Journey into Making your Own Clothing- PINNED Podcast: Episode 48

Sometimes the things you want to wear do not exist... so make them! This week join me as I discuss sewing,  how I got started, answering my musts asked questions. P.S. Thank you so much for the love I have received on my makes.

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Transcript

Miss Pinup Miami: 0:05

Good day and welcome back to the pin podcast. I'm your host Pinup Miami. And here at the pin podcast, we talk about modern topics with vintage fee. If it is your first time listening, I want to say welcome, I hope you stick around. And if you're a returning listener, thank you so much for tuning in. It means the world to me. If you haven't followed the podcast on Instagram, following a pinned podcast official, or my Instagram Pinup Miami, you Hey, you could even send me a text at 183348 pinup, really easy and simple, I get back to you real quick on that one. Today's episode is going to be a little different. I don't have a guest, it's just gonna be me. And the reason behind it is I've had to do a life change in my work place and with the heaviness that being hectic and having to find a new job. And, you know, last year was difficult for everyone. So we're just making do with what we have. And hopefully by next week, everything will be back in order and better. Yeah, it's gonna be better than ever. So today's episode is going to be about something that I have been asked about. So many times, I have been asked about my sewing, you know, sewing and how I got into it, how to start sewing,

Unknown: 1:40

you know,

Miss Pinup Miami: 1:41

I get compliments on my outfits all the time. Um, either they could be bad or good. I've gotten both, but mostly they're positive remarks. And number one thing is how it fits on my body. And that's what I love about sewing, you could create eight, anything you want, with reason. But you can create anything you'd like if you'd like a dress with a peasant top, but you want a full circle or you want a wiggle skirt or a circle skirt. You know, you could design it the way you want that feels comfortable for your body with any embellishments and any fabric. So starting in the very beginning, how I got into sewing was I was working because soon I won't be working there anymore. I was working at a pillow factory manufacturing pillow inserts. I ran the warehouse there. And at this job, there was seamstresses, you know, because they have to sew pillows. And I was going to different events and car shows and I love dresses but I just couldn't afford it like pinup girl, or the dresses that I mostly wear pinup girl. They were really popular when I first started in pinup. And I wanted those dresses that kind of style, but I wanted it in like a certain look or I wanted it more vintage, you know i'd be on poshmark I'd be looking at vintage dresses that I love but they were always like a waste of 30 You know, my waist is closer to a 40. So the only way I could have thought of having something is if I made it. So I started off by at the warehouse asking the seamstresses to teach me techniques. And at this warehouse, it was mostly all straight stitching single stitch industrial machines. That means that the needle only goes forward in one direction like a straight line. Because in pillows all you need is straight, it's four corners. So I learned the basics with them. And I would show them the dress they would think I'm crazy because they're not into the style that I'm in but they they enjoyed it. I feel like they like the final product and they got to see the vision at the end. So I would bring different clothes, I would ask them to alter it or change it or teach me how to stitch and that's how I picked up the basics. But I never actually did it for like the first two dresses because those two dresses took forever. It was actually a blue dress that I wear for Viva ease to had like a rough on the front. If you're watching on YouTube, I'll put up a picture. I've also mentioned it to a couple friends of mine to where it's like promise events and to Viva Las Vegas. I haven't been to Viva Las Vegas but I can say one of my dresses has. So once I loved the look I was getting from these dresses that these ladies were helping me make. I wanted to do it myself. So I never picked up a sewing machine. But I practice with the very basics. So this is what I recommend for people to do when they're learning. do research. Like I did, I had hands on research. But the magic with technology today is that you can look up anything on YouTube. And on Tick tock, I've actually learned so many things on Tick Tock that I didn't know about sewing even about my own machine. So use Tick Tock us on YouTube. And I was asked by somebody on Instagram, like, Do I have a recommended youtuber to watch? My answer is always watch them all. Because of the say, for example, you want to learn how to hem a skirt. One youtuber might do it one way you find it difficult. And then you're going to want to give up. So make sure to watch like how to him in like five different videos and find the way that you think you understood the most. And that you could do and you found more efficient. I do that all the time. Back to my first project, my first project that I ever did was I wanted to show off my skills. So I did napkins. So I literally went to Joanne's got this Thanksgiving fabric that I got for Thanksgiving, and I cut up squares. And then I learned how to turn the corners and and so so I did like fancy cloth napkins. And then with the Cricut I cut out my family's last name, and put Thanksgiving in the year. And it was super cute. So just learning the basics of doing that and the patience of going in a straight line. Because sewing machines, I know a lot of people think that like sewing machines do the work for you. But you really have to put in the work yourself. And so and help you know and guide the machine, the machine just doesn't do it. And I think that's a misconception people thinking all the machine is gonna do all the work when in reality, you're the one doing the work. Because if you if the operator, if there's a user error, your outfit or whatever you're working on, is not going to come out, right. So after I made those napkins, that took me forever because my family has is big. I really learned how to do a straight line how to backstage, which means like closing the stitch at the end so it doesn't come undone. So you