Anyone ever try making their own clothes?

[bike756]

Ahem...Please try and keep the jokes to a minimum...serious question here.

I found a sewing machine a few months ago, and I have really taken to it in my free time.

Has anyone else here tried making their own clothes? I have found that the stuff I make comes out fitting a lot better than anything I have ever bought off the shelf. I know this thread is useless without pictures, but I will try and post some eventually, when I get my camera working...

So far I have made-
A jacket
shorts x2
wifebeater
jeans- these turned out badass

pair of black jeans cut pants which is now my favourite item of clothing
couple of t-shirts

And seriously, it is dirt cheap. A nice pair of jeans costs ten dollars to make.

 

[GY!BE]

i really need to learn, I keep telling myself I'm going to

oh and

pixplox

 

[Warren G.]

I made shorts once....
result = epic fail.

 

[oneeightyseven]

I did once. I think that it came out quite well......

 

[Rye GB]

All the time in school, hence my current design job. It takes a lot of patience to sew and some skill to bust out a decent pattern, even a knock -off. Most of the time I'd buy thrift and make my own alterations.

 

[Ludeykrus]

I've dabbled. It's VERY nice to be able to produced exactly what you want in a garment.

Then again, I'm lazy and much prefer to buy an interesting piece and then tailor it myself to fit me right.

 

[evilgeniusdan]

I actually have access to a pretty nice sewing machine. I've just never had the patience. Can anyone point me in the right direction in terms of garment sewing/alteration DIY resources?

 

[Ludeykrus]

Well I would highly recommend taking a few cheap/thrifted tee shirts or button up shirts and bringing them in to reshape them. This is the best I could find on the process, it has pics and all:

http://www.superfuture.com/supertalk...php?t=14278&p=

Once you get the hang of that, you can explore just what you want to try next. A lot of tailoring can seem daunting, but once you pick it up you'll see it's just a matter of being patient.

 

[cldpsu]

Good source for buying a sewing machine, anyone?

 

[tagutcow]

Originally Posted by Ludeykrus

Well I would highly recommend taking a few cheap/thrifted tee shirts or button up shirts and bringing them in to reshape them. This is the best I could find on the process, it has pics and all:

http://www.superfuture.com/supertalk...php?t=14278&p=

Once you get the hang of that, you can explore just what you want to try next. A lot of tailoring can seem daunting, but once you pick it up you'll see it's just a matter of being patient.

Good info, but my blousiest t-shirts don't have seams at the sides at all. Would they still be repairable?

 

[Ludeykrus]

^ I've done a few seamless tees. I just lay them completely flat, use an iron to press flat the sides to show where the 'seam line' would be, then run a seam like normal. Not much different.

Originally Posted by cldpsu

Good source for buying a sewing machine, anyone?

I got mine for $100 from Walmart.

 

[cldpsu]

Originally Posted by Ludeykrus

^ I've done a few seamless tees. I just lay them completely flat, use an iron to press flat the sides to show where the 'seam line' would be, then run a seam like normal. Not much different.



I got mine for $100 from Walmart.

I know **** about them so I wonder what justifies a more expensive one. I'm guessing precision, versatility in stitching methods?

 

[Ludeykrus]

Good question. I've heard of cheaper ones crapping out relatively quickly, and they can tend to jam up a lot more. I honestly bought the cheapest one I could find at the time, and it's been fine. It has like twenty-something different stitch types. You have to sew and set it up in a very particular way, but as long as you are consistent, it will work great.

 

[cldpsu]

What kind of particular way? You've left me very curious.

 

[Ludeykrus]

Just a bunch of little things that add up. Like the way you load up the thread and route it, the tension on the thread, making sure you apply correct pressure/tension on the fabric as you're sewing, etc.

My best advice is to read the manual on how to load and setup the machine, read up on the features, and follow the directions exactly until you get it memorized. Also, take some spare fabric or shirts and practice sewing seams and lines across the fabrics you want to sew on, so that you don't make any serious mistakes on a good garment.

Oh yeah....and for a while the seam ripper will be your best friend.