Has anyone else got so fed up of the high street they had their clothes made for them?

[Fluffycloudland77]

All I want is a mid thigh, COTTON, cap sleeved fitted dress in a nice colour.

I have to have dresses taken in over the bust anyway so I may as well just buy a pattern, a couple of meters of cloth and get it made up.

how much more expensive is it?

Or you could do what I'm doing and have a go yourself, it's actually not that hard and the more you do the more you learn.

Patterns are £5ish off the Internet Like this

Cloth seems to very cheap but I'd want something heavier. £4 a meter seems very cheap.

Just waiting for the seamstress to email me back.

I'm in love with the idea that I could just put a dress on in the summer & be done for the day. I suit dresses more than I do jeans and tops.

MrsBennetsEldest what kind of sewing machine did you use?.

Mine is a 20 yr old NewHome MemoryCraft 6000. The patterns are a bit like a puzzle, you just put the pieces together. Start with something simple, I made a pencil skirt first which was only 4 pattern pieces and it is flipping brilliant if I say so myself. The patterns tell you what to do and I admit sometimes I think ' eh, what are you going on about' but eventually it does all make sense.
With each new thing I attempt I am learning how to do a new technique etc.
I want dresses too, this is my next project......poor picture but best I can do.

Did you go on a course to learn dressmaking?

I've just started making clothes for myself as I am apparently not a high street shape (big bust but all other areas slim).

I found that although I chose (in retrospect) a slightly tricky blouse pattern to start with, when I took it slowly and just followed the instructions step by step, I was happy with the result.

This was my 2nd blouse

My sewing machine is at least 30 yrs old (got it 2nd hand when I was a teenager)

I make loads of my own. Particularly trousers as at the moment I don't seem to be able to get nice bootcut work trousers. Everywhere is full of those silly tapered ones that make me look like a root vegetable.
Dresses are easy, I started with dresses at about 5. I will be getting DD her first sewing machine for her fifth birthday this year. It is a skill well worth having.

I taught myself to see by using Very Easy, Very Vigue patterns. Since then, the arrival of the internet means that there are lots of patterns available cheaply. As MrsBennetsEldest says, start with simple basics like pencil or A-line skirts and take it from there.

Or Vogue, even.

Our local sewing shop does Make a Tea Dress/Mad Men Dress etc courses. Expensive for a single dress of course but would give you the confidence to go on and do your own.

No, I'm more of a buy a book and read about it type. I bought ' Sew Simple' from Amazon for 1p. I had seen it in the library and even though it's quite dated all the techniques are ageless. Great Book.

YouTube will also tell you everything you need to know.

Go on, have a go. You will surprise yourself and the clothes you make will be unique. They will also fit you perfectly ( YouTube will tell you the easiest method for altering sizings, bust etc.)

I've had work suits made for me in the past but I don't think I'd do it for cotton dresses because the workmanship costs would be disproportionate - I'd be more likely to buy something that's almost right and get it altered, or learn to DIMyself from scratch.

Rhinestone, that's lovely.

I always used to make my own when I was a destitute student but got out of the habit. A few years ago I decided to start again. It's well worth it. I was lucky to learn when I was growing up as my DM was an accomplished dressmaker who used to make wedding dresses & going away outfits, amongst other things, to order & my uncle was a professional pattern cutter for a big manufacturer of coats, suits etc that supplied department stores including Harrods. I still have a pure cashmere coat ( with a silk lining that has "Harrods" woven into the silk as an all over design) that he bought for me at cost direct from the mill.

Vogue magazine is worth buying. As well as being full of ideas it has useful articles on techniques & always an offer on patterns to make them a bit more economical.
voguepatterns.mccall.com/current-issue-pages-1385.php

Thanks MrsBennetsEldest

My DM always says that if she won the lottery she'd have all her clothes made (starting with bras!) as she is similarly buxom but also not very tall so always has problems finding trousers to fit.

If you can get something delivered in the US and then posted on to you, Eshakti would probably work for you, although I'd get your measurements taken by a tailor over here.

They often have good discount codes and promotions available.

I'm watching a sewing machine on eBay now because of you lot!