# So, can you sew? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 30, 2015, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-you-sew/718888 "2015-04-30T13:37:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-you-sew/718888/1 "2015-04-30T13:37:44Z")
While I was hemming some tea towels, I realized that none of my 3 sisters ever learned to sew. I tried to teach my daughter, but she wasn’t interested. Nor is my niece, or my nephews, for that matter. I’ve had friends over the years who opt for pins, tape, and staples to effect repairs. So, can you sew? ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-you-sew/718888/2 "2015-04-30T13:39:21Z")
Yes. My mother has always had a dedicated sewing room, and I do, too. As I get older and have other priorities it gets smaller and smaller–we’re about to move, and in the new house it will be a sewing corner–but yeah. Always had a machine. Always made napkins and placemats and quilts and pillowcases and, when my daughter was very small, clothes for her. Sewing clothes for adults and older children is a losing proposition in my eyes, but for home goods, it’s priceless. I’ve saved hundreds on curtains alone over the years. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-you-sew/718888/3 "2015-04-30T13:44:50Z")
I’m somewhere between these options: [ul] [li]I can use patterns to make garments and other items, I can repair and alter by machine or by hand.[/li][li]In a pinch, I can stitch on a button or repair a hem or a seam with a needle and thread.[/li][/ul] My mom taught me to sew years ago and learned to use a machine, but it’s been so long I might harm the machine and/or myself. I can and do make my own Halloween costumes, often sewing is involved. I also can and do alter hem length by hand and do other minor adjustments. I also can and have done my own pillows and such. I can use patterns if they’re relatively simple. I’d love to have a sewing machine and may ask for one and lessons from my maaa for the holidays this year. > [@Sattua](#): > > Sewing clothes for adults and older children is a losing proposition in my eyes, but for home goods, it’s priceless. I’ve saved hundreds on curtains alone over the years. I’d love to be able to make simple clothes for myself. I cannot find some things that I want (a tweed skirt in winter. I couldn’t find one in my size) and it would be easy to make them. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-you-sew/718888/4 "2015-04-30T13:46:00Z")
Yes. I no longer do much more than sew on the odd button, but I learnt to make garments with a sewing machine from my mother and at school. I took apart and refashioned an old evening gown when I needed to go to a ball at University and I was too broke to buy one. I’m 45 with older parents, so my parents came from a wartime generation for whom making your own clothes was normal, as clothing was rationed (in the UK). And my father was a professional tailor. So there’s that. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-you-sew/718888/5 "2015-04-30T13:46:17Z")
My very first sewing project was to patch a pair of shorts I tore when climbing a fence - I was 6 and I knew I wasn’t supposed to climb over that fence. But Mom had a cigar box full of fabric patches, so I selected a pink square to sew on my pink shorts. Alas, Mom’s old Necchi was threaded with dark green, so she discovered my tear… However, she taught me to use patterns and alter them as needed. I made most of my clothes in high school and some into college. I’ve made many costumes over the years and I even made one of my daughter’s prom dresses. I’ve upholstered home furnishings and boat cushions. I’ve made curtains and drapes. I’ve made sail covers and winch covers and various items for our boats over the years. I’ve made stuffed toys. I’ve never quilted because I never cared to learn. But I’ve always had a sewing machine - I’m on my 4th one right now, not counting the treadle Singer that I got from my grandmother. I can embroider, but I don’t enjoy it. And it’s getting harder and harder to thread those teensy needles, but I can still do a blind hem with the best of them. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-you-sew/718888/6 "2015-04-30T13:57:52Z")
I chose the “I can recognize a needle” option but in my feckless youth I was a demon with a sewing machine. Well, I made a pillow at school one time. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-you-sew/718888/7 "2015-04-30T14:00:56Z")
Way back in home ec about 35 years ago, I made a skirt I never wore and a patchwork stuffed animal I still have. It’s been pretty much hems, buttons, and the occasional repair of a torn coat pocket since. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-you-sew/718888/8 "2015-04-30T14:12:24Z")
My mom used to make a lot of clothes for my sister and me and our Barbie dolls when we were kids, and she taught us how use patterns and sew on her Singer. I also took a semester of sewing in high school. It’s been years since I’ve done anything but sew on a button or hem a pair of pants, though. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-you-sew/718888/9 "2015-04-30T14:12:30Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > I’d love to be able to make simple clothes for myself. I cannot find some things that I want (a tweed skirt in winter. I couldn’t find one in my size) and it would be easy to make them. Maybe it’s the places I’ve lived in, but finding nice fabric is nearly impossible and when you do find it, it costs as much as a finished garment would. Then there are the many hazards involved in executing a finished garment, which is way more difficult than you’d think, even for something “simple” like a skirt. Lining, placket, hem, kick pleat . . . it’s frustrating, often unrewarding, and takes hours. Of course all this becomes easier with experience, but if it isn’t necessary to acquire that experience (for a wartime generation, for example), it takes more grit than I’ve got. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-you-sew/718888/10 "2015-04-30T14:19:52Z")
