Do you make your own clothing?

[Anonymous]

Lately I've been thinking of investing in a sewing machine and making clothes out of patterns. The only thing that's been stopping me is the fact that I'm very unskilled with my hands and operating machinery and I also tend to never finish anything I start. If I buy a sewing machine and drop some money on it chances are I will never finish the projects as is the case with pretty much any hobby I've gotten into.

There are a lot of reasons I want to get into this. I've always loved clothing and paying attention to how I dress, for starters. But another thing is that the quality of clothing in general has greatly degenerated to the point which I have great difficulty in buying clothes. This has been a trend since the early 70s with the advent of fast fashion. Even when I go into high-end boutiques the products are usually made in third world countries and when I question the sellers they tell me it's because they have 'superior' factories. I think it has more to do with the fact that the labor is cheaper.

I'm not paying 3 digits for a shirt that was made in China, and from what I've seen it's underpaid workers working in sweatshop conditions.

So do you make your own clothes? How did you learn? Is there any literature you recommend in picking up in order to learn? I associate clothes-making with Si more than anything, but I suppose fashion-design is rather Ni.

[Poptart]

I’ve always wanted to learn how to sew because I have a vision of the clothing I want to wear and how I want certain items to fit, but at the same time I’m afraid a sewing machine will collect dust on my desk…

[Pyretta VauxDevil]

I have similar struggles, and for now (besides trying to find cool indie brands or going to vintage shops) I decided to go to a seamstress/tailor I trust. This way I can get the more personalized items I envisioned, and I don't have to spend too much time and commitment to get to a level of sewing that would make me satisfied.

[diamondhearts]

Yeah, I relate to this actually. It's very hard to find clothes that fit your personal style and taste much less anything that is tailored specifically to your body type.

I want to get into sewing but, like you said, it's an expensive hobby. And for a complete beginner, it can be intimidating.

I guess it would easier to start off practicing with sewing needles and if you would like, get a used machine for practice. I don't know any books off the top of my head but I remember that craft stores and any big corporate chains that offer sewing things have those booklets for help. I wish I could offer more advice but alas, I'm out of words. Good luck on your sewing adventures and let us know how it turns out

[lookin4waifu]

I recycle @Santa Claus’s used G-strings into hats.

[Adam Strange]

Lately I've been thinking of investing in a sewing machine and making clothes out of patterns. The only thing that's been stopping me is the fact that I'm very unskilled with my hands and operating machinery and I also tend to never finish anything I start. If I buy a sewing machine and drop some money on it chances are I will never finish the projects as is the case with pretty much any hobby I've gotten into.

There are a lot of reasons I want to get into this. I've always loved clothing and paying attention to how I dress, for starters. But another thing is that the quality of clothing in general has greatly degenerated to the point which I have great difficulty in buying clothes. This has been a trend since the early 70s with the advent of fast fashion. Even when I go into high-end boutiques the products are usually made in third world countries and when I question the sellers they tell me it's because they have 'superior' factories. I think it has more to do with the fact that the labor is cheaper.

I'm not paying 3 digits for a shirt that was made in China, and from what I've seen it's underpaid workers working in sweatshop conditions.

So do you make your own clothes? How did you learn? Is there any literature you recommend in picking up in order to learn? I associate clothes-making with Si more than anything, but I suppose fashion-design is rather Ni.

@None, I wish you had posted this six months ago.

My SLI ex-wife made some of her own clothes. She told me that it was easy and she could get exactly what she wanted. My LSE mother also made clothes, as did my grandmother.

Between my mother and my grandmother, there were three sewing machines. My grandmother’s was a trundle-operated machine and didn’t require electricity, and my LII sister got that one. My mother had one sewing machine which folded into a desk, and my LSE sister got that. For some reason, I got the most modern machine; a portable one from maybe the sixties which had exchangeable cams to produce different stitching. It was very light-weight and came in a carrying case which was about half the size of a suitcase. My mother loved that machine. I remember the day she got it. She was happier than I’d seen her in a long time.

I don’t sew, but I was keeping that machine for the Zombie Apocalypse until my interior decorator said I should get rid of it to have more space.

I think it went to the Salvation Army store.

