I want to learn to make my own clothes (in Seattle)

What an excellent idea - but be warned: knits are not the easiest fabrics for a novice to tackle! Yes, they may need fewer pieces, but they can be harder to fit and the stretch makes sewing them less easy. Get a book specifically about sewing knits: the Stretch & sew guide is excellent.

You can sew seams very quickly on a serger, but a sewing machine is better for almost everything else you will want to do, and it is impossible to do some things with a serger (buttonholes, for example) and very difficult to do others (like zips! No way can you do a nice posh low visibility garment zip with a serger! High visibility bag and fleece zips, yes, but not skirt and trouser zips).

As a professional sewer and teacher, I'd say get a sewing machine FIRST, and then if you like the sewing, get a serger later when you know more about garment construction. It is perfectly possible to get very good results on knits with an ordinary machine.

Yes, quite a bit! You have the essentials, but it's learning about how much to add where, and how to add for pleats, pockets, and other details that you need to learn too...

You need some practice with other simple garments first, I think, and you then need to learn to slip a pattern off a made garment. There are a couple of good books on the Book List on my web site. The Kwick sew and Stretch and Sew patterns will be a good place to start. Look at some of the Singer books and the Sewing For dummies and Reader's Digest ones too.

Can't help you there! Seattle is a long way from Kent, UK!

Too much to list here! Start by browsing through the Sewing room sections on my website: there are some basic sewing lessons there, and a useful glossary of sewing terms, plus a guide to taking measurements and reading a commercial pattern.

Have fun! :)

The best all-around, not-too-expensive, basic sewing book I have ever used is Simplicity's 'Simply the Best Sewing Book'. It has plastic comb binding, which allows for hands-free reading: a very useful feature in any sort of crafts 'how to' book. You'll find the sections that deal with fitting women's clothes more useful than I did.

Reader's Digest publishes the (New) Complete Guide to Sewing. A well-stocked used book dealer is likely to have a few of the older editions in stock, if you don't mind the somewhat dated fashions. (Or buy the new one and wait a few years and the fashions will look equally dated.)

There will be other responses here and I'm sure before this thread is over, you'll have several responses to just about every part of your message.

Max

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Try these:

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I forgot to add that some of the JoAnn's Stores also have classes.

The Pacific Fabric stores have sewing machines for you to use in the beginning sewing classes. It is useful to actually learn and use a machine before buying one.

Also, other sewing machine stores offer classes, it is just that they do not seem to have websites with the class schedule.

Please see The Sewing FAQ at:

It's fairly easy. One or another book should explain how.

No, other than that if you trace the edges of the existing cut pieces and use the same seam allowance the manufacturer did, you don't need to add any extra.

I put it in The Sewing FAQ, for which the URL is above.

Tom Farrell

Knits can be a bit tricky to work with. Stable interlocks generally are easier than stretch knits for beginners, imho. One of the interesting things about patterns is that "simple" patterns with no darts, no closures -- things that really look simple -- can be the hardest to fit because they need to fit well. Fru-fru can be much easier, because the fitting problems get lost in all the details. More pattern pieces, darts, etc, are also easier, because you have more places to improve fit. Because you're in Seattle, and because you're specifically interested in knits, may I suggest for your first "big project" you try something like a vest or "sweatshirt" type top in a good grade of Polarfleece? Though it looks a little intimidating, it's actually quite easy to work with and small problems like slightly wonky seams get lost in the pile. Prints and textures also help hide minor sewing issues. I'd suggest this as a possibility after you've done some basic sewing on wovens (perhaps something like a canvas tote bag) and a small polarfleece project like a hat.

Sergers are really nice to have, especially when sewing knits. But they won't help much when you're trying to do buttonholes and zippers. So I'd say sewing machine first, serger second. But depending on your pocketbook and your enthusiasm, you might consider buying used machines for now, then upgrading when you need/want to. There are a lot of excellent machines taken in on trade... I'd sooner see you with a used midrange or used-to-be-nearly-top-of-the-line machine than a new, cheap machine. I think you'll be less frustrated. If you know someone experienced in sewing, bribing them into shopping with you may be useful.

