How easy is dressmaking?

[CaulkheadNorth]

Im going to Kenya soon and need skirts of a certain length. I'm thinking it would be easier to make them...
I have a sewing machine and can have made basic dressing up costumes before. Will skirts/dresses be easy to pick up?

I already knit and crochet a lot, so I'm pretty used to making stuff and I'm pretty creative usually...

A skirt is the easiest item to make! Especially an a line or circle skirt. Go for it!

Great. It needs to be below my knee, so I'm thinking something straight with either a tie waist or an elastic waist. Will that work?

I use so-sew-easy.com/ loads of free patterns and tutorials. There is also a Facebook Group that I am a member of, great for help and advice on all things sewing related.

I've given up trying to get the link to work - sorry!

Ha! I see it worked after all ....

Thank you :)

The beginners guide to skirts is an excellent book. It has patterns for various styles of skirt (including a line, circle and pencil skirts) together with incredibly full and clear instructions. Very good value and highly recommended!

I'm still very new to dressmaking but muddling along ok. If you're crafty then you will be fine, especially something like crochet/knitting - you'll be used to figuring out how to map a pattern to what you see in front of you and working out what to do when it doesn't exactly work as planned.

my beginners tip: It's worthwhile doing a practice run in some cheap fabric to get the hang of it (don't do what I did and start with a lined jacket in stretchy fabric!), then when you get proper fabric try to avoid lightweight, stretchy or shiny - all are harder to sew.

Brilliant, thanks.
I've made a make up bag this evening to try and get used to the sewing machine so surely it's just like that, but larger (and with more holes)

I'm using paper patterns - it makes it a lot easier to have something to follow step by step, particularly for cutting the pieces of fabric.

Once you get the hang on it, you'll been fine, I got bought a sewing machine but it's ratings weren't good, so cheekily returned it and paid a bit more for a highly rated one.

If you need fabrics let me know.

Fairtales Oh please tell me where you get fabrics from. I'm searching for the holy grail of fabric stores and have yet to find it.

OP - if you're getting a pattern, I can recommend Kwik Sew who do very sturdy paper patterns. Not those tissue ones that fly all over the place!

My advice is to start with an elasticated waist pattern. If you buy the pattern and fabric together usually someone in the shop will advise you. The only thing to get right is the straight of grain. Otherwise it is easy from a pattern, but make sure you use an 'easy' pattern to start off with. Any problems, post again and we will help you through it if I can get a class of 30 year 9s making pyjama bottoms, you can make a skirt.

D'oh! Fairytales

I've got an elastic waist pattern, and I made a make up bag a few days ago to check i could sew straight. The pattern I've got is a Tilly and the Buttons one, and it was the only beginner skirt with that kind of waist that wasnt going to cost the earth.

How important is the grain? I'm knitting I fudge things a bit...

The grain is very important. Pin you pattern pieces onto the fabric, take a photo, post it and we can tell you whether to start cutting or not . I'm the other way around, I started sewing and then taught myself how to knit and crochet. I've just finished my first pair of socks. Yay me.

Yay! Well done on the socks. I love knitting socks.

I'll pin it this morning.

I've just opened the packet and the pattern isn't on tissue, which I had planned to cut out, but quite thick paper. It's suggesting I use carbon or a cutting wheel, neither of which I have. Is it still okay to cut it out anyway or should I try one of those options?

I think it would be ok to cut around the shapes. I have not used that type of pattern before, but the pattern pieces will still be the same shape whatever you use to cut them.

thank you.

I found a cutting wheel which o didn't realise I had, and as it's basically just two rectangles it was easy to do. I'm now about to sew. Hurrah!