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Anyone Sew?

Wizardgir1

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Nov 16, 2007
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This post most relates to the 'home' section of "Home, Garden, and Cooking"...I would imagine.

I'm curious if anyone has sewn their own wedding dress? I'm getting married in April and initially wanted to make my own dress. Alot of the sewing and wedding dress mags had an article stating the only skills necessary were "basic home sewing skills."

So I was inspired and encouraged to hit the fabric shop. I purchased some beautiful monece satin and some teal satin to make a practice dress out of. When I finished the teal dress (empire waist), it looked more like a nightgown than a WEDDINGY Dress... Sigh.

I still have the monece satin, but I have started looking at discontinued designer dresses, as you can get them for as low as 25 bucks--perfect for a pragmatic INTJ.

Anyways... has anyone experienced making their wedding dress and how did it turn out...any trials? ...any great turnouts?
 

Ivy

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This post most relates to the 'home' section of "Home, Garden, and Cooking"...I would imagine.

Well done, Grasshoppa.

As for your question, there is no way in the deepest depths of blackest heck that I would attempt to sew my own wedding dress, but that's probably because I can only sew a straight line (and even that's iffy). Then again, I probably would have gotten married in jeans if I didn't think my grandmother would have cried. I wore a purple dress. Dressy for me, probably on the upper side of casual for a dressy person.
 
G

GirlAmerica

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I love to sew by hand...I want to learn to quilt someday.
I am in no way talented however...

Creative spirit, no talent. Very frustrating.
 

Wizardgir1

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I am in no way talented however...

Creative spirit, no talent. Very frustrating.

For an INTJ, isn't it more about mastering a learned skill than having a talent? I think having the "creative spirit" IS the talent! I love all the endless possiblities that develop in my brain when creating anything, but it's the skill that I need to build. Like you said, very frustrating.

...and I think you should just jump in to quilting. I've made a couple. My skill wasn't the greatest (still very frustrating--hah), but that will be sharpened. You've got to start somewhere.
 

cafe

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I sew, but like Ivy, I don't think I'd sew my own wedding dress. I don't have the best fine motor skills and I'm not very patient, so I'll never be really good (except with a seam ripper), but it's still a fun hobby.

Quilting isn't really my thing, but I do think strip piecing rocks.

This is making me sad that my sewing machine is messed up.
 

The Ü™

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Sona could sew. Remember? ;)

Indeed...maybe he was, oh, how do I put it in his words? Ah yes, "A faggot" or something along those lines. (Personally, I wouldn't mind learning how to sew; anything to help satisfy my bizarre fetishes.)

People who sew are called sewers. And the yarn and shit is called the sewage.
 

miss fortune

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would a male seamstress be called a seamster? (and then can you imagine what the seamsters' union would be like?! :D )

I can't sew- I still remember accidentally sewing my thumb with the sewing machine in middle school home ec!
 

The Ü™

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I can't sew- I still remember accidentally sewing my thumb with the sewing machine in middle school home ec!

What did you do? Take home ec after a freak accident involving the band saw in shop class?
 

Zergling

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would a male seamstress be called a seamster? (and then can you imagine what the seamsters' union would be like?! :D )

I'm sure they would have various rules, shady mob connections, a missing Himmy Joffa body, etc.
 

prplchknz

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I can't sew never really wanted to learn. Besides me learning to knit was a disaster, and realized I'm not meant to knit. My mom on the other hand is learning how to make double knitted mittens and use to make all of her own clothes in highschool. She was going to go into fashion, but found out she was allergic to the chemicals in the factory, and she didn't want to sale the clothes but rather make them.
 

OctaviaCaesar

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I am terrified of the sewing machine, although I have always loved hand-sewing. My "thing" is embroidery, though. I am an avid counted cross-stitcher. It is not useful, it is decorative. I would love to sew my own wedding dress and Hallowe'en costumes--you know, historic reproduction patterns--but I don't think I would have he patience and I don't have the skill. :)
 

sandwich

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I love sewing, but I'm intimidated by the idea of making fitted clothes. I'm all over the elastic-waist skirts and pajama pants, though. Actually my latest thing has been sock monkeys. Easy and make great gifts. They can be done within an evening, and that includes watch Jeopardy while doing the hand-stitching.

