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Underground > Art, Fashion & Design >

Making your own clothes

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08:28 / 08.06.04

Hello chaps,

I am thinking about starting to make my own clothes, largely because none but none of the shops have anything I want to wear (nothing with sleeves, for starters - not good for those of us with pasty and slightly flabby upper arms). I'm only thinking at the moment, because I don't have a sewing machine, and it's taken me the best part of a month to get through making a simple cushion cover (very wonky seams, too). But it's something I'd be interested in doing in the future. I've made accessories before - scarves mostly - using, mainly, an old and very simple hand-loom which belonged to my mother when she was a child. But nothing complicated.

I suppose the best thing to do would be to get hold of a cheap machine and take a course, but does anyone have any advice or tips, or interesting things to do in the meantime? Doesn't have to be sewing, can be anything similar. Thank you!

Scrubb is on a downward spiral

12:00 / 08.06.04

Making one's own clothes is a jolly good and worthwile cause, and I salute you. Some thoughts on this:

- Best thing to do would be to get that cheap sewing machine ASAP and practice on scraps. Practice practice practice. Practice on different fabric thicknesses and types, different thread types, straight seams, curvy seams and suchlike.

- Then: before you start creating your own fabulous garments from scratch, possibly start off by altering/doctoring existing clothes to give you a feel for handling fabric and customising items to fit you.

- Also: I'm sure I've seen details of fabric swaps in London where you can pick up gorgeous swag/trim/feathers etc very cheaply. Will post details if I can find them again.

- And: 1940s clothes patterns from Vogue and suchlike rock.

You've inspired me to dig out my bag of fabric (huge amounts of joycore curtains) and actually do something with it.

14:39 / 08.06.04

Good plans, good plans, I will follow these up. My instinct is to charge in straight away in 'have-a-go' fashion, but I recall that following my instincts in this way in the past has resulted in a great many unfinished projects. I will try and find a cheap sewing machine asap (where does one go for such a thing? John Lewis? Ebay?) & until then content myself with patchwork, cushion covers, etc.

And drooling in fabric shops...

1940s Vogue patterns sound ace - have they reisuued them, or do you have to find the original issues?

17:30 / 08.06.04

For whatever reason, the sewing literature I've read is fairly paleolithic as regards body issues. Much is about analyzing and disguising your figure flaws. Plus the horrible little grid of measurements at the back of pattern envelopes is practically guaranteed to make you feel freakish; or I did. But you can arm yourself by going in & thinking "there is no normal," or any other affirmative message. I don't know why sewing your own clothese should be sold on the basis of conforming to a non-existent norm, when clearly the benefit is that you get a custom fit for your figure. But perhaps they write more modern books now.

Ex

10:34 / 09.06.04

I found handsewing easier - you can get the hang of attaching bits of cloth without having to worry about the machine seizing up, or running amock and chewing up your lovely fresh fabric.

Things that need a lot of tedious seam sewing or hemming are probably out unless you have thumbs of steel, but less stitch-intensive projects are possible.

Scrubb is on a downward spiral

13:45 / 09.06.04

Hmn - I've never been able to get seams as tight or straight by hand as I have with sewing machines. Also lack the patience (and the open-fire and rocking chair) to do masses of sewing by hand.

1940's Vogue patterns - haberdashery stores should have some, and there are some scattered hither and yon throughout charity shops.

23:32 / 09.06.04

My best ever birthday gift was a sewing machine when I was 16 and at the time I was gutted because what I actually wanted was am Amp. But now it's wonderful to own one and I make lots of clothes all the time.

Sewing is a dying art, come on KCC, join the club!

My advice is, buy the best machine you can afford - sewing machines are very much like shoes, they wear out easily and the more money you spend on one the better.

Secondly, keep it oiled and serviced, as if it was a car. It's a machine and they get all stuck up with tiny threads of cotton and the like.

