Does anyone make their own clothes these days?

[Ceezer]

I was remembering this morning how my grandmother made most of my pants and some of my shirts when I was growing up (old, small farming community), and I wondered if people still did that today. In doing so, wouldn't you be able to control the fit and quality of the product? Do they sell quality fabric at the craft stores?

My daughter will be 9 in 7 days and I was thinking that, being the typical girl extremely concerned with fasion, she might also be interested. If I could learn to do it, then I could teach her and it might be something we could enjoy together.

Is it even worth bothering with these days, all things considered (learning curve, time involved, costs of materials, etc)?

 

[Brad31]

My guess would be its not worth it to make regular clothes. For one people now have 20 pairs of pants where before they had 2. Unless you were that talented that you could get quality custom fit clothes I don't see it being worth it.

However, it might be a great activity for you and your daughter. Few things are as important as parent-child time.

Hats, scarves, socks, pillows, etc. might be easier to make and easier for her to wear than home made jeans.

 

[gumbo]

I had a friend in college who made quite a pretty penny sewing customized skirts for some of the young ladies. They liked his "vintage looking" style, and all he was doing was a simple pattern with various fabrics he got from fabric shops and thrift stores. So, skirts are not that tough, and with a girl it might be a good place to start, I'm not sure, she might be in the age range where skirts go out of style for young ladies, but it's worth a shot.

 

[LeverTime]

My girlfriend made both of my scarves, my gloves, my hat, and some of my socks. I've also bought some vintage clothes that don't quite fit, and she's altered them for me. She enjoys making things though, she also makes her own jewelry. In some sense it's not economical, if she spent the time working a minimum wage job instead of making this stuff, we could buy even more clothes at Walmart. But if you look at what it would cost to buy higher quality stuff, like what she makes, it's worth it.

Then when you factor in the enjoyment she gets from making things, it's a no brainer.

 

[WhosYerBob]

My sister-in-law makes all of the clothes for her "girlies", as well as the bridal dress and all the matching maid-of-honor dresses for a ton of her friends for their weddings. Depending on the item of clothing and the cloth involved, sewing can save some serious bucks. Not for me though; my clothes are generally CostCo cheapies of $12 or so per item.

 

[Doc4]

I had a friend in college who made quite a pretty penny sewing customized skirts for some of the young ladies. They liked his "vintage looking" style, and all he was doing was a simple pattern with various fabrics he got from fabric shops and thrift stores. So, skirts are not that tough, and with a girl it might be a good place to start, I'm not sure, she might be in the age range where skirts go out of style for young ladies, but it's worth a shot.

"No, honestly Ashley, I need to take all these measurements."

 

[SRock]

Um No. When I was a kid one of my Grandmothers insisted on constantly making clothes for me. My Mother being the wonderful woman that she is always thought she had to dress me in said clothes for pictures "to be polite". This went on for about the first 5 years of my life. The clothes were always hideous and never really fit quite right. Those are the worst pics in the family album. Had she kept it up after I started school I probably wouldn't have been a very well adjusted child. Unless you are Amish (or other similar group) and living on the farm (where this is the social norm) homemade clothes probably aren't a great idea.

 

[WithTheGrain]

I was remembering this morning how my grandmother made most of my pants and some of my shirts when I was growing up (old, small farming community), and I wondered if people still did that today. In doing so, wouldn't you be able to control the fit and quality of the product? Do they sell quality fabric at the craft stores?

My daughter will be 9 in 7 days and I was thinking that, being the typical girl extremely concerned with fasion, she might also be interested. If I could learn to do it, then I could teach her and it might be something we could enjoy together.

Is it even worth bothering with these days, all things considered (learning curve, time involved, costs of materials, etc)?

They do sell fabric, etc, but the cost will control the quality. It definitely is something that is possible.

I think the idea of doing it for "fashion" is a double edged sword. On one hand, kids that age are very brand conscious etc, and wouldn't want to wear homemade clothing. (People think "farm"/amish/etc).

But, on the other hand, learning it from a "Project Runway" fashion design perspective, it could be quite fun for her. I think that the best way to go would be to do clothing from the "costume" side; she could get the skills to make and design clothing without the worry and stigma of being the kid who wears homemade clothing. Of course, if she is able to make things she wants to wear, all the better! A girl I knew in highschool was highly involved with the local theaters and making costumes, etc. Fast forward 10ish years, and she is now a designer doing her own shows. Is she "huge"? No, but she does have a strong enough regional presence to be legitimate and making a living.

I don't, however, think you should go into it with the expectation that she "has" to wear the clothes if she doesn't like it; i can only imagine it will take a while to perfect the skill.