Sewing your own clothes

[JJCool 104]

About a year ago I bought a sewing machine, something I had NO experience with before then. I bought it on a whim really, but since have enjoyed teaching myself how to make simple things like bags, cushion covers etc.

ANYWAY, I had this grand idea that as my clothes get too big I would make them into smaller clothes that I could still wear. I have no experience at all with sewing clothes though haha, and wanted to see if anyone else does this? I'd love to be able to share ideas with others.

Jo x

[James Marusek 5,244]

My wife is a professional seamstress. The same thought crossed my mind. But it didn't work out for me. I had RNY gastric bypass surgery and the weight came off so fast that it was totally impractical. Since you are a sleeve patient and since your type of surgery means that weight comes off generally at a slower pace, it might work for you.

I did find that belts came in very handy. Also a western leather belt can be cut down and new holes punched so that I will track with you weight loss and still not look altered.

[WLSResources/ClothingExch 3,444]

If you want to tackle altering your clothes, why not give it a try? Keep in mind that things can be taken in just so much before they look like clown costumes.

Example, a skirt that has an off-center pleat or two (perhaps at the front of one leg) can be taken in only a little or the pleats will be in a weird place. I hope that tells you what I'm getting at. The simpler the garment, the longer it's altered life will be, but there are limits no matter what.

You might want to take a class before risking your wardrobe.

[ssflbelle 829]

I just spent 3 weeks sewing in my pants and tops. This is the second time I have sewn in my pants. All of my pants have pockets and I wanted to save them so I took my pants in from the center seam from the back all the way around to the front and from the crotch to the calf area.. I put the pants on inside out and gathered up the excess material and had a friend pin them. Then I was able to make a chalk line, take out the pins, rip the seams up re-pin everything at the chalk line and re-stitch the pants. It also helps to take measurements of the waist hips and around each leg. Be sure to sit down after the pants are pinned to make sure you have enough material for when you do sit down.

As for my tops, when I was 497 I had to take two tops and cut about 10 inches out of each side and arm area of one of the tops and sew that extra material into the other top. So sewing in the tops meant just taking the extra 10 inches out of each side. I would imagine if your neck area is not too big you could also wear your top inside out and do the same method for the tops you did for the pants but take the excess material from the side unless you do have some seams in the middle of your tops. I have not worn dresses or skirts since 1994 when I was injured and had to start using an electric mobility device. I do not plan to buy any clothing until I lose another 40 pounds and am finally below 200 pounds. There are also lot of youtube sites that provide instructions in weightloss alterations of pants.

Hope this helps. I am self taught so maybe professionals will have other ideas but this is what worked for me with the sewing skills that I have,

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

@@JJCool There are seamstresses in my family and I learned to sew and make clothing at an early age. Unless you are doing it just for fun or because you want something very specific, it isn't very cost effective.

Altering clothes is an art form that takes time and practice. It is harder to correctly alter clothing than it is to make clothing from scratch.

If you have some things that are expensive or absolute favoites, go for it, but I really don't think it is worth it.

I'm 1/2 the person I used to be, if I tried to alter those clothes to this size it would be a disaster, a size or 2 is okay, but 7 or 8 sizes? No.

[JJCool 104]

Hi everyone, thanks for all your input!

I wasn't really thinking of altering favourite or expensive items, actually the opposite, I was more thinking of things like taking t-shirts and making them into - I don't know, maybe smaller t-shirts lol. That sort of thing. But I'm starting to think this will be more effort than its worth so I appreciate all the feedback before I figured it out the hard way and ended up with not much more than scraps on my hands

Maybe I'll learn to make some clothes from scratch, eek that thought scares me. I don't know why!

Anyway, thanks again for you all for answering

Jo x

[WLSResources/ClothingExch 3,444]

, I was more thinking of things like taking t-shirts and making them into - I don't know, maybe smaller t-shirts lol. That sort of thing. But I'm starting to think this will be more effort than its worth

Maybe I'll learn to make some clothes from scratch, eek that thought scares me. I don't know why!

Jo x

I greatly admire @@ssflbelle and you for your willingness to throw yourself right into it.

I'm also glad you decided against altering t-shirts. They're not worthwhile. More to the point, the fabric is much more difficult to work with than non-stretchy fabric. Knits and stretchy fabrics are much trickier because of their stretch itself. No reason not to give it a shot and see what you think, though. The experience will go into your learning bank.

Edited August 29, 2016 by WLSResources/ClothingExch

[G33kg1rl 36]

Sewing from scratch is much easier than doing alterations, and it can be fun, although OutsideMatchInside is right that sewing your own clothes can be at least as expensive as buying ready-made outfits. Still, if you sew your own things, you get to pick the exact pattern and fabric you want, instead of settling for whatever the store has available. It's also really exciting to watch the new garments take shape!

[vamping 183]

I say go for it with the t-shirts. There are a ton of fun ways to alter those that aren't limited to sewing.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-T817A using Tapatalk

[2twinkle 86]

I sew.

My advice for a beginner is:

To alter your clothes, first turn them inside out and pin.

You can gather shoulder seams for a quick and easy top alteration,

add an elastic waistband, or make tucks in front and back.

Sew before you cut, then try the garment on and look it over.

Elastic waistbands are the best. You can add elastic to skirt waists that did not have any stretch to them and can make them last as you go down the sizes.

If you are making clothes from scratch, sew the "Easy" patterns. Folks at the fabric store will give you good advice on fabric choices once you have selected your styles. They usually sew!

There are a lot of cool T-shirt alterations online that are fun and snappy. They usually don't require sewing.

[Christinamo7 4,042]

I love to sew my own clothes.

alterations? not so much. but I have done a fair amount of it as the weight has gone down, because for one I didn't want to have to buy new undies at every size. or have to get rid of things so quickly. it has been a real pocketbook saver. Also surprisingly I had to hem a lot of things as my butt went away. I even took in my swimsuit this summer so I could hold off on buying one until next spring.

you may find this book helpful

https://www.amazon.com/Refashion-Handbook-Refit-Redesign-Remake-ebook/dp/B00MEWK980/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1472485467&sr=1-4&keywords=alterations#nav-subnav

[mngreeneyes 674]

Its funny you posted this. I spent my lunch today cutting out a new dress, which will be the first thing I have sewn since surgery. I chose a very basic sheath dress as I need interview/work clothes for fall. I am excited to be able to cut a pattern that I 1. haven't had to add to the pattern so it will be big enough and 2. don't have to cut the largest size on the multisize pattern.

I have been sewing since I was about 7 years old so its not new to me. I have taken in a few things this summer. Mostly things that were simple and just required following the seams to take them in. Sadly, several things that I made in the past years and didn't fit right now are too big so I lost out on ever wearing them! I also have a HUGE stash of fabric that I bought for projects that never got made so I've been saving it for when I am closer to my goal. My office mate just asked me if I would make her a dress for an upcoming event. I might get to sew my first Vogue pattern! I have never really fit into Vogue, but she definitely does!

I am always willing to chat about sewing, etc.

pam

[JJCool 104]

you may find this book helpful

https://www.amazon.com/Refashion-Handbook-Refit-Redesign-Remake-ebook/dp/B00MEWK980/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1472485467&sr=1-4&keywords=alterations#nav-subnav

Ooh, this looks fab, thank you!