I sewed everything (awnings, car seat covers, men's suits, bedspreads, clothes, western shirts, personal suits for me and DH, but now only quilts. I mend a lot for grandgirls when they come around. It is too hard to fit myself now; I am so rotund and shapeless! I also made costumes for the local Little Theatre group.

I started sewing when I was 11 years old. After that, I made most of my own clothing until I was about 30. Now I don't make anything but purses and scarves. Have a few patterns for some summer shifts and some rayon that I am flirting with for this summer, but haven't cut it out yet.

I sewed alot of clothes for my daughters when they were growing up. Now I sew for the granddaughters-as they tell me they have a very unique item and there is no duplicate of it anywhere. I still crochet (afghan, quilts,hats, gloves etc..),and sew alot of clothes for them.

I'm 57 & have been making my own clothes ever since & was 8. My Grandmother worked in the silk mills back in the early 1900's. She sewed her own clothes & taught me how. I'm small framed & back in the day you could not find clothes in my size. If they did fit they were too short. I wore a 6x all the way thru highschool! I had to alter everything or make my own. I sew/make everything except socks & underwear. I worked in a garment factory for 11 years. I make my own jeans just like factory, including the special rivets. I have a special rivet setter machine & found the factory rivets on line. I just finished a flannel shirt for myself. I never buy patterns. I use old clothes, rip them apart & make a pattern. I usually only take half the garment apart, make notes as I go & then make a pattern/with notes for future use. A seam ripper, a pencil & freezer wrap are my go to items. I have 5 machines - Bernina 830LE, Bernina 930, Sailrite 111, Bernina Serger 800DL & a BabyLock Coverstich machine.

Aside from making quilts (those I do go by a pattern, usually from a book or photo & make my own pattern) - I've also made motorcycle coats, recovered motorcycle seats, leather chaps, leather vests, drapes, jean shirts for my husband, dog beds, winter covers for my Purple Martin(birds) houses. I do embroidery too. As long as I can get it under the needle I can make it. I love sewing & it gives me that feeling that I have accompolished something when it's all done :).

I also taught myself how to tool leather when I was a teenager. I did a lot of leather work back then & I still have all those tools. One day soon I will teach my husband, who recently retired, how to tool leather.

I so hate store clothes today. Most jeans for women are STRETCH & I hate stretch jeans. The fabrics they use today are terrible. The fabrics are not woven straight anymore, they pill/fuzz and/or just don't wash or wear well. The store clothes also have horrible sewing, many with no hems or they have holes ripped in them. If I want holes in my clothes I'll wear them out myself!

As long as my hands hold out I'll keep sewing anything & everything I can :).

trip down memory lane in those posts. I too used to sew all my own clothes. It was far more cost effective, and you never met yourself walking down the street... but once I hit my 30's my size has varied all over the place and I can buy clothes a lot cheaper than I can make them, sad fact of the world economy, as the clothes come from countries who pay little for labor.
But I sure did have some beautiful and unique outfits. A serger would certainly add that professional finishing touch, show us some of your finished projects.

Do any of you follow Ester http://estheraliu.blogspot.com/
I love what she does to dress up t-shirts. She is wearing on in her sidebar photo. Too cool. I wish I had a pattern for that!

thanks for the thread Sandy :)

I am like you, in that if it will go under the needle I will try to make it. The only thing I can add to your list of projects is I once had to relace a baseball catchers mitt. I figured it out, but have never wanted to try it again!

I started sewing garments in 4th grade and sewed for myself esp in high school. Gunny Sack dresses were popular when my girls were younger, so I've made lots of those. Also sewed for my grands until they got older and mostly want store bought. I have been collecting patterns and fabric lately and want to start sewing for myself again. I've quilted for almost 20 years now and love it, but sure enjoyed sewing too.

I'm trying! I spend more time with my seam ripper trying to modify clothes I'm making for myself. :-)

Started sewing when I was about 10. Sewed for myself, sisters and friends; did draperies and sofa slip covers; my wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses. Then it was clothes for my eight kids, boys and girls clothes. On to square dance dresses, curtains and costumes. Then I got into quilting, and don't need much new clothes anymore.

Now if I'm not quilting, I'm patching and mending. Love doing that. Today I replaced a zipper in my granddaughters jacket. I've never seen a zipper installed like that one was. Luckily I didn't rip the old one all the way out before I started on the new one. I never would have figured it out. But we got 'er done!

i started sewing as a kid, as so many others did. i used to make clothes for my daughters, when they were little. "sister" dresses were always on the machine for easter. later, my job took more and more time, so i sewed less and less, but did make my oldest daughter's wedding dress--without one spot of blood from my fingers, to my endless surprise! i've since sewed as necessary--mostly mending for the family, etc, but when my youngest was in her mid-teens, she and her friends developed a "new" interest--in the renaissance festival. i was conscripted by most of them to make a work outfit for them, because every one of them ended up working there, for at least a while. i ended up reviving my old interest in it, as well, and have sewn for myself, friends and family, and been a part of it for 20 years. now, i sew quilty things, mend for the family, again, and when the festival ramps up every year, i'll be found on the grounds, hanging out, being useful where i can, and enjoying my annual trip to my own "brigadoon". (i was known as the "sewing gran of renntopia", online, an honorary title for an imaginary kingdom.)