Dressmaking

[urban gypsy]

Hi All
I was just wondering how many of you that have partners that make outfits for you.
The reason i'm asking is that my SO the other day got diagnosed with an illness that means she can't get out very often so has had to give up work and is now at home bored.
So last night she found a pattern of a goth outfit that she has decided to make me, so out came the tape measure and today the material was bought.
So am I being spoilt or do others get this treatment from there partners.

[Helen MC]

I did think of buying a sewing machine and some books about home dressmaking but it is so cheap these days to buy ready made women's clothes even in large sizes such as I take over the Internet that it really isn't worth all the cost and hassle.

[Jasmine Ellis]

Frist may I say how sorry i am to hear about your poor wife. I do hope she feels better in herself soon. Now my wife can't darn a sock let alone do a dress for me. OH my god I'm in big trouble if she comes in here fingers cross she dosen't...........:tongueout

[Charleen]

First let me say that I hope she gets better soon. You are a lucky girl. I'm widowed, and don't have the time to mend, never mind sew a whole outfit. I'm like Helen, off the rack is cheap enough today for me. On the other hand, for you, she has something to pass the time while she recovers, and get new stuff! Love and xxxx, Lily

[Dragster]

I get all the sewing jobs in our house. I'm an engineer, so I understand the sewing machine, and dressmaking is like design engineering with cloth. Not much different to car body panels.......! It comes in useful when it's necessary to make alterations to a bargain! Have even made a pencil skirt out of an old pair of trousers!

Tony

[Jenny Beth]

I'm rather fortunate that my wife sews for a living. She has made me several skirts and blouses over the years including the outfit in my profile pic. I couldn't sew on a button to save my life but I've become pretty good at fixing her machines when they break down.

[sandra-leigh]

I did think of buying a sewing machine and some books about home dressmaking but it is so cheap these days to buy ready made women's clothes even in large sizes such as I take over the Internet that it really isn't worth all the cost and hassle.

Not long I had some items custom made for me, by a local dress-maker. There is a noticable difference: I got the length I want, in colours and patterns I like, in material I like, and it's all form-fitting to my form. There are a lot of little details that make a difference between "looks okay" and "looks great on you!" -- a dart here, a tuck there...

[Marla S]

In the past I sewed for my SO, but as it is quite time consuming and often more expensive than to buy ready made clothes (see Helen MC), I didn't for the last years.
Only rencently I started sewing again, because, as tess stated, you just get a better fit this way. Especially for blouses, jackets, and coats it's hard to find feminine clothes that really fit a male body. Due to my longer upper part of the body and arms, waist-line and arm-length almost never fit very good.

[mellisa's wife]

This reminds me that a sewing project for my hubby is long overdue. I have made several items of clothing for my husband, and saved many of them for gifts or special ocassions. One that comes to mind is a fitted RED sequined skirt that I had given him for Christmas the other years. Looked great and would have never been able to get one for him ( especially one that fit well) off the rack!

I guess I had better get to work on something new!

:hugs:

[Paula Rae]

I bought a sewing machine about nine months ago and even though I don't make anything from scratch, I do a lot of altering of most everything I buy (I buy a lot too) :D if it's on sale I buy it. It's not hard to learn to sew and nearly as much fun as dressing.

Paula Rae

[sandra-leigh]

Especially for blouses, jackets, and coats it's hard to find feminine clothes that really fit a male body.

Today I bought a silk blouse and pant combination from a consignment store. The material and colours were fine, and the lengths were good: it all fit. On the other hand, the blouse was somewhat flowing -- with my size 7 forms (D to DD), there was a little bit of a curve as the material flowed over the form, but then the material just hung from there. I could have worn it like that, certainly, especially if I were trying to blend as a more mature woman.

But although it looked "okay", the first thing I did was head over to a tailor, and arranged to have the blouse sides taken in and a couple of darts at the front, so that the blouse will become a lot more form-fitting, with much more that "tailored look". The alteration price, about $C 25 was almost as much as I paid for the goods ($C 28), but the result will be much nicer looking.

The cost of getting a blouse built from scratch recently was $C 38, excluding the material. The price of a new silk blouse and pants would, I'm sure, be over $C 120, possibly even $C 175 (few stores around carry silk pants, and seldom more than 3 styles of silk blouse, unless they are a specialty store.)

In summary, especially if you can get used or clearance, consider buying some nice pieces and having them tailored to look really fab -- and if you can get a good mental image of what you want and it's not quite what you would find in stores, consider getting something custom made.

The most expensive item I had custom made was a catsuit in a yellow stretch fabric: that was $C 80 plus the material.


Note: in my size, about men's medium, about 1 metre of fabric is enough for a long-sleeved blouse, unless you need to double-layer. For the catsuit, I took 2 metres, and was told that probably 1 1/2 metres would be enough, but that was before she realized I wanted long-sleeves.