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Not clothes, but I sew bed covers and window treatments
Same here. I'm a pro at straight lines.
My mom still sews most of her clothes, but she wears lots of shift type dresses. I'm not near good enough a seamstress to sew anything other than a skirt....which I would rarely wear.
There are definite ways to get fabric inexpensively.
For plus sized ladies, it is infinitely cheaper to make clothes than it is to buy them!
Some tips:
1. Learn to redo thrift store finds, as mentioned above.
2. Raid someone's fabric stash. If you know someone who used to like to sew, chances are they have a stash they wouldn't mind parting with.
3. Thrift store sheets or other bed linens! I can get a king sized flat sheet for $4. That's a ton of fabric. And there are some cute retro sheets out there.
4. In the same vein, drapery. I have found some great valances that became easy and cute skirts. Those are $1-2!
5. Patterns are ALWAYS going on sale. Yes, the MSRP is high, but I only buy patterns for under $3. WalMart has a number of patterns for $2.50ish, and Joanns, Hancock, and Hobby Lobby frequently (as in, more than once a month) have patterns on sale for 99 cents.
I love to sew. Since I am plus sized, I can't get things ready-made for $4. Anywhere. If I'm lucky, I will stumble on something for $10. For $10, I can make a dress and two skirts.
I used to sew a lot and made my own clothes. But, as a lot have said, it just got too expensive. That's sad because there was such a sense of accomplishment when I finished. Especially if someone asked me where I bought it so they could get one.
It doesn't save money. You can buy clothes at a Ross and other discount clothing stores, for far less than it costs to buy fabric and patterns.
It used save money to sew clothing but now that there is so much mass produced, cheap clothing, it's less expensive (and less time consuming) to simply buy a garment.
Sewing is a hobby now, not something done to save money. The only exception is it does save to mend your own clothes rather than taking them to a tailor.
The only time it is frugal to sew clothing is when it is a specialty item or it contains a lot of hand work. Other than that, fabric has gotten so expensive that it is cheaper to buy clothing.
The price of patterns has gotten insane. Fabric and notions have increased greatly in price and reduced greatly in quality. It's not worth putting the time in to sew.
I agree with the above- made all my own clothes when I was in HS and college but the prices of fabric and patterns are crazy. I'm also old enough to remember the days when pattern pieces were on individual sheets- then they started grouping small pieces together and now you have to cut out all the pieces before you can even lay it out on the fabric. Big PITA.
I do have a sewing machine and the skills I learned definitely help me keep my clothes longer because I can mend them, replace buttons, etc.
It doesn't save money. You can buy clothes at a Ross and other discount clothing stores, for far less than it costs to buy fabric and patterns.
It used save money to sew clothing but now that there is so much mass produced, cheap clothing, it's less expensive (and less time consuming) to simply buy a garment.
Sewing is a hobby now, not something done to save money. The only exception is it does save to mend your own clothes rather than taking them to a tailor.
I'm sorry your area doesn't have quality material to create your own clothing.
If you are an accomplished sewist, and you search out quality fabrics, you can save money sewing quality, beautifully fitted clothes. But, no, you cannot save money making tee shirts and pull on pants.
For me, fit issues I could not resolve, and time, were the reasons I stopped sewing my clothes years ago. I began working part time, and I just could not find time or mental energy to sew clothes for myself.
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