76 The idea of sewing your own clothes feels so exciting at first, but making clothes you actually want to wear is a mission on its own! We’ve all been there, where you finally finish a project you’ve been sewing for over a week and then you try it on and it’s not what you imagined. You notice the fit isn’t quite right, maybe the neckline is too low or the style of the garment just doesn’t feel like you. You’re not alone if this has ever happened to you, trust me I know just how frustrating it can be. Especially when you don’t even know how to make it better. The good news is there are so many ways you can start sewing clothes that you’ll love to wear and I’ll break them down super clearly for you. You’ll learn how to sew clothes that actually fit you better and reflect your personal style so you’ll feel confident and proud! 1Reflect on what you already wear every day When I first started sewing, I don’t know why but I immediately started making clothes using only cotton fabric. Which actually is a great beginner friendly fabric to use because it presses really well and is relatively cheap to practise with. But whenever I put those clothes on, I hated them! I realised nothing I bought from high-street shops or wore everyday used the type of cotton I was buying, so no wonder why they didn’t resonate with me. I always recommend the first thing you should do, is to look inside your actual wardrobe. Find the clothes you regularly wear and take note of what fabric they’re made of. Are they made out of woven fabric or stretch fabric? Woven fabrics are fabrics that don’t stretch such as cotton, linen, viscose or crepe. Stretch fabrics such as jersey or ribbed knit allow the garment to stretch over your body and provide a more comfortable fit. This can be such a useful exercise because it allows you to start narrowing down what type of patterns you should use to replicate clothes you already love. Now you want to go through the style of the clothing. So with a more detailed eye, take note of any closures you can see. Does your favourite skirt or trousers have an elasticated waistband or do they have a zip at the back? You might find as you make note of these, that you mostly wear clothing that has elastic waistbands rather than zips. Or you’ve realised all your favourite tops are variations of camisoles with a skinny shoulder strap. It provides such a great insight into what styles you actually love to wear and will make this process so much easier and enjoyable! Lastly, lay out all your favourite pieces in front of you and take note of the fabric print or colour. Such a fun part of sewing is shopping for fabric, and to be honest it becomes a whole hobby on its own! When I did this exercise, I realised I loved fabrics that have a bold and colourful print rather than fabrics that have a smaller, detailed print in a neutral colour. Sewing gives you so much freedom to make clothes exactly how you want and understanding different styles of fabric to use will be so invaluable. 2Choose the right sewing patterns for you One of the most common reasons people don’t wear the clothes they’ve sewn is because the pattern they used is either too complex or the style isn’t practical in their everyday life. There are so many sewing patterns out there on the market and you can either buy printed or digital sewing patterns. I personally prefer digital sewing patterns because you print them out as many times as you like (which is handy if you’re like me and always loose Tammy Johal of Tammy Handmade has turned her passion into a career, gaining a dedicated following of 154K Instagram and becoming an ambassador for Brother. Here’s her tips for sewing your own clothes SEW YOUR STYLE Photography ©Emily Lavarello
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