Thought it might be helpful to have a thread for any of us sewing/fitting our own clothes (or just thinking about it ), including altering ready-made clothes and whether anyone's having success or ideas to share.
For instance, here's a site I found that might help someone - a method for making a copy of (without taking apart) your own favorite pair of pants that fit you, (or would fit with a little change). http://www.sewnews.com/library/sewne...atipspants.htm The concept is like the technique of copying a drawing by using a grid.
Reading here I've seen that lots of us have figure flaws that make shopping for ready-mades a puzzle.
I have too large a waist/tummy to be proportionate with my hips or rib/bust. In ready-made pants I have to choose between too-loose hip and baggyness, or a too-tight waist. Tops are either too tight across midsection or I can pull up inches of fabric under my arms!
If anyone is blessed with a serger sewing machine I know that is helpful for making/altering knits. I only have a regular sewing machine. I'm not a stranger to making clothes, but I'm not really experienced, either. I would probably be slow but it would be worth it for dependable clothes.
So I'm looking through patterns. Simple sewing patterns for elastic-back-waist pants appeal to me because then it would be MY business how much elastic, and I could even change it as I trimmed down. Simple sewing patterns for tops have been easy for me to make in the past - I think I could figure out how to give my tummy enough room and still come up with a cute top.
Any thoughts? Anyone out there sewing up a storm? The creativity will keep us from snacking!
Hi Whittlin, I *like* to sew, I just don't have as much time for it as I would like. I used to do more sewing, because I had gotten so big that it was hard to find pants that fit well without mail order. I'm not great at it, but I can follow a pattern well enough. The biggest problem with it is that I don't have a room to keep it all out in, so I use my dining room table, and DH and the rest of the family get tired of seeing it laying around the room, as do I.
I'm pear-shaped, so ready-to-wear has always been a problem for me, even when I was slim. The problem is much worse now that I've gained weight. For me, sewing is a necessity. I've been sewing ever since I was a little girl, and I'm adept at altering patterns to fit my figure, although I have to admit it's hard to find anything really flattering at my weight no matter how well it fits.
If you don't know how to alter patterns, there are many sources of help. The Palmer & Pletsch sewing books are available at most fabric stores, and they're excellent. Threads magazine also has some really good articles on altering patterns to fix specific problems. Most of their articles are available online at http://www.taunton.com/threads/ .
I too, love to sew. I am working on getting a room together in the basement for just sewing purposes and also an ajoining room that is completely baby proofed. Then, hopefully DD will play independently at times, allowing me to sew and keep an eye on her.
My problem with clothes are always my hips. The waist is usually too big if the hip area fits loosely.
Tammy, the time constraints are very real - it always takes longer to create a garment than I think it will even when I think I'm being conservative. But then I look back at the time I take shopping or planning out a mail-order, only to feel later as though I've wasted that time unless I'm willing to spend more time to alter! Sigh. Yes, I am a dining-room-table messer-upper, too! Rubbermaid type storage boxes (shoebox sized or the larger ones) help me to keep everything for a project together when I must clear the area! But I can't leave them boxed for too long or I'll get back to it and not remember what I was doing!
Doesn't jennylou's room sound ideal? All best wishes to you with that space, jennylou, and here's hoping it works out very well for you and daughter. When little ones start playing independently it can really give you a chance to get something done.
Margarita, I've gone over to that site and read several articles under "fitting". The one on making cheap quick sewing forms "cloned" to your figure was fascinating. I want to re-read the one about seam-allowance alteration method.
I am sewing now (dining room table is messy as I type!) doing a little of the simplest altering. (Also for my 8 year old, saving some money turning winter pants into summer shorts with my sewing machine.)
I'm strictly an alterations sew-er, but I've heard good things about some of the pattern software that you put your measurements into and it generates patterns for your body shape. wildginger.com is the brand I've heard most about.
I know a lot of folks at 3FC shop at second hand stores, especially for 'interim' clothing. Do you all have tips on what to look for? what's simplest to take in?
Hiya, Susan! I think the simplest alteration I can see for clothes I already own is to take in some simple woven (not knit) shift dresses along the sides. (Same principal for too-large woven tops I would think.) I've basted one denim 14's sides already, just trial and error according to what looks right in the mirror ( I would probably want a 10 in this dress now, except tummy, where that might be too much of a change) At this stage it certainly looks like it came off the rack this way, and follows my figure.
Thankfully, it has a very forgiving small-shaped short-sleeve that seems to be fine left alone, so I'm just going to let the 2 "new" seams I sew gradually diminish before they reach the joins with the sleeve. You get really three-dimensional at a sleeve and have to THINK . I'll experiment with continuing the basting up the sleeve with the next dress, which has giant winged sleeves on me right now! I'm going to look at a multi-size pattern I have to get the feel of how a sleeve would change for a smaller size.
Hope you get some other answers on simplest to take-in. It sure can be an aid to the budget to realize something in the closet, or bought "interim", can have new life.
Maria, Maria, I had never heard of this, so I had an interesting time looking around that site. Cool.
Sewing our own, anyone? Altering? Fitting?
), including altering ready-made clothes and whether anyone's having success or ideas to share.
by using a grid.
but it would be worth it for dependable clothes.
Simple sewing patterns for elastic-back-waist pants appeal to me because then it would be MY business how much elastic, and I could even change it as I trimmed down. Simple sewing patterns for tops have been easy for me to make in the past - I think I could figure out how to give my tummy enough room and still come up with a cute top.
I'm not great at it, but I can follow a pattern well enough. The biggest problem with it is that I don't have a room to keep it all out in, so I use my dining room table, and DH and the rest of the family get tired of seeing it laying around the room, as do I.
I'm going to look at a multi-size pattern I have to get the feel of how a sleeve would change for a smaller size.