I wouldn't advise the wedding dress unless you have a seamstress-level friend who will give you advice, lots of help, and perhaps therapy.
 

alicia91

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Wow, making your own wedding dress - I'm very impressed with this goal!!

Personally I can only sew straight lines and use other very simple techniques. I have made some really nice window treatments and pillows for my home. That's about it.

Good luck with it!
 

helen

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I sew as a hobby and a kind of part time job. I've made two wedding dresses so far-- neither was for me, lol, but I'd like to make my own wedding dress someday. I'm not sure if I actually will, because there is an heirloom wedding gown of sorts in my family and sentiment may win out over creative ambition. ;)

If you don't have much sewing experience, sewing a wedding gown could be frustrating, but it's certainly do-able, if you're willing to be patient! My suggestion would be to pick a pattern that you are comfortable with, and make a practice dress out of muslin to make sure you get the fit right and that you understand the basic steps of construction involved. You can keep working with the muslin dress, taking it apart, trimming, and adjusting until you get it just right. It's harder to do this with satin. When you are satisfied with the muslin dress, you can take it apart carefully and use it as a pattern for the satin gown. It's wonderful to have a more knowledgeable seamstress on hand to help if you run in to problems, but most sewing difficulties can be resolved by consulting a how-to book (or several) if you are prepared to do a little research.

Best of luck to you! Lemme know if I can help with anything more specific. . .
 

gretch

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I like to sew. I had someone sew my wedding dress for me. If not for only the reason that you have a zillion other things to plan before then.

Plus I would ha v elooked more like the bride of Frankenstein
 

faith

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In college I took a fancy 1980s' wedding dress pattern (with big sleeves and a V-waist) and altered it to make it into a period dress for a Voltaire play (1600s). It looked pretty darn good when I was finished, although the details I labored over couldn't be seen from the audience.

I don't know about your pattern, but one of the main keys to making clothes look good is the fit. I had a dress form that adjusted to the measurements of the actress playing the Voltaire role, so I kept fitting and refitting each piece as I went along. In the end, it fit her beautifully. Sewing for yourself is difficult in that respect unless you have a good dress form. It's very difficult to pin something on yourself without pulling the fabric out of position when you move.

Also, you don't have the opportunity of trying on the finished garment to see whether or not the style is flattering (or whether the pattern is actually a good one!) before you make it. Helen said what I was going to suggest: make it first out of inexpensive muslin to see how it goes and whether it's what you want in the end.
 

htb

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Sew what?

Sorry. Mancroft would've done it.

I only sew to repair -- buttons, pockets, and so on. My grandmother is a seamstress and the daughter of a tailor/designer; her patterns, when she was still active, were impeccable.
 

Wizardgir1

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My suggestion would be to pick a pattern that you are comfortable with, and make a practice dress out of muslin to make sure you get the fit right and that you understand the basic steps of construction involved.

I actually made a practice dress out of satin so I could learn about weight and texture as I worked with the garment. It was nice enough--doable. And the fit was good--considering I measured BEFORE I cut the pattern and fabric. However, after the dress was completed, it looked very similar to a nightgown. I'm not into that. So I've decided to cut the length off the gown and have a satin top with empire waist. I'm going to Macy's or Sears to pick out a "church-y" dress to get married in.

This entire "planning for my wedding day" blows. I'm not into it. I just want to sign the papers to be honest. My ENFP fiance wants to be married under a pastor -- I will do that to appease him. And... here's the quirky part: he wants all of these nice things for our wedding day, but I am the one contacting the people to make reservations! Argh! :doh: So, this whole business of getting married is more of a hassle than I want. ...just slide the papers to my side of the table so I can sign.
 
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