Home made uniform?

[WoolyMama]

Is this an daft idea?
I really want to make most of dd's uniform when she goes to school - I'll probably buy shirts but I'd like to knit or sew the rest.

I'm quite a confident sewer and knitter and already make a lot of dc's clothes

The school uniform isn't super strict so they'll definitely be allowed and younger dc's are both girls so stuff can be handed down.

Please don't my mother insisted on knitting all my jumpers for school. They were the reason I stuck out to be bullied I will never get over that please just buy the uniform and keep the knits for every day ware

I made DD skirts, dresses and pinafores when they introduced her school uniform as she left Reception (had previously been a non-uniform school). I didn't want to put her in the horrible scratchy ugly stuff they sell in supermarkets etc - she seemed too tiny for it. So I bought nice fabric and made nice garments that she actually liked wearing. A kind relative knitted her some cardigans which were nicer, warmer and more comfortable than the supermarket stuff. I also made her a couple of gingham smocks which she wore with knee length leggings and ended up making them for other children too.

There was no bullying and no problem. As DD got older she started to prefer trousers which I do not enjoy making, so I bought her grey cords instead (H&M, way nicer to wear than school uniform trousers) and that worked fine. She has worn the hand-knitted cardigans all the way through primary with no issue at all.

I didn't want to put her in the horrible scratchy ugly stuff they sell in supermarkets etc - she seemed too tiny for it.
Aw bless. But you can buy nice ones too - DD wore knitted cotton pinafores from M&S. Nothing scratchy about them.

Four year olds won’t notice or care.

But it's not just 4 year olds in the playground.

Please don't OP - I remember my mum making me wear knitted cardigans and skirts that my granny made and even back in the 1970/80's I was singled out.

My nan once knitted me a pinifore dress, i was young but refused to wear it, eveb then i knew that was social suicide!!

Another vote for no. I can't think of a single child I've seen at our primary who has home made clothes. Nobody wants to stand out st school.

There's no logo-ed uniform so it won't be a case of everyone wearing exactly identical logo-ed sweatshirts and polos except dd.
Everyone's will be little different anyway depending on wear it's been bought.

Those flipping whiteboard markers they write with get everywhere and won’t wash out. DSs both have marks all over the backs of their jumpers as well as the fronts, so it’s not even all their own mess! I’d save the lovely homemade stuff for out of school, unless it is a particular thing you want that you can’t find easily - like culottes for girls maybe? Otherwise you’ll be sobbing over the destruction!

My child has home made clothes as uniform and has done throughout her time at primary. It has not been a problem. She has been popular amongst her schoolmates because she is a kind person who is good fun, not because of what she's wearing (that would be all kinds of wrong, particularly at primary level). There has been no bullying because it was a good school in terms of children's emotional well-being. If your children are at a school where other children would be picked on for having clothes that aren't quite the same as everyone else's, then that is a bad school regardless of Ofsted or league table positions etc.

But you can buy nice ones too - DD wore knitted cotton pinafores from M&S. Nothing scratchy about them.

I can't remember what I tried at the time but it all just seemed too much for her and she was also v unhappy about having to wear a uniform even though I honestly tried to talk it up to her a bit, so I just did what made her happy. And it absolutely has never been a problem.

My nan once knitted me a pinifore dress

WTF. That is just cruel.

You seem determined to do it even though the majority say don't do it.
Make their out of school clothes if you want (I love knitting jumpers in fair isle and fisherman's rib) but buy their uniform so they're the same as everyone else. Shop bought is cheaper too.

glaci

DD1 has a knitted cardigan that MIL made for her. She chooses it over the logo style cardigans. It's nice and soft. She says her Gran knits love into it and wearing it is like a cuddle. She has both types so she can chose.

Dd2 started primary with handknitted cardis. But I knew her school was ok, ds had had jumpers already. The cardis did her until the end of Y3, with repairs. Now she's older, she refuses to wear her brothers jumpers, and will only wear bought cardis!

No flexibility with senior school. Suspect it would be social suicide.

You seem determined to do it even though the majority say don't do it.

The only person to post on the thread who has done it recently is me. I say it was fine.

Oh hang on, a couple more have done handknitted cardis recently.

Did your children get bullied as a result?

I grew up in the 70s. My dad always made my summer dress for school using a pattern and material nominated by the school.
Even then a hand knitted jumper was a license to have the piss taken out of you.

It doesn't matter that it is not a logo-ed uniform. All generic school uniform in the supermarkets and uniform shops is almost identical. Long sleeve crew neck cotton rich sweatshirts with and polo shirts or standard shirts. Skirts, trousers and shorts offer a little more choice regarding style and fit. If your school has uniform, they have decided they want kids to wear very similar clothes so they look, well, uniform.

It isn't a matter of buying a blue cardigan from joules or H&M and them being stylistically very different.

You seem very set on this idea even though almost everyone is saying don't do it. I think that is a shame. It feels as though you want to make the uniform to meet your needs and indulge your feeling rather than thinking is it the best thing for your daughter.

I was one of the homemade uniform children. I hated it. I hated looking different to the other kids. I didn't think how lovely, my mum is the best and cares so much. I just resented having my clothes commented on and desperately wanted a normal gingham dress.

My DD kept losing her stuff in reception (cardigans, PE kit) and it all got very worn out. The supermarket cardigans were washed so much that they were all discoloured. Hand knitted cardigans wouldn't withstand the constant washing I don't think - and you'd be mortified if she lost it in the first week (which is a distinct possibility!).

It isn't a matter of buying a blue cardigan from joules or H&M and them being stylistically very different.

I bought exactly this on occasion and it wasn't a problem. DD had cardigans from H&M, Gap, TKMaxx and Jigsaw as well as the handkitted ones. She has never worn the standard school uniform trousers. She has never worn the logoed sweatshirt. She has never had a gingham summer dress that wasn't homemade. It absolutely has never been an issue.

One of the nice things about your child wearing non-standard school uniform is that it's really easy to spot in the lost property box. DD hasn't lost anything permanently over her primary school time.

When I was a child, my school's summer uniform was a dress made in any style with the school's fabric. It was really lovely. We wore home knit cardies too...

But fast forward to 2018... children are more fashion-aware, uniform is so cheap... my advice is to just buy it from Asda OP.

How easy is it to get 100% cotton or wool clothes in particularly small sizes?

I know shirts wont be too difficult which is why I was planning on buying them anyway.

I don't want her wearing polyester blend or teflon coated clothes but she's tiny for her age so I think they're will be a pretty limited range in her size.

I also should have added earlier that dds' wear home made stuff day to day including as babies and going to the park and I have occasionally had stuff get ruined before.

If I was going to be distraught about something getting ruined I just wouldn't put it on a small child full stop.

Not that easy, IME. DD was also small for her age. Cotton cardis are easy. Cotton dresses possible. Trousers and skirts/pinafores were very difficult to get unless you are happy with teflon though catkind says she found some pinafores.