Did you ever sew anything major, e.g. dresses, by hand?

Yes I have made a few major things. First was a fleece jacket when they first appeared and were rather expensive. My husband was going to Iceland so I thought I would make one. I got the material, zip and cuffs from a mill and I also lined it with some warmer material and it was such a huge success that I two orders from friends. I also managed to put some side pockets in it. Also made my friend a strapless evening dress which stayed up!

Yes, back in the day. My best friend and I were into sewing in our early teens and we didn’t have a machine to use. We made purple hot pants with bibs - hers satin, mine panne velvet - just about big enough to cover our embarrassment. And white cheesecloth mini dresses with massive floaty sleeves and smocking to the bodice - we wore them to a party and I spilt Cherry B down the front of mine, which wasn’t a good look. She also unearthed some of her late grandma’s Victorian dresses and we adapted them into hippy skirts and blouses. All by hand. It was so much cheaper then to make your own.

At school we girls had to sew a dirndl skirt each . We had a choice of coloured ginghams or a dark turquoise. All hand sewn.

When we had nor much money I made a warm coat for my little boy all hand sewn.

I also sewed Christening dresses by hand. Just because it somehow seemed that they were too special to machine stitch.

In my 20s I made a checked blouse with sleeves and a corduroy two piece of waistcoat and skirt. Waistcoat was lined with two buttons and buttonholes. Seems difficult looking back but I just followed pattern. I wore that outfit a lot.
Following that I started a lined camel wool coat with tie belt. I couldnt get the collar to stiffen and whole thing looked like a shapeless sack of potatoes. Sad to say that put me off sewing.
A few years ago I treated myself to new sewing machine and overlocker.
Sadly they are both sitting untouched. I am terrified to touch them and try making sense of instructions!

Yes I made many cotton summer dresses in late 60s early 70s by hand as no access to machine. Great for setting sleeves but time consuming long side seams. Luckily time of the Mini!!!!! I even used french seams for a number of these dresses. (Also did not use thimble or finger guard and so had very sore fingers). I still enjoy hand sewing but use a thimble!

Sorry just realised topic is sewing by hand.
Did sew my own dolls clothes by hand. At college we had sewing project. I made emboidered tablecloth. Lecturer didnt like - too geometric - but I used it for many years.

I always had a sewing machine at my disposal because my Mum sewed a lot. But when I came to Germany as an au pair I did once make a halterneck dress all by hand. It was quite satisfying. I think it even had a zip.

I recently bought a pattern and some soft flannelette to make myself a dressing gown. I discovered that you can't sew flannelette on a sewing machine, so I did the whole thing by hand. I have to say I quite enjoyed doing it and am very pleased with the result.

At secondary school we were not allowed to use a machine until we could produce a satisfactory hand sewn apron. For the whole of year 4 I sewed and unpicked that damn apron. The teacher was never satisfied. To this day I can't even thread a sewing machine
Sewing a button on or mending a hem is my limit.

A silk camisole sewn on my daily train commute. I also made the bobbin lace trim. It had proper french seams using tiny stem stitches so that both sides looked neat. I wore it for years.

I've made a few hand sewn things, but the nicest to make was my twin nieces Christening dresses. Very fine white lawn. Hand smocked with iridescent beading and also embroidered. All white on white. They were so pretty. Made with a pattern copied and enlarged from a book I had. The fabric was so fine it was a delight to work with.

Those girls are mid-20's now. My mother has the dresses stored in acid free tissue paper, inside a cotton pillowcase. One was reused 10 years later for the birth of my 3rd niece.

A silk christening gown. It has french seams and edged with lace. Now been worn three times.

My Grandma made a christening gown for me in 1957. Hand sewn, smocked bodice.
Myself, my brother and sister were all christened wearing it, as were my three children.
I had it carefully put away for possible future use, but sadly we lost it in a house fire three years ago.
I do have a photo of my daughter wearing it.

Before I was 11, still at junior school, I made a dress for the baby of a family friend.
It was red gingham, a tiny check, and I was so proud of it, especially as my class teacher said it was beautiful.
Mum was a prolific maker of all things sewn, and I think I inherited a bit of her skill.

I still have the christening gown and matching shawl-type thing, hand made for my father - born 1916 - presumably by either GM or GGM. They are both silk, beautifully made with tiny pintucks and lace.

Neither siblings nor I wore them for our christenings - my mother said we were all too fat!

I have no idea what to do with them now. Dds would never throw them out, but my dd with children in particular is always IMO going to be short of storage space.
Maybe the V&A, which IIRC has displays of similar things?
Any other ideas, O wise ones?

Does an apron count?

I made one in Primary 5. Handstitched all the way, including the ties. It had a patch pocket and three rows of embroiderey at the hem and a row of embroidery on the pocket. The material was blue and white gingham check.

It took me all the autumn and winter term, but it lasted the rest of my mother's life. (She died in 2002)

I cannot remember what I made in the summer term, however hard I try.

At school I made a pair of purple knickers, all by hand, including French seams. They were horrible things, with elastic round the legs, though not quite knee length. I never wore them and I'm sure not one of my classmates would have worn hers. Then there was the blouse. The sewing teacher measured us for them over our blazers, so they were several sizes too big. My attempts at buttonholes were fantastic and not in a good way!