There's a little more to knocking off a design than that... with knits, especially, it's best to match the amount of stretch and the drape of the knit. You might look at Besussen's Making Patterns from Finished Clothes and Doyle's Patterns from Finished Clothes.

You might want to look at Kwik-Sew's patterns, especially the "Learn to sew" series:

Stretch and Sew is another company whose patterns I like; again, well-drafted, and often quite suitable for further design extensions.

Burda is another pattern company I like.

I believe North Seattle Community College offers beginning adult sewing. Other than that (I'm down in the Portland area), the three education venues I've heard about are advanced classes at Nancy's Sewing Basket, Judy Barlup, and the fashion program at Seattle Central. You might want to look into ASG: American Sewing Guild:

Fitting is often the biggest challenge; some of the basic techniques you should work with when you start fitting (imho) are learning to read wrinkles on clothing, and flat pattern manipulation. For my $0.02, the best fitting book is rather expensive, but worth every cent: Leichty, Pottberg and Rasband's Fitting and Pattern Alteration:

There are a couple of magazines that you may want to subscribe to, or at least browse at the library: Sew News is aimed at beginners, and often has excellent basic information on such things as various ways to put in a zipper, or different waistband constructions. Threads is more advanced, but I think it's a good one for beginners to at least know about and look through occasionally. I regret I was too cheap to take out a subscription years earlier than I did... it's one of the few magazines I save and use articles from again and again.

The other thing that I think is tough for beginners is judging fabric. If you're used to wearing middle to high end ready to wear (Liz Claiborne and up), you may have partially educated your fingers on what good fabrics feel like. There are a lot of crummy fabrics in the world, some of which can be made to feel pretty good by a variety of finishes that disappear with cleaning and wear. Or they're made of blends that are likely to pill or fuzz or... IMHO, these are fine when you can get them cheap and are using them for muslins (mockups of finished garments), but if you're going to spend the time to make your clothes, buy very good fabrics -- they're easier to work with, they last longer, and they look good. There are a series of books from Julie Parker: All about Cotton, All about wool, All about Silk that might be useful and interesting to you; there are also some more generalized fabric guides with emphasis on how to handle particular fabrics from Sandra Betzina and Claire Shaeffer. FWIW, I prefer Shaeffer's Fabric Sewing Guide, the earlier, larger, not very sexy looking book. Another book you might find interesting in your early career, but get even more out of later is Winifred Aldrich's Fabric, Form and Flat Pattern Cutting. In particular, you may want to take a good look at how different fabrics look when made up in similar patterns, and the "which fabrics drape rather like another fabric" list in the back.

There are lots and lots of things to know about sewing, and things I wish I'd known more about when I started sewing -- I can't begin to list them all. Probably the two tips I wish I'd gotten drummed into me earlier are to pay meticulous attention to grainline, and to use good interfacing, often in more areas than the standard patterns specify. Oh yes, buy good thread, and replace machine needles often.

And I've yammered enough for tonight.

Kay

Excuse me, but there are a couple of problems with your plan of making all of your own clothes.

The plan seems impractical. Even a simple design takes skill to excecute well. sewing skills take years to perfect. One does not start whipping out professional looking clothes the first time.

My recommendation is to develop your sewing skills by customizing existing garments. Change buttons, lengthen or shorten hems and cuffs. Add details, or take away excessive fourishes. Fix small flaws.

You will see success much more quickly by modifying existing clothes than trying to construct an entire wardrobe all by yourself.

I've found e-bay to be a good place to find suitable clothes. Usually in fine shape, occasionally requiring a small repair.

AKK NO! Help! I hate alterations and always did. Even aged 7 it was waaaaaay easier to start from scratch!

