ania755

:thumbup: What a great thread....
I am struggeling with it too.....
Thanks to all of you for the wonderful tips...
I do have the old singer book and Vogue book and the bigest problem for me is to make the neat finishing lines....
Yes...I do have a serger but I am never sure when to use it...before sewing the pieces together or after ??? (after alternation??LOL)
Good luck to all of you.... :thumbup:

quiltlin

I used to make clothes for myself and my daughter and the problem I always had was that they never quite fit right and a quilt always fits....my vote is for quilting.

gmcsewer

I make a lot of my own clothes due to fitting problems. But I have found a clue that helps a lot. If I am making a jacket, I measure one of my ready made that fit just perfect, and then measure the pattern pieces (minus the seam allowances) and alter the pattern to fit the ready made measurements. This gives me the ease I like and the length of sleeve and the length for the jacket. With the newer patterns that have several sizes, you can choose which marking you need with say a 12 for the shoulder, a 14 for the bust, etc.

RedGarnet222

My advice is if you know you want to make clothing for yourself, buy a dress form. It is the best sewing investment I have ever made. Then you "try on" the pattern to the form and make adjustments before cutting any fabric. What a big difference it makes.

Also a set of hams. Pressing in sewing is as important as in quilting.

We put tons of money into quilting supplies, why not something practical?

Oh, and there is a site that I love called patternreview.com It tells it like it is with the patterns out there.

littlehud

Just follow the pattern. If you run into a problem ask here on the board. There are a lot of sewers here.

ckcowl

why would you just assume it is so much more difficult to make clothes? lots of people learn to sew to make their own clothes, starting in 4-H at about 8 years old, on in cub scouts earning their sewing patch making an indian costume...i made clothes for 20 some years before i ever attempted a quilt...which was much more difficult at the time. as with most things, there are easy patterns for beginners and there are extreme patterns... find ones that fit your skill level and having made quilts is a step up so many learn to make clothes without having already learned any basics you have the basics down

RedGarnet222

Sorry to post again but I thought you might want to know there are sewing clothing classes you can take there at the pattern review.com site.

summerstorm

If you could post a picture of the type of dress, it would be easier to offer suggestions.

The local technical college or fabric stores may have classes.

Sharon

polly13

My taste in clothes is very tailored so they're always in style. I was making clothes of complementary fabrics--both sleeves different prints, skirt and bodice different etc. way before it was vogue. I got teased that I didn't have enough money to buy enough "material". My granddaughter's latest purchase had the zipper sewed on the outside of the garment, different buttons, etc. Like in quilting, anything is acceptable today, even the fit. I say, "GO FOR IT." Just follow each step carefully, understanding before cutting.

TexasGurl

IMHO clothing CAN lot harder than quilts - but it really all depends on the pattern & details, just as it does with quilts

I started sewing my clothes when I was 13 and learned to quilt when I was 28
I did both for a few years, I sewed a lot for my girls when they were young, made things for their rooms, curtains etc but since then it's been ALL about quilting !!

I still make a (very) occasional jacket but it's quilts, purses and totes for me ... more fun to do !! (and you can't grow out of them ! LOL) :)