Anybody dream of buying a sewing machine and making their own clothes?

[laGrosellaEspinosa]

How delusional am I?

I don't want to make everything but just the odd thing. A jumpsuit or a dress. I see a very clear vision of an item of clothing in my head sometimes and I think it's beautiful and I both want it and I want to create it.

Anybody have a sewing machine? Can they recommend a good solid reliable one that threads the needle (essential). Is it useful for making alterations even if you're not Stella McCartney (I reckon my designes would be better than her :-p )

Love that dress @storynanny is it from a pattern?

I'm a long term quilter moving onto clothes. Unfortunately at the moment its easier to think about sewing rather than than actually doing it due to baby.

On the plus side I have plenty of time for online fabric shopping

Yes, an old pattern, just a bodice which I lined and a gathered rectangle skirt. The trickiest part was buttonholes as my current machine is not brilliant. I made a long sash to cinch it in to fit. Next time I will put in a small zip instead of faffing with buttonholes.
Of course it is much cheaper to buy lovely toddler dresses so I only make the odd one when I spot some lovely fabric.
Ps the pattern was from a charity shop. I only buy children's patterns from there as adult ones are usually older and have "vintage" measurements, eg 24" waist for a size 12!

What are your scissor recommendations? I've lost my beloved Fiskars that I got for my 21st birthday (a long time ago!) and I wondered if anyone had a preferred brand before I replace them.

Gorgeous dress StoryNanny - lucky GD to have you.
I've just made a complete pigs ear of a Clothkits toddler dress, and have decided to abandon it to a local charity shop that specialises in haberdashery on the hope that someone else can rescue it. One of the problems is the fabric is relatively open-weave and as I just used zig-zag stitch instead of overlocker the seams are now fraying horribly. In fact I have to confess that none of my garments have been great, I'm better with quilts, cushions and curtains

If you look up Monthly Stitch they have people submitting their makes against each months challenge. I love it because you get all this inspiration. This month is super special as well as it's Indie Pattern Month so there's prizes to be had.

ooh clothkits, must have a look. I made clothkits dungarees, changing bag and padded jackets for my children in the early 80's.
that's this evenings googling sorted

I have a sewing machine I make lavender bags and sew dog coats on but I've no idea where to start with patterns

I've seen a paper pattern - is the premise you pin the pattern to material, cut round it and then sew it together?

I think I may be too stupid for this.

If I cut up a dress and cut round the pieces on new fabric could I make a new dress?

I realise the above may be very stupid questions

I've seen a paper pattern - is the premise you pin the pattern to material, cut round it and then sew it together?
Yes

I think I may be too stupid for this.

If I cut up a dress and cut round the pieces on new fabric could I make a new dress?
In theory yes but you'd have to account for seam allowances and any darts.

I realise the above may be very stupid questions
No theyre not

And just to be clear about the clothkits - my incompetence is to blame, not CK

Thank you Rolf, that's very kind of you

*Got two sewing machines. One just will. It sew without thread breaking. It is threaded correctly and have changed tension. Feel like chucking it but it is new and was a present l, but can find nowhere I can get it to to help.

Have been to several classes and managed to make reasonable things in them, but can't recreate at home, even on other working sewing machine. I also do something major wrong.*

Make a toile (test garment made up in cheap material) first, to check the fit, and that everything goes together as it should.

For the thread breaking, your machine may need adjustment or repair - or it could be something as simple as using cheap, thin thread, or that you are using a needle with an eye that's too small for the thread. Also, you could try cleaning out the bobbin race (for the underthread), as it may have become blocked up by lint, which is stopping the bobbin from moving freely.

If I cut up a dress and cut round the pieces on new fabric could I make a new dress?

Yes, but it would be better to unpick the old dress, including unpicking and flattening out any darts, and make a new paper pattern from it, and then use the paper pattern. If you use the actual dress as a pattern, you are likely to get a slightly uneven result. Before you unpick the garment, look at it carefully and take a note of how it was constructed, and write yourself some instructions, otherwise you will probably get to a bit and think, "how on earth does this go together?"