Nice new fabric, chosen by me, with a pattern chosen by me... Bliss! Altering something that I didn't like enough to leave as it was? BLEAH! No fanks, mate!

See, we're all different, and alterations are a very different skill from basic construction. I do not go there... ;)

...snipped

Do I need both or just

copy my current garments, or is that too complex > Thanks!!!

A sewing machine is a must! unless you don't want finished hems, necklines, etc.

I like the readers digest complete guide to sewing as thats what I learned from (and all I own unfortunatly). There is a new edition in stores now, basically the same as my 1976 first edition (older than me, and in better shape than me too lol)

copying is easy, I just did a santa suit with that method, it just takes practice.

I learned by myself, I chose fabric, pattern and followed the directions (after learning to use my machines basic stitches making cloth diapers and curtains) It really was easy, I used a mccalls girls dress for my DDs for flowergirl dresses in my wedding. I will admit they are a far cry from what I can accomplish now, and its only been just over a year (but I have devoted almost all my free time to learning once I discovered how addicting sewing is) here are some pics, the white and purple dress was my first, the rest are all my own designs

try googling "learn to sew" there is lots of information out there.

Good luck!

Michelle Giordano

Nah... Remember, clothes were made long before sewing machines! But they do make things a LOT quicker! Especially long boring seams... The seams are often stronger than hand stitched seams (not always, just often!), and there's no way I'd do several yards of bridal hem by hand unless the bride was prepared to pay the hours it takes!

Oh, those '70's editions are the best! The new edition has replaced the tailoring section with a very incomplete section on serging/overlocking. Get an old one and a separate serger book. I have the new one, but I also have 3 copies of the older edition!

Copying is great for simple stuff, but there are much nicer designes in the pattern books for most things. RTW clothing is so boring most of the time. The RTW stuff I like and wear a lot is lovely to WEAR, but dead boring to make! Lots of plain shapes in soft knits... Gimme an

Good stuff, this advice. And Michelle makes some cute stuff! :)

Wise advice. Here in the UK most fabrics are 'needle ready' - i.e. you don't need to do this. There are a few I always pre-treat, and pure wool is the most important: steam press ALL OVER as it can shrink as you press your nice tailored garment! This is part of the art of sewing, this learning to press properly. Makes the difference between 'home made' and 'hand tailored'.

I have to disagree. I've had students (of all ages, young kids to older adults) who took to sewing amazingly quickly, and were able to make their first garments look stunningly perfect. Modestly, I only partly attribute this to the expertise of their teacher--they themselves had native talent, but they also had motivation to succeed, which is critical.

Everything is relative, and there are no absolutes. Karen Maslowski in Ohio

No, no! If anyone tries to tell you those baby things ain't cute, you may whack them with this kipper:

|\__/| \ / / \ / \ / \ | | | | | | | | \ / \ / \ o / \/\/

"Kate Dicey"snipped

you are too kind to me!!! Thanks

Michelle Giordano

Its A Deal! whats a kipper? (very good artistry btw!)

Kippered herring! Herring smoked and packed in oil in a tin. Wonderful on crackers. You can really tell who your friends are - they are the ones that do not run screaming from the room when you open the tin. They just politely hold their noses.

Also a salmon of some sort.

liz young in sunny california - hungry for fish!

mmmm..... yummmmm..... Now you've made me hungry for crackers with lots of tasty things on!! LOL

Mavis

Oh, Duh.....that might explain her wonderful fish drawing LOL!

Michelle Giordano

A kind of English smoked fish. Notorious for leaving a lingering smell behind, and often eaten for breakfast in days of yore...

Standard English/Scots usage is only a herring split and smoked. They are spilt open, laid flat, salted, tied in pairs by the tail, and hung up to smoke. It's a cold smoked process. I've only ever seen them sold loose (packed in large boxes, wrapped in greaseproof paper - no oil!) or as fillets vacuum packed for 'boil in the bag' atrocities... They need a wee bitty of butter and a couple of minutes under a hot grill. Anything else is murder!