[tatataterri]

I do want to sew for myself! It is way more stressful though… Getting a good fit, potentially wasting a lot of nice fabric, different kinds of fabrics.. I have made a couple skirts for myself successfully and I dream of having a ( more subtle) ms frizzle wardrobe when I go back to teaching. I’d like to get better though, and I’m going to try out the attaché dress soon

[meleliza]

I love Nordstrom! I order from them most of the time, but I keep meaning to make a personal shopper appointment. There’s one out in the burbs i like, so it’s a small hassle to get to, but it’s worth it. I like their bra selection and just watch frequently and stock up whenever there’s a sale. ( I have an unusual size and can’t find it anywhere else that isn’t a pricy boutique. ) and their shoes! Oh, their shoes.

My mother bought a pair of not your daughters jeans and she seems to think it makes her cool. But I can’t find out what specifically people like about them. Are they higher rise? Not so tight? And when your daughter is 2, what exactly does “not your daughters” mean? I mean, of course I’m not wearing my daughters jeans?

[JenniferP]

Not your daughter’s jeans have a slimming panel in them that sucks in your tummy. You can find similar pants with this feature at Kohl’s as well (docker’s brand?). My problem is my legs are a 35″ inseam, so I have a hard time finding pants that are long enough. The pricier brands seem to be more generous in that regard. I love Banana Republic for pants, they are always long enough and I have scored some fabulous clearance finds ($12 cords last year!).

[sarahd2711]

I make a lot of my clothes, probably more than I do for my daughter because she has so many hand me downs, etc. Vogue 8379, a knit wrap dress, is one of my go-to patterns for dresses for work. Looking at the line drawings on women’s patterns is key – sometimes its hard to get past the styling and fabric on the envelope patterns. I second (or third?) the recommendation for the washi dress. It’s got enough shaping to not be sack-like but still very comfortable. I’m wearing one today 🙂

[Maggie]

Wow! That Vogue dress looks great. I might have to get that one. I have some lovely knits. I keep saying I’ll make something for me…someday.

[mcholley1]

Sarvi, I’m one of the ones that joined the group and haven’t posted yet. I promise I’ll try to fix that this week.

I like my clothes to have some structure. I prefer woven to slinky or stretchy….but that makes the perfect fit trickier to achieve. So, I usually don’t sew for myself. I have, however, vowed to remedy that this year. If I am shopping for “nicer than my everyday” clothes I tend to almost always find myself at LOFT or Ann Taylor. I do like their styles but am mainly there b/c they are one of the few stores I can wear off the rack. I need a petite and usually that means granny styles everywhere else (at least at our local stores).

The one pattern I have made over and over for myself is the wiksten tank. I’ve also made a smattering of the lisette patterns but don’t find I’ve worn them all that much b/c I need to make petite adjustments and have yet to do it just right.

[cybele727]

Sing it on the petite adjustment process! So hard.

[Liesl Gibson]

I finally had a few minutes to look at what you’ve posted to the Flickr group so far, and it’s very helpful! Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. At some point in the near future I may ask you for some feedback of the styles we’re developing too, if you can keep a secret! Keep it coming, will you? Thanks for your help!

[with love Heidi]

I was just thinking how helpful it would be to have some fitting/style guides/guide lines with patterns. Things like what it would look like on different figure types and/or how different sized/proportioned figures fit the pattern. I was hoping this sort of info would help us to get an idea of if it would work for us or not rather than having to take so much of a guess, and only finding out after making it up that it doesn’t work and being disappointed. A few people have mentioned petite adjustments and I remembered I have to make them the other way! as I am over 6′ tall and not skinny. I was also thinking about how women’s patterns are made for people 5’6″ (I think), but what about having some different heights as well. Kids patterns have height as a variable but adult patterns presume we’re all the same height. It’s probably easier with kids as they increase in height as they increase everywhere else. Sorry this is rather random.

[avashmava]

I agree, Heidi! It can be hard enough to shop in a store and know what might look good on your body type when you can actually try things on, much less looking at patterns that are only modeled on super skinny girls. I’m a 5’8″ pear, size 8 RTW on top and at the waist and 14 RTW bottom. I probably try on 15-20 garments for every 1 that I purchase. Pants and skirts always need taken in at the waist and tops are never long enough and also short under the arms.

I have to lengthen everything by 2-3″, tops and bottoms, which is my primary reason for sewing for myself. I won’t even attempt to make something like a fitted shirt, jacket or blazer before learning where and how to lengthen in the right places. I’m too new at this!

[Liesl Gibson]

Oh, I completely agree! That’s one of the many things I love about Vogue patterns, actually. They have little symbols telling you what body shape the pattern will look best for. It’s certainly not fool-proof, but it’s really helpful.

I’m very pear-shaped and my legs are much wider (more muscular) than the rest of my body, so I need to be conscious of that when I dress. Skinny pants are a terrible idea for me unless I balance them with some sort of tunic that covers my hips and part of my thighs. My strategy has been to try on a lot of things (and I HATE to shop!), see what looks good, and use that formula when I shop and sew. Just because a top is cute doesn’t mean it will be cute on ME. Does that make sense?

There are also quite a few books and TV shows (What Not to Wear?) that can offer guidance. But I think it would be wonderful to help people with those ideas when you’re sewing. It’s on my To Do list, for sure. Now I just need more hours in a day! Thanks for all your input, everyone, and please keep the ideas and photos coming. The photos are especially helpful. Feel free to link to things you love, too. Do try to keep in mind whether they would really look good on you when you link. I’m aiming to design your all-time favorite clothing, here: the items you come back to again and again. Not staples, necessarily, but the special items that you wonder what you did without them!

[avashmava]

Thanks for the Vogue tip, Liesl! I will check them out. I love watching What Not to Wear! Although I have a lot left to learn, Stacey and Clinton have helped me soooooo much!

And funny, I guess I would have never thought you were a pear–you’re so slim! You camouflage very well!

[cybele727]

Here is another thing about sewing for the self vs the kiddos. I mostly make their clothes is 100% cotton, be it twill, corduroy, voile, quilt/apparel weight print, knit.

But for us, the fabric range becomes a bit different, especially if making dresses or work type clothing. So then I begin to wonder, how can I tell if a fabric will pill? I hate pilling and I hate putting all that work in just to have it look nasty, especially if I am making work clothing (the basic hourglass dress with variations on the neck line and sleeve to make it seem different).

[violetvata]

Also, I don’t know how everyone feels about this, but when I sew for me,and invest time and energy into fitting and using good materials, I expect it to last for YEARS (maybe like 5-10), unlike with the kids clothes, so I really want it to be timeless. You are a master of this, Liesl, so I have no worries, but just putting it out there. Simple, timeless, easy to embellish basics is exactly what I am looking for 🙂

[LucyM]

Before I became a mother, I sewed about 85-90% of my wardrobe. I prefer dresses and fitted shirt suits. Wool crepe is my favorite fabric so sewing was a willing investment since I could wear the clothes for years. Sewing was and remains a productive outlet for my crazy stress.

These days, I sew for my daughter. It is more fun and it is fast. Since becoming a mother, my life has changed. Much of the change is unrelated to motherhood. Consequently, the little time I can steal away to sew is devoted to sewing for Addie.

I will sew for myself again. Clothes shopping is such a chore, and the quality and fit are lacking. It is easier for me to fit my buxom figure from scratch than to alter ready-to-wear. Besides, my stash is scandalous! It is time to lighten the load. I have vowed to work on my wardrobe this summer.