Value in making your own

I would have loved to have made the DGC’s christening gowns if they’d been christened! They’re all boys anyway, but DS was baptised early so we could get away with the intricate gown and bonnet I’d made for his sisters before him. That sort of thing is still a joy to make, and still worth it financially as well.

tailoress, not tailored, for Pete’s sake!

My great aunt was a tailored too, phoebes. Highly skilled. She would always correct anyone who said she was a seamstress.

I can sew, used to make a lot of my own and DDs’ clothes, but don’t now. I don’t find it as satisfying when I can buy much cheaper. I still make curtains for the family though, which is worth it financially. I haven’t changed my own for more years than I care to remember.

I enjoy sewing and listening to radio 4 as I sew. My dresses are simple but unique and must less expensive than anything comparable on sale.

My grandmother was a tailoress.

The value? Wow.. We all know that it's more expensive to make certain things but it's not about the money. It's great to produce to others something we have done ourselves. A cake ,clothing, something we have grown or even our ideas. It's good for an individual's well being our self esteem and passing skills on for further generations is priceless. I have a friend who was never taught how to thread a needle who throws clothes away because a button fell off ! I don't have skills to make a suit but can hem trousers and sew buttons on??

Does it matter if there is monetary value in it my son's mil is a wonderful seamstress and takes pride in what she creates

I have started to learn to sew with a little Chinese lady who trained at the London School of Fashion. I also study pattern cutting with a lady who used teach at Huddersfield Uni, as well as Canada, India, Turkey etc. I met both these ladies whenI joined the Labour Party. I do feel blessed that they are now both my friends. I think you are never too old to learn a new skill. For the lady who’d like to put new zips in her trousers, go on YouTube (the university of everything).

I am ashamed to say I can hardly sew a button on. Just never had the slightest inclination to sew or knit, but wish I was interested in these crafts. I admire creative people who can make their own clothes, and am sure the pleasure and satisfaction they get from their skill outweighs the fact that sometimes it may be cheaper to buy ready made.

Absolutely! Even if you just make curtains and cushion covers you will save £££. Who wants to pay £25 for a cushion? Not me!

There probably isn't much value in sewing generally as few people can both appreciate and afford to pay for the skill, fabrics and time it would take to make a 'made-to-measure' one-of-a-kind item. I would love to be able to pay for clothes to be made just for me. I would also love to be able to sew! The past few years I've been wishing I'd paid attention as a child or could find someone to teach me at least the basics. My mum & nan were both pretty handy with a sewing machine; I'm not even 100% that the machine I have works. Ideally I'd love to be able to replace zips, especially the ones in 2 pairs of trousers I loved and would love to wear again but both have broken zips. I would like to make my own clothes and maybe a few household items like cushion covers and pillowcases (including v-pillowcases). If I ever come into money I'd get a craft/sewing room and pay for a tutor - and employ a good seamstress to make me some beautiful clothes while I was learning. Hats off to some of you that have this great skill already.

I used to make a lot of clothes for myself until a ‘friend’ said to me ‘your clothes always look so good for home-made’. I took that as a backhanded compliment but cut back on the sewing!

I just love to make my own clothes. Its not for what I save, though I must admit I do save quite a bit a times but for the simple reason I cn make something that I know I will like and no-one else will have one the same. I have use clothes from the charity shops in the past, especially long dresses that you can cut down and change.

This year I have taken up knitting again as I wanted a part wool jumper in a particular colour and style. As I couldn't get one I decided to to knit it and set myself a target of at least 20 rows a night so it should be finished for November.

To answer question in OP - I think nowadays the monetary value of being able to sew is the ability to mend clothes and make them last longer, or alter - even just turning up hems. If you look at the cost of minor alterations, replacing zips etc., doing it yourself is definitely a money saver.

I used to follow this blog:
sozowhatdoyouknow.blogspot.com/2015/
It was wet and miserable here today so I went back to one of my warm wool skirts which I made years ago. I've got 3, blue shades, brown shades and burgundy. They never wear out as they're 100% wool.
I bought the fabric from a Scottish company, it costs a fortune now.
I don't sew any more [sad} because my eyesight and hand coordination have deteriorated with old age.

I’m planning to make some trousers as shop ones rarely fit. I have some old curtains to make a trial pattern and do alterations.

I’m trying to use up fabrics that have been around for a while. There are some groups on Facebook where up cycling from charity shops is popular so lots of ideas about. Pinterest has interesting projects for up cycles as well.

