Hello All! In need of some advice...

Hello Everybody,

My name is Mike and I'm 22 in North Carolina. I have become
interested in sewing for several different reasons:

A. The clothes that I like, the styles that I like, and the look that
I like - I cannot afford to support myself in my tastes.
B. Most of the clothes that I am interested in date back to the late
1800's - the Victorian Era; therefore, IF the articles of clothing I
like can be found, they can only be found online - and at exorbitant
prices.
C. I like being able to have one type of clothing in many different
colors - choose the design I like, and identically duplicate it in
other colors.
D. I would like to design my own clothes.

Now, all this being said, I AM NOT a clothes freak (no offense to
those of you who are.) I just like what I like, I abhor what I abhor,
and I want to have more control over what I wear. Lately, I have been
settling for being more than slightly displeased with my appearance,
largely because the clothes I want don't exist anymore or are
inordinately expensive (i.e. smoking jackets.)

So, I had a wonderful notion. If I have such exacting standards when
it comes to the clothes I wear, and if I dream of the day when I could
have a tailor to custom make all of my garments, why not just make the
garments myself? Why not be my own tailor?

I am sure that many of you may be vomiting at my apparent naïveté when
it comes to sewing, but I'll be honest: I don't know much at all about
sewing. So I came to you ladies.

Can someone help me with choosing a good (low-budget) machine? And
what about MEN'S patterns? How do I create my own designs? Where can
I learn these things? And how can I spin my idea about making my own
clothes to my girlfriend so that she doesn't think I'm packing to move
to San Francisco? Are there any male sewers/home-clothes-makers out
there?

Treading on shaky and unfamiliar territory,

Mike

The Southern Gentleman wrote:
Hello Everybody,

My name is Mike and I'm 22 in North Carolina. I have become
interested in sewing for several different reasons:

Hi there, Mike! Welcome!

A. The clothes that I like, the styles that I like, and the look that
I like - I cannot afford to support myself in my tastes.
B. Most of the clothes that I am interested in date back to the late
1800's - the Victorian Era; therefore, IF the articles of clothing I
like can be found, they can only be found online - and at exorbitant
prices.
C. I like being able to have one type of clothing in many different
colors - choose the design I like, and identically duplicate it in
other colors.
D. I would like to design my own clothes.

This is why a lot of us make our own clothes.

Now, all this being said, I AM NOT a clothes freak (no offense to
those of you who are.) I just like what I like, I abhor what I abhor,
and I want to have more control over what I wear. Lately, I have been
settling for being more than slightly displeased with my appearance,
largely because the clothes I want don't exist anymore or are
inordinately expensive (i.e. smoking jackets.)

Once you see the time and skill involved you will see that they are not
inordinately expensive at all. Expensive, yes, I grant you, but well
made and HAND made clothes require a lot of skill to make them look
good, and a great deal of time. Time is sometimes three quarters of the
cost of a suit, as much of the hidden work is hand crafted, and there is
no substitute! If you are making only for yourself, this is the area
you save on. You can also make HUGE savings on good fabric when you
know what to look for and where to look! Most of my sources are here in
the UK, so not a lot of use to you, but do pop in and look at my Fabric
List some time - see below for URL

So, I had a wonderful notion. If I have such exacting standards when
it comes to the clothes I wear, and if I dream of the day when I could
have a tailor to custom make all of my garments, why not just make the
garments myself? Why not be my own tailor?

It's an excellent notion.

I am sure that many of you may be vomiting at my apparent naïveté when
it comes to sewing, but I'll be honest: I don't know much at all about
sewing. So I came to you ladies.

Not all here are ladies! We have a bloke or two lurking amongst the
rolls of fabric! And remember that WE ALL STARTED WHERE YOU ARE
NOW! For some of us that was a long time ago, but we all started
not knowing which way fabric should go, what pattern pieces were, and
how to use scissors!

Can someone help me with choosing a good (low-budget) machine? And
what about MEN'S patterns? How do I create my own designs? Where can
I learn these things? And how can I spin my idea about making my own
clothes to my girlfriend so that she doesn't think I'm packing to move
to San Francisco? Are there any male sewers/home-clothes-makers out
there?

