I have sewn my clothes for years because i could always get a better fit and the price was right. I got an eye opener the other day. Went to my favorite Wally and had to purchase a piece of light weight knit in brown and teal with my name on it. Only got a yard (60" wide) for a tee for $5.97.

Two days later I was back for groceries and there were three racks of White Stag tees for $4.00. Good brand, nice fabric, good colors and patterns. Needless to say, I bought several. That piece I got doesn't look so good now.

I gave up sewing my own pants years ( maybe decades) ago ... Too much effort and in the store I know the fit is right or I do not purchase.
I still make some clothing for myself , but there are times the price is right to purchase.

This is the biggest reason I don't sew clothing so much anymore. I still make Christmas and Easter dresses for my girls but that's about it anymore.

well, you still get the better fit when you sew for yourself. you also get a unique garment. i agree, though, that the prices of ready-made is hard to pass up. also, there are some garments that just don't come out right making them at home - like a stretchy tee top with flat-stitched serger seams and decorative serger hems. i bought a tee at wally world today also. but i make all my pants because they fit better.

Just like quilting - you sew because you enjoy sewing not because the price is less. It used to be people would sew because you could get a better fit and nicer clothes for the money - I even took pattern drafting classes and made my own patterns to fit. I gave that up years ago. I still sew some clothes - especially for my grand daughter (age 8 - as I only had sons myself, a little girl is fun to sew for) as she loves dresses and I also make a few pairs of shorts for her and her brother as they both appreciate them, but it costs more than buying ready made clothes. I sew for them because they appreciate it and I love sewing something unique. Then too I figure when they get older they won't want me to sew for them anymore.

I like making short sleeve shirts for myself because the ones I buy are too short for my taste. I have bat wings :( I feel that even though they are more expensive than some I could buy at certain stores, the really GOOD garments cost much more than I would spend. Other than that, I gave up sewing my own clothes years ago. I love making the twins matchy outfits for special events because its so difficult to find something for a boy and a girl that coordinate.

I've just about given up garment sewing,too. Not much garment fabric available that I like (I don't do knits) nor can I find patterns that I like plus the cost of both is ridiculous!

My pants usually have to have wider bottoms because I have to wear boots most of the time to support my ankle. Nothing looks worse than having the pants bunch up on top of the boots.

But in making them, I can easily enlarge them where needed and know that they will fit nicely. I also sometimes take apart an older pair that are too embarrassing to be seen in public, so it becomes a pattern for many more. I love the Levi Bend Overs, used to wear them at the hospital for many years. Now I can make them in denim and anything else I want to wear in what ever color I like at that time. And I can find the fabric to make a matching vest easily.

I still make my own pants and have a pretty good stash of clothing fabric. I like tailored styles and now only wear pant suits. I have several good basic patterns I have used for years. I update the style or design as needed, but the patterns are still pretty basic. Most patterns are with a little frill here and a few buttons there. I do wear a lot of tees because of the weather here in Florida. They're cool in the summer and I can throw a sweater over them in the winter.