[xerx]

I'd like to learn. I'm big into DIY.

[Tallmo]

Lately I've been thinking of investing in a sewing machine and making clothes out of patterns. The only thing that's been stopping me is the fact that I'm very unskilled with my hands and operating machinery and I also tend to never finish anything I start. If I buy a sewing machine and drop some money on it chances are I will never finish the projects as is the case with pretty much any hobby I've gotten into.

There are a lot of reasons I want to get into this. I've always loved clothing and paying attention to how I dress, for starters. But another thing is that the quality of clothing in general has greatly degenerated to the point which I have great difficulty in buying clothes. This has been a trend since the early 70s with the advent of fast fashion. Even when I go into high-end boutiques the products are usually made in third world countries and when I question the sellers they tell me it's because they have 'superior' factories. I think it has more to do with the fact that the labor is cheaper.

I'm not paying 3 digits for a shirt that was made in China, and from what I've seen it's underpaid workers working in sweatshop conditions.

So do you make your own clothes? How did you learn? Is there any literature you recommend in picking up in order to learn? I associate clothes-making with Si more than anything, but I suppose fashion-design is rather Ni.

Get a used machine or rent /borrow one. That way you can get started without much investment. Then if you stay interested you can buy more expensive stuff. Or attende a course were they teach sewing.

I associate sewing mostly with Te and in second place comes Si.

[The Reality Denialist]

I could probably turn a garbage bag into a rain coat.

ALSO
If I ever become a nudist it is a sounding YES.

[Anonymous]

@Poptart
Well if you have the time for it and the knowledge then I don't see why it will collect dust! Every time you see it, it'll taunt you. "Use me Poptart... I haven't been touched in years!"
@VeryMuchPyretta
Well I've considered buying supposedly 'hand made' stuff on Etsy but I've heard a lot of stories of people getting scammed and just getting resold cheap items from AliExpress. I used to buy off of Ebay a lot but recent experiences haven't really been the best and most of the time you're stuck with what you get. Thrifting used to be sufficient but the golden age of thrifting is long dead.
@diamondhearts
I found a couple and I can post them if you like. I just realized book piracy is essentially second nature for me and some people might have problems with that. I mean if I bought every book I wanted to read I'd be on the street by now. I live frugally enough as it is.
@mysteryofdungeon
Lovely
@Adam Strange
Oooh that's lovely. I missed when schools were more 'practical' oriented in their education. People would learn actually useful trade skills and always have something they can do with their hands. It's not something I think would be suited for me [everyone in my family has told me I have two left hands] but it seems like education these days is geared around shoving in as much information as possible for a student to take a test only to forget it all after they get their grade. It seems like, these days every idiot is running around with a degree. It's basically expected of you and a BA is treated like a high school diploma.
@xerx
It's good to be self sufficient and it can save you a lot of money though you will have to sacrifice time. But I imagine if you enjoy what you're doing with that time then it's very much worth it.
@Tallmo
The older ones tend to be more reliable anyway. All mechanical and no electronic parts. I guess you're right, it is Te but I feel as do with sewing, and maybe some other chores people get a sort of comfort from it. Like my mother would always going around finding stuff to clean and dust and I'd ask 'stop! stop! you're doing too much work!'
@Sanguine Miasma
Please post a picture of you wearing a garbage bag *ehm* raincoat thank you.
@one
Why is it triggering?

[RBRS]

Lately I've been thinking of investing in a sewing machine and making clothes out of patterns. The only thing that's been stopping me is the fact that I'm very unskilled with my hands and operating machinery and I also tend to never finish anything I start. If I buy a sewing machine and drop some money on it chances are I will never finish the projects as is the case with pretty much any hobby I've gotten into.

There are a lot of reasons I want to get into this. I've always loved clothing and paying attention to how I dress, for starters. But another thing is that the quality of clothing in general has greatly degenerated to the point which I have great difficulty in buying clothes. This has been a trend since the early 70s with the advent of fast fashion. Even when I go into high-end boutiques the products are usually made in third world countries and when I question the sellers they tell me it's because they have 'superior' factories. I think it has more to do with the fact that the labor is cheaper.

