I am trying to sew myself a dress and was wondering if anyone may have pointers or suggestions?

Question

I have never really done a project like this but I would like a new dress and cant really afford to buy it so thought I would sew it

Answer 1

Good for you. follow the pattern and watch out for your fingers. They, home sewn, always look better to me.

Answer 2

get a job then you could afford it

Answer 3

at the beginning/ends of your seams over-lap the seams so they won't unravel  

Answer 4

The bad news is that home sewing is usually more expensive than buying a garment, at least at the lower ends of the price ranges.  Especially if you factor in any wages for yourself.  However, when you move up into the sorts of dresses you expect to pay $300+ for, or for outerwear or accessories, you can really make sewing pay off, or if you're an odd size and anything you need is either custom or extensively altered.   The real reason to sew, however, is that you can make what you want, and you can make it fit.

Nice fabric sews better than cheapie fabric, and holds shape and color better.  When I can, I start beginners on a nice wool for their first major garments -- it's such a cooperative fiber.  Luckily, I can pick up slightly damaged Pendleton wools for $2 a yard or so, which makes this very economical.  Also, buy good interfacing... the cheap stuff in fabric stores just doesn't really help the cause.

Have you got a sewing machine, and what sort of things have you made?  That'll help us figure out what to suggest.   In general, I suggest beginners start out with nightgowns, sleep shirts or sleep pants and make a couple of things before tackling something to be worn in public.  First garments are usually wearable, but not well made.  Takes a bit of practice to get it right.

Do you have anywhere that you can take classes?  Or family members who sew?  Having someone around to work with you on basic fabric handling, pattern choice, matching pattern to fabric, layout and cutting, etc. is very useful.  Also know that you need to take accurate measurements of the body you're sewing for -- and that pattern size is almost always a larger number than your ready to wear sizes.  It's ok... choose pattern size by measurement, not by what you're used to buying.

Answer 5

   Unless you are very careful, you may find that making a dress is more expensive than buying a ready made one on sale.  I suggest you buy the fabric on eBay, as that is the least expensive source I have found.  When it comes to sewing, do not pick anything really complicated.  Pick a fabric pattern that will not need to be matched, as that will take more fabric.  And remember that pattern makers do not know how to sew.  The pattern companies create a pattern and tell untrained people to write the instructions.  So if what the pattern tells you to do doesn't make sense, you may very well be right.  Coupons from all craft stores are accepted at toher craft stores, so say you get a Michael's coupon, an AC Moore coupon, and a JoAnn coupon.  You can take them all to JoAnn's and get fabric, thread, and trim for a discounted price.

Answer 6

Go to a sewing store and buy a pattern in your size.  Read it.  Ask questions and have a person in the store help you select the material, thread and trim,  Follow the pattern.  Take your time.

Answer 7

Unfortunately home sewing is now not much cheaper than buying ready made clothes.  If you are looking for something nice and want to save lots of money, check the thrift stores in your area.  If you haven't tried this you may be surprised at the quality items you can find at stores like Goodwill--many of them never worn previously.

As for sewing, if you are interested in learning, it's best to find someone who can help you in person.  If you're on your own, first you need to find a simple pattern (look at the instruction paper inside to see how many pieces it has, and get one with only a few), read the instructions carefully, make sure you are familiar with your sewing machine, and then just take a chance.  You may not be happy with your first attempt, but if you really want to learn, keep trying and you will gain skill.

If you can learn to sew well, you will end up saving money, because if you have talent and creativity, the clothes you create for yourself will be of a quality and style that you could probably never afford to buy ready made.