Hi! I have actually finished my vintage top! Yayy! But until I have some nice photos, you’ll have to wait for the post all about that. In the meantime, I’m A Little Puzzled . . .
Have you seen the fabric kits you can buy from places like Craftsy? (I’m sure I’ve seen them on other websites as well, but I just can’t seem to find any of them right now.)
For example, here’s a dress that I might consider making but I really don’t like the fabric they’ve chosen for the kit. OK, this one has a choice of two fabrics, but it still puzzles me and makes me a little mad! Why? I hear you ask.
Firstly, why would I go to all the trouble of making something and then find that someone else has made the exact same thing? I may as well just buy a dress from a shop, after all, one of the reasons I love making my own clothes is that they are always totally unique.
Next, surely choosing which fabric you’re going to make up into a dress/top/bag/whatever is part of the fun of making something yourself? I love finding the perfect fabric in a shop for that pattern I’ve been wanting to make. Or even finding some fabric in my stash which I bought years ago because I loved it but never knew what I’d make from it, and realising I now have just the right pattern to bring it to life – this is what happened with my vintage top.
For me, sewing is a creative endeavour and these kits just take the creativity right out of it.
Maybe they are aimed at the beginner who isn’t very sure what they’re doing and might make a garment out of a totally inappropriate fabric. Ok, I’ve done that and sometimes it’s worked but when it hasn’t, I’ve learnt from it.
I just don’t see the point in these everything-included-to-make-your-dress kits.
Has anyone who reads this bought one? What was it like?
I feel a little better now after having a little rant. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Craftsy, I’m one of their biggest fans, I just don’t get the kits. And if they sell, then that’s fine, obviously they have an appeal to some people. . . I just hope one day those people will get a little more creative! 😉
And just before I leave you, here’s a little peak at a couple of recent vintage pattern acquisitions:
Butterick 8088; ca. 1957; Dutch-Boy Styled Dress and Jacket. A slim dress and waist length jacket – a combination that’s smart anywhere. The below-elbow sleeved jacket has a low placed collar, magnet shaped shoulder detail. The short sleeved dress is curved with tucks at the hips.
Butterick 7480; 1950s; Wing-Sleeved Dress: Slim Skirt. Pert, stand-up collar, bodice smartly detailed with stitched, curving lines, deep wing sleeves. Slim skirt has full-length pleat in back.
These both have slightly unusual styling features which I think are quite interesting.
Cheerio for now, 😀
Hi ,
When I was a little girl (long, long ago and far, far away!) my friend next door’s Mum used to make her dresses from a kit – bought from adverts in women’s magazines – and they were always very pleased with the results. I suppose that some people feel unable to decide what will look good/ go well etc. Don’t have the confidence to just go with their own preferences. Do the kits come already cut-out? That would be a big plus for some folks, maybe!
Love that cabbage dress!
Cheers, Stroma
Hi Stroma!
Glad to hear that the kits worked well for your friend’s Mum! Also I guess if you don’t live anywhere near a shop which sells fabrics, by using a kit you can get some fabric and be assured that it will be suitable for the pattern.
I don’t think the kits come already cut out, but I don’t know that for sure. (Does anyone else know?) I can see that would be beneficial if there were large pattern pieces (which can be awkward to cut out on a small table or on the floor) and you were a nice standard size. But lets face it, most of us are a combination of sizes or need some sort of an adjustment. So if your fabric was already cut out what would you do if you needed to add a couple of inches to the hips for example? Hmmmm . . .
Yes, the cabbage dress is quite impressive! Don’t think I’ll be making one of those any time soon though! 😉
Megan 🙂