tranum

Mom and Grandma sewed all their own dresses so it was natural for me to sew. I had a couple of great Home Ec teachers and one taught us basic tailoring with wool. I remember Dad saying As I entered high school I could have all the clothes I wanted if I made them myself.

As I grew up and entered the working world, I sewed most of my own dresses, tailored jackets and skirts. I sewed some school clothes for our daughter and matching pajamas every year for 3 grandsons. Also sewed dresses for oldest granddaughter, but younger one hated dresses so my garment sewing came to an end. Today I enjoy changing details on purchased clothes for myself, like replacing cheap gold tone buttons with better ones.

Its a shame basic sewing isn't taught in school anymore. Everyone needs to know how to shorten a pair of pants or kitchen curtains.

roguequilter

i, too, started young. at five i was sent to live with my grandmother. she started me sewing acraps on her treadle & by hand. as a teen i was back home, cooking & cleaning for our family of seven. started home ec ..after one day of learning how to cook by broiling bananas, how to sew by making an apron ..i petitioned the school board & never had to waste another day in a home ec class! i made my own clothes for years, got married, had a son & continued to sew his & my clothes ...even after i learned to quilt. but now the only clothes i sew are doll clothes for American Girl dolls.

notmorecraft

I still sew my own clothes, I love the Lotte Jansdotter books with the patterns, sew for my grandaughter and am going to start making dolls clothes for 18in dolls for her.

quiltingcandy

I quit sewing clothes when I got married and moved to San Diego in 1973. My Singer sewing machine spent more time in the shop than working, I didn't have the money to buy a new machine so quit sewing. When I started quilting in the late 70's early 80's it was by hand, and I just tied my quilts. I finally bought an older Singer that worked from a friend, and brought my Great-Great Aunt May's treadle from Kansas and started sewing by machine again in 1990. Since the cost of fabric and patterns were getting more expensive I didn't really miss it. But what got me quilting was embroidering blocks with Nursery Rhymes for friends having babies. Then one day I went to the fabric department in Woolworth's - they had a box with 4 inch squares, already cut - I thought I found the mother lode. There were so many squares my first quilt would fit a king size bed and I still had a bunch left over. But as you can imagine the fabric was not that great and even though the quilt still exists - it has a lot of repair patches.

Annaquilts

I would like how to make clothes but it seems I never get to it as I am always quilting. LOL

Wanabee Quiltin

A family moved in behind us and the lady sewed all their clothes and was nice enough to teach me, I was 10 years old. Mom had a white rotary sewing machine that was a bear o use, but I did it. From then until I was in my 30's, I made most of my clothes, including my wedding dress. I didn't sew my children's clothing after they were out of the flannel nighties. I sewed and mended piles of clothing for my children's families for a long time, now I rarely do. I only sew an occasional scarf for myself or a gift, but no more garment sewing. When I got into quilting, most of my other hobbies stopped completely.

sandy l

I did the usual "apron and gathered skirt" back in high school Home-Ec., but it wasn't until my late 20's (a looong time ago) that I started sewing clothes for myself. Then it was after I retired and went to work in the theater department costume shop that I quit sewing for myself. Just got tired of the constant alterations and having to do all the constant measuring needed for new constructions. Started quilting a few years later and never looked back. I'm so use to the 1/4" seam, that I'm not sure I could do a 5/8" one

romanojg

I made my first dress in home ec when I was in the 9th grade. I made some clothes after that and large block quilts. About 16 yrs ago I got back into quilting after years of making close to nothing. I actually started learning the more complicated blocks and loved it. Then I decided to go back to college, get a degree and a job. Then about 7 years ago I took up quilting again. My first class was in a shop that emb machines, so that started my love of embroidery. I'm just now getting back into garment making. I went to a retreat in Oct and took classes with a famous and favorite teacher and made two tops and a jacket and from another teacher a purse, something else that I love to do. Now I'm trying to make the grandkids leggings, scarves and hats for Christmas. I couldn't find the patterns for the leggings so I went to the thrift store and got some that were in the right size and made my own patterns. Its been a trial and error getting them to work. Not sure how many I'll get done before Christmas but I'm learning as I go. Plus I'm making part of them on the serger, which I love. Fabric, notions and all have changed in the 20 yrs its been since I made clothes. I'm trying to perfect my techniques on using knits, its a slow process but I'm getting some good results along with the trial and errors.

Snooze2978

I learned to sew doll clothes back in the 60's on my mother's singer 401. Then moved to making my own clothes. I still make some of my own clothes as I have a short waist and my hips start right up there near the waist so to buy clothes to fit the hips, the waist is too big and vice-versa. I buy basic patterns and alter them to fit what I want. Now with these new machines that can add embroidery, ribbon, etc. you can make the same pattern and change it just a little and no one is the wiser that its the same pattern over and over. I makes quilts mostly but still have a ton of apparel fabrics I need to do something with one of these days.

annette1952

I started out sewing clothes also. Used to make my husbands flannel shirts, just about all my daughters clothes when she was little. Just all kinds of things. Then there came a point where it was so much cheaper to buy clothes than to make them. I just gradually got away from it & started to learn quilting. Cutting templates back then was almost a deal breaker though. I used cereal boxes, cracker boxes, anything out of light weight cardboard to cut out templates with scissors. Really hard on the hands. Quilting has come a long ways since then. So many fantastic tools to make the process easier. I know most of you can relate & have done the same thing. Those were the good ole days! lol