learn very basic straight stitching. So projects like that doing straight even on scraps, you could go to Goodwill, Walmart and just do straight stitches. If your machine has different like stitches, you can practice with bad decorative stitches. I did do napkins with decorative stitch that was like an arch and clear curves. And then you cut around it. And it came off super cute. But then after that I really wanted to do close. So close is like the main goal that was in my head when I first even picked up a sewing machine. And my sewing machine was gifted to me by Linda from the Misfits Car Club. She was nice enough because she knew that I wanted to there had a vision and I wanted to do a certain type of look. And she believed in it. And I'm so grateful that she gave me a sewing machine because I was able to practice at home and and thank you, Linda, you're listening. So from there, I still have the machine to today. I actually after that one because that one only did a few stitches, I wanted to be like the one of the cool kids and and I got a machine with a bunch of stitches. In reality, my tip is you do not need a machine that has 300 or 100 different stitches because you're not going to use them. I ended up just using the zigzag and a straight stitch. You really don't need anything else unless you're quilting. Because it is not really necessary to do any stitches. And I'm telling you that that's the truth. And this year, I acquired an industrial sewing machine that just does a straight stitch which is like back to my original. A heavy beginning of learning sewing and a serger. a serger is like if you it does surging stitches so it cuts the edge and really cleans it gives you a clean finish. Most t shirts and dresses have this kind of like zigzag like double zigzag stitch. It looks like if you look up serger you'll see the stitch I'm talking about. It's most all of your clothing. I'm sure if you're wearing something right now, it's on there. So then from there, I started with no patterns. I actually started with just sewing and cutting and trial and error that really helped me learn my own body. So I knew like how patterns are supposed to look. I would cut the fabric on my own body. lay it out, cut it again with some seam allowance meaning adding an extra piece so I could cut and sew it. So that's used to like put things together if I cut it exactly where I want, I won't have any sewing and if I saw it like that, it's just gonna be super small. So I tried to get on my own body. And I realized, you know, that's very difficult, but I gotta say, it really helped me learn a lot about my body, the human body what I need to take in, take out. And if you do wear undergarments, make sure you measure your body with the undergarments on because then it'll be baggy, like I always wear a corset. So I make sure when I test out my outfits that I always have my corset on, it really helps to make sure that the dress fits according to how you want it. If not, you're gonna have a dress that looks totally not fitted, if that's what you're going for. If you're going for a caftan, it doesn't really matter your undergarments. So the next thing after doing that I started getting into patterns, because I really wanted to try different patterns, vintage patterns. And with these patterns, I found is so difficult. I literally collected them, I never touched them for a while, I was very intimidated, because it's like just a piece of paper, and you got to do what they tell you. But then when you see the patterns, it's just very confusing at first. But once you get to read a pattern and know it, it's a perfect guide to also grow your sewing. So little by little. I hope I'm making sense. But a little tip that I have about sewing patterns is do not depend on a pattern to learn how to sew, or to create or use it as like a golden rule for an outfit. Let me explain. When you use a pattern, what when I started using a pattern, the pattern tells the modern patterns, the ones you see at Joanne's Walmart simplicity, McCall Vogue, those patterns have instructions. So they tell you how the pattern is supposed to go. If you shop on eBay, for vintage patterns, or online for draft at home patterns 98% of the time, and because I've yet to find one, but just in case there is one out there. They don't have any instructions because in those times in the 20s 30s 40s and 50s those patterns, people it was a it was a skill that women already knew how to sew. So they knew looking at a pattern where the pattern where they all fit to be sewn and what to do. And I find this so interesting, because when you think of sewing, right now, a lot of people don't know how to sew. I think during the pandemic, a lot of people learned how to sew. But it's not really a skill that is like they don't see Tomek I guess you could say I never had homag but I'm guessing that that's why people knew how to sew. But sewing was such a necessity at home it saved on having to go shopping you could have your custom clothes, you could make it off of curtains like if you've seen Gone with the Wind, like the dresses were made out of curtains, like I love it. And that's I mean I've made a dress out of skirt and fabric because curtain fabric because it's cheaper than fabric. But back to the pattern. Yeah, it those patterns don't have any instructions. They literally are just little cutouts and then you got to figure out the rest on your own. But that's because you have to be knowledgeable in how to put it together. I tried these patterns called Miss. Do you pull the Pew patterns on? Mr. Pew, her website and she has these draft at home patterns that I would say is difficult to have your beginning. Do not do it. If you saw me make a dress inspired by the American Horror Story was it American Horror Story but it was the the nurse from ratchet it was a show ratchet. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, the nurse ratchet. It was a yellow outfit she did and I really wanted that like look, I tried one of those draft at home patterns, which means that it's like small and then according to your body shape, you use a ruler that you have to print out and it's like proportional to make a pattern. So you get the pattern pieces. So you got to make the pattern, then add your seam allowance. And then then figure out on your own how it goes. So that's challenging, I would say don't start off with one of those or any vintage patterns because you will be so confused. But once you start one pattern, you'll be able to see the gist of how they're supposed to be put together with the notches mean because of vintage patterns. Most of them have like little notches and you'll be able to understand where they go. So in modern patterns when I first picked one out up, you know, I looked at it, I read the instructions. And I have to say that honestly, I know I just told you guys not to use it as a learning guide, but use it as a resource. Because let's say you get one of those quick so patterns from Joanne which I recommend, because they're quick to so. Um, if I click this one, I mean, easy, less cutting, less having to mark like any darts. So get that. And when you read the instructions for every word you do not understand. And this is what I did. I would Google and YouTube. And again, I would look him more than one source because I would watch one video of somebody saying, you know, the pattern was, say, gathered from the two markings to the other marking. And I'm like, How the heck do I gather I've never gathered before. So I would go on YouTube, and look at different videos, because some people make it difficult. Some people made it easy. And it's just finding what works for you. And that's the magic of sewing, finding what works for you. Because at the end of the day, if you like it, I mean, that's the point. And the dresses will not be perfect my dresses in the beginning, but they were not perfect. I mean, the first couple of dresses I made, I didn't know. Or I was so frustrated and putting a zipper that I didn't put a zipper and that's why I don't own those dresses anymore, because I put no zipper in. And I regret it. But I was just so frustrated that I was like, I don't know how to put a zipper. I'm not putting one it would just be a one time morning dress and then literally had to cut myself off of it. That's probably something I shouldn't say out loud. But I'm letting you guys know cuz you're listening. But yes, zippers are difficult. But once you get the hang of it, it's just patience with that I usually take a little more time when I do a zipper. Just because I know it frustrates me. And if you have fabrics that have you know, to start off, don't use fabrics that have like, prints and in in one direction because you're going to end up using more fabric and it's going to complicate it if you want it to line up with your patterns. Start with a solid or like patterns that are very repetitive, but it doesn't matter what direction you're turning if that is still uniform. And then once you get more comfortable with knowing the basics of putting your pattern together, then experiment with different fabrics. And if you want to experiment with different fabrics. bedsheets are amazing. The first bedsheet dress I ever made was this Toy Story one. And I have to say that it's still to this day one of my favorite outfits and it was only like $5 for the whole bed set when at least in Florida because if you go to California or New York, they have this garments district that is like everything's like$1 or less 50 cents fabric a yard. We don't have that in South Florida. But you could use bedsheets if you like there's like beautiful like on eBay. They also sell vintage bedsheets like different styles. And when you go thrifting make sure to hit that bedsheet area, you will find solid colors, you'll find flowers, you'll find so many different types of things. And even if you like Disney like today, not today, yesterday, I picked up Star Wars bedsheets, then make a perfect gather. It's not a full bed sheet. But with the fabric, I think it's just a flat, I can make a skirt and maybe a little top and I want to make a two piece set out of it. So that I could wear it as a skirt with a plain top or I could wear it as you know the Star Wars blouse with a black skirt and have it to interchange. My goal this year is to improve my having more essential pieces like not essential but like two pieces that I could style differently, not just dresses. So that's one of my goals and gowns. I want to make more gowns and more couture and more fun cosplay items. That is something that I've been slowly trying to get into this year. But haven't focused because of the change of my job. But now after everything settles down, I'm going hardcore with that. And so yeah, so try doing the patterns. Um, and just play around with different things and learn your machine. Every machine is different, but YouTube, YouTube, I can't recommend YouTube enough. And if you have any machine that you've ever seen me using, and you have the same one, feel free to reach out I'm always willing to help. I used to run before the pandemic I used to run a sewing Meetup group and it was really nice, but it ended up being more artistic Because it was different people every time and I want to make more YouTube videos on how to sew and how to make different things or my not so so long because I think it's a skill that people do the soul longs because you address is not made in three minutes. But these videos are three minutes, three minutes, guys. I don't know. I tried it, I edit all my own things. So I think everything's important. So that's why I called it a not so so long. Because I feel like I I can't edit it in a way of putting everything important in one because I think everything's important. So then I just, then I don't record everything and then then it just becomes a not so so long. Let me see, I had a few questions that you guys asked here. How would you say oh, I answered, how would you suggest to beginner start? Well, so begin by getting a sewing machine because or hand stitching. I don't like hand stitching, even though it is necessary for a couple steps will be necessary when putting a zipper or when you want to make your garment look clean any inside, meaning that you want to line it. And you don't want to see any raw edges, which is the edge of the fabric. I really tried now, not in the beginning to make sure my garment looks pretty in the inside, meaning that I lined it. No raw edges are showing, hopefully with the new serger that I have, like everything will be nice and clean. And that way your closes in free and open up. But that's you don't need that in the beginning. In the beginning, it's all about just getting started getting your machine your thread. Don't start with stretchy fabric because that is a little harder to get. Start with cotton, and non stretchy fabrics.

