Do you like handmade clothing / DIY clothing?

Dear users, dear authors,
Do you like handmade clothing?
If so, what kind?
What do you like to make yourself?
Let me know.

Hi Josefa,

I think your question is interesting!
I wear clothes I’ve sewn myself.

My mom and my neighbors used to be horrified ;-)... I thought it was great!!
Why does your daughter always walk around like that? Eventually, Mom gave up...
I wear floor-length black dresses (sometimes red or purple), and I look like Herman Munster’s wife ;-)... I love historical clothing. I really like Victorian and medieval styles.
And the matching makeup, too. For me, nothing else will do.
Best regards

I love everything that’s handmade. That applies to many areas—including food.

When my son was little, I sewed a lot of clothes for myself and him, but I also knitted and crocheted. If I had more time, I’d actually start sewing again.

Right now, knitting is my big passion, and every now and then I crochet as well. I still have so many ideas tucked away that I want to bring to life. And my husband really loves it now, too.

When you do DIY projects, you can bring ideas to life that you can’t find in any store in the world.

I’m just like Monika. When the kids were little, I sewed a lot. I’d make my son a pair of pants, and my daughter would get a skirt made from the same fabric.
Or my daughter, me, and her doll would all have dresses made from the same fabric.

These days, I don’t have the time. So I mostly wear knitted or crocheted scarves and, every now and then, a sweater I knitted many years ago.

But if you want to dress entirely in your own style (like Laveya above), you have no choice but to sew your own clothes. I think it’s great when people can do that and actually do it. 

For about 30 years now, I’ve worn nothing but clothes I’ve designed and sewn myself—nothing else is an option for me. That way, I know they’ll fit, and most importantly, I won’t run into XYZ wearing the exact same outfit :-) Now that I’m older, it’s more important than ever that I sew my own clothes, because my right side is now a good 5 cm shorter than my left. I’d have to alter every piece I buy anyway, so I make my own custom patterns and know that nothing tugs or pinches.

Thanks, Petra ;-)!
I once took my little daughter to daycare in my pajamas one morning. In Berlin, nobody bats an eye at that.

I think it’s great when someone can sew on their own!!!!
I’ve tried it but never found the right sewing machine :-)
—one that sews on its own. In the end, I always just end up with a tangled ball of thread
and a crooked seam :-)
But I’m good with my needles, and that’s
really fun too!

I hope you all (no matter which craft has captured your heart)
have a lot of fun with it!!

Best wishes,
Birgit

I enjoy knitting clothes; I’ve made quite a few hand-knitted sweaters and jackets for myself. I’d say half of my knitted sweaters are homemade. They’re unique and tailored exactly to my preferences. That way, I know exactly what materials are in them. Socks are, of course, also part of my wardrobe, and I’ve made quite a few of those as well. If I could sew, I’d wear clothes I made myself too.

As a child and teenager, I hated it—my mom knitted and crocheted clothes for me from head to toe.
A so-called “vest” was the absolute worst. On top of that, there were various sweaters that were often itchy, and the crowning glory was a dirndl.

These days, I also like handmade clothing; it’s always individual pieces, and I think that’s great. Years ago, I did some sewing too, but unfortunately it never turned out really well. If I had a room where I could leave my sewing machine set up, I’d probably spend more time on it.

So I’ll stick to crocheting and knitting, and every now and then I create one-of-a-kind pieces that way.

Just for your information, I trained as a women’s clothing tailor—DOB = women’s outerwear—with a course in pattern making, so I’m pretty good at all this and know where to start to adjust my patterns to my *crooked* body. When I can’t manage on my own, my oldest daughter, who is also a women’s tailor in the skilled trades, helps me out. That’s because when it comes to pinning things in place and so on, you need a second person who knows what to do. That’s why a dress form isn’t ideal for me either, since it’s straight across the shoulders.

I think it’s great to wear handmade clothes, as long as the piece is unique and looks good. My early attempts were awful—I couldn’t wear them, so I gave them away. But now that I’ve gotten the hang of it and my pieces look better, I’m starting to feel confident enough to wear them, and I’ve even gotten some compliments. That makes me happy, because they’re one-of-a-kind pieces that no one else has, and I can tailor them to my figure (chubby elf). Plus, there are so many beautiful designs and patterns just waiting to be brought to life, and I want to try them all.

I’m not very good at sewing—my mom is better at it—and besides, I don’t have room to set up a sewing machine. I do have one, but it’s tucked away. But someday, maybe when I have more time (in retirement, perhaps), I’ll definitely give sewing a try.