How do you teach yourself to design and sew your own clothes? Any good books or things that I should have?

Question

Sometimes I'll sketch little ideas for a top or something that I'd really like. The sketchs are really simple and I'm working on adding detail, but where do I go from the sketch? How do I turn the sketch into an actual article of clothing?

Answer 1

A basic draping or patternmaking class can help a lot here. I'm more of a draper than a flat patterner, but even a little experience in one or the other can help. What's your level of sewing experience? Do you have a dress form? How much redesigning of a pattern have you done?

Draping (hard to find a class in this nowdays) is how you see most of the Project Runway designers working... fabric is cut and pinned directly onto a dress form or a live person; then you cut everything away that isn't a part of the garment.
This allows you to be fairly spontaneous and make changes
"on the fly" when what you're seeing before you just isn't working.

Flat patternmaking can be done by hand, or by computer design. I can't tell you much about the computer programs other than the ones I've seen come from the home patternmaking programs have all required some corrections. I do it the old fashioned way, with squared paper and a pencil and some rulers and curves. I can measure you, draft a pair of pants,
get the muslin sewn up, do a couple of minor corrections, and have a finished basic pattern ready in a couple of hours; it takes
most folks at least that long to get a first muslin from a commercial pattern and somewhat adjust it for themselves --
the difference is that they've probably got another muslin or two to make before they get the commercial pattern adjusted, and
I'm done with the custom basic pants pattern.

Redesigning a commercial pattern is where most of us start...
changes in the outside edge of a collar, redesigning a sleeve,
moving darts or style lines, different styles of pockets, changing
button sizes (you need to redraft overlaps if you get too radical about changing button sizes!), adding godets, etc.
Shirley Adams has a series of basic patterns and add-ons to help you learn how to do this sort of thing -- you fit the basic
pattern, and then do all sorts of themes and variations on the pattern (go to http://www.sewingconnection.com and look at
the "alternatives" patterns).

Suggested reading, much of it in books you'll want to borrow from the library first:
1) Connie Amaden Crawford:
Guide to Fashion Sewing
Art of Fashion Draping
Patternmaking Made Easy
These are textbooks from a retired teacher at FIDM in Los Angeles; she's also worked in the ready to wear industry for many years, and now teaches home patternmaking. Guide to Fashion Sewing was written for first year fashion design students who had to learn to do some basic sewing before they could begin to design. Very step by step, drawings and short text all the way through. The way I wish I'd been taught to sew in the beginning. Art of Fashon Draping is a first year textbook for
draping; again, very straight forward. Try the bias circular skirt--
it drapes beautifully even in muslin. Patternmaking Made Easy
is the same format as the first two books... step by step with drawings and minimal text, and meant for the first year or two of patternmaking classes. This is how I learned my basic draping
and patternmaking (from her week's class for those who sew at home), and then went on from there. Good stuff.

2) Claire Shaeffer. Sew Any Patch Pocket; Sew Any Set-in Pocket. Swapping pocket styles can make any pattern look quite different, and you've got lots of pocket styles here.

3) Kenneth King. Cool Tricks (first published as Designer Techniques). King is a couturist who shows you some of the ways he makes garments that are quite different and polished.

4) Shirley Adams Presents Blouse Pattern Pizazz. 1990 videotape of Shirley Adams talking about taking a basic blouse pattern and then reworking it, much as she does with the Alternatives line. Interesting to watch her design process.

5) Kwik Sew Sewing for Children and/or Sweatshirts Unlimited.
They supply the "master patterns" (what I'd call a "block") and show you how to change style lines, make different styles of collars and cuffs and pockets, and really change a garment from the basic pattern. If you've got kids you can sew for, I highly recommend working through the first book with fabric in hand. Second book is a bit dated now with turn away from drop shoulder patterns, but still good handson experience.

Answer 2

There's no need to re-invent the wheel. Even the pros use the same basic pieces again and again - pocket slopers, collar shapes, sleeve options.

One good way to learn is to buy a pattern that's close to what you have sketched, then make the blouse that's in the pattern. After you understand how the pattern works, you can change it as necessary to get your design.

You can also get software that will let you take the basics and arrange them to your own design. If your designs are very radical, you can print things out and then change them by hand to get your design out of your head and onto someone's body.
http://www.wildginger.com/

However you choose to do it, make sure you sew lots of clothing using conventional patterns first, so that you can learn the basics and go from there.
.

Answer 3

see if your local highschools or rec centers have night classes in sewing and design. there are little shortcuts that you learn with the basics that will save you time and help with actual process from start to finish. check your local library craft and sewing section. learn as much as you can and find an author that you can refer to when you need advice. my personal fav are the "sewing with Nancy books" that's Nancy Zeman who also has a tv show. all the best!

Answer 4

well, creating and making your own clothing is hard work!!
1) sketch it
2)need your measurement
3)create a pattern draft
4)measure, trace, and cut fabric with the pattern
5)finally sew it
6)hem and make adjustments
it's hard, books can teach you...but it takes alot of practice and money to get starter. My suggestion is to sketch it, buy the fabric, and take it to a professional tailor....and just tell them actually what you want!!! :) that's the easier way!!!

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Answer 7

I like women in jeans. It makes them look more home town like and it generally does not appear to be they try too hard but if you're looking to get this guys attention, this might not be what you want

Answer 8

I do enjoy using long skirts once in a while. These are actually more comfortable than Denims and not as hot to wear also.

Answer 9

I would take a local community college class.