Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
I wanted to end with this, because in my classes, life, and conversations with other people, I have heard the frustrations and expressed my own. Zigzag stitch. A basic stitch setting on many machines; sewing at the edge helps grab hold of the thread and keeps them from separating. It's improved our home, and our budget. My husband is a fashion guy, and thank God he now sews his own clothes too. I don’t necessarily treat my wardrobe sewing as my creative practice because I do have my own garments I design for the exploration of the potential and pleasure of surface design and abstract pattern making.
Take it slow on the machine, or you might even consider ditching it altogether and opting for hand sewing. Remember, you are learning a new skill, and with anything, it takes time. Give yourself permission to make mistakes and note the progress you make in your new craft instead of seeking immediate perfection. Most importantly, have fun! Walk-in wardrobes are increasing in popularity each year, with new styles suitable for homes and rooms of all shapes and sizes. When faced with designing your own walk-in wardrobe, it can feel like a huge undertaking and a gigantic challenge. There’s so much potential and you want to get it just right. The one downside I have to admit is that sewing is a skill and it takes practice to be able to make things exactly how you want. Plus, unless you’re a pattern designer (which most of us aren’t) you’ll need to find patterns that fit the style you’re looking for. A more skilled sewist can make alterations that will get them where they want to go, but a beginner might not be able to stray too far from the pattern.
You May Also Like
The core frustration for I've seen for students is that first sew up that’s the real disappointment. I see folks spin out, stop, and get to the point where they are examining that one garment so intently for what they did wrong. It's not you or your level of knowledge, it can be a number of things. The look and feel of a wardrobe is one thing, but the practicality of it is another. Once you have chosen the right material finish and colour scheme to fit your room, it’s time to decide on the internal storage. My goal was to create clothes that I love to wear because I wanted things that felt like me while looking polished but felt comfortable—I’m actually most comfortable in a dress or skirt, and I wanted a wardrobe that reflected that. This idea was very evident in my mood board. Firstly, when you make your own clothes you’re able to completely customize them to your preferences – think size, tailoring, shape, colours, textures. So instead of having to go on the hunt for the perfect pair of trousers that has all of the features you like, you can just make them exactly how you want instead.
If I wore them regularly, even more than once in a week, then that pattern goes to the hit archive, because it passed my comfort and confidence test. If I got lots of inquiries and my friends noticed it, then it got bonus points, because folks do get used to seeing you a certain way on a regular basis, and if it passed that test then I knew it matched my personality. Especially when it comes to clothing, sewing a more loose, flowy linen garment is a lot easier than trying to put together a tailored piece like a pair of denim or a structured, button-up blouse. Plus, linen pieces are in my opinion very in style these days! And because linen is a fully natural fibre, it will biodegrade so it’s more sustainable and earth-friendly.
The back of the wardrobe
Here’s where many folks turn to “well, now I have to learn pattern alterations and then I can make this pattern work”. That’s not alwaystrue. From what I have seen over the past few years and studied, if you are altering a pattern beyond a few adjustments like the fullness and reduction alterations, and doing so much that you are almost redrafting an existing design, and you are then at risk for this pattern to really make you mad. How you design the interior of your wardrobe will vary depending on a few factors, such as your lifestyle and wardrobe size. If you collect a lot of shoes, clothes and accessories, then you may find that a tower unit with shelves helps to keep your items separated and organised. If you’ll be predominately keeping clothes in your wardrobe, and you’d prefer to see your items easily, then a more open-style, hanging wardrobe interior such as the Aura Storage Kit may be a better match. At the end of the day, what matters is your personal needs and preference. Our focus will be on quality and fit. I'll show you how to adjust patterns to fit and suit you perfectly, whether you prefer long, short or cap sleeves, high or low waistbands, and slim, straight or wide-legged trousers. Not Just Ladies Wear I started sewing my clothing because I was inspired to make things that felt true to how I wanted to present myself. I’ve always been told that my sense of fashion was unique, as I’ll wear whatever I want, whether it’s in style or not. In the past on this blog, I’ve created a lot of seasonal capsule wardrobes including mainly items that you can buy in stores. But lately I’ve become really intrigued by the idea of making my own custom capsule wardrobe. Not only is sewing a great hobby of mine, but I feel that there are so many benefits to being able to create your own capsule wardrobe instead of purchasing separate items and piecing it together.
