Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with sewing and clothes

Cheap, good dressmakers in London?

shewhoeats — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 06:25:39 -0800

I have a dress that I love. I want more dresses just like the dress that I love. Help me find someone in London who will make me cute dresses! I bought a dress last year from a high street retailer, and I absolutely adore it. It's a perfect cut for me, I look damn cute in it (if I may say so myself), it works for work and play, winter and summer. But it's only the one dress. I'd love to have it reverse engineered and several copies made of it in different fabrics. Short of rustling myself up a crafty friend with a sewing machine, how do I do this in a vaguely affordable way?

A search for tailors or dressmakers in London just brings up endless bespoke Saville row tailors and high end dressmakers (all far, far out of my budget), and I'm having trouble searching for the right thing. Any recommendations for tailors/dressmakers/seamstresses(seampersons?) in London who could do this kind of thing would be much appreciated.

Sewing Machine upgrade worth it?

GardenGal — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:28:45 -0800

"Gift" of a sewing machine upgrade - do I want it? My husband wants to get me a new sewing machine for my birthday. I think $1000 is not out of his price range.

I've been using a Kenmore Mini Ultra for several years now, and it's been pretty good to me. It seems to do the basics - regular flat cotton and slightly thicker fabrics - just fine. It has three stitch lengths, a zigzag, a buttonholer and a hem stitch that works only ok (or maybe I'm just not good at it). With only one tuneup, it's been very reliable.

However, we now have a baby and I've been trying to sew her a lot of clothes, and discovering some limitations. Cotton jersey - essential for onesies and shirts - is giving me problems. And I'm thinking little chiffon skirts for future fairy costumes will be a downright PITA. I'd like to sew all our jeans too, but I'm not 100% sure this machine will do the thick layers of denim gracefully.

I'm pretty darn frugal, so it's hard for me to justify spending all that money (it's my money too) when I have something that already works okay. What can you tell me about the more expensive machines? What do they provide - besides fancy embroidery patterns that I don't need - that could justify the cost? What do you get for all that money?

And yes I've read all the threads on which sewing machine to pick, but if any of you wanted to mention your favorites here too, I'm listening. :)

Sewing baby clothes

oneirodynia — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:30:48 -0800

Sewing baby clothes- I have a friend's shower coming up, and I'd like to make something fabulous for an infant baby girl. Patterns you've made, pictures of clothes you love, general info on good and bad baby clothes, fabrics, fasteners, &c. I've got a sewing machine and a nice serger, and I'm a decent seamstress. So far, the patterns I've browsed online have been pretty uninspiring. I'd like to make something cute, useful, (washable !), and just generally fabulous. However, if you know of something basic that's much needed by parents-to-be, feel free to suggest that too. Suggestions also don't have to be limited to purely baby clothes.

(In 'clothing, beauty, and fashion', because for some reason there isn't a 'kids' category.)

making shirts from sarongs

tristanshout — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 11:53:46 -0800

How much fabric/yardage is necessary to make a man's shirt? details I have a huge stack of Indonesian sarongs in snappy plaids. They run in inches 73 x 51. Would it be possible to turn these into MEN'S shirts, short-sleeved or long-sleeved?

Looking for a Seamstress in London

drill_here_fore_seismics — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 05:08:08 -0800

Looking for a good, affordable seamstress in London (UK)(preferably East London) who makes and/or copies ladies clothes. Recommendations, suggestions and/or ideas on how to find one are all welcome.