You are so talented!! Did you teach yourself to sew? And as an avid jumpsuit and off the shoulder wearer and clothes hoarder, I would love to try my hand at sewing my own clothes! I love that pencil case you made too! I have been loving browsing your fabulous creations, your keen eye, creativity and flair for what you do does not go unnoticed! Can't wait to see more
Thanks Mango!! That means so much!
Yes I taught myself to sew! I have never used any patterns, (I did buy one, but it looked really complicated and I didn't know how to use it really). I start by tracing the shape of clothes that I already have onto material. When you're learning, I recommend buying material at an opshop because you can get it really cheaply and so you don't have to worry about ruining expensive material. I had a really old Singer sewing machine (maybe 50 years old) that I my Grandma gave to me, but around a year ago it stopped working so I bought a really basic beginner Singer sewing machine at Spotlight for around $100.
At first I was a bit impatient, (and I sometimes still am) and I didn't really take the time to measure the clothes or use a ruler, so most things I made were a bit lopsided or didn't fit me properly.
Recently, I have started putting in darts, (which I think are necessary unless the material is very stretchy, they make the clothes fit and sit better.
Basically, now, I trace the shape of clothes on the material, or I make it a different shape,
There's some kind of chalk you can buy, but I just use watercolour pencils.
Then I cut around it leaving enough for the seam. Then I pin it together where I want to sew and try it on. I move the pins around to make sure it fits properly. (I want to buy a dressmaking dummy thing so that I don't have to continuously be taking it on and off
So many pin pricks)
With darts I think you can sort of see where they go by where the fabric creases or doesn't sit right, and so I pinch in a place where it's needed and pin it and sew it
Sorry that was a confusing sentence . It might be better to just copy it off where it is on a top you already have.
Then I fold the hems over twice and pin them and sew along them.
Or I don't because I get lazy once I've almost finishedDon't worry if your clothes are unwearable to start with I have many tops/dresses under my bed and in my cupboard that I have made then hidden away because i could not possibly wear them in public! It is only recently that I feel confident wearing a few of the things I have made in public!
I am still yet to try making proper sleeves, they look scary and I haven't tried them yet!
I recently watched some Youtube videos on sewing too, and it helps to see a visual of someone sewing.
Also, you might want to start by modifying clothes you already have that you don't want anymore, which might be more simple.
I too love jumpsuits and also have too many clothes!
I hope this was helpful! If you have any more questions please ask them or pm me! I look forward to seeing your sewing!