Hello All! In need of some advice...

Hi there, Mike! Welcome!

This is why a lot of us make our own clothes.

Once you see the time and skill involved you will see that they are not inordinately expensive at all. Expensive, yes, I grant you, but well made and HAND made clothes require a lot of skill to make them look good, and a great deal of time. Time is sometimes three quarters of the cost of a suit, as much of the hidden work is hand crafted, and there is no substitute! If you are making only for yourself, this is the area you save on. You can also make HUGE savings on good fabric when you know what to look for and where to look! Most of my sources are here in the UK, so not a lot of use to you, but do pop in and look at my Fabric List some time - see below for URL

It's an excellent notion.

Not all here are ladies! We have a bloke or two lurking amongst the rolls of fabric! ;) And remember that WE ALL STARTED WHERE YOU ARE NOW! :D For some of us that was a long time ago, but we all started not knowing which way fabric should go, what pattern pieces were, and how to use scissors!

Most low budget new machines are not worth the money. Read this nice FAQ and think about what you really need to do the job you want. >

I strongly suggest that you look at pre-loved mechanical machines with a decent raft of household/utility stitches, invest in an OLDER copy of the Reader's Digest Complete Book of Sewing (the one with the tailoring section in it, not the one with the serger section - used book shops and thrift/charity shops are where it usually turns up).

Buy your machine from a local sewing machine store where they do repairs: you'll get much better service, help will be on hand, and when you are ready to buy a fancier new machine some time down the line, you'll have a good knowledge of the shop and what they can offer.

We all do that! It's part of the fun... ;)

Oh, and here's a sight for historic patterns that might have something you would like to make: >

Start slowly, with something simple, while you learn to control the machine and familiarise yourself with the techniques, the technology, the jargon of sewing, and the fun you can have. And if you like, pop in to my site (URL below - safe on the wallet as I sell nothing through it) and look in the Resources and Learning Zone sections for some simple advice and ideas to get you started.

Welcome, Mike!

You have EXCELLENT reasons for wanting to learn to sew. Don't expect to put out Brooks Brothers quality from day 1, but be patient and you will get there.

We have men here who sew for themselves and for their sweeties, so you are in good company (Make your girlfriend clothes, and she will love you for it).

I will leave everybody else to more details, but here are two ideas:

For a low-budget machine to start with, check local newspaper or Craigslist classifieds and thrift stores in your area to find a 50s or

60s era machine in good condition and start with that.

There are patterns out there, or you can buy pattern drafting software if you are not particularly close to a ready-to-wear pattern size.

G'day Mike!

I heartily endorse everything Kate said and I thought I'd add a bit of info that might give you some motivation. Years ago, I had a friend who had exactly the same point of view as you. Not only that, but he was a somewhat stout friend and had trouble purchasing clothing that *fit*. Not only *that*, but he was also into theatre in a big way and wanted to be able to make his own costumes.

Peter was twenty when he purchased a good secondhand mechanical machine (polishing nails: on my recommendation) and a Good Book on How To Sew. I lost touch with Peter for quite a few years, but he wrote me to say he'd mastered the art of making business shirts and was currently making funky-fabric shirts with white sleeves and collars (not entirely sure why...). He had no difficulty in learning to sew from his Good Book, but felt he needed professional instruction. Later, I heard that Peter had taken himself off to do formal lessons in tailoring and was now making his own *suits* to measure!

Peter would be forty now and AFAIK, he'd still be making his clothing and (if he hasn't changed) probably importing unique fabrics in order to do it.

Another male friend asked me what I'd suggest for an interesting sewing-based art form. He didn't want to do embroidery, had already conquered knitting and wanted something absorbing to do on cold winter evenings. I suggested quilting. That was twenty years ago as well! LOL! This friend is now a most skilled quilter and is giving me advice on my own hesitant beginning steps at quilting.

The moral of these stories is: sewing is enormously satisfying and challenging and creative and fun. Don't let us women be the sole possessors of all that good stuff! Get into it! You won't be sorry! ;-D

A good place to get good sewing advice is your local extension office. Many in larger counties even offer classes for a small fee. Also check with fabric stores and sewing machine dealers--some of them also offer classes--but they are primarily concerned with selling their products.

Have fun with this. It is a great idea.

My name is Mike and I'm 22 in North Carolina. I have become interested in sewing for several different reasons:

A. The clothes that I like, the styles that I like, and the look that I like - I cannot afford to support myself in my tastes. B. Most of the clothes that I am interested in date back to the late

1800's - the Victorian Era; therefore, IF the articles of clothing I like can be found, they can only be found online - and at exorbitant prices. C. I like being able to have one type of clothing in many different colors - choose the design I like, and identically duplicate it in other colors. D. I would like to design my own clothes.

Now, all this being said, I AM NOT a clothes freak (no offense to those of you who are.) I just like what I like, I abhor what I abhor, and I want to have more control over what I wear. Lately, I have been settling for being more than slightly displeased with my appearance, largely because the clothes I want don't exist anymore or are inordinately expensive (i.e. smoking jackets.)

So, I had a wonderful notion. If I have such exacting standards when it comes to the clothes I wear, and if I dream of the day when I could have a tailor to custom make all of my garments, why not just make the garments myself? Why not be my own tailor?

I am sure that many of you may be vomiting at my apparent naïveté when it comes to sewing, but I'll be honest: I don't know much at all about sewing. So I came to you ladies.

Can someone help me with choosing a good (low-budget) machine? And what about MEN'S patterns? How do I create my own designs? Where can I learn these things? And how can I spin my idea about making my own clothes to my girlfriend so that she doesn't think I'm packing to move to San Francisco? Are there any male sewers/home-clothes-makers out there?

Treading on shaky and unfamiliar territory,

Mike

Just don't ask any questions about ............... groan .............. shudder ................. THREAD!

Steve