Making Your Own Clothes

There is some kind of freedom in being able to create your own clothing, polish your own style, and smack your own fashion statement. It's sort of like saying, "Mall, your stuff is too expensive and too same-looking for me." Sewing is truly a lost art in this culture, seeming to have fallen by the wayside and assumed to be an old lady's hobby. I imagine the old lady knitting in her rocking chair, a companion cat playing with her ball of yarn.

I am here to tell you - denounce the stereotype! I gained encouragement from my dear sister, an avid "master" seamstress (my opinion), who continually shows me the "wow!" factor of being able to create vintage trends and unique clothing which accentuates her personality. I recently completed my first ever fully-sewn-all-by-myself dress. The creation process was stimulating. Not only was it an affordable project ($12), but I found that in clothing creation, I can find new ways of expressing myself which cannot be satisfied by the template sameness of store bought trends. I can pick my own fabric, make my own color combinations, experiment with textures and styles you can't find in stores. I can make something contemporary. I can make something vintage. I can make something contemporary with a hint of vintage, or a hint of ethnic. I can make it fit me personally.

Here are some composite images of what I created: The Bronze Dress. It's made of two-toned taffeta, with an embroidered ribbon accenting the sleeves. I may yet put the same ribbon around the V neckline but I haven't decided yet. (Images can be clicked to enlarge.)

Here is a salwar suit variation. These added pants and shawl are from a salwar kameez suit my sister-in-law gave me from India. (I partially made the choice of bronze color so as to compliment these.)

I learned a lot on this project, specifically how to manage zipper installation. That zipper went in and came out three times while working on this. I am pleased with how it turned out.

I'm going to give a shout out to my sister by posting her seamstressing blog. You can see some of her advice for other aspiring seamstresses, as well as images of her process to create her wedding gown, here: http://seamstrissmiss.blogspot.com/