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Last month I went to a red, white and blue party and needed a circle skirt to hold three petticoats (yes, one red, one white, and one blue). Rather than trying to find something, I made it myself from some satiny fabric I bought and some elastic to put into a waistband.
Last year I went to the Renaissance Faire. I had a peasant blouse that I bought, but I wanted a simple green cotton skirt. Again, the fabric store and my sewing machine were my best friends in this endeavor.
A few years ago my SO helped me make some earrings by connecting a series of jump rings to each other based on a pattern.
My question is, has anyone else made anything themselves that they wore? (Let’s not count the lanyard key chains you may have made in camp, please.) Maybe you have made a skirt, or strung beads onto a necklace. Maybe you can knit or crochet a scarf, or if really talented, a sweater. Or perhaps you work with leather, and made yourself a belt or a pair of moccasins. Let’s see if anyone else has any creative talent.
I have often found when I would buy something I thought I would really like but it had to be sexied up to suit my style. I would tailor it to my liking.
The only things I have ever made myself have mechanical parts and/or electricity running through them….so no.
My daughter has a skirt which you can wire up with twinkling lights, so don’t necessarily count yourself out.
Accessories, breast forms and hip pads when I was young. Used the cups out of my mom’s bathing suit for a mold and warmed silicone and poured it in to make my first set of breast forms. I then incorporated some small pearl buttons for nipples.
My answer may be a bit disingenuous since the majority of sewing that I have done has been alterations. I made my own hot pants out of worn jeans. I’ve altered thongs and panties so they fit me better – like buying a size 8 for the larger front and then shortening the other parts to fit my size 6. The front coverage is better that way. The real crazy thing to me is the irregular size standards for women’s things. I’ve bought skirts, sizes 11, 12, 13 and 14 and they all fit just about the same. The styles haven’t been that different so that doesn’t account for the variation. Bottom line? I make alterations to fit my bottom line.
Randi.
Yes! Woman’s clothes sizes drive me crazy. I can’t remember how many times I’ve bought a skirt or some other item of femme clothing (mainly online) which seemed really nice only to find it doesn’t fit (usually to small!!!!!) Stuff from China is the worst for this. Stuff bought as UK 16 (my size) is often as small as UK size 10 – does my head!!!!
O.K. Mini rant over.
Take care girls.
Anne-Marie.
I have sewn two dresses and started on a third. The first one was a realisation of a childhood dream of being a fairy tale princess. I had long searched for anything close to that dream gown of my fantasy without any luck. Suddenly one day I saw it in a private advertisement on a website for second hand things. Unfortunately the size was too small for me, but the description said it was home sewn. I started looking around for patterns and not long after I recognised the dress pattern in the German Burda catalogue. I bought it immediately, started looking for an appropriate fabric and finally decided for a bronze coloured satin duchesse with contrasting ribbon in golden yellow.
My wife had brought a sewing machine into our home, but before starting on that, l hand stitched a trial bodice out of cheap bed linnen fabric to be able to adjust the measurements for perfect fit as i had picked up from watching my mother sew for many hours during my upbringing. When l was finally pleased with the fit, i transferred fhe adjustments to clean pattern paper and started cutting out the pieces.
Being the first time I made sych a project, it proceeded slow but methodically. Some instructions I did not fully understand i would check up online on sewing sites for an explanation. I also modified a few details, most importantly lengthening the 3/4 sleeves of the original, widening the shoulder puffs and adjusting the neckline to cover my bra and forms. Finally after about a year it was all finished.
Later i made a red dance dress that was really simple. It only took me one full weekend to sew from scratch.
Both dresses can be seen among my public photos on the site.
Hi Marianne,
I checked your photos. I can’t believe you made that dress. Its beautiful. I love it. And the wedding dress is so gorgeous. You look so pretty in it. I saw an antique off white one once. I almost bought it but lost my nerve. After seeing yours I feel my life is incomplete without one lol.
XX
Kim.
No but I’ve “repaired” lots of things. Stretched garter belts, “special panties”, (yes those ones !!),when the rubber straps broke and “modifications” were required to make them “fit for purpose)
I would not call it “sewing” by a long chalk. Just needle and thread and “stitch away”.
I would never consider myself good enough to make/repair any outerwear.
Caty
PS not sure “panty hose and bird seed” breastforms qualify here. Tho the rats in a shed I once had loved the bird seed…Made my poor”moobs” shiver just typing that….
I recently wore a skirt and bolero jacket out to a CD dinner that I made, from a commercial pattern I bought at a dress store. Actually it was the fabric that I fell in love with first, a yellow, flowery printed satin, and wanted to make something out of it. If you look at my photos posted here, there is a picture of my outfit. The white top was a store bought piece.
This is how I got the skill, quite a few years ago when I was in the digital print business, I worked with a system that digitally printed images onto fabric. Then learned to sew the product for the customers, to their specs, so I through that, I developed good sewing skills, but dressmaking is quite different. Though one of the neatest things of that job, was that once I got to create, and sew a bunch of pink spandex for a Barbie event!