It’s become a bit of a challenge for me now

I think the value is in the pleasure at producing something handmade. I don't sew too much but create other crafted things and some probably cost me more to make than if I went out and bought it. But the things I make , are made with love and received with pleasure . That's priceless.

crystaltips, how lucky you were to have studied the subject, I'm self taught and got to grips with quite a lot but pattern cutting is a real skill. I totally agree with you about people not wanting to pay the price a handmade garment or other item is really worth. No one fully understands the time involved especially if some of the elements are best done by hand. I was asked many years ago about making a large quilt for someone (I had done some small cushion covers for a shop) I worked out the price in hours not including the fabric and it was astronomical so just declined.
I took best part of 3 months to make my suit but that's because I was learning new techniques, finishing all the seams by hand and taking my time to get the fit right...I even made a toile to personalise the fit. It was a task I had set myself and I really wanted to enjoy the process.
I have enjoyed the 'Sewing bee' programmes but I would never enjoy having to rush through a project as they do. If I hit a problem or something unusual I like to mull it over for a day or two and find the best solution.

I have a huge stash of excellent fabrics, many Japanese and some double layered plus silks and boiled wools. It does pay to be discriminatory about what to make and to work slowly, first to adapt the pattern to suit body shape and then create a muslin. Those up and down skirts and shapeless tops, they just rely on the fabric and really not on garment fitting skill. So get the good fabric, they are worth making if sewn carefully

My home made knitteds are worth far far more than bought, I spin fine fibres into beautiful yarns eg a mix of silk, cashmere and merino or seacell and silk for short sleeved tops

I agree with crystaltips, one or two garments a year, having made a muslin. That is what I will be aiming for in future

Rockgran I have made muslins for tops from cheap linen from ebay, liked them so much that I finished them properly and wore them all summer

I also love indie patterns, the unusual, not mass produced

I've just made myself some brushed cotton pyjamas - proper jacket style with collar. The fabric cost £8 from the local market and I used a pattern that has been used countless times for blouses, etc. They are a perfect fit. I love to sew as a hobby - Bargain!

I’ve studied couture sewing and we tended to make “special occasion ” type garments - evening and bridal wear in fine fabrics such as silk, chiffon and lace , and although it could takes months to finish certainly did save £££s compared to designer outfits of a similar quality plus because we have to make several toiles to fit, they were custom made . Now I like to see shop or catwalk designs then cut my own patterns and make similar styles. Off the peg garments are frequently badly made and finished and skimp on the material unless you pay a premium , so I always think my one or two garments per year are saving money and look better, Of course I don’t factor in the hours it takes, but as it’s a hobby and I enjoy doing it it’s not an issue. When people ask me to make them an outfit I always say no (apart from family) as I could never charge the full price it would actually cost.

The value for money element is interesting - certain things such as shirts or semi-tailored blouses or basic skirts are not really worth making yourself if you have to start from scratch with a pattern, fabric, interlining etc. Where I have really gained value for money is when I was making costumes or fancy dress and I had a good stash of 'found' fabrics and trimmings. I also feel that special garments that really need to be well fitted and finished are worth doing yourself. I made a complex wool suit for myself for the cost of the fabric and lining - not cheap at approx. £80 but to buy similar in somewhere like Jaeger (if they still existed in their old form AND stocked all British made goods) it would have been a good £300. Its going to last me out and as I used a very classic 1950s inspired pattern will never be either in or out of fashion!
To be honest, however it was much more about the challenge I was setting myself rather than the monetary value.

I wasn't being serious, I just misread. Didn't mean to set off the grammar police alarm!

I find it a bit jarring when people pronounce it seemstress though, I say semstress.

LondonGranny, sorry no - a seamstress is a woman who earns her living from sewing, not just someone who sews for herself or as a hobby.

There is nothing wrong with the word 'sewer' - we all know from the context which pronunciation and definition is intended. There are plenty of words in the English language that have more than one definition - 'desert' for example, either a barren area where it rarely rains or, as a verb, to abandon someone. We can 'lie' down or we can tell a 'lie'; 'refuse' to do something, or put rubbish in the 'refuse' bin. And there are many more.

So I'm sticking with 'sewer'. And definitely not that horrid word that seems to be growing in usage: 'sewist' ugh!

Doodledog
I unravel charity shop jumpers (not acrylic ones although acrylic is fine for egg cosies and tea cosies because they are more likely to get stained and are easier to wash) and reknit in a design I prefer. It's also possible to recycle moth-eaten stuff this way. Invisible mending is often too hard on a knitted garment.