Learning to sew without patterns

[4morefromless]

Sewing can be very rewarding and just plain fun but in the present day and age as someone else said it is not cost effective. Here are some things I would suggest to make it more cost effective.

1. Get on the mailing list for a fabric store and try to take advantage of big sales. Our local Hancocks is having a 54% off sale most of this month. Not only is fabric on sale but notions also. Often this is when patterns are on sale sometimes for less than a dollar.

2. Save buttons and useful material from hubby's shirts, your own clothes, jeans etc. Look at garage sale clothing with that thought in mind. Go to a sewer's garage sales. I got a fortune of lace in a $2/box at an auction where the lady was an excellent seamstress.

3. Check online for free sewing ideas...there are a lot of them out there. Some include repurposing clothing so you don't have to spend a lot of money to have something new.

4. Start simple: I learned to sew in Home Ec and 4 H club and started with an aporn. Pillows, curtains, etc are the easiest things. One free online patter I have seen takes 2 squares of fabric and sews them together (coordiating fabric). You add ties at the waist and it makes an apron or skirt. You tie it in the front so part of the back overlaps the front. When it gets dirty, like you've been cooking etc and need to run to the store, turn it around and you have a clean skirt. Simple projects like this get you comfortable with your skills and then you can go on to other things. Sewing for children is quicker and more forgiving than sewing for adults and requires less fitting.

5. When buying a sewing machine look for a used one. Lots of people sell sewing machines and sometimes you can save big bucks. If you don't know about machines shop around and educate yourself or take a friend with you who already sews. You can sew, electric free, with a treadle or you can pay the big bucks for all the bells and whistles including speciality machines that quilt, embrodiery etc. Don't put out a lot of money while you are learning

6. Some fabrics are easier to sew and more forgiving. Fleece and woven cotton or cotton blends are easy; silky synthetics are hard, those that ravel are a pain regardless of you experience level. Matching plaids requires extra material and can be tedious. Pile fabrics should be cut so all of the pile runs in the same directrion and also may take extra fabric.

7. If you plan to buy a new machine, check with dealers who are linked with fabric stores. They often have free lessons or speciality classes where you only pay for materials

8. Use what you have. Fabric like chickens can get very addictive....need I say more. Learning to patchwork or crotchet rugs are ways to use up leftovers. Of course the ultimate use is quilting.




I love to do heirloom sewing for babies, little tucks, embroidery, lace, etc. The real expense is the lace and you can make a beautiful gown with very little lace. The fabric is batiste and it is not expensive. I wish I had the disipline now that I have more time to turn this into extra income....but then there is another grandbaby on the way and that's more fun. Good luck.

If you want the link for that apron skirt pattern I will try to find it and post it, just let me know.

 

[gettinaclue]

lol. Well, I'm still epic fail on sleeves

I tried sewing a shirt last month and the only things I will say are ....

Pins come out of the wall eventually...and seam rippers are my bestest friends.

 

[abifae]

I invested in a good seam ripper, ergonomic. Worth every penny.

 

[lorihadams]

I got a cheapy beginner machine years and years ago from Walmart for under $200. It lasted long enough for me to learn how to do the basics and then when I realized that I wanted to get into quilting more I needed to upgrade machines. I had asked for money for xmas from everyone and told them that I wanted a new sewing machine so i was able to get enough money from xmas gifts that year to put a good down payment on a Viking Sapphire 830. I'm still learning how to use it even after a few years of having it. The only thing about this one is that I know it will last for a good long while and is heavy duty enough that I don't have to worry about it breaking if I sew something thick like denim.

The big thing about having any sewing machine is that you need to do basic care on it. Clean it out frequently, change needles frequently, and use good quality thread. Have it serviced by a professional once a year to have it completely cleaned out and oiled and in good running order. They are like cars in a way...you have to do some basic maintenance with them but if you do they can last a lifetime.

I love getting stuff from the library...you can get lots of ideas for free. If you really don't care what kind of fabric you get you can put an ad on CL and put it out there that you are looking for notions, fabric, or whatever and lots of times you will get people just trying to clean out their stash. Maybe you have someone that stocked up on stuff and then decided not to do a project anymore and it has all been sitting in an attic or basement for years and now they need to get rid of it.