Third part of the advice is that any pattern is easily adaptable - if you find one for a skirt you like just look at the line and the cut of the pattern and use your common sense to adapt it. If it's a skirt that's too A-Line, draw the new pattern line in a bit from the old one or whatever.

Fourthly - the best thing I was ever taught is that if you have a piece of clothing you love and which you would like to re-make in a different material or whatever, lay it out on newspaper, and trace each section out. Allow about an inch all the way round (if it fits you) and then you can make your very own pattern by cutting out each component of the garment using the newspaper as a pattern.

Fifthly, pay lots of attention to tension. You can sew anything if your sewing machine tension is right but often people ignore this. If the thread underneath the fabric is loose your bobbin tension is too loose and if your thread from your needle looks loose it's your needle tension that's wrong.

Finally:

TACK. Don't just pin. Tack. It's dull and takes a bit longer but it makes your material sit flatter, your lines are straighter and your whole item is much, much easier to sew.

Oh, and don't forget that homemade clothes get you lots of praise and glory! People often ask me where I got such and such a thing and it makes me feel really good to say I made it. Also you can give people scarves and cushions for Christmas, they look lovely, they're tailor made for the specific person and apart from anything else it makes gift giving really cheap!

12:32 / 10.06.04

On a related note, does anyone know how to make a pair of trousers into a skirt without it looking entirely amateurish? It's something I've seen done badly a great deal, and well only rarely. And since my favourite pair of trousers in the world have now basically disintegrated (but in a way that means they'd still be servicable as a skirt) I'd like to salvage them somehow. I think I should be alright at getting material of roughly the same weight, but have no idea how to go about cutting any of the component parts.

Kit-Cat -As for getting 1940s Vogue patterns, I'm pretty sure John Lewis has them, and so did Remnant Kings the last time I went in there. I think that the latter is a chain fabric shop -if not insert the name of your local such store!

20:00 / 15.06.04

John Lewis for fabric. Mmmm. The fake fur sections are amazing sometimes, ridiculously expensive but so nice to go window shopping and run your hands down.

Smaller sewing / fabric shops are better for second hand machines, and do still exist though you have to hunt for them. Also personal adds, but chances are if it's gone via a shop someone there would be able to give it a once over for you.

Ebay would probably be really good for original patterns. It's heartening to remember that sizes were cut much smaller even 20 years ago, so what may be marked as a 14 is closer to a 10 now.

Pressing seems before you sew them makes a difference too, in a similar way to tacking stuff.

I tried to turn a pair of jeans into a skirt once. The basic idea - open the legs from inside seams, flatten out and restitch is good but I found really hard to do. The jeans in question didn't fit me very well before hand though, so I was fighting a losing battle. If the area around your waist sits nicely that method would be far more successful.

Personally: waist bands. My nemesis.

06:48 / 16.06.04

If the area around your waist sits nicely that method would be far more successful.

Yes, one of the many reasons I liked these jeans so much is that they fit perfectly around the waist, so maybe I'll give it a shot. So you just sewed the jeans themselves back together? That sounds like it might work better than the way that I've mostly seen it done, with a patch of different fabric at the front and back (which would, I suppose, be the only way to change bootcut jeans into a skirt you could walk in). Cheers!

15:40 / 27.06.04

I am supposed to be getting a sewing machine for my birthday, actually. And bear in mind that my birthday was six months ago....

I've been making cushions by hand for years (BiP and Angel have both received some fruits of my labour) and have long wanted to speed up the process using a machine. My cushion-making technique is getting better but with a machine would be unstoppable and then I could sell them... Or something.

Clothes would be good, too.

flufeemunk effluvia

22:16 / 02.07.04

I am lazy and I buy five-dollar t-shirts and write on them with sharpie marker so I can put fun and clever things on them.

FOR EXAMPLE:

"PIRACY IS NOT A CRIME!

Wait... It's crime at sea. My bad..."