Singapore, I dont really understand your post. Are you saying one of your machines is not working and you cannot understand why? Is that related to why you cannot complete other projects at home?

Sorry not had chance to rtft as dealing with newborn but just wanted to say check out places like Lidl and aldi when you're ready to buy a machine. I have a basic singer that I got half rrp from Lidl and it's fab. Has a good range of stitches and a needle threader. Perfect for knocking up basic skirts, tops and dresses. Good luck!

"Knocking up basic skirts tops and dresses"

Please tell me I'll get quicker with practice?! I spent 90mins today just on transferring markings, pinning and cutting out interfacing, fusing it to pieces and then finally pinning two pieces together. It will have taken me hours to make a 'simple dress for my 3yo!

Oh one of the most important things I've learned is to quadruple the time I've guestimated for a project

Frenchfancy, SunnyL, thanks for the tips on Sorbetto. I'm using the new version, and am planning on making two (one with full bust adjustment, one without) to see how much difference it makes - I'm one of those that needs to do it myself to understand what I can take future liberties with.

Non FBA one has loads of excess fabric at the waist in my cup size, so I've done some freestyle side seams taking it in until the mid section is narrow enough, and might stick a cheap zip in if needed - fingers crossed the FBA removes future need to do this. Just got the bias tape to do now - it's just finding the time!

But Misty that's the best bit.

I love taking some time, cutting carefully, choosing linings, using bias tape to finish seams off, choosing pretty fabric for the facing, maybe even some Liberty Print.

Agree with @ChardonnaysPrettySister - the process is more than half the enjoyment. (Apart from making toiles - that is boring, especially if you have to do more than one, even if it's totally worth it to get the fit right.) Even a really simple garment, done slowly with attention to detail and finishing can be beautiful and satisfying. Sometimes I look at my French seams and feel very happy.

@RolfNotRudolf and @storynanny I've done a few Clothkits garments for my nephew and niece. They are totally adorable. They seem to have fewer things in stock than they used to, hope they're doing ok.

@misty9 I'm still slow. The pattern cutting is one of the most pain staking bits, the actual assembly is much quicker (unless you run into some obtuse direction on your vintage pattern which stalls the project for months, no I've never had that happen). Or you read it wrong and have to unpick it. So it does get quicker but it still aaaaalways takes longer. There are people who can just bosh a dress in a day, but I am not those people!

reetgood thank you for the reassurance I'm not alone! Cutting is my nemesis and being a lefty I've never got on with cutting straight! (I've tried left handed scissors and they frazzled my poor brain!)

It's what puts me off the idea of doing a toile- I'd have to do all that pinning and cutting twice!

@misty9 having a good table does help more than you'd think (I still mostly cut on the floor though as I can't give over that much space to a big table!) Also an option might be to cut your patterns with a quilting roller cutter and mat. Not great for fiddly bits, but good for the long edges.

Ohhhh I LOVE sewing! I made a kimono for my mum recently - simple pattern but very faffy at the underarms! But I did french seams apart from the sleeves and it is rather lovely!

I had to make some bias for it, so went for the continuous way of doing it, my starting square was rather large, I now have around 60 FEET of duck-egg-blue bias binding!

Next up for my cutting table (the dining room table with an A0 cutting mat) is re-doing a tea cosy for my mum. I made it last year but the padding had slipped.

My first pattern 5 years ago was a New Look "easy 1-2 hour" jobby. Took me over a week working on it every night.

Last week I knocked up a hacked version of the same top in 90 minutes from cutting to putting it on. Damn I felt smug.

Except it was only that quick because I've made it so many times I know my exact size, adjustments to make and how to sew the pattern. AND I used my overlocker for the hem.

So really what I'm saying is ignore the time thing and just enjoy making things for you that are unique