General Chat

Hated sewing at school and was hopeless at it. When my first child was born and I was at home all day, there was a lunchtime sewing programme on the telly and it looked so easy, I pinched my Mums trusty old Singer Treadle machine. I carefully followed the instructions on the telly and was soon making all my own clothes and the kids clothes too. My Mum was so impressed, she paid for the old treadle to have a motor put on it, which speeded things up no end. She lived near a fantastic street market and on her twice yearly visits to us would bring me several suitcases full of remnants, such as five yards of vyella for ten bob! I do next to no sewing now, for the reasons already given - patterns too dear (although its easy to adapt the ones you already have) - but mainly the cost and quality of fabric. When I came to live here 33 years ago, there were over a dozen shops selling a huge range of fabrics. Now there are none. My greatest success ever though, was when I went to a jumble sale and bought a huge pair of velvet curtains for two shillings. They were faded in streaks but I managed to cut out enough good stuff to make my daughter aged 5 then, a coat with matching hat. There was enough left over for a pair of velvet hipsters for me and a natty beret thingy - it was the 60s by the way, before anyone starts to laugh. A neighbour was so impressed with all this haute couture that she gave me a fun fur coat to cut up and I made coats for her daughter and mine. They were the envy of the neighbourhood! Actually, I cannot imagine any child willingly wearing home made clothes now. I do think its rather sad. My ex-MIL worked for an extremely posh dress shop in London and told me that you should be able to wear clothes inside out if they have been properly made. Olde Crone

I used to do loads of dressmaking and knotting when the children were young but they are now all grown so no more just do make do and mend, because as you have been saying the price of patterns, cloth and wool are so exspensive. I have recently made myself a suit for a family wedding the total cost was £55 and the material was not that exspensive. I have to say though I did have good coments on my new suit. Josieanne

Gwynne, My gran up until she died last March, was a seamstress, making curtains mostly. When we were younger she would let us look through catalogues and pick what we liked. She would order it, cut it up to get a pattern, sew it back together and send it back saying it didnt fit!!!! We had the best clothes in any colour we liked!!! My mam used to make my gym leotards and still would for her gym club if she wasnt so busy with her business. I on the other hand, am useless with a sewing machine. No go area Natalia x

It's good to see that some people are keeping dressmaking and sewing alive. I also used to knit and crochet like others, plus I was addicted to cross stich for many years. I even tried out lacemaking but never knew what to do with the bits that I'd made. Thanks to those who responded. Gwynne

I used to make almost everything that my children wore and did lots and lots of knitting too. Like others, I've found the price of patterns more and more prohibitive and as the children grew I sewed less and less. I've just started sewing again for the grandchildren though, which is fun, and I still knit lots of toys and baby clothes. When she retired, my Nana took a different evening class each winter and did tailoring, glove-making, millinery, basket-making and all sorts of things. She gave me a beautiful sewing basket that she made and lined and I had it for years.

Yes I used to make all my own clothes when I was younger, and some for friends too, sometimes. Now I make all my curtains, duvet covers sometimes, and anything else I need in that line. I have loads of lovely material that I buy as remnants, or bits at charity shops, and I love the Fabric Warehouse bundles of remnants - it's like Christmas when I open the bag and see what is in there. My machine for the past 46 years has been my great aunt's old Singer hand machine. She was housekeeper for Sir Henry Wood and I imagine used to mend all his things on it too. I really want to make a sewing/craft room so I can leave things out - might start making cushions from the remnants to sell at fairs etc, one of these days.

Hi Guinevere I used to be able to knit most things but then hated sewing them up. I am only short and most things have to be taken up I recently brought a skirt for 11.99 and it has cost me 15.25 to have it shortened at the waist. My daughter has shown an interest in sewing and got a machine but lives to far away to do these jobs for me also needs a lot more confidence julia

Hi Guinevere I used to make nearly all my own clothes, many moons ago, but these days I can buy them ready made for less than I would have to pay for the fabric, let alone cotton, zips etc. I still love sewing, though, so now I make quilts instead. Much more fun and gives you the excuse to buy lots and lots and lots of lovely fabric, as of course, you never have quite the right piece for what you are making at the time! Tina

Hi Gwynne, I used to make hats when I was younger nothing too fancy just very basic 30's style in looks....never wore them even though they fitted... Love Susie xx

Hi Joan, I think some technical colleges still do traditional dressmaking and tailoring - which would include alterations. My friend did tailoring at night school a few years ago. Gwynne

Gwynne you have my sympathy....I too used to make all my own clothes and those of my two daughters....and all the costumes for all the School Plays... Now I stick to curtains, altering, and covers for Settee and cushions etc. Good Luck! Jacquie xxxx

Hi CB, I get most 'notions' from the market but the costs still mount up. Have you tried to buy tacking cotton lately? A get a lot of costume fabric from the Rag Market in Birmingham (overmakes and seconds). It isn't as good as it used to be, though. However, I can get 'special' fabrics for costumes there, still. I also get a lot from the 'Asian' area of Coventry. There is a road with 8 or 9 fabric shops and they have the most beautiful and exotic colours and fabrics, at very reasonable prices. I'm making my way through 40 metres of curtain lining (£2 per m) at the moment for the basic Egyptian costumes. Gwynne

Gwynne, When my MiL died 9 years ago, I inherited her modern sewing machine, which is in a specially-designed wooden cabinet. I was really keen to use it, until I discovered it didn't do anything that my 1967 model did. My old one has a buttonholer, embroidery, quilting, gathering and all sorts of other attachments, and it still makes a better job of sewing than the much newer one, which didn't work when I got it and has been 'temperatmental' since it was repaired. I agree about the cost of 'notions' (Is that what Americans call them?) in haberdashery shops. I usually buy mine from market stalls or a little shop in Surrey that sells virtually everything 'bar the kitchen sink' in the way of sewing materials. Same goes for fabrics. Most of my 'Narcissus' costumes were made from curtain fabrics or lining materials from Kingston market or that shop. Even Aphrodite's pink chiffon togs came from there - about £2.50/metre! How I miss having that shop just up the road. CB >|<