"EMO LUMBERJACK"
-note: this is an inside joke, but most people still find it funny in that engrish kind of way

a blue shirt which says "NOT A BLUE SHIRT"

etc.

10:03 / 06.07.04

I figure this would be the place to ask about sewing machines. See, I want to get one as a present...and as the recipient is very dear to me and we're probably going to spend the rest of our lives together, well, it'd better be a decent one that will produce many pretty things. Otherwise I'll never hear the end of it.

But to quote from Snatch: "I don't want to get my pants pulled down over the price". So, what does one have to look out for? Any recommended brands? What should one avoid at all costs? And what is a realistic budget to set? (he asks, having between now and Christmas to save up for it)

14:20 / 10.07.04

Vincennes - I did patch in between the legs, otherwise I would barely have been able to walk in the skirt! Thinking back I bought two pairs of jeans very cheaply and used the fabric from one to patch the other.

Have just had a chat with a seamstress about buying machines. Her main point was to not buy a machine that ws too complicated. If your chosen recipient has used a sewing machine a lot and wants lots of pre-sets and different stitch/embroidery patterns then head for a big department store. They will have demonstrations of machines and you should be able to ask questions. If it's a first sewing machine, it'll be much easier to learn on the machine is much simpler. Something with varying stitch size (and possibly zig-zag) will do for pretty much all clothing. The Singer website (one of the largest brands in the UK) will give you an idea of brand new prices, but the seamstress also reccomended reconditioned second-hand machines which would probably be a lot less.

20:51 / 11.07.04

I have just this very evening bought a Singer machine off EBay - fingers crossed it works okay. But I'd agree that you don't need too much fancy stuff - straightforward stitching in varying sizes and sone zigzag will cover just about everything. If you're buying new I'd look for a good quality (Brother and Singer are both good, I don't know other brands) but relatively basic machine.
I'm really looking forward to getting sewing again.

KCC, have you made anything yet? It's good fun, and very gratifying when what you're making starts to come together.

10:42 / 12.07.04

No, I haven't - I don't have a sewing machine and I'm not sure that I have the stickability to start and finish anything complicated without one. However, my mother has offered to teach me on hers (better than paying for a course at Hackney College, even if it turns out to involve teenage tantrums on my part) and then perhaps I can get a second-hand machine.

I do go into fabric shops and drool, though.

06:47 / 13.07.04

Sewing by hand is quite pleasant, but it does take a frustratingly long time.
My only advice would be - if you're following a pattern, do mark all the 'this joins to this' points, and just try to keep a 3D picture in your head of what you're aiming to create as the instructions can be confusing.
And don't feel you have to use patterns - after a bit of practice you can copy other clothes and just play about till you've made something you like.

11:32 / 13.07.04

Grey Area, from what I remember of my gran talking about sewing machines, it's worth looking out for one that does button holes properly (so that they look like buttonholes -some machines don't shape them as well as others). That's about all I know of them, though, ours has been in hiding for some years now...

18:11 / 16.07.04

You might want to look out for one that can handle stitching thick fabrics like denim, too. I know I am!

20:24 / 17.07.04

Thank-you all...your advice has been jotted down and will be consulted when the time comes for me to buy the machine. Which won't be this year, as the intended recipient has told me in no uncertain terms that there's no room for it and that it wouldn't see much use until February at least. So that's me told.

15:19 / 21.07.04

I have finished the &^%*&%$ cushion cover at last. What to do next? I still don't have access to a sewing machine so am reluctant to start anything big. Patchwork? Customising things (this might actually be the best bet - easily done by hand, fun, etc.)? Making a scarf, in the hope that I might actually finish it by winter?

16:06 / 21.07.04

I like those oblong headscarves that are in. They must cost about four cents to make & they're six dollars even at Target. Or how about handkerchiefs? Or dishtowels? Plus you will surely achieve satori by doing all those teeny-tiny hems by hand.

