Making Your Own Clothes

Making your own fashions is a daunting and exhausting task. However, those who do so are able to define their own style. Designing clothes and/or accessories takes a lot of hard work- just like any business venture. What can you do to establish yourself with fashion? That all depends on your creativity and your willingness to offer material others will love to wear again and again. For this blog, I want to commend those who sew, knit, and do whatever to make their own fashions. Don't want to go to department stores to shop for the latest fashions? You can always make your own fashions! Or at least, alter other designers' clothes to make your own unique pieces. This blog post is all about making your own fashions.

This blog entry concerns handmade fashions. It is about making your own fashions and honoring those who sew or knit their own fashions. I'm dedicating this one to the do-it-yourself (or DIY) crowd. This includes sewing, crocheting, knitting, and upcycling fashions.

About the Label: "Do-It-Yourself"

For items listed until this label, the topics in the Do-It-Yourself (or DIY) label all relate to making your own clothing or accessories. I do not have any DIY material to share with anyone, but I will make mention to those who make their own items.

--- Why Make Your Own Clothes? ---

There are lots of clothes and accessories to buy in stores and online. Some people would prefer making their own clothes that define their own style. One of fashion's biggest challenges is to provide fashions that are wearable and expressive. Fashion isn't just for keeping us clothed and protected- it should also be fun and expressive. Who wants to look like everybody else? If we could, we could possibly make our own clothes from start to finish to express ourselves however we please. We would have our own wardrobes rather than always look to fashion designers ranging from small-time designers to world-renowned designers.

So what does it take to make your own clothes? For starters, many people sew their clothes. Those very good at sewing usually pick up a lot of items from crafts stores such as spools of thread or yarn. People will often get themselves sewing machines to help jump start the sewing process. The ones who don't mind doing knitting will calmly and kindly knit to their heart's delight. Some people will even purchase sewing patterns and make whatever the sewing pattern offers.

The biggest draw towards making your own fashion is that you don't need to spend money on buying other designers' fashions to look and feel your best.

--- Individual Aspects of Making Your Own Clothes ---

There are a number of ways to make your own clothes. Some of the many ways are listed in these individual sections:

Sewing.

^ from: www.overstock.com - Having one of these machines can make your sewing experience easier.

While it's perfectly fine to go to the store to purchase clothes from well-known and little-known makes, the real beauty lies in being able to make your own clothes. So what if what you make isn't made by some world-renowned designer or label? The creativity exists in making clothes that no store will ever sell (unless you offer your material for sale). Those endowed with a sewing machine and lots of skill in sewing clothes will be blessed with making all kinds of fashion items. They can be either clothes or some accessories. In addition, this is more like old school clothes making. Some people (like my grandmother) still owns and uses her sewing machine to make clothes. I even remember as a youth just seeing some packs of sewing patterns left over from my grandmother.

A trip down to the fabric store or a hobby store can help you to get started in sewing your own fashions. You usually go pick out fabric or any other materials you need to build your own items. What begins as rolls of thread can eventually lead to stylish fashions with time and effort. It goes to show that some people would rather sew their own clothes than always go out shopping for the latest styles. There's another reason why sewing is better- there may be certain items not available for certain sizes. There is greater satisfaction knowing that you can design your own clothes the way you want to in complimenting your own style. Being able to create and maintain your own clothes is a testament of cool that no one else can aspire to.

Crocheting and Knitting.

There is a misconception that only elderly people knit clothes. In fact, I read this article on helium.com about teenagers who knit their own clothes. That's right- teen girls who knit their own clothes. They can range from accessories to certain kinds of outerwear. Knitting and crocheting is not just for older women. You'd be surprised how many young people sew or knit their own clothes.

Upcycling.

Upcycle it, don't trash it! The best way to describe upcycling is by taking worthless or useless items and turning them into other things. Relevant to this blog entry, items are upcycled for clothes and accessories. It is a trendy method of waste reduction by turning used items into fashions. This kind of ties into my past blog entry on "John's Blog Space" about eco-friendly fashions since it involves taking what already exists, rather than trashing things for good.

These are some of many methods in which people make their own fashions. They either come from patterns, material (such as threads and fabric), or they come from old items to make new fashions. Whatever the case, there are many ways to passionately make your own fashions and accessories. You just have to have creativity and charm in making these fashions for you or someone else.

I strongly recommend you visit www.etsy.com to see many more handmade fashion items. You will be surprised at just what you can make by taking old items and making new ones.


These are some of many methods in which people make their own fashions. They either come from patterns, material (such as threads and fabric), or they come from old items to make new fashions. Whatever the case, there are many ways to passionately make your own fashions and accessories. You just have to have creativity and charm in making these fashions for you or someone else.

--- Final Thoughts on Making Your Own Fashions ---

Whether designing clothes, accessories, or whatever; you face a tough challenge. This is a tough challenge because you are solely responsible for coming up with unique fashions for yourself or for others. You want to make unique and creative fashions reflecting your personality and sense of style. If you feel you have the passion and determination to do such, then I wish you nothing but the best in your efforts.

Just the thought of knowing you've incorporated your own fashion style to go with styles from other designers is a unique touch. Some bloggers even have their own do-it-yourself (DIY) material on how to design certain items to incorporate into your wardrobe. They may include modifying clothes you already own, or they may involve making completely new outfits. No matter what, it is all up to you to make and enjoy your own fashions.

You still may purchase clothes and accessories from other designers, but it is always cool to know that making your own designs to go along with other designers' fashions make you stand out fashionably.





This concludes my blog entry on making your own fashions. I salute all of you who either make your own fashions from scratch, or use old products and materials to make new fashions. This section consists of resources for all of you to make your own fashions. Take some time and have a look at these resources and items to help start your experience making fashion.

Perhaps you prefer making your own fashions and even shopping for fashions made by other people. You don't have to have style from big-name companies. Some people who make such one-of-a-kind fashions are probably just from an average family or couple! If they are selling their homemade fashion items, you have a chance to pick up some styles from people just like you! So here are some resources featuring handmade and upcycled items. I may include more in future edits, and MANY more in John's Shop Space. Please visit these links to find more items online from the realm of handmade and upcycled items:

Sewing Itself.

• ThreadBanger
• lovetowew.com (as seen in Vogue Magazine)

Sewing and Sewing Patterns.

• Simplicity
• Butterick
• McCall
• KWIK SEW

If you need a sewing machine, here are some for you to take a look at:


Or for more sewing material:
• sewing machines...
sewing machines on Amazon|sewing machines on eBay|sewing machines on Overstock.com

• sewing patterns...
sewing patterns on Amazon|sewing patterns on eBay|sewing patterns on Overstock.com

Knitting and Crocheting.

• Learn to Knit and Crochet
•
• Explore Crochet & Knitting (features more resources online)

Upcycling.

• Etsy is perhaps the best at showing off fashions handmade by other people or upcycled from various materials. Not only do they make these fashions, they also sell them to others across the Internet.

• LooptWorks
Portland, Oregon, USA-based LooptWorks designs urban fashions for men and women using items that already exist, rather than trash them completely. It's about making new items using old products for this company.


More resources may be added in future edits to this blog post. These links are all mostly material from my "John's Blog Space" post of the same name, which you can read here: "Making Your Own Fashions" (John's Blog Space).





Thank you for reading! You don't have to go shop for all the latest fashions- you can make your own! So go ahead... make your own fashions and show some style! :D

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