Most low budget new machines are not worth the money. Read this nice
FAQ and think about what you really need to do the job you want.
http://www.cet.com/~pennys/faq/smfaq.htm

I strongly suggest that you look at pre-loved mechanical machines with a
decent raft of household/utility stitches, invest in an OLDER copy of
the Reader's Digest Complete Book of Sewing (the one with the tailoring
section in it, not the one with the serger section - used book shops and
thrift/charity shops are where it usually turns up).

Buy your machine from a local sewing machine store where they do
repairs: you'll get much better service, help will be on hand, and when
you are ready to buy a fancier new machine some time down the line,
you'll have a good knowledge of the shop and what they can offer.

Treading on shaky and unfamiliar territory,

We all do that! It's part of the fun...

Oh, and here's a sight for historic patterns that might have something
you would like to make: http://www.patternsoftime.com/

Start slowly, with something simple, while you learn to control the
machine and familiarise yourself with the techniques, the technology,
the jargon of sewing, and the fun you can have. And if you like, pop in
to my site (URL below - safe on the wallet as I sell nothing through it)
and look in the Resources and Learning Zone sections for some simple
advice and ideas to get you started.

Mike


--
Kate XXXXXX R.C.T.Q Madame Chef des Trolls
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.katedicey.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

Welcome, Mike!

You have EXCELLENT reasons for wanting to learn to sew. Don't expect to
put out Brooks Brothers quality from day 1, but be patient and you will
get there.

We have men here who sew for themselves and for their sweeties, so you
are in good company (Make your girlfriend clothes, and she will love you
for it).

I will leave everybody else to more details, but here are two ideas:

For a low-budget machine to start with, check local newspaper or
Craigslist classifieds and thrift stores in your area to find a 50s or
60s era machine in good condition and start with that.

There are patterns out there, or you can buy pattern drafting software
if you are not particularly close to a ready-to-wear pattern size.

The Southern Gentleman wrote:
Hello Everybody,

My name is Mike and I'm 22 in North Carolina. I have become
interested in sewing for several different reasons:

snip

Mike


G'day Mike!

I heartily endorse everything Kate said and I thought I'd add a bit of
info that might give you some motivation. Years ago, I had a friend who
had exactly the same point of view as you. Not only that, but he was a
somewhat stout friend and had trouble purchasing clothing that *fit*.
Not only *that*, but he was also into theatre in a big way and wanted to
be able to make his own costumes.

Peter was twenty when he purchased a good secondhand mechanical machine
(polishing nails: on my recommendation) and a Good Book on How To Sew. I
lost touch with Peter for quite a few years, but he wrote me to say he'd
mastered the art of making business shirts and was currently making
funky-fabric shirts with white sleeves and collars (not entirely sure
why...). He had no difficulty in learning to sew from his Good Book, but
felt he needed professional instruction. Later, I heard that Peter had
taken himself off to do formal lessons in tailoring and was now making
his own *suits* to measure!

Peter would be forty now and AFAIK, he'd still be making his clothing
and (if he hasn't changed) probably importing unique fabrics in order to
do it.

Another male friend asked me what I'd suggest for an interesting
sewing-based art form. He didn't want to do embroidery, had already
conquered knitting and wanted something absorbing to do on cold winter
evenings. I suggested quilting. That was twenty years ago as well! LOL!
This friend is now a most skilled quilter and is giving me advice on my
own hesitant beginning steps at quilting.

The moral of these stories is: sewing is enormously satisfying and
challenging and creative and fun. Don't let us women be the sole
possessors of all that good stuff! Get into it! You won't be sorry! ;-D

--
Trish {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia

Everyone gave you superb advice and I'd only like to add one thing: for
men's clothing, more specifically, mens' shirts .... I'd HIGHLY recommend
David Coffin's book "The Art of Shirtmaking."

I make hubby's shirts the old-fashioned way, Coffin's way. And they beat out
RTW shirts not only in fabric ('cause I use fabric that hubby loves), and
style, but also in construction!! All thanks to David Coffin!!

It goes into wonderful detail on the details that makes a handcrafted shirt
haute couture quality!!!

You can also see a few free videos on the subject by Mr. Coffin himself
he
http://www.youtube.com/user/DavidCoffin

Good luck!!!
--
Connie
http://sewverycreative.blogspot.com


"The Southern Gentleman" wrote in message
...
Hello Everybody,

My name is Mike and I'm 22 in North Carolina. I have become
interested in sewing for several different reasons:

A. The clothes that I like, the styles that I like, and the look that
I like - I cannot afford to support myself in my tastes.
B. Most of the clothes that I am interested in date back to the late
1800's - the Victorian Era; therefore, IF the articles of clothing I
like can be found, they can only be found online - and at exorbitant
prices.
C. I like being able to have one type of clothing in many different
colors - choose the design I like, and identically duplicate it in
other colors.
D. I would like to design my own clothes.

