Anyone into dressmaking/sewing/pattern cutting?

[glassofwine]

I don't know anyone apart from MIL who enjoys sewing except me. I'm still learning all the time and go in and out of sewing phases. I just wondered if it is a dying hobby, or if there are others like me out there.

[glassofwine]

looking like I'm the only one.

[beckybrastraps]

Me too! Well, not enjoy exactly, but I enjoy the fruits of my labour as it were.

[satine]

I'd love to be good at sewing - I know exactly the style of dresses I love and can rarely find them, so I'd love to make my own, but I'm hopeless at sewing, so I know I'd end up looking like Cyndi Lauper rather than Grace Kelly in Rear Window !!

[LotosEater]

I used to do a lot - so much so that my mother bought me a sewing machine for a graduation present.

Don't do much these days though - maye I should start again

[sugarfree]

Yeah,I like it.

I either make stuff up out of my head or use the freebie patterns out of magazines.(I didn't know how to 'buy' a pattern til the other day and I asked on here)

As soon as I get some free time I'm off to colege to learn pattern cutting and 'proper' dressmaking....I want to be able to set a sleeve properly for a start!

[TwinsetandPearls]

I sew mainly for dd but sometimes for me.

[stitch]

i love sewing, but cant cut properly and dont like the patterns in the shops.
also dont have much patience anymore.
and its sooo much cheaper to buy clothes than sew.
i think its a dying need. people used to do it coz they had to, now they dont.

[SueW]

I'm a bit like lotoseater - don't do it enough now. I am glad I have the skill, albeit limited - sleeves, YUCK! - so that I can make something unique if I want to.

I ordered a skirt from Boden this week, paid about £60 for it and realised that I could have made it for much less. I'm not sure I would have been happy about machining all the leaf bits round the hem but I would prob have handsewn those in front of the TV one evening.

Although clothes are cheap these days, if you look at the quality of something you pay a tenner for against a similar item you pay £100 for, it's not too difficult to see the difference. Even more so if you compare an Asda dress against D&G say.

[lastrolo]

i love sewing, i dont make much cos i am always to busy but when i get my machine out i cant stop making things, i usually make my own patterns cos i cant find any i like. At the momment i am making two mermaid fancy dress costumes for my girls for carnival, last year they won prizes for there flower fairy costumes

[glassofwine]

oh soo excited to see after all I'm not the only one. FFF - I wish i was about to do a fashion degree - where are you doing it? My DH is keen for me to do one, buy I'm nervous as I didn't do a degree when I was younger and hate the idea of being a mature student at 38. Also I didn't go back to work when I had DD1 and now have three, not sure about the whole juggling thing.

But in my dreams would love to.

I did a pattern cutting C&G last year, one day a week, and it was fantastic. I agree about shop bought patterns, they are expensive and never fit properly and you can never find exactly what you want anyway. My main problem is finding nice, inexpensive fabric - I moved to Surrey a while ago and am still trying to find good shops. When I was in London I'd go to the markets and places like, Brixton and Lewisham where I could get really great stuff. Surrey's too posh!

My main problem is my sewing skills, have taught myself so I find tricky things very hard ie. collars even zips. I really want to do another course in Sept just to learn sewing skills but am having trouble finding anything.

[sugarfree]

I am soooo jealous!

[wilbur]

I love sewing and am saving to buy myself a new machine as my ancient Singer (bought second hand 17 years ago, so god knows how old it is) is having tension probs and I can't do anything too strenuous with it. The only things I made recently were ds2's christening outfit, which I was v pleased with, and my first set of proper curtains with curtain tape and everything. The curtains are a bit dodgy and hang a bit skew but that prob becasue I used 1.49 material from Ikea! I'm dying to learning quilting - would love to do one of those weekend courses, but where to find the time? Anyway, we have a fab haberdashery v close to me and it's always full so there still a lot of people sewing out there.

[wilbur]

And collars and zips, glassofwine - I'm hopeless at those too, setting in sleeves as well. Years ago I was going to do a short tailoring course at Liberty (I wonder if they still do them, prob not as they don't do dress fabrics any more ) but couldn't afford it at the time. There must be tricks to get the hang of those kind of things. It would transform my sewing range if I felt confident with that kind of thing.

[wilbur]

That's a good idea fiofio - I was going to ask dh for one of those introductory weekend courses for Xmas, but a group is probably good as well. I was inspired recently by, oh, I've forgotten her name, the mumsnetter who had made the amazing quilt with Marilyn on it.

[wilbur]

Those look wonderful, don't they? I saw an exhibit of all sort of quilts inc some by Kaffe Fassett the knitwear guy at a museum in Bath, they were really amazing, one was just thousands of squares the size of postage stamps.

[glassofwine]

Wilbur - have you looked on ebay for sewing machines, there are some that are very cheap. I'm after a new one too, my existing one is ok, but very basic as I bought it not knowing if I'd enjoy sewing or not. Can't afford one at the moment, but it's top of my list.

Thanks FF for the courses info, I've looked and some of them look great, but I need something v. part time ideally one day a week. I can't do evenings as even if DH gets home it's never before 7.30.

I'm near godalming in Sy, but am happy to drive for an hour to get to a course, so I'll keep looking.

Have you seen Storyville House of Channel on BBC4 - it's a five parter (part 3 is next) following how they put together a collection - I saw last weeks and it was really interesting. Next one tonight I think - I've sky + it.