don't have a very good choice of fabrics locally (where did all the fabric shops go - I remember there was a much wider choice when I was a child - not that I appreciated them then of course:rolleyes: )

essexgal

top_drawer_2

Mrs_Flittersnoop wrote: »

topdrawer if your pattern is already cut and altered then you can use it again as many times as you like, if you use different fabrics then most people will never notice. I often trace my patterns onto Burda pattern paper (available from John Lewis) so then I have a clean copy available if I want to use a different size, try out different collars, sleeves etc. Some people press their most used patterns onto thin iron-on interfacing to keep them from tearing etc but I'm far too lazy to do that...

Well it's pouring with rain here so I'm going to finish off the jacket I started yesterday and maybe get to a t shirt I cut out last week.

Mrs F x

Thanks that brillant!! where will I go about buying iron on interfacing??

Thanks again,

Jen

Mrs_Flittersnoop

Morning all, definitely a day for staying in and sewing;)

justamum you can by all means use your duvet covers as garment fabric, you just need to be sure that they are not too limp and floppy for structured garments like a shirt. You could make pyjamas out of them if they won't stand up to tailoring. Some of my mum's duvet covers are quite firm and crisp feeling so they would probably even make up a pretty skirt (but I suspect she might object as she still uses them on the bed).

essexgal a toile is a closely fitting fabric 'shell' which you use to draft and alter your own patterns. Or you could use the sheets (as I do) as a draft 'muslin' which is a test pattern to fit either commmercial or home drafted patterns. If you like the design you could also make lightweight curtains from duvet covers as they tend to be nice wide fabrics. Bags and simple camisole type tops also spring to mind, depending on the 'hand' of the fabric and the pattern of course.

topdrawer you should be able to find interfacing at any shop that sells fabric - over here you can only generally find Vilene - ask for the lightweight stuff. Be sure to follow the instructions for pressing it onto paper though, you only need a fairly cool iron with no steam otherwise you get a horrible sticky mess to clean off your iron (speaking from experience here:o )

Well my jacket is finished, yay :T and I have to say I think it will get a lot of wear, it's so comfortable to wear. On to the navy t shirt now (once I get off the computer:p )

Mrs F x

top_drawer_2

hey just had a look on the John Lewis site for Burda paper and it doesnt seem to be there... but ebay apparently offers it ut only as sheets of 5 for £2.99 - are these large sheets or is this stuff horrendously expensive?

Jen

C1aire

Old_Meanie wrote: »

Hello Claire. I finally paid a visit to the fabric shop I told you about in earlier post in Edgware. Went on Sunday morning and well worth a visit. A very tatty shop but absolutely crammed with rolls of fabric floor to ceiling. Unfortunately its one of those places where it is pick your own but the man is extremely helpful and seems to know something about fabric. I bought beautiful cotton jersey thick for trousers £3 a metre and silk dupion for matching shirt at £5 at metre what a bargain! The prices start from as little as £1 a metre!

Its called Jersey Vogue Fabrics 14 Station Road Edgware Tel. 0208 952 7751. Seems to be open most days from about 9.30 to about 4 and on Sunday mornings until about 12 midday. Well worth the visit!.

HTH and happy sewing.

Thanks Old Meanie, I'll have to take a wee shopping trip up there!

Mrs_Flittersnoop

top_drawer wrote: »

hey just had a look on the John Lewis site for Burda paper and it doesnt seem to be there... but ebay apparently offers it ut only as sheets of 5 for £2.99 - are these large sheets or is this stuff horrendously expensive?

Jen

Hi Jen, that seems about right, I'm not surprised the John Lewis site doesn't have it, they don't have much sewing-related stuff, only machines. I think I pay about that. The sheets are very big. I use about one sheet per one-and-a-half garments, depending on what it is of course. You could also use a roll of wallpaper lining paper, as long as it was very lightweight and almost see-through, if you wanted to do a lot of tracing.

Or Morplan www.morplan.co.uk has rolls of tracing paper but I found them a bit too thick to see the lines properly (or I may have bought the wrong sort of course!).

HTH
Mrs F x