I'm not paying 3 digits for a shirt that was made in China, and from what I've seen it's underpaid workers working in sweatshop conditions.

So do you make your own clothes? How did you learn? Is there any literature you recommend in picking up in order to learn? I associate clothes-making with Si more than anything, but I suppose fashion-design is rather Ni.

I had the same problem as you and I recently solved it through switching to secondhand clothes (I have found clothing from the 70s and 80s that would cost you thousands if made today for less than 30€) and when buying new clothes buying basic cheap stuff. I cannot help but read what you write and see myself there (being told of having "two left hands", not finishing things when it comes to hobbies, etc).

My mother-in-law is a typical generational sewer (learning sewing from her mother and inheriting her clients and the sons of her clients) and she has offered me to fix any size problems from secondhand clothes. For example, I got three vintage suits (black, dark grey and dark blue) which pants she fixed.

If you don't trust yourself to have the manual skills nor perseverance to finish your own clothes you can try and buy yourself secondhand things and fix them, until you develop enough skill to sew your whole clothes yourself.

If you're interested in sewing definitively go for it, you'll probably make a few bucks off it if not more and you'll also have a skill that's getting more and more scarce.

[Capitalist Pig]

Lately I've been thinking of investing in a sewing machine and making clothes out of patterns. The only thing that's been stopping me is the fact that I'm very unskilled with my hands and operating machinery and I also tend to never finish anything I start. If I buy a sewing machine and drop some money on it chances are I will never finish the projects as is the case with pretty much any hobby I've gotten into.

There are a lot of reasons I want to get into this. I've always loved clothing and paying attention to how I dress, for starters. But another thing is that the quality of clothing in general has greatly degenerated to the point which I have great difficulty in buying clothes. This has been a trend since the early 70s with the advent of fast fashion. Even when I go into high-end boutiques the products are usually made in third world countries and when I question the sellers they tell me it's because they have 'superior' factories. I think it has more to do with the fact that the labor is cheaper.

I'm not paying 3 digits for a shirt that was made in China, and from what I've seen it's underpaid workers working in sweatshop conditions.

So do you make your own clothes? How did you learn? Is there any literature you recommend in picking up in order to learn? I associate clothes-making with Si more than anything, but I suppose fashion-design is rather Ni.

That's really cool that you want to go down that route and become slightly more self-sufficient in that area. If you decide it's too much, however, you can look into clothesmakers that are more local to your area. In the USA there is at least one company I can think of off the top of my head called Origin, they knit and manufacture everything they make right here in the USA. Workwear, athletic wear, and a lot of their pieces can also double as casual wear. Handmade jeans, boots, shirts, accessories like belts and wallets, and they even make womens' clothing. The price comes at a premium compared to Chinese-manufactured brands, but I don't mind paying the higher price for quality gear from an American company that I know takes pride in their craftsmanship, and treats their employees well. I'm sure there has to be similar companies in Europe.

[ouronis]

lol hell no. way too hard. i always thought looms were cool though, my mom had a friend when I was a kid who owned a loom. 90s though, pretty typical 90s shit

[Hot Scalding Gayser]

A LSE on here likes to sew I think. I agree it takes time and effort and unlaziness. If you are IEI then chances are you have pristine and narcissistically good ideals but not a lot of good follow-through - if you force yourself to keep at it even though it's hard you might be surprised at how well you can do it and learn. But that's just some self help book-y advice that I probably won't follow myself lolol.

I am trying to make my own video game now - and man, the logical bit by bit steps are frustrating and Te-polr inducing - but I am still trying to stick it out and the game might be done when I'm about 45 years old? lol.

[Hot Scalding Gayser]

Let's make a Project Runway: 16types edition

Yes, I get to be Tim Gunn. DEAD or Scawy nawcissist can be that bitchier gay man, Michael Kors. "That dress is too matchy-matchy, it looks more basic and milquetoast than my dead grandmother- and also more disgusting than even your face. Oh look there's a zipper for a cell phone! *sarcastic chuckle* YOU REMEMBERED THE FUNCTION AND FORGOT THE FASHION!"

Nevermind. Maybe I am more like Mr. Kors...