Some of my biggest wins this year have been with indie patterns, and I highly recommend them to those of you who are unfamiliar with garment construction, because sewing indie patterns are often like taking a sewing class! The instructions are so detailed and the pictures are very clear. And if you are struggling with fit, give some of these patterns a try. Most of the indie patterns I sew, I almost never have pattern alterations, which is so appreciated. At the end of 2015 I sold off the clothing that was store bought, used it to pay off my student loans from grad school- yeesh, I would have loved to invest that in fabric, but being debt free is amazing so not bummed about that in the least. I donated a lot of the pieces that were worn to tatters, thanks fast fashion, you truly are worthless, and started over. Sometimes a princess seam is not as successful as what a waist and side dart bodice can achieve. Sometimes it really is how the pattern is drafted- this happened to me the other day and while I had tested the top, the bottom of a particular pattern must have been a size and a half smaller. The disappointment made me question my body, my shape, needing to work out, oh the rabbit hole.
Double bummer. Even if you are able to sew it up and make it fit, you must give the garment a few wears to see how you really feel about it. When it's on you, you are going to see if it fits your personality and improves your confidence. There are several garments that I sewed up that passed this test. For this collection, I decided to make pieces that would be able to transition between each of these areas, focusing on pieces that would be comfortable and still feel put-together. Measuring and installing can seem like a daunting task. However, here at ScrewfixWardrobes, we make sure that our products are straightforward and easy to fit for the keen DIYer. Learn how to install our wardrobes yourself.
Here’s me working on my exploratory sewing. I consider this to be my design practice and try to create a capsule collection each year to add to my portfolio. It keeps me happy and curious to discover new pathways in design and sewing. Lesson 6: Don’t make too much! When it comes to fabric, I like to go with woven fabrics like linen or cotton just because I find them so much easier to sew with. They don’t have a lot of stretch and won’t slip around as much while you’re sewing them, so they’re great for a beginner. While sewing machines vary in makes and models, they have multiple points where the thread travels from the spool to the needle. These help keep an even tension, which in turn helps create even or balanced stitches. Make sure you have a new needle and that it’s the appropriate size for the weight of fabric you’re using. I mostly buy fabric online, just because I think it’s easier to find sustainable fibres (like linen, cotton, hemp, etc). The last time I went into my local big-box fabric store, I didn’t see much in the way of 100% linen, and the ones they did have were very expensive. A lot of smaller companies ship worldwide and have a really great selection of fabrics to choose from. The edges of the fabric require some attention. If left as is, they run the risk of fraying with every wash and eventually, there might not be enough fabric to hold the seams together. Preventing fraying is easy enough, with a range of options:
Supporting the front of the wardrobe
After all that work, it is finally time to sew! For this step, you’ll need: a sewing machine, sewing machine needle, washi tape, ruler, thread, pins, small scissors, iron and a pressing surface. While you can sew by hand, a machine will be more efficient for beginners. Take a look at your clothes. Sometimes this is less about examining what’s hanging in the closet and more about what ends up in your laundry basket. Determine what you wear and then use your answer to help decide what you’d like to sew. Then I just remembered- hey, you have seen weird drafting Andrea- do what you know works and make it work. So I discarded the princess seams and made that bottom A-line and now have a dress I have received many compliments on. On the second go, I over came the frustration and made a garment that’s now a classic for my closet. There are so many great options available out there, and it’s so much fun to explore them all. But hopefully this list gives you a good starting point! If you have more specific questions around walk-in wardrobes, we have FAQ sections dedicated to walk-in wardrobe designs and fittings.
Great Deal 
New Comment