my no "fast food clothes' year at the halfway mark

[Zoe Girl]

So i am home in the snow, and was doing some work to get the next fabric i need. in the middle of winter i am noticing a few needs and thinking ahead to summer. my work schedule is much more demanding then, and i need a good bunch of summer camp friendly clothes. the challenge is to look like the supervisor to parents and still sit on the floor easily!

i realized in the last week i forgot why i was sewing, i got some clothes for christmas that are going to be worn well for years. i have varying room temperatures as i move through the day as well as activities. layering is my best friend! As i note what is wearing out or key things i am missing i almost ran to the store, then realized the clothes don't always fit and i had a plan here (i should have blogged this ya know)

Here are the ups and downs so far
* i have a pair of pants that fits so perfectly!
* i made a top that is adjusted for large chest, not so small waist, and it is not a tent size or too big on the shoulders.
* one more pair of pants are in the works, struggling with them
* i ordered swatches of fabric for the next project
* i have also got cute things from goodwill

downs,
* the coolest patterns are dresses and i rarely wear those (can't sit on floor or coach soccer last minute)
* one pair of pants i made i really don't like to wear.
* pockets, i need to add pockets and am intimidated to do that with a side zipper
* i need a tuck in top for some awesome pants, and i cannot seem to find the pattern/fabric that is right, really want to run to target

okay thanks for listening.

[Zoe Girl]

ooh, even though no one has responded i have to add that i found a simple shirt pattern for sleeveless, short sleeve and long sleeve that includes adjustments for different bra sizes! just made my life so much easier.

[rosarugosa]

Zoe Girl: I'm impressed with the unique dress challenges of your professional life, and your creativity in seeking solutions. I work in an office setting, so what to wear is pretty straightforward and doesn't need to be quite so versatile. DH's work clothes are purchased by his hospital: polo shirts, chinos, & sweaters. It doesn't get much more simple than that!

[zeaxmays]

i dont understand what fast food clothes are, besides the employee uniforms.

[Zoe Girl]

i dont understand what fast food clothes are, besides the employee uniforms.

Oh sorry, they are clothes that are poorly made, in sweatshops and from other countries that don't treat workers well, cheap, worn a few times and already look bad or are out of fashion quickly. So for a social justice and environmental focus I decided to take one year where I did not purchase new clothes. I am making what I need or getting clothes from goodwill. I am about halfway through the year.

[Dhiana]

Not sure what your pants pocket needs are exactly but I love the pocket that is at the small of one's back.
It feels very convenient to me and won't mess with the fit as much as pockets in the thigh and butt areas.

[Ali]

What a great idea .... I'm trying to refashion or buy better quality. On Fridays we "dress down" at work and today I wore a 1970s dress that I'd made into a shirt, a matching cardigan that I'd tailored to fit and a pair of jeans me eldest son has grin out of .... I had loads of compliments about my outfit.

I'll be watching out for your sewing ideas ;-) I'm seriously interested in starting to make my own clothes .....

[JaneV2.0]

I applaud anyone who can sew wearable clothing, or upcycle thrifted items. A most useful skill.
http://refashionista.net/

[Chicken lady]

I'm impressed with the sewing! I've bought most of my clothes from goodwill for years. I figure by the time they get there they're usually done fading, bleeding, and shrinking. I also hate buying new stuff in general when there is so much stuff already out there.

I wish I could restyle and resize! I have some socks that used to be 99 cent sweaters because I can knit, but my sewing is pretty much limited to replacing buttons and hemming.

[jp1]

I too am impressed by anyone that can sew stuff, new or fixing. Unfortunately I do not have this skill. My mother did, and in fact supported my father and herself while dad was going to college on the GI bill by working as a seamstress for an upscale department store. She made a few items every year for each of us and in fact I still use the bathrobe she made for me before she passed away 9 years ago.

[ctg492]

Good for you. I so wanted to sew, be a seamstress. It all seemed so much easier then it was. I get the fast food clothes. I have tried done well and failed at my assorted projects on those type clothes. I did the only USA clothing, oh boy that was really hard. I did the no Mart type clothing purchases, Kohls is terrible at all imported and before you get it home it is on clearance rack.
Sewing when I started a few years back, all excited on my new venture, looking at patterns and gasping at price, a senior lady said to me that you have not been able to make clothes cheaper then you can buy them since about 1974. I remembered that was when my mom stopped making clothing.
I tried and tried, nothing really looked good enough for me to wear, kept trying $$$$ later I still try. I left my sewing machine when I change my life a few weeks ago. Yesterday I opened the Singer from 1950 of moms and had wonderful ideas again. Actually going to fabric store this morning, unless I come to my senses!

[Zoe Girl]

if you are going to try sewing here is my advice

*get one of the inexpensive patterns first, they have them on a rack at the fabric store, they are easy in general
* take lots of measurements and adjust
* start simple, skirts are a great beginning project
* if it is a really nice project like pants make a 'muslin' of the pattern and make all the adjustments, you will have a pattern for life.
* use your iron a lot, have good scissors

if you have a sewing friend that is also good. i wish i had a sewing friend. but i did join a sewing meet up! you are not kidding about the pattern cost! it is $20 for a lot of patterns, i found the cargo pants i want to make on line for $12 which is okay since i will make several pairs. i did find some fabric i like for $9 a yard. So a pair of pants is $18 in fabric, another $5 in notions (zipper, thread, etc) and then whatever portion of the pattern cost. if it fits perfectly then that is fine.

[JaneV2.0]

Or, if you want the gratification of making pretty things from fabric without worrying about fit, you could always take up quilting.