My mom taught me the basics with her sewing machine. I still remember the basics and sew a few repairs from time to time, not often. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-you-sew/718888/11 "2015-04-30T14:20:45Z")
Former SCA member, I have made my own cloak, tunic, coif & gambeson. I do not currently sew past the point of needle & thread repairs. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-you-sew/718888/12 "2015-04-30T14:34:35Z")
I chose other, because I like to make quilts, but don’t really know how to follow clothing patterns. I can hem pants, but that’s about it as far as clothing goes. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-you-sew/718888/13 "2015-04-30T14:50:31Z")
I know how to sew and can cut out patterns and such, but I’m terrible at it. My mom was a terrific seamstress, so that’s where I learned, but I don’t really enjoy it. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-you-sew/718888/14 "2015-04-30T14:52:13Z")
While I can and have made clothes I usually make other things. I’m guessing I’m one of the few here who have not only sewn clothes and household goods like placemats and quilts but also performed sewing repairs on shoes and boots. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-you-sew/718888/15 "2015-04-30T14:55:18Z")
Learned to sew at 12, and never stopped. I sew with/without patterns, make slip overs, curtains, plus do needkework including embroidery. Through the years I have made all manner of things for people, prom dresses, costumes, boat covers, props, etc. I’ve sewn with several kids, doll clothes, dress up, gifts, etc. I last year I took on a 7yr old student who is hyper keen and surprisingly clever. She was too young for any of the places with lessons. Her Mom approached me, so we gave it a try. She’s very advanced for her age and seems to be able to focus beyond her years. And startlingly good with design choices, always knows, in detail, what she wants. Quite a contrast to other children I have sewn with. Maybe she’s the next Dior! It is certainly a dying art. When I moved here I could walk to three fabric shops, now all gone. But, as a result, more people bring you all kinds of projects of the, “Is it possible to …”, variety. Fun! Plus doing the most minor things is like magic to some people. Fun! ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-you-sew/718888/16 "2015-04-30T14:58:42Z")
In a pinch, I can do the basics as you describe. And that’s just because I’ve been sewing up people for decades. I ripped my pants at work one day, closed the gap with some loosely thrown 3-0 chromic gut suture, then was surprised as hell when the pants didn’t heal up completely on their own over the next few weeks as they loitered in the laundry hamper. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-you-sew/718888/17 "2015-04-30T15:07:40Z")
RobDog, Male, 51. Depends whether you mean by hand or machine. By hand I can sew buttons and make some basic repairs (I usually carry a small sewing kit when I’m out hiking in case I tear my trousers or shirt or something). I’m OK with a machine. I could make something simple like a pillow case or bean bag cover, but I’d probably make a very lousy shirt. I can knit to a degree too. Been a long time though so I’d undoubtedly need a lot of help casting on and off. Don’t tell anyone will you. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-you-sew/718888/18 "2015-04-30T15:09:47Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > In a pinch, I can do the basics as you describe. And that’s just because I’ve been sewing up people for decades. > > I ripped my pants at work one day, closed the gap with some loosely thrown 3-0 chromic gut suture, then was surprised as hell when the pants didn’t heal up completely on their own over the next few weeks as they loitered in the laundry hamper. I love your posts, Qadgop. Please never leave this board. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-you-sew/718888/19 "2015-04-30T15:10:42Z")
I’m between: - I can use patterns to make garments and other items, I can repair and alter by machine or by hand. - In a pinch, I can stitch on a button or repair a hem or a seam with a needle and thread. 20 years ago, I was the former. I did hand and machine sewing (ok, mostly theater costumes) on a regular enough basis that I’d answer that confidently. However, I don’t think I’ve used a sewing machine in the past 10 years. I think I could do something straightforward with straight seams, but I don’t know about more than that. ---
**Author:** ![misling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ab097/32.png) [@misling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/misling)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-you-sew/718888/20 "2015-04-30T15:13:19Z")
I picked the 2nd option. But I don’t quite fit it. I can make anything by sewing machine or serger, but my hand stitching skills are minor. I can also make patterns from scratch, though. And they fit. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-you-sew/718888.md?page=2)