Does anyone else make their own clothes

Savvy_sewing

lainey_stardust wrote: »

hi, can anyone give me some tips on turning a mans shirt into a womans shirt please?
it's the shaping and bust darts i'm thinking of in particular, otherwise the shirt will still look like a mans shirt if i just take it in at the sides.

Hi the best way to do this is to do darts under the bust. You will need to do 2 in the back to bring them in, and one uder each bust.
These are virtical darts, that should start from just under the bust, and go the length of the garment.
Unfortunately I cannot draw what I mean, but if you still have trouble send me a PM and I will see if I can find something to illustrate it mean while.
Good luck.

lainey_stardust

Mooloo, thanks for that. I was thinking along those lines but was also wondering about the armholes and the sleeves. I'll do an experiment with a different shirt first.
thanks again ,Lainey

Savvy_sewing

lainey_stardust wrote: »

Mooloo, thanks for that. I was thinking along those lines but was also wondering about the armholes and the sleeves. I'll do an experiment with a different shirt first.
thanks again ,Lainey

If you want to do a traditional bust dart that is below the sleeve then you would have problems with the length of the sides not matching.
If you take a dart into the armhole, you will then have to remake the whole sleeve too. Thats a lot of work.

Alternatively you could undo the shirt completely, and lay out a ladies pattern on to the fabric, cut it out and make a completely new garment out of it? Depends really on the shirt, the fabric and the need to do all that work?
Good luck with what ever you try.

cat87_2

Hi,

Everyone! Ive just started sewing and i love it.

The best place to buy things is ebay I bought 100 zips from 16" to 22" for £14 including post and packing. I also buy a lot of patterns off there are you can get them for about £2-3 .
Im very lucky where i am as i have an asian fabric shop which is excellent and cheap! also there cottons are 3 for £1 which is really good!
If you were looking to make heavier garments you could try buying old curtains from charity shops?

Also i try to buy patterns which are interchagable .. .. like they make several different dresses or outfits

good luck,

Oh ive taught myself but with lots of calls to my grandma she is a star

newbielou

After reading upto page 16 this morning on this thread I got completely inspired. Bearing in mind I have never made clothese before just cushions etc, I have made my daughter a skirt from scratch, without a pattern:j. Its far from perfect(I had trouble with the waist band) but I think its a good first try. I have an extremely happy little girl in a flowery skirt 2 hours later. Its a true MSE skirt aswell, made from a 1/2 m offcut at fabric stall, grad total of 50p.

Anyway thansk for the inspiration.

Savvy_sewing

newbielou wrote: »

After reading upto page 16 this morning on this thread I got completely inspired. Bearing in mind I have never made clothese before just cushions etc, I have made my daughter a skirt from scratch, without a pattern:j. Its far from perfect(I had trouble with the waist band) but I think its a good first try. I have an extremely happy little girl in a flowery skirt 2 hours later. Its a true MSE skirt aswell, made from a 1/2 m offcut at fabric stall, grad total of 50p.

Anyway thansk for the inspiration.

Well done, it will get easier and you will grow in confidence!.
I cut out the first top in years this last week. Not had much time to sew more then the first few seams as I am in the middle of moving. But it has left me wanting to get back and do more.

Justamum

Decided to have a go at pattern alteration today, so have cut out a skirt. When I tried to sew it, it kept skipping stitches :mad: It's a firm knit, so I was using a ballpoint needle with a zig zag stitch. I'm going to try sewing some woven fabric tomorrow to see if it still does it. I've never had any trouble with my machine before

jamtart6

hi guys! my MIL picked up a super sewing machine not that long ago in Costco reduced to about £35, down from £100.......I tried to get one and failed as they had all been snapped up (as you might imagine).

Anyway we have an old singer machine but how much will it cost to get serviced?

Ideally I'd like a new one that does some simple stitches, is lightweight and around £60 (maximum £100).

Can anyone reccomend one to me please? thanks in advance

newbielou

The machine i've got was from Lidl about 10 years ago, I bought it off my sister because she doesn't use it. The make is 'new home' which i've never heard of before, it runs fantastically and I think she paid about £60 for it. So it could be worth buying a cheaper one, but keep hold of your receipt maybe?

I saw some full size machines in poundstretcher a couple of weeks ago for £35. Hths

Savvy_sewing

newbielou wrote: »

The machine i've got was from Lidl about 10 years ago, I bought it off my sister because she doesn't use it. The make is 'new home' which i've never heard of before, it runs fantastically and I think she paid about £60 for it. So it could be worth buying a cheaper one, but keep hold of your receipt maybe?

I saw some full size machines in poundstretcher a couple of weeks ago for £35. Hths

Hi, New Home has been going for many many years. I have had a New Home Combi sewing machine since 1984 or somewhere around there. It sews from both sides, one side is a two real basic overlock and the other side the normal sewing.
I have of course had plenty of other machines since then, all though that was still my favourite machine. I have a bit of a thing about machines, and have about 6 now, all old ones, except my Silver, which I got in 2003 so thats still new to me, as I havent managed to sew much since 2004!
When I took over the pub, I gave all my stock of materials etc to Northampton College. It took me two loads in the car, with the seats out!.
But I still kept a few things like the machines.!.
I even have a 1950's childrens toy machine. Which did work, but I havent tried that in years!.
I am determined that they will all be used and I will do a basic service on them myself.

Re the missing stitches, it usuallly means that the tensions are wrong, (Differnet fabrics, need a different tension,. The bobin spool could also be too tight> There is a little screw on the casing that can be tightened and loosened.
The next cause can be the needle is too blunt. You should always use a new needle when you start a new project. (Although thats something we probably try to save on and dont do.).
Sewing machines come with a small bottle of oil, and should be oiled on a regular basis.
When ever you start to make something. Always use some of the scraps to test the stitching on the machine, until you are happy with the stitch length, the tension and the type of stitching.
Also, (gosh I am scratching a very rusty brain here), you should have the same type of thread on the boblin as you do on the main reel. (Except if you are using shirring elastic in the bobin of course.)

Good luck to all.
I am going to see if I can find out the cost of servicing etc here later today. I will get back to you all as soon as I can.