Now, all this being said, I AM NOT a clothes freak (no offense to
those of you who are.) I just like what I like, I abhor what I abhor,
and I want to have more control over what I wear. Lately, I have been
settling for being more than slightly displeased with my appearance,
largely because the clothes I want don't exist anymore or are
inordinately expensive (i.e. smoking jackets.)

So, I had a wonderful notion. If I have such exacting standards when
it comes to the clothes I wear, and if I dream of the day when I could
have a tailor to custom make all of my garments, why not just make the
garments myself? Why not be my own tailor?

I am sure that many of you may be vomiting at my apparent naïveté when
it comes to sewing, but I'll be honest: I don't know much at all about
sewing. So I came to you ladies.

Can someone help me with choosing a good (low-budget) machine? And
what about MEN'S patterns? How do I create my own designs? Where can
I learn these things? And how can I spin my idea about making my own
clothes to my girlfriend so that she doesn't think I'm packing to move
to San Francisco? Are there any male sewers/home-clothes-makers out
there?

Treading on shaky and unfamiliar territory,

Mike

On Thu, 28 Feb 2008 21:12:43 -0800 (PST), The Southern Gentleman
wrote:

Hello Everybody,

My name is Mike and I'm 22 in North Carolina. I have become
interested in sewing for several different reasons:
snip

Can someone help me with choosing a good (low-budget) machine? And
what about MEN'S patterns? How do I create my own designs? Where can
I learn these things? And how can I spin my idea about making my own
clothes to my girlfriend so that she doesn't think I'm packing to move
to San Francisco? Are there any male sewers/home-clothes-makers out
there?

Treading on shaky and unfamiliar territory,

Mike
A good place to get good sewing advice is your local extension office.
Many in larger counties even offer classes for a small fee. Also check
with fabric stores and sewing machine dealers--some of them also offer
classes--but they are primarily concerned with selling their products.

Have fun with this. It is a great idea.

"The Southern Gentleman" wrote in message
...
Hello Everybody,

My name is Mike and I'm 22 in North Carolina. I have become
interested in sewing for several different reasons:

A. The clothes that I like, the styles that I like, and the look that
I like - I cannot afford to support myself in my tastes.
B. Most of the clothes that I am interested in date back to the late
1800's - the Victorian Era; therefore, IF the articles of clothing I
like can be found, they can only be found online - and at exorbitant
prices.
C. I like being able to have one type of clothing in many different
colors - choose the design I like, and identically duplicate it in
other colors.
D. I would like to design my own clothes.

Now, all this being said, I AM NOT a clothes freak (no offense to
those of you who are.) I just like what I like, I abhor what I abhor,
and I want to have more control over what I wear. Lately, I have been
settling for being more than slightly displeased with my appearance,
largely because the clothes I want don't exist anymore or are
inordinately expensive (i.e. smoking jackets.)

So, I had a wonderful notion. If I have such exacting standards when
it comes to the clothes I wear, and if I dream of the day when I could
have a tailor to custom make all of my garments, why not just make the
garments myself? Why not be my own tailor?

I am sure that many of you may be vomiting at my apparent naïveté when
it comes to sewing, but I'll be honest: I don't know much at all about
sewing. So I came to you ladies.

Can someone help me with choosing a good (low-budget) machine? And
what about MEN'S patterns? How do I create my own designs? Where can
I learn these things? And how can I spin my idea about making my own
clothes to my girlfriend so that she doesn't think I'm packing to move
to San Francisco? Are there any male sewers/home-clothes-makers out
there?

Treading on shaky and unfamiliar territory,

Mike

Just don't ask any questions about ............... groan ..............
shudder ................. THREAD!

Steve

"SteveB" meagain@rockvilleUSA wrote in message
...

Just don't ask any questions about ............... groan ..............
shudder ................. THREAD!

Steve

Mike's fine ... he's not being an egocentrical doofus whatsoever, so he
should be safe!

--
Connie
http://sewverycreative.blogspot.com