do any of yall know how to make your own outfits for work? if so, how did u learn? im not talking about buying patterns and copieng them, im talking about designing them and everything.
do any of yall know how to make your own outfits for work? if so, how did u learn? im not talking about buying patterns and copieng them, im talking about designing them and everything.



I did; I used to be a costume lady for a couple of years while my knee was messed up.
You learn by buying patterns and copying them. I'm not kidding. That's how you learn to handle the fabric and elastic and so on. Once you understand how lingerie and bathing suit and skating patterns are structured, it's easy to design your own based on what you've learned.
I make burlesque costumes now, but they're all based on techniques I learned by using swimwear and lingerie patterns:
http://www.gstringsforever.com/onstage22.jpg
http://www.gstringsforever.com/zillaweb/zilla5web.jpg
http://static.flickr.com/37/118627636_6206bd6072.jpg
I recommend:
http://www.sewsassy.com
Blog:
Burlesque classes and info:
I'm glad someone else learned that way! Kwik Sew are my favourites, but they all need quite a bit of adjusting to be SC-suitable.You learn by buying patterns and copying them. I'm not kidding. That's how you learn to handle the fabric and elastic and so on. Once you understand how lingerie and bathing suit and skating patterns are structured, it's easy to design your own based on what you've learned.
Feature costumes for sale!
If you have no previous sewing experience, start with existing patterns. Once you get the hang of it, it's fairly easy to take a piece you like and copy a pattern from it. Some things, like tube dresses, are too ridiculously simple to need a pattern. Get a piece of fabric big enough to wrap around you and the length that you want. Sew it into a tube. Hem the ends. There you go. Actually, most basic dance pieces -- booty shorts, skirts, bra tops -- are retardedly simple once you know how. You will kick yourself for ever paying retail prices.
www.denverfabrics.com is a great site for fabrics.





I echo that it's good to start with a pattern and a good basic sewing book like the Vogue one; I'm also a fan of Kwik Sew since they have lingerie/activewear patterns that are easily adaptable to dancewear. The sewing book will help with tips on sewing stretch fabrics and elastics, too.
Of course, if you're willing to make some mistakes with cheap fabric, you can start right off trying to design your own outfits if there's something unusual you want to make, but understanding the basic construction techniques will help a lot.
i already know how to sew. im actually in school for fashion design. ive had to make dance costumes before (ballet) for my little sisters dance troupe. spandex is not that hard to work with. make sure your machine does a stretch stitch. and if not use a narrow and short zig zag stitch and you wont have to worry about your seams popping. dont stretch the spandex when you sew it, the stitching does all that it needs to. my pattern making book has a whole chapter on swimwear/dancewear. i should scan the pages and post them up. if anybody is seriously interested i can try to email them to you too. just send me a pm and ill do whatever i can.
SEWING ISNT HARD!!! dont let it discourage you! you can make a whole outfit for much less than they charge at the stores. you need barely a yard of fabric and one package of elastic. super simple and super cheap. id love to see more people wearing what they made! i plan on audtioning in an outfit i made
i can only dream of a circus life....
aka chloe
thanx guys...im gonna get a pattern book this evening!!!
well...just got back from the store and i ended up getting this book called "108 ways to transform a t-shirt" lol! i love it! its by Megan Nicolay, and it has some really cute stuff actually...you would never guess some of this stuff is made out of a t shirt! most of it is no-sew, so its pretty easy. it has alot of stuff one could probably use for outfits at work! yall should check it out...i got it at borders.
Im also thinking of making my own costumes. A girl at one of the clubs i work makes and sells costumes and i asked her to run up a dress i designed myself. She did it and i love it but i really feel that the quality is second rate. The stiching looks loose and the dress really hasnt been finished well. Whats more, she charged me £50 (about 95$) for it! For the quality of the dress I think that this is a total rip off. I have loads of things in my head i want made so i think the only solution is to learn to make them myself. Have found this thread really informative guys, now i cant wait to get started!!!
I made a blue thong bikini and skirt once...I think it was a Kwik Sew pattern. Sewing lycra (or knits in general) takes a different kind of needle. I wish I could master the serger but everytime I tried I ended up with a total mess!
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