Unknown: 21:59

Let's see

Miss Pinup Miami: 22:04

a beginner project. So my recommendation is starting with napkins just like I did. If you have a family gathering coming around, make little napkins and hem all four corners, you're gonna hate it because it's very repetitive. But it does help it helps you understand your machine. Play around with it, you could try the new decorative stitch so you can understand what I'm meaning by these decorative stitches on the machine. Then move up to if you're talking about a garment piece, the first garment piece I would suggest is a circle skirt. Um, you don't need a pattern for that if you google circle skirt calculator, the first website that comes up it's like London something or any of them, there's so many like little calculators to make a circle skirt. And this calculator, you will put your waist size, you will put how long your skirt you want, and the fabric width that you have. And I'll tell you the recommended radius. So that way you just fold it how they tell you and super easy and there you get to practice your hemming, which on a circle skirt is a little difficult. But if you got the napkins and you go to the curves and take a little step up and every accomplishment is really great and you'll be using the same skills you used in the napkins. You could even make headscarves start with smaller projects that you can handle. Let's see next where to buy your sewing notions I would suggest going to a store to see them. And I wouldn't get thread secondhand because thread does expire. And it's not going to be as strong. So I would always buy the thread in new on I use a normal depending on what your stitching you would depend on the thread the needle. At the moment I have all universal types. I get my feet on Amazon. So on your machine, you can add different feet. I don't like gathering by hand. So I did buy a gathering foot which is like the foot for where your needle goes. You could buy many and there's so many interesting ones on Amazon. There's like a pack of like, for 20 bucks of heck of 50 of them. And you can experiment on that. You also need a foot for your zipper. Invisible zippers are different. So you want it to be closer. So every foot helps you line up where your stitches going to go. Something I wish I learned in the beginning is it feels weird to ask myself questions because I'm the only one in the room. But something I wish I learned in the beginning was Hmm, there's so many things. The first thing that comes to my head is expensive fabric. I wish I knew that if I'm going to use an expensive fabric because it's happened to me and I learned from it, you learn from your mistakes. And that's the most important thing. If you make a mistake, and you learn from it, kudos girl, because there's some people that don't even learn from their own mistakes. So I would have to say that if you buy an expensive fabric, because you want to make an amazing gown, or this vintage fabric that you're never going to find, again, make sure to make a Muslim, just make a Muslim or make it out of another fabric in case you need to fix it. And you can't, you could you could tuck it, you could make it smaller, but you can't make it bigger once you cut it. So a Muslim is like using the cheapest fabric or using Muslim creating the pattern really quick. So you make it quick, it doesn't have to be perfect. But it has to be the measurements of where you're putting your seam allowance on the pattern where it's going to be so that when you try it on, you know where you have to tuck in, or remove or add. So this Muslim is to make it perfect for you. So let's say I want to make a dress and it's a new pattern, I get my Muslim or whatever fabric you have laying around this extra doesn't even have to match is just for you to make sure this is an extra step. I am guilty of not doing this all the time. But for sure I do this now if my fabric is really expensive, because that's always so minor. So I would make the Muslim really quick cut it out. So it cried on my body. And I always try it on inside out, making sure you have the garments and stuff that you want to wear with it. And then well I do it on my own. So I know it's possible, you would clip in using bobby pins, or, um, pink girl clips. That's a tip pink girl clips. Like if you don't want to use my god like pins if you don't want to use pins, and I don't like using pins because sometimes they poke through the thing or you forget to take him out and then you step on them. It's like worse than our Lego. So when you try it on yourself inside out, you're able to pick the section that you want to bring in, then you take out your Muslim using a seam ripper, you're going to open it up adjusted, try it again, and then open it up and make a new pattern with the new size. This is something that I perhaps should make a video on because it's kind of difficult to explain. But if you if you understand you're you're you're technically tailoring