Gwynne, When my MiL died 9 years ago, I inherited her modern sewing machine, which is in a specially-designed wooden cabinet. I was really keen to use it, until I discovered it didn't do anything that my 1967 model did. My old one has a buttonholer, embroidery, quilting, gathering and all sorts of other attachments, and it still makes a better job of sewing than the much newer one, which didn't work when I

Hi Beth, Interesting that you should mention the cost of patterns. While I was looking for fabric for costumes I had a look in some pattern books and they are a ridiculous price. I go to the sewing shows at the NEC and they have boxes and boxes of discontinued patterns which are very cheap. The price of thread, zips etc (notions - as they are so prettily called) is also soaring. CB, I had a sewing machine of my own for my 21st. It was huge and very heavy as well. It also cost more than the one I bought 5 years ago in Argos. The new one does button holes which my old one didn't. So some things do come down in price, even if the cost of fabric etc goes up. Gwynne

i do , out of need- i alter all Alans shirts - he is a right arm amputee, so take all but 5 inches of the sleeve off and re-apply the cuff. Jess

At the moment, I am involved in 'haute couture' for a certain celebrity who is touring the country! Yesterday, I finally managed to find some fluffy, pink feathers for her 'Pearly Queen' hat - in a garden centre! (?). A few months before I left school (at 18), a large department store in Central London was closing down, and my mother went to the sale. The following Saturday, we both went to check out the sewing machine she'd seen and ended up buying it. For it's day, it was a very good one and was half-price at £61, but of course it's now been superseded by more sophisticated, electronic ones. It weighed a ton (Guess who had to carry it?), and as the stop for our homeward bus was quite a walk from the shop, my mother hailed a taxi to get us home with the machine. When we got to Camberwell, I had the unenviable task of carrying the blessed thing up 64 stairs to our 4th-floor flat, and lifting it onto the table for use has always been a feat of strength. I blame that machine for my having such long arms! My mother never had much patience and soon tired of reading the instructions that came with the sewing machine, so it was left to me to learn how to use it. I was supposed then to teach her, but she never showed any inclination to use it, so I did. Once I'd left school and started work, I bought patterns galore and, as we had some excellent street markets where you could buy a wide variety of fabrics, buttons, etc, plus the West End shops for anything special or unusual. In the era of mini-skirts, you could make a long-sleeved dress for about £1 or so in today's money. My wardrobe grew and grew, and I thought nothing of giving clothes away, as it was so cheap to make new ones. During the 1970s, as things got more expensive, and I was helping to pay a mortgage and commuting for hours each weekday, I had less time to sew, but I did still make things, as I've always found it hard to find ready-made clothes long enough for me. As the years went by, I found I didn't care too much for the fashion trends that appeared, and my lifestyle changed. I spent most of the 1980s-90s in skirts and tops for work, or jumpsuits and jeans at home. Most of my sewing then was for fancy dress outfits for various school productions. My final creations were a whole set of costumes for a musical production of 'Narcissus', the Greek legend. I've still got them, and they're churned out if any of us needs something to wear for a fancy dress party. Over the past 7 years, my waist has ballooned to an incredible size, so finding clothes - or even patterns for clothes - that fit me has been a problem, so my sewing activities have been mainly confined to making curtains, cushion covers and evening outfits for Christmas parties, as I hate turning up at a 'do' and finding someone else wearing the same outfit. Fortunately, it's rarely happened, and I usually get other ladies asking me where I bought my outfit! I don't doubt that I will go back to making my own clothes again at some stage, once our studio/workroom is cleared of all the stuff that's stored in there, pending work being finished on other areas of the house, but I can't say I'll be togged-up in the latest fashions, as people my size look terrible in low-waisted skirts or trousers, skimpy tops and floaty fabrics. Maybe I should just stick to the tried and trusted jeans and T-shirts. CB >|< ... and now, back to sewing on the 'Pearly Queen's' buttons ...

Morning Gwynne, LOL..... I love the wheelie bin approach. Linda

I used to make a lot of clothes but only tend to do repairs these days. I found the price of patterns exorbitant and frequently find clothes already made at a price I couldn't purchase the fabric. By the time you add on fastenings like zips and buttons the cost really mounts. My daughter can't sew for toffee. I found a dress she was throwing out because the ribbon strab had worn away. About 10p worth of ribbon and 5 minutes of hand sewing were all it took to rectify. I used to knit a lot too but yarn has also become very pricey and I simply haven't the time any more but I'll probably manage some when grandchildren come along Beth :)

I am hopeless at sewing on a machine! I remember when I was at school, I had to unpick the arm holes on a dress I was making three times as I kept sewing them in! I am quite good at embroidery though. I remember when I was at Grammar School in Liverpool. The teacher showed us how to smock. I made a baby dress (don't know how) and hand smocked the whole thing. I received an A. I remember having to get up in front of the class to demonstrate. Maybe the teacher didn't believe me? My daughter on the other hand, is quite the seamstress. Yesterday she went through a pile of clothes that I am giving to charity. She salvaged a top, and within an hour it had been transformed into something she would pay many dollars for. Going back through the family history, my Great Grandmother and most of her sisters were seamstresses for Lewis's in Liverpool about c 1900. I have also found on another branch of my tree my GGGG Grandfather was a Tailor. Thanks for reminding me, I need buttons sewn on my uniforms before I go back to school in September! Deb