A Month of Dressmaking: Patterns

Welcome to the beginning of my new posts on monthly projects.

This month, February, I will be dressmaking in the studio. I could easily blog about dressmaking all year long but I'll calm down and complete a project this month.

I love to make my own clothes! I know sewing clothing seems anachronistic in these times of plentiful, cheap, ready-to-wear, but I believe there are still good reasons for making your own. I won't pretend that economy is one of them as my collection of fabric would mock me.

1. Fit: The reason why there are so many clothes made out of jersey fabrics is because this is the only way to get the "flexible" dress sizes needed for the mass market. If you want a dress to fit in your upper and lower body in a woven fabric you had better be a perfect dress size. That means a bra cup B and proportionate waist and hips. No matter how much weight I lose I will never be this standard size.
2. Style: I can find styles I like in high end clothing but I can't afford them. When I want unique clothing I make it myself.
3. Satisfaction: I love making things. I'd much rather spend the weekend sewing than shopping in a mall, wouldn't you?

For this month's project I am going to work with a ready-made pattern. Albeit, in Japanese. Like many of you crafters I have a collection of Japanese craft books. I get mine from Pomadour at EBay. Look under the category for Clothing Pattern Books.

There are many to choose from. The Pochee magazines are particularly good.

I'll be back in a few days with more. I'm nursing a stomach flu today.

Comments

[michelle]

Looking forward to your new plan. Wish we could sew all weekend together. I haven't been to the mall in years.

[lotusgreen]

what an amazingly interesting resource!

[mathea]

I'll be looking forward to see what you make. Hope you feel better soon!

[Susan]

Lovely new layout-very elegant, calming.
Take care.
See you soon.

[tricia]

I love all of the dresses shown...can't wait to see what you are working on:) The new blog design looks lovely too. Hope you feel better:)

[Linda Harre]

So glad to see you back:) Can't wait to see your new projects! I too, love to sew and am looking forward to seeing what you do with these patterns.

[katie]

Thank you for this link to Japanese patterns - I have looked at them now and then and wondered how easy they are to follow? I stop myself from pressing 'pay' so often because of this! Are the diagrams enough on their own?
looking forward to your clothes month - hope you conquer the flu!

[greedy nan]

I thought the same as Katie: how difficult are the Japanese patterns if you don't speak the language? Are there diagrams which are clear? Or I suppose you might have to be a bit more 'clever' when it comes to dressmaking? Will be interested to see your results.
Feel better soon.

[Jackie]

I stopped making clothes when I gradually went from being a stick to a blob . I bought a pattern a while ago and it was multi size. It said measure your height and your width and cut accordingly. My height said size eight, my width said size twenty. So I gave up.

[Aveen]

Hi juju, love the new blog design! Looking forward to seeing the dress coming together.