If you enjoy sewing and are a fan of fashion, there is nothing to stop you making clothes for yourself or your family – and you don’t even need to buy patterns!
With a little skill, a lot of practice and a healthy dose of imagination, you could soon be making a wide range of unique clothing that will be the envy of your friends.
According to the Telegraph, making your own clothes is not only good for your pocket but will also give you a sense of achievement and allow you to know exactly where your garments come from.
Here are 10 tips that will make sewing without a pattern a lot easier:
Examine shop-bought clothes
Start by taking a look in your wardrobe. Are there clothes in there you would like to recreate? If they are no longer used, take them apart and use them as templates.
Get the measurements
Getting your measurements right is essential if you are to make clothes that fit perfectly. Be sure to measure accurately and write the figures down for future reference.
Keep it simple
Keep your designs plain and simple, at least to start with, and you won’t go far wrong. Leave the trickier items until you have had lots of practice.
Buy enough fabric
Stocking up on your favourite fabric, which may be cotton poplin fabric from stockists, means you won’t run out in the middle of a project. Look out for spaces within your house or garden to store your fabric. It could be within your shed as long as you have appropriate garage shelving which is sourced from https://www.garage-shelving.co.uk.
Get the iron out
Ironing your fabric before you start makes it easier to handle and cut.
Buy a dummy
Using a tailor’s dummy makes the job a whole lot easier; an adjustable one is best.
Trim as you go
Trimming and pressing seams as you go along is much simpler than doing it later. Make this a habit.
Try it on
If you are making the garment for yourself, try it on regularly to ensure it is heading in the right direction – and that it fits, of course.
Use the right stitch
Most sewing machines have different types of stitches for different fabrics, such as stretchy material, so ensure you are using the correct one.
Go large
Always try to make your garments bigger than you need rather than smaller. It is far easier to take something in than increase its size!