What are your thoughts on homemade clothes?

[ClothingDilemma]

My mum has recently retired and taken up sewing. She’s absolutely brilliant at it and we’ve come to an agreement that if I pick patterns, she’ll buy them (as she can reuse them) and I will buy the fabric for her to make the clothes for me.

I am really keen as it seems such a sustainable and fabulous idea. Clothes that are made to measure (so they’re more flattering) and no waste or fast fashion. It also works out to be a lot cheaper than purchasing at a high street store!

My partner, however, thinks it’s a stupid idea and I’ll just look silly.

YABU - it’s a bad idea.

YANBU - it’s a fabulous idea

I'd LOVE it.

But not going to happen because my mother can't sew (neither can I) and she is incredibly critical of my body shape (I inherited the same figure as her) and I'd never let her get near me with a tape measure.

But proper homemade lovely clothes- that would be a dream!

He’s being an arse about it. But I hate the idea of pretending- your mum’s made something lovely, she should get the credit for it. “My mother made it-she’s so clever!”

I’m jealous .. I’d love this idea and if she could make some for me I’d be very happy
Tell him he’s an arse

Fantastic idea.
Unless your dh is Tom Ford I wouldn’t heed his fashion advice.

I think handmade is cheaper than shop bought if you are making for yourself but the price if you make to sell can make it unaffordable. I make for myself kids and grandkids and get 99% of my fabric from a Facebook group fabrics by Penny community group as they sell amazing quality fabrics (no polyester) eg cotton Lycra in fab fun prints for £10 a metre so can easily make a couple of outfits for the grandkids for just £10 plus my time

I make my own clothes from bedsheets and tablecloths. I get them free from FB marketplace a lot of the time.

Nonsense

Bespoke

It’s a lovely idea, why even question it?! I wish I’d stuck at sewing as a teen. I did textiles at GCSE and my Dad bought me a sewing machine but I wasn’t very good and I gave up. Designing the clothes was so much fun!

I sew a lot of my own clothes but it definitely isn’t a cheap option compared to buying from the High street.

Good quality fabric is very expensive. (I live in Ireland so mostly buy online from Europe as Brexit buggered up buying fabric from the UK)

However, it’s very nice to be complimented on my style and reply “thanks, it’s my own creation”.

I make a lot of my own clothes. Even m and s these days don't Finnish garments properly,loose threads. I sew them in by hand. My dks give me alterations... just shortened 2 pairs of trousers for ds. Where I live in the se fabric is expensive, and things like zips are very expensive.

If your mum is a good dressmaker, as mine was, there’s no problem with it at all. 👍

I make my own clothes. I‘m currently making things for my upcoming holiday. It can be cheaper if you find a bargain but generally they are few and far between. Cheap fabric makes cheap clothes. Quality fabric (which is generally expensive) makes quality garments that last. Cotton fabric at £5.99m (or more likely polycotton) is a world away from Cotton fabric at £15 - £20m and up. A garment is only going to be as good as the fabric it’s made with (and the makers skills obviously).
I make my clothes because a) the fit b) the finish and c) they are unique.

Good dressmaking is a valuable skill. I would be trying to learn from her, OP. And yes, have her make some clothes for you, it's an excellent plan.
I don't know why your husband's stupid opinion matters here. Idiot.

I returned to dressmaking 5 years ago and now make 95% of what I wear including underwear and swimwear. I buy patterns on sale or use free patterns from indie companies. I buy dead stock or roll ends from a local shop or I buy online from cheap fabric companies. Fabric costing £1 per metre isn’t usually rubbish at all, it’s often deadstock or chain store surplus and it’s very easy to identity decent quality by the product description. I’ve never paid more than £5 a metre for fabric.

I don’t buy many patterns nowadays because I can usually adapt something I already have to copy a style I like. I pick up patterns cheaply in charity shops and occasionally I’ll buy a sewing magazine if I like the look of the included patterns.

I often recycle fabrics like duvet covers. I’ve got a beautiful king size duvet cover in duck egg 100% cotton double gauze that I bought in from Tesco when it was reduced to £8.50. It will never go near a bed. It’s waiting to become something summery.

I sew because I love to sew and I love to wear unique clothes that fit me. I definitely find it cheaper to make my own. I’m frequently shocked by the prices of very ordinary clothes that people link to on MN

I’m massively jealous!

Not true at all.

Not necessarily you have to know where to get bargain fabrics.

I don't understand the people who factor in the cost of the time. If sewing is something you enjoy then it's part of the pleasure. I don't pay myself minimum wage to read a book or walk the dog. I get a feeling of achievement when I've made something I love.

It often is. Not always. But the joy of handmade clothes is you get to choose lovely fabric. My mum makes herself blouses from Liberty cotton - which is gorgeous to wear - and she never pays anything like full price but it is still expensive. Much, much less expensive than buying a ready-made blouse from Liberty, though!

When DD was little I loved that I could buy fabrics we both really liked. She had a little dress I made at Christmas out of Liberty craft cotton in a dark pine-needle colour, with tiny dark-red buttons down the back, and it was adorable. And another one where she wanted a dress that matched mine (it was a few years ago when those bombshell-ish revere dresses were quite trendy), so I made her a dinky little dress with a revere collar. You'd never see that on 'normal' toddler clothes but it made her really happy.

I wouldn't get hung up on fabric price. Same with haberdashery. Sure, you can buy buttons etc. really cheaply - or take them off old clothes - but part of what is great about making stuff yourself is using really nice ones. Even with stuff I haven't a hope in hell of making for myself, like a properly tailored coat, I quite often replace the buttons as it's amazing how many fairly high-end brands still use crappy plastic buttons.

I made clothes during the 80s, mainly tops but the vibe back then was very much DIY. I also made my tie-less apron about 10 years ago which I use for pottery and had used for gardening for years. It has plant pot shaped pockets. So suited both activities.

If you pick the right fabric, something on trend, no one will know it’s homemade. Get it wrong and it can look slightly off. I’ve been making baby dresses lately, average cost £2 per dress, using a pattern from a charity shop. Such a saving if you can use the patterns more than once.

Ooh! Just a vote for the Rae Geranium dress if you've still got a baby/toddler. It's my favourite.

Yes this is the reason why I see it as cheaper, she absolutely loves sewing so she wouldn’t want to get paid!

Looking at current prices and inflation I think more of us will be returning to dressmaking especially on dresses

And clueless!

But OP could always tell people ‘Oh, my dressmaker made it for me.’