Look in the remnant section at the fabric stores too....sometimes you can find good deals on smaller pieces of precut fabric or end of the bolt fabric. I've been able to get some good stuff just by asking if the store has anything small they would be willing to sell at a discount because it is the end of the bolt.

My mother stocks up on stuff like muslin by the bolt when she can get it at a discounted price. She almost always uses muslin to back her quilt projects and finding it on sale is like hitting the lottery. She buys entire bolts of it and that will last her months or even years.

Another thing you can do is if you find a pattern you really like and are good at then make a permanent pattern out of muslin. The tissue paper patterns tend to get raggedy if you use them a lot so having something you can use and reuse is a good idea. My mom used to make patterns out of cardboard too when she found something she really liked and made lots of. She had a whole moving box of patterns from the 70s and 80s that she found when they moved and now has them in a rubbermaid container. She refuses to get rid of them and has gone through and made some children's clothing for friends from those older patterns.

You can also find patterns from the internet and there are lots of good websites that have tutorials and some with videos. I like to watch the old "Sewing With Nancy" episodes from PBS because she does a lot of clothing. I also like Eleanor Burns and Fons and Porter for quilting. They have lots of stuff on the internet that you can use for free.

 

[gettinaclue]

Thanks for those tips Lori!

 

[freemotion]

Not sure why this thread inspired this project....but I am now making a skirt from a batik sarong I got some years ago...just a big rectangle of fabric with a bit of fringe on the short ends.

I just cut it in half so the fringe will be the hemline. I sewed the sides together, and then measured my butt and added a few inches and then pinned pleats around the entire top. I'll be using a draw string and I don't like all the bulk at the top that you usually see with this type of summer skirt, so I'm hoping the pleats reduce this bulk.

I pre-shrunk a bit of cotton carpet binding tape and am sewing it to the inside of the top to form a casing for the drawstring.

I have been sewing this one by hand, on a lark. I can put this light material in a paper bag along with a spool of thread, a pincushion, and a small pair of scissors and take it with me. I sew a bit whenever I find myself waiting.

My plan is to make a coordinating drawstring from some embroidery floss I have stashed away. This skirt will be made completely from stuff I had on hand.

I'd really love to make a skirt from men's silk neckties....where to get them CHEAP??? Or free? Ideas? DH tends to wear his out!

 

[HarrisIndi]

If you have a top, skirt or simple dress you really like but can't wear anymore, carefully pick apart the seems, then use it as a template for a new item. You can also take apart 2 or 3 items and sew pieces of each together to make a new item.

You can also sew pieces together by hand, with a contrasting coloured thread to see how it will all go, then just sew over it with the sewing machine and pick out the tacking stitches (big stitches make pulling the threads much easier).

If you pick something with a slightly more advanced stich, such as a tuck or pleat, put a pin in the garment before unpicking so you know where it was.

Hope this helps.

 

[abifae]

I'd really love to make a skirt from men's silk neckties....where to get them CHEAP??? Or free? Ideas? DH tends to wear his out!

I have a full bag of silk ties to do one!

I asked a couple business job friends to clean their closets for me!!

 

[Homemaker]

Wow! Sorry, that I have not responded yet. I was out of town. Thank you so very much! Everyone of you. This is very encouraging.

 

[Bimpnottin]

Well, patterns intimidate me, too. Which is why I "thought" that I could copy a shorts pattern for my daughter - one in the package was the wrong size, but I cut it the wrong way and she now has a lovely vest... yeah, don't ask...

I just scored about 200 yards of fabric from an estate sale for $100. I told the guy that if I took it all I would pay him $100. If I had to go through it, I would be picky about what I got. Plus, got tons of notions, thread, patterns (plus - size - even for this plus-size girl!!!!) There are admittedly some really prints and some weird, totally synthetic-feeling materials, but I got a huge amount of good cloth in good patterns. I have a closet full of stuff that I didn't want and my SIL didn't want, so I'm going to start packing as much as physically possible into a large flat rate box and listing them on ebay. even though the material is ugly (my opinion) I should be able to make back my investment and still TONS of material to do my sewing with.