Sewing Bee

Find something that fits her and unpick it for a pattern.

I would love to make clothes for my DGD; but measuring her is a nightmare (she is 3 1/2) you can't get near her.

Yes I can see that some sewing is economical, but if you buy a pattern only use it once and add nice fabric on top of that, a simple skirt etc is prob still cheaper to buy in chain stores. Of course you do get originality with home created which is worth a lot.

I disagree that making clothes is uneconomic. Of course it doesn't compete with Primark etc but if you want good quality, well made outfits it is certainly worth it. I did buy 4 metres of gorgeous vintage style cotton off a market stall for £8 and made 4 lovely dresses for my 4 small granddaughters which I lined, I have seen similar , but not as nice, in Monsoon for £35 each. I also have made myself silk evening dresses , which I think would have cost well over £100 in shops such as Hobbs etc. yet only took 2.5 metres of silk which I got quite cheaply at a local Asian shop.

Like the other poster I did needlework o level at school by default. I did 3 weeks of a level maths in the 6th form and realised I didn't have a clue, so filled the gap in my timetable with an extra. O level. So glad I did as I've used those skills over the years to make a wide range of simple items. I've made simple dresses, skirts for myself, cushion covers, curtains, shorts and trousers when my boys were little and nursery stuff.

Unfortunately now it isn't cost effective to make garments as nice fabric seems so expensive. Going to make some matching cushions and table cloths for my garden furniture this summer though. And I have been trying out some bag patterns for myself and friends which I'm really pleased with. I've got a couple of patterns with several different bag designs on each and have enjoyed searching out fabric and trimmings etc. I brought some batik back from malaysia and turned it into several lovely bags for family.

I do find it sad that I'm asked by friends and relatives to do the most simple basic sewing jobs for them, like hemming etc. not because I'm not happy to do the job for them, just that it seems such a basic skill to have both for males and females.
I wouldn't attempt to make children's clothes for grandsons now as they are so cheap and lovely in the shops, just stick to knitting now for new arrivals.
If you live anywhere near salisbury there is a very comprehensive range of knitting in a shop there, near the railway station, can't remember the name. Good range of fabric too.

I love sewing but stopped making clothes some years ago when my daughters left home. The last thing I made was my daughters wedding dress eight years ago. Since then I've stuck to cushions and bags(hate plastic bags) and quilts for charity. I feel peaceful and creative when I'm sewing. Making a cookery apron and cap and embroider my initials in school colours insatin stitch put me off satin stitch for life and it wasn't until we made baby doll pyjamas that I saw the point of sewing.

I hated sewing at school as all we did was hem round an apron for about a year(or it seemed like it!). I went to sewing classes with a friend when my children were small and loved it! I am still going to classes - now doing lingerie making and evening wear! I sew everyday and have invested in super machine and overlocker. This year I have made about 4 dresses for granddaughters, a dress from a vintage pattern for myself in crepe de chine, a couple of pairs of trousers and a whole collection of silk satin lingerie in a dove grey with ivory lace trim, plus quite a few home dec things. I think the Sewing Bee did emphasise that fitting is the hardest thing in sewing, and once you know how to alter or make a pattern to fit the rest is fairly straightforward. It's a great hobby as its both creative and functional, I did try art and pottery but there's only so many wonky pots you can find room in your home for, yet you can always wear a lovely dress or change your cushions round.

I was just like you goldengirl I didn't have needlework lessons at school, I had unpicking ones! The simplest garment would take months!
After I left school I began to take it seriously and made myself some lovely clothes. I remember a denim wrap dress and some great tweed oxford bags (1970's) I recycled my maternity clothes into dresses for my daughter and made shirts for my husband and even a denim suit! I did get a book on tailoring from the library to help with that.

I gave up when fabric started to get really expensive, but now I've lost weight I'm going to have to start on some drastic alterations.

I was hopeless at sewing at school and spent most of the lessons unpicking. However at college I made most of my clothes through sheer necessity - and without a machine - and looking at photos now I'm very proud of my efforts. I used to make the children's clothes when they were small and household items such as a padded seat with valance to fit a trunk we had. I bought a new machine last year and it's still in its box and after this programme I'm looking forward to trying it out if I get a goodly wodge of time to myself. I've bought some material to cover our piano stool and some lighter fabric for the glass door to my study, so really must give it a whirl.

By the way I've just splashed out on a new mag called Reloved. Has anyone else bought it? It's expensive for a mag, even today but I couldn't resist.

shysal why embarrassed, you should feel proud of yourself, you helped your family, your sewing meant your family had nice clothes and a tie!

