Sewing in Hamilton?

[Paan]

Anyone know of any teachers or people really good with making clothes and sewing in the East-Mountain area in Hamilton... (outside of Mohawk College)... that would be willing to teach their craft?

I want to learn how to make my own clothes, think I could do some pretty funky stuff.

[SevenSeasJim]

[Paan]

I was wondering how long it would take for the homosexual connotations to start from you jack ass...

Surprised I haven't heard from Lazlo yet.

[SevenSeasJim]

I was wondering how long it would take for the homosexual connotations to start from you jack ass...

Surprised I haven't heard from Lazlo yet.

I just thought you could get some good help from him that's all. Lazlo's probably still passed out with a chocolate bar somewhere. I'm sure he'll be along. ::

[PalacePrincess]

hey, this thread deserves more than one star! :: i think it's great you want to sew, paan.

how about right at mohawk? http://www.mohawkc.on.ca/dept/carts/workshop.html

honestly, though, before taking a course, i would suggest just flowing with your creativity & start out with a bit of trial & error! do you have a sewing machine? if you don't, find an actual sewing machine store (like singer or something). when you buy a sewing machine from them, they give you a full demonstration on how to use the machine, and will answer any questions you have and give you some helpful tips. you don't need to buy a super duper fancy machine or anything, they'll still help out with a basic one. or, if someone is giving you a machine, get them to show you how to work it. then go from there & experiment a bit. look carefully at existing garmets to see how they are put together to get an idea of what you need to do. maybe pick up some books for tips & ideas (you can find oodles of sewing books at used bookstores, i've even come across quite a few at places like value village and goodwill, and of course, the library) and read up a bit. don't feel too overwhelmed! a lot of "proper" sewing, what you'll read about and the methods you'll learn about is very technical and to be quite honest, kind of frustrating & difficult for a beginner, because all those proper methods require a lot of time and nitty picky steps to do anything, and at first you'll be too excited to see a semi-finished product to go through all the preparation. of course, there is a reason for the methods, they probably do produce the best results, but if you're just looking to do costumes and other fun things, however it gets together it gets together (even if you have to take it apart a few times before you get it to work ).

after you've played around a bit and then decided okay, yes, maybe i do need some instruction, sign up for a course. a beginner's course will most likely cover essential tools and materials and how to use them, some sewing basics, and how to interpret and construct something from a pattern. you'll probably have to buy a pattern and make something as your final project. this is helpful, because if you know how to make something from a pattern, you can buy a basic pattern & eventually alter and add things to it to turn it into what you really want.

i do definitely suggest just playing around and trying to make something on your own before taking a course. don't be afraid, and don't get too frustrated if you run into difficulties (sewing can be very trying at times). the reason i am suggesting you play around before taking a course, is to keep your motivation and desire to do it and learn, fresh and strong! i got the "OOH, I WANT TO MAKE CLOTHES AND LEARN HOW TO SEW!" bug a few years ago, and i made the mistake of convincing myself that i couldn't do it on my own and i'd better take a class before i experimented any further. well, i did take a class, but i found the extreme emphasis on "okay, here is step one, do this long boring thing, now do this one, don't forget to pin and then baste this" and so on and so on, to really stifle my creativity, and oddly enough make me feel even more like i couldn't do it, because they made it seem like there was SOOOO much involved in putting something together (which, if you're doing it by the letter, there is).

i did learn some helpful things from the class though, particularly how to read the patterns and put them together (they are quite confusing to look at!), but i would definitely take what you learn from a course more as tips and suggestions rather than sewing law. it will be a lot more fun that way and also seem a lot less overwhelming!

sorry this is so long (as usual, blah blah blah blah blah ), but good luck with it, and no matter how frustrated you may get at times, don't give up! a lot of it is trial & error & you'll learn lots as you go. have fun!

[SevenSeasJim]

Kev here is an easy one to start with.

[\/\/illy]

homosexual connotations...

You know what they say: "If it smells like sh!t and it looks like sh!t and it tastes like sh!t, odds are it's probably sh!t."

[Paan]

Thanks for your great input PP! I do have a machine at home... apparently a pretty decent one given to me, I just need to get it tuned-up.

I think I actually will try it on my own before I take a course... makes sense... I just figured that a course would save me alot of time intially on the technicals... but I'll give her a go and see what happens.

I do want to eventually make my own clothes. I can't seem to find anything I really like and I hate wearing labels. Nor am I into the tie-die thing.

And to Willy and Curt... no hand-made socks for you at Christmas now. And won't you be jealous when you see me in my hand-made pink powder liesure suit.

[Paan]

... also, my Pan costume needs some repairs... it took a beating at all the festivals last year.

[Tooly]

my girlfriend loves sewing and is pretty damn good at it i must say, maybe ask her for some tips next time we see ya at pjc, ,she can make the most asesome bongbags if anyyone wants one for their heady glass bong, and she makes kickass clothes too, no im not trying to suck up either lol

[Kaidy Mae]

Paan,

Although it may be a little tricky at first, you're better off to experiment and see if you like it. Sewing machines (mainly bobbins) can be annoying as hell at times. Green supplies should be kept on hand to deal with frustration.

Play around with scraps and such so you don't waste a lot of dough on something you'll tire of. It's a very ambitious thing to want to make your own clothes. I wish you the best of luck!

Once upon a time some friends and I were sipping some magic tea and came up with a sketch for a pants prototype. Well, needless to say these doozies were a tight crochet (E hook) with a silky brown threat and big wooden button. I was the only one who could crochet and actually was sloppy enough that I thought I could do it. Fastforward to present day...no crochet pants. Although I still think of them often and what could have been.

[Paan]

Thanks Kaidy... I am sure I am going to break many eggs before I can make an omlette (that reminds me, I want to improve my culinary skills too)

I hope I have a bobbins machine, because then I am going to name it Bilbo.

[timouse]

pann, good for you wanting to sew. way to challenge those gender barriers. just start doing it...and where is laslo? he must be really busy to have missed this thread.

[Lazlo]

I stayed away from this thread because Paan doesn't need any more affirmation that he is a big homo.

[Paan]

I just finished my first few sewing projects... here are some of Dee's friends modelling them for me...

http://www.dontpanictravel.com/gallery/mayanCruise/costume/pages/Costume%20Party1.htm

Seriously though... had my first introduction to the sewing machine and bought some cool material... I am going to try to have some shorts/pants for the CTMF... that is my goal.