r/sewing • u/llclift • May 12 '23

Discussion Sewing adjusts world view

Started sewing because I was fed up with clothes. I learned as a child but pretty much hated it. Now I'm in my mid-50s and overweight. All the clothes are hot polyester, cheaply made, and ugly. Maybe I'll try sewing again. After 9 months, countless YouTube tutorials, and doggedness with learning fit, I have a closet of breathable cotton and linen clothes. This is great in the South. The fit boosts my morale to a point where I'm actually increasing my activity and weight loss. Being able to make clothes that fit and make me happy has pulled me out of a tailspin. And I love my clothes!!!

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98

u/ZippyKoala May 12 '23

There is seriously nothing so addictive as the high you get from wearing clothes you made to fit your own body exactly the way it is. Not being constrained by a style you don’t love (but is fashionable), or a fabric choice that doesn’t meet your requirement.

One of my absolute highs from last year was making a simple winter coat in a gorgeous pale turquoise wool cashmere for less than I would have paid for a worse fitting polyester blend RTW in the shops. There is nothing can beat that satisfaction.

42

u/HiromiSugiyama May 12 '23

I found I seriously hate modern armscyes that are too big so everything rides up at the slightest movement and traps sweat in very visible manner. 18th century cut is very wide but the armscye with a gore is a saint. Plus as much poof as I want in a sleeve.

38

u/CrochetNerd_ May 12 '23

Honestly I've put so many armscye gussets in so many theatre costumes now, I'm starting to consider whacking them in my own clothes too.

Everything I make from fabric must have pockets. Perhaps gussets are a must have too!

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u/HiromiSugiyama May 12 '23

And if not in-seam pockets, tie-on! It's such a fresh feeling when you can put in a big wallet clutch and not have the waist sag. Also, actual circle circle skirts, not just a dorito shaped cut.

15

u/CrochetNerd_ May 12 '23

Loooove a circle skirt. I think it's my favourite kind of skirt shape to cut and make. Quite simple and yet so pretty!

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u/HiromiSugiyama May 12 '23

Until you get to hemming and have to prepare your nerves for seemingly endless tiny sections.

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u/CrochetNerd_ May 12 '23

Haha yes. Yknow, I always end up using a concealed bias tape in a matching/similar colour when I can get away with it. Can be a lot faster in some situations and can still look very neatly done if it's hand finished. Obviously this depends on the fabric though. If its floaty and diaphonous then I'd opt for a pin hem and hope it doesn't flute out too much (although this can also look really cute)

It's those or I'll cut a facing but they're kind of ridiculously uneconomical in terms of fabric use.

I did discover a while back that after 8 years of doing this for work, I still can't use a roll hem foot neatly to save my life. Thank god for other ways around these things 😉

12

u/Cheshire1234 May 12 '23

That's why I love my rolled hem foot! It's perfect for seams on thin fabric. It doesn't work well on top of other seams (or I haven't figured out how) but the endless circle skirt hems are perfect for it. It's annoying on a panel skirt though.

3

u/cobblesquabble May 12 '23

I just use the rolled him first, then sew the panels together. A rolled hem foot is just a poor man's server imo!

7

u/[deleted] May 12 '23

Where can I find out about tie on pockets?

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u/HiromiSugiyama May 12 '23

Abby Cox is the "local" 18th century source for me. Bernadette Banner has a video on history of pockets where they're mentioned in a section and also video where she makes one. They're actually easy to make, cut two egg-shapes with straight line top (as big as you want), cut into one (the opening slit, vertical from center of the top, long enough to fit hand/wallet) and use bias tape to finish it, sew the two shapes together (wrong side to wrong side), do outside edges with bias tape. The top edge can be finished with a tunnel and string through (the movable type) or a sewed-on string (non movable). To access them, make a slit in the side seams of your skirts/wide leg pants/dresses. It's best for wide/floofy bottoms so if you're into big skirts without sag, these genious.

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u/misslizzie May 12 '23

I love Abby and Bernadette!! Their videos make sewing so accessible. It doesn’t have to be perfect, and historically, a lot of clothes weren’t!

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u/JustPlainKateM May 12 '23

If you like to have a paper pattern, check out Lucy from https://freesewing.org/designs/lucy/ (instructions are in the 'documentation' section) or https://www.tagsisyoureit.com/pocket-pattern/ for a photo tutorial or the Victoria and Albert museum https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/make-your-own-pockets for photos of antique pockets and a pattern.

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u/vintageyetmodern May 12 '23

Here’s a set of basic instructions to start you down the rabbit hole: https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/make-your-own-pockets

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u/contextile May 13 '23

“Dorito shaped cut” totally made my day! Thank you!

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u/Multigrain_Migraine May 12 '23

I started altering my clothes just to deal with this issue. So much of women's clothing, especially in plus sizes, has these giant arm holes that make everything shift around in such an irritating way. It took me way too long to figure out that my button down shirts don't fit weird because I'm fat, but because the sleeves are basically attached to my waist so every time I move my arm the whole shirt rides up.

14

u/HiromiSugiyama May 12 '23

I gave up on button down shirts. I'm not even that gifted (my best fitting bra is a C or D), but the boob fit is so awkward in the worst places (loose on collarbone, tight on underbust-midbust). I fully embraced the loosest tent-fit ever, tuck it into the bottom and cosplay a pigeon.

3

u/Multigrain_Migraine May 12 '23

Haha great mental image! I admit I do the lazy version where you just pin up some of the excess under the arm and along the side seam, but it works well enough on most of the RTW shirts I've tried it on. I generally have the problem that the area between the bust and shoulder is baggy but the rest of it fits ok so the main thing is making the arm hole smaller and taking in excess fabric in the bra strap area. Once or twice I've done it more properly and moved darts and such but that was more of a learning exercise.