Does anyone else make their own clothes

maria340

Mariel wrote: »

maria340 - don't be worried about ringing them, my pet hate is the phone and I rang them to order once and they were lovely. I hope that isn't the minimum - my daughter wanted some of the pink mini-skulls fabric and I'd hate to have to order loads more stuff to make the postage worthwhile ;~)

I made a list of stuff I want to get, and I am now trying to shorten it!

purpleivy

Been missing as well, on hols. Went to stay at my sis's house in Tobago. FOund a couple of fabric shops. Got red wincyette for jamas for dd, also some nice lilac broderie anglaise for the same. Some madras cotton in three designs for shirts for dh and ds. All very reasonably priced... abt £1 per yard (but only 36" wide) for the red, £2 per yard for the lilac (45" wide) and same for the madras cotton. Got some Coats thread 500m for abt 35p each.

did quite a bit of sewing before I went, but a lot was alterations to stuff for the family. Made myself some nice loose jamas, which I wore a lot while away as it was so hot!

champys

I'm back from holiday too, and can't wait to get the sewing machine out again. Still dealing with some post-hols jobs like cleaning the tent and washing the sleeping bags... and I hope it rains tomorrow so I won't be expected to help catching up on the gardening after work!

I want to make a dress, one or two tops, a pair of shorts and a tote bag - and after that I am going to move on to clothes for autumn and winter.

dolly_day_dream

Fabricland are brilliant! I recently bought some satin from there for a fancy dress costume for my DD and as per usual it was needed ASAP - when I phoned they gave me a range of options for postage and promised to send it for the cheapest/quickest option ISWIM- it arrived quickl and was such good value. I will certainly be buying from them again.

Not such good value as my local store on Saturday though. They had been having a sale and I had bought some fabric for jackets, and some really cheap fabric for using for toiles. I just popped back on Saturday - which was the last day of the sale - to see if there was anything I could make up into trousers. When I got there everything in the sale was £1 a metre!!!

This included some very costly upholstery fabrics that had originally cost £20/30 a metre!! I was like a kid in a sweet shop:j And in two visits that day ended up spending over £120:eek: But this does include silk tafeta, and dupion, for dresses for DD; wool for suits, jackets and trousers - she wants a Vivienne Westwood style outfit - enough fabric for 5 suits for me for work, including linen along with wash and wear type fabrics(no not Vivienne Westwood style - I am definately the wrong shape:D ), another 7 tops for me plus more trousers. I also got some fabulous brocade which started life at £23 pm and I am using 5 metres of that along with a beautiful embroidered satin to make an eigtheenth centry costume for a masked ball that DD will have to attend at Christmas - the cost for that alone would have been well over £150 had we bought the fabric separately but of course that would never have been an option. I got fabrics for new cushion covers and upholstering a wing backed chair. I also got a beautiful brocade to make a Tudor costume to wear at work - I am a teacher

Apparently I was 'wired' all day, but knew that you lot would understand the excitement. I had to call my son to come and collect me because I had 4 bin liners full and could not carry it:rolleyes:

Yes I spent far more than I could strictly afford and will have to find that money from somewhere but know that I am going to have such fun in the coming months creating some fabulous outfits. Have spent the weekend - besides baby sitting and looking after dogs for my children - looking through my Burda magazines for patterns and 'creating' in my mind's eye.

To end this long saga my DD was concerned that the fabric shop must be in dire straights to do this but as I pointed out it was a fantastic sales ploy. As my bill was being totalled the sales assistant - who knows me very well as I have been shopping there for about ten years - reminded me that now I will be back in to buy the linings, threads and zips to go with my new fabrics and so they have ensured continuing custom.

maria340

I'm very jealous, I wish I could find a good fabric shop nearer to me.

I'm now saving up to place an order with fabricland.

I seem to be doing more unpicking than sewing at the moment as my children have been 'helping'. Twice I have cut out 3 sleeves by accident. My daughter has also been redecorating with taylor chalk. Luckily I have remembered to take the scissors with me every time I leave the room:eek:

InkyCats20

Dolly Day Dream

I know I from your post I've now missed the the sale

I'm in Essex also, whereabouts is this shop, (for future purchases) ?

IC
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pm. if you don't want to give out the location on the forum.

abusybee

Fantastic dollydaydream. Are they a one off shop or nationwide?

dolly_day_dream

It's the Remnant Shop in Colchester - Head Street. I believe they have one other shop either in Felixstowe or Dovercourt I think. They are lovely there - as the name implies they sell Remnants but also lots of stuff on the roll and personally I think that they give Franklins a run for their money (for those of you who know this part of Essex - Franklins bills themselves as the largest needlework store in Europe!) their prices are certainly a lot better. Have just finished one pencil skirt for DD - which she was showing off around town yesterday and I am about to start on some trousers for myself today. We have 'agreed' that the sewing will be on a one for her and one for me basis.
BTW couldn't resist going back in on Monday and they are still selling some of their sale stock - but at the sale price not £1 a metre - somehow I wasn't tempted.

champys

Hello sewing friends!

Does any of you happen to know of a good pattern for a simple waistcoat (women's model)? I have just re-discovered I love wearing them and they are great to use up leftovers, off-cuts etc.

Thanks in advance

InkyCats20

Thanks Dolly Day Dream

Didn't even realise that The Remnant Shop was even there up until about 6 months ago, when I happened to be waiting to cross the road from the opposite side & noticed I was standing right across from it (how dippy am I :rotfl: ), didn't have time to go in at that point, I was running late for an appointment.

And I haven't made it there since, need to make an effort to go in there, must say I agree about Franklins, although the one in Colchester seems a bit more of an "Aladdins Cave" (probably just the layout of shop, not altogether logical, you tend to come accross things by accident) than the Chelmsford one, which I think has recently moved a bit further along Moulsham St.

The blouse started a while back, is stil proving a "challenge" , so I after decorating the kitchen at the weekend, I made a roman blind, to compliment my new decor

Happy sewing
IC
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