sew my own clothes

I have both a sewing machine and an overlocker, aswell as a few successful projects under my belt. But my skill level means it takes too long to make anything. I will get some lessons and hopefully have this goal achieved within two years

I just bought, like, 15 wonderful patterns (99 cent pattern sales are fabulous). The problem is that I am very picky about the colors, etc., I wear, and I don’t necessarily like the clothes that are in style now. All I need is some fabric and I will be good to go!!!

I finally have it… in all its glory. A Kenmore sewing machine, gleaming white – got it as a gift brand new.
A friend and I went to the fabric store and picked out some plain and decorative fabric. I now have 2 and half yards of fabric … and soon I’ll have … something.

Haven’t decided what to attempt. Perhaps a dress…

I’m a student. I don’t have much money. I do, however, have a penchant for pretty dresses and boutique-style clothing and would spend an absolute fortune filling my wardrobe with these lovely treats if I could somehow just toughen up enough to not have to eat again, ever.
Unfortunately, this seemingly excellent scheme would probably cause my dress size to change somewhat, rendering the whole thing a completely pointless exercise.

So, it’s time to come up with a Plan B.

I got a sewing machine a few Christmases ago, and when I moved house at the start of the month I took a trip to Ikea and fell in love with some of their fabrics. I made new covers for some cushions and then decided to replace the curtains in my room. Having overcome my initial fear of stitching my fingers to the sewing machine, and now that enough time has passed without any of my creations falling apart, I feel confident enough to start off my new wardrobe with something simple.
I’m thinking the easiest thing would be a plain sort of skirt, so I’ve started looking online for some free patterns.
The aim of this is to get clothes I like for a fraction of the price, so I’ve decided to only make things I will actually wear, and not spend a fortune on patterns and the like which I’ll probably only use once.

Here goes…

I just finished sewing a pink shirt. It came out great. :)

I have always wanted to be able to express myself more through what I wear, but been unable to find the right kinds of clothes. Perhaps I have unusual taste or something. Now I’ve decided to do it for myself! I would also really like getting into doing something with my hands instead of my intellect for once.

This took a couple of hours to do. I actually don’t know how I feel about it. The skirt is not as full as I’d like to be and therefore it’s fuller at the waist and makes my hips look a wee bit large. Oh well. I’m still proud of it!!

So I made this skirt in about a half hour. It was super easy. I made it from an old sheet I got from the thrift store and it’s got an elastic waistband.

I am still not going to mark this goal as finished. I went to Joann Fabrics the other day and they had their Simplicity patterns (usually around $15) on sale for 99 cents!! I got three of them and I’m going to try to make some more stuff. Once I finished one piece from each pattern set I will consider this goal completed!!

I found this fun stretch cotton at an online fabric store. It’s plaid on both sides with silvery flowers printed on one side. It made me want to make a little jumper. Then again, I get jumpy about buying fabric online, it’s often not the color/texture/quality I imagined. What does my online panel of celebrity fashion judges think?

Fabu, or just ”... meh” ? And if I did make it, what would I wear it with? Turtleneck and tights, but will it be a pain to find coordinating colors?

I’ve got too many projects going on to waste my time on boring ones or things I won’t wear.

Because it’s a lot cheaper than buying them.