Amy
Hi Alison, your question made me reach into some old brain cells. I have made some clip on earrings and necklaces, nothing really fancy though. And like many other gals, I’m handy with a needle and thread when it comes to making small repairs. But I’ve never taken on a project such as a complete new skirt successfully. I did try to make a denim skirt once using material from some old blue jeans. Not the greatest effort. Cheaper to buy a nicer one in a store. One successful project was turning an old t-shirt into a cute top that I wear when riding my exercise bike. There are lots of easy to follow, step-by-step videos on how to do this on YouTube. All the Best, Hugs, Krista.
Lots of stuff…an alternate way to avoid the risk of shopping in my early days…gave mom;s sewing machine a work out when she wasnt home. Got nice patterns from hobby lobby and Jo And fabrics. Made some cute dresses, blouses and accessories..
Mo
When I started crossdressing I would wear my mom’s things. Pantyhose and crinolines were my first things I wore. I really wanted a garter belt like the girls in Playboy. My mom could sew so I went in to her kit and found a some yellow fabric and I made a template. I sewed the panels and used elastic for the garters. I cut a pair of pantyhose to make stockings. It was cute an I loved wearing it.
When I was getting into dressing (as a child), I made myself a tatty tight skirt which I loved despite it being rubbish.
Have often thought about getting into dress-making but the closest I have got to this so far is buying a sewing machine and an overclock machine about 3 years ago – never used, still in sealed boxes.
Must get round to this as it would be fun. Not to mention the stuff that needs repairing/ adjusting and the original stuff I could make myself. And then there’s the money that could be saved.
Good pole.
Take care girls.
Anne-Marie.
Yes, just finished a half circle maxi skirt this weekend, length was very long so it had to be worn with high heels, was happy with the result. This morning I had a reality check and took 6 inches off the length, so now it can be worn with any heel height, much more practical, much happier now.
I’ve made a few items now, a baggy top that buttons up the back ( with 3D printed buttons), a pair of culottes, a couple of short skirts for leggings, upcycled an old pair of jeans into a skirt, all with varying degrees of success, all ok for round the house.
I think my next few items might be of reasonable quality and style that I may wear them out at sometime in the future,……..maybe.
Created a few bits of jewellery too, but i need to do way more research to make it look stylish 😎.
Probably not your intention Laura,, but here goes
I’ve posted about “Sewing” before, but I just thought of something else I “made”.
Some 50 years ago or so my ex and I went to a fancy dress party.. Now before you all get your hopes up, my ex hated anything to do with Caty.. so… I got hold of two old hessian sacks, cut neck and arm holes in them and we went as “two old bags”..
I was “lucky” enough to wear a wig, lipstick, one of my mother’s bras under the “bag dress” with “bird seed boobs”. That hessian did not “arf itch after an hour or four…Probably wore no more than sneakers on my feet, heels would have caused “questions”….
I was very jealous of my (slimmer) younger brother.. He made a lovely Milkmaid…
When I was around 12 or 13 y.o., I used to look at my father’s Fredrick’s of Hollywood catalogs. I wanted to look like the models wearing the garter belts and stockings. I found some old pantyhose in our basement in the laundry area. Then I found some garter snaps and some elastic. I had sewn before and borrowed some thread and needle from my mom’s sewing kit. I made my own garter belt. Then I cut the stockings off the pantyhose. It was certainly not as nice as the lingerie in the catalog! But I did wear it for a short time.
Hi Allison yes a red sequined dress for evening wear i have allways loved sewing and when we get cold days and have to be inside its time to sew so back 20 years ago got a pattern and some cute material and made my dress still have it in closet and wear it from time to time will get it out and post some pictures sometime . Then mostly made my daughters first prom dress wife helped with a little but mostly me daughter could not find what she wanted and then she has D to E size breasts a bit large for a short young girl so we found a pattern and material she wanted and went from there i was so proud of her she got so many nice comments on her dress every one wanted to know where she bought it at and was happy to tell them har daddy made it for her i was so proud lots of girls that were her friends came over and thanked me for her dress she was proud of it any how made a few more dresses and another western dress for wife and matching shirt for me for granddaughters wedding we had in Florida oh better quit so many things but will get red sequined dress posted soon thanks for a great question
Hugs Stephanie Bass
Very small sewing projects in the past, mostly leather, or stitching patches…. until the lockdown hit, then I got back into the leather crafts.
I’ve been making big steampunk style belts, a few chokers and wristbands. I can’t remember if I have any photos of them in my gallery…
One if the ladies at my workshop space does dressmaking courses which I’d like to try (but as I’m not out there yet that might take some explaining…!)
Seren xx
Marianne.
I’m so sorry to hear about the Parkinson’s. Such a nasty disease. Kinda puts things into perspective I’ve worked with people in my professional practice who have been prescribed meds which eased some of the Parkinson’s symptoms but then induced psychosis – really, really sad and horrible.
I hope treatment where you are is better and helping.
Take good care Marianne.
Annie.
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