16:29 / 28.07.04

Get a cheap-ass black skirt and customise it with some simple applique.

13:56 / 30.07.04

This is a good plan - but I really don't need any more black skirts. I might do something with a t-shirt instead...

14:04 / 20.08.04

Well, uh, use your imagination and >gasp!< get a cheap-ass skirt in a different colour!

T-shirts are good, too, though.

11:08 / 23.08.04

True 'nuff - bit of a stupid reply on my part...

Induced Mama to help me make a skirt (and use the sewing machine - absolutely terrifying, like driving a car, except without the prospect of actually killing someone if you do it wrong). It seems to have worked out all right, tho is very staid (green cord for autumn).

12:41 / 23.08.04

Then you don't want to hear about the time I sewed my finger? Just a right sharp punch through the meaty part & then the needle broke, though. I don't think that the thread went through. I also mixed my hand in the mixer once, so it's probably just me.

14:21 / 25.08.04

ooh, green cord sounds nice.

Gypsy Lantern was wearing a spiffy black shirt on Saturday: it had a pair of skull&crossbones appliqued onto it out of the same fabric. Kinda subtle, like. Nice though. Gave me some ideas....

I'm halfway through making a bag out of an old cotton camisole at the moment. Looks pretty cute, so far. Still no way nearer to buying the sewing machine, though.

21:31 / 08.09.04

There's a Japanese magazine called Gothic Lolita that always has cool sewing patterns in the back. They have some very joycore goths out there, much more fun than the goth fashions as they usually appear in the states.

22:04 / 30.10.04

Much agreed that the stores often have a dearth of desireable clothing, so I've had the same idea and I've designed and make quite a few things for myself: shirts, pants, hats, a cloak, even a pair of boots. My advice is to start out making some bags or something else pretty simple to get the feel for your sewing machine, and then take off. Don't be afraid to waste a little fabric. I love cheap fabric and buy the whole bolt whenever I find something I like for a really good price. Then I can make matching things, cut up failures for rags or handkerchiefs, and feel absolutely good about wasting some fabric because it cost so litte. Don't be afraid to design your own things from scratch. If you want to know more baout what I've done and how, I can send you details, pics, whatever you need.

10:37 / 02.11.04

I made my Halloween costume actually and it was a reasonable success (at least until someone sat on the back and my tacking ripped, exposing my knickers to all and sundry). I got a cheapo green top from H&M and sewed a lot of lining fabric on it, and then cut away the bits I didn't want. It ended up looking more like an 80s cocktail frock than I intended, and was too high under the arms, but I was quite pleased with it as a first effort...

17:40 / 02.11.04

I thought it was lovely. And not too 80s.

11:34 / 03.11.04

(and much more classily done than my hastily tacked-together tabard...)

22:21 / 22.12.04

Does anyone have any advice or cautionary tales regarding making a lining for a store-bought jacket? I was thinking the technique mentioned above for making a pattern from existing clothing would work, but I'm a little fuzzy on the details of how & where to attach it.

15:38 / 24.12.04

I started making clothes a few years ago when my levels of disgust at the longevity of shop bought fashion rose high enough to prompt action. Bought myself a basic machine (Brother) with christmas money and started on super simple trouser pattern (straight leg, flat front, elasticated back waistband, no zips, buttons or pockets). It was a fanstastic feeling, producing smart black trousers for under a tenner!! My main advice is to start with a super easy pattern (most pattern catalogues have a section for 'fast and easy' clothes). Also, make something relatively plain that you know you'll wear a lot - for me it was black trousers. That way, you really get a lot of use out of what you've made which spurs you on to make more more more. Also satisfying to make stuff for others - my partner's still walking around in the dressing gown I made him for a birthday years ago. Re: practical sowing tips, I've found that the key to good sowing is ironing everything before and after sowing - you get a much cleaner line that way. Finally - don't be afraid of all the techno sowing speak (selvidges, facing), its always a lot easier than it sounds.

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