My Mum once made clothes for herself from her curtains. When she told me about it, I was very proud of her that instead of moaning that her Dad would not give her money for clothes she solved the problem very well on her own, as I say I was extremely proud of her knowing she did that.

I am self-taught and used to make clothes for all of us when the children were young. I am embarrassed to say that I once used a bargain fabric to make dresses for myself and daughters and a tie for hubby! I used to keep all the scraps and made patchwork pinafore dresses for DDs, which were much admired. These days I am called upon to make costumes for GD's dancing shows, but mostly it is alterations and fancy dress outfits.
I really enjoyed the Sewing Bee, and think the time constraints must have made it very difficult.
The most helpful thing I discovered when learning to sew was that ironing at each stage gives a better finish.

Thanks whenim I will have a look at that!

Nonny you can get fabric samples sent out from online sites. One I used recently was a Glasgow remnant shop which sells lovely designer materials that are end of range, and I got a great bargain. I've got a fabric shop nearby, and John Lewis are local, but neither could beat some of the good quality materials I've bought online in the last year.

I used to do a lot of sewing when I was younger and would like to take it up again however there are no good places to buy fabrics here. It is best to see and feel materials which you can't do on line.
I enjoyed the programme too.I thought the lady who won would do so from the start as she obviously had the experience and flair which showed from the start. A similar programme for knitters would be interesting and resources may be easier to find.

I loved the series and was so pleased Ann won. I thought she was wonderful and the black evening dress was superb. I still make things; skirts for myself, curtains and blinds sometimes. I made dresses for my DGDs from Liberty type prints; they loved them and my DD called them the Von Trapp dresses. I "did" cookery and needlework at school, but didn't learn a thing. My mother, who made all our clothes (with a lot of cursing and sighing), taught me to sew and I taught myself to cook. If some of the next generation choose not to do it, I would think it is for convenience sake or because their parents haven't passed the skills on. it certainly isn't cheap to make clothes or to hand knit any more, so I think you would only do that for pleasure. My DD sews a bit (mostly ribbons on ballet shoes) and she and my DS are both excellent cooks. Not sure we taught them much directly, but I suppose the example was there and good food was very important in our family life.

thats brilliant, its good to hear that we are actually doing stuff, when I was pregnant we could not afford to buy loads of maternity wear so I bought some material and made a smock that my sister later used, i was so proud at that smock looking back, not so much at the time, just as I looked back.

I would love to turn my love of sewing into some kind of a business but I truly would not know were to start.

That's just reminded me - I have done smocking by hand when my daughters were small. Forgotten it till now!

I will Bez. They made it look so easy on the Sewing Bee!

Do let us know how you get on with the shirring elastic when - my mother was good at that but I have never tried it. She also did smocking by hand for me when I was little.

Dining chair pads and a jersey pencil skirt in the last year. I have some material for cushion covers for my daughter, but now I've watched those little summer dresses being made, I'm going to have a crack at some for my toddler grandaughters.

Curtains quite recently but in the clothing line a dress for my DGD about 12 years ago - had cherries on the fabric.

The last thing I made was a skirt for myself..how about you..what was the last thing you made.

I quite liked the dress made by the youngest girl, I think it was well made

Either way it was a brilliant show and hope they do make it again

I have a sewing machine sitting in the cupboard, I hope to make time and use it very soon.

Yes, I'd love to see her on TV. I noticed that Jo, who won one of the Great British Bake Offs, has been on QVC type programmes, demonstrating KitchenAid mixers, and she wrote a cookbook. I'd prefer to see winners like Ann and Jo on networked TV programmes like the Home Made series Kirsty Allsopp did, which inspired me to try a few crafts.

By necessity and in 'another life', I made many of my own clothes. I was taught by my mother and my professional dressmaker aunt. Not having achieved the Latin stream at my girls' grammar school, I joined the domestic science stream which included needlework and basic cookery. Guess what?...skills learned in my stream turned out to be much more useful than learning Latin!
None of the young women of my acquaintance is capable of even sewing on a button and most of them depend on ready meals, take outs and restaurants for their nourishment. Call me old fashioned, but I think that's a sad indictment of our education system - their lives are the poorer because they lack those skills.
That should bring out the bra-burners!
Ann was a lesson to us all - patience, competence, politeness, pride - she had it all in spades and I was so glad when she won. GN lets start a campaign to get her on the telly again!