the dress to you. And then bringing it back to your pattern and adjusting the pattern so that next time you use that pattern. You could you already have your measurements, you don't have to worry about it, you can use that expensive fabric and you're good to go. Oh, another thing I would say that I wish I knew in the beginning was don't cut your patterns. You will realize when you're looking for patterns, patterns are so expensive. If they're vintage, so you don't want to be cutting them up. Because if a lot of the Okay, a lot of the patterns come with more than one size. So let's say you lose weight, and you're going to need a smaller one. Yeah, you could have just the one you have. Or you could just cut it or if you're making your friend one, you know. So just use, I bought a roll like a huge roll of medical paper, the ones that they use to put on the bed. When you go to get a checkup, that roll is like 20 bucks on Amazon. And with that roll, I put it over the paper pattern is very thin Have you seen is like a very thin sheet of paper. But that medical paper could go right over it, you could see it and outline the pattern. And that way you don't have to cut your pattern, you just have to sell it later. You can sell it, you can keep it you have all the sizes in the world. So make a copy. And then I like to transfer it on to like a harder paper so it lasts longer like a cardboard. But that's up to you. sewing patterns. I mean stuff sorting patterns, if you have a lot. My recommendation is to get a binder and get one, get those clear. The clear sheets that you put in a binder, because I don't know the magic of how people put their paper patterns back into that envelope. I don't have the patience for that. So I just use one of those clear papers. Put it in next to your papers, those clear, transparent folder things that you use like for school projects. Put it all in there and then put it in the binder. You could write any notes on it if you like. And, yeah, it's like, that's how I sort my things out. So I have little binders and the ones that I don't use. I keep a little Barbie box somewhere until I open them up. And then I can't put them back in the envelope. If you so you know what I mean? Let's see are patterns necessary? patterns are not necessary. Like I said, I started off in the beginning not using patterns I, a lot of the dresses in the beginning, they were handmade, they do take root, they don't take longer. It's all about learning your body. Use it as a guide, as I said, and it really does help because you try I've learned techniques through patterns because again, gathering when the pattern expert I had no idea I would just Google it and I learned the skill practice it on scrap fabric and you learn a lot and you learn how patterns are supposed to go. What fabrics would you start off with Cotton's nothing stretchy until you realize that you know, for stretch fabrics is like a different kind of science. You need to make it smaller because it stretches. But you can't make it too small because you want it to fit. So yes, yeah, and resources for sewing. Like a book. I have not used the book. Um, I am more of a visual person. I know books have pictures, but I would have to say YouTube. And there are many YouTubers to do so long. So if you're interested to see a pattern here, I'll give you a tip. I'll give you a tip that I do all the time when Joanne has a sale. Well, first of all, number one, get on Facebook and follow any sewing group that you find. I know that I love birdies sewing so Intel like if you like her patterns, they're amazing. If you like the like vintage repro style, vintage style, she has a Patreon that every month she comes out with a new pattern. And she her patterns have intense instructions like it's a pedia. It's a PDF and it's a book. So so you'll learn a lot and you'll get different ideas from reading these instructions because she gives you so many options on what you could do with your your garment. I also joined my call pattern all the patterns have their own Facebook group, and their people put up there makes like what they make you could see what other people do get inspired go on Pinterest. And when Joy has a sale, I love to go to the Joanne website first. Look at all the patterns because you don't want to sit at the store and have to look at their book and like sit there for hours are not for hours. But I have sat there for hours. That's why I'm friends with everyone. I met Joanne's and if Deborah is listening because I know she's listening Hello. I want to have Deborah on the show one day, we'll see.

Unknown: 33:16

A

Miss Pinup Miami: 33:17

so yeah, so make sure I go home I look at the Joanne unnatural and I go to the straight to the let's say Simplicity's having a sale sometimes you have a $99 patterns or 199 patterns. And that's really cheap because patterns are usually 14 bucks. It breaks the bank especially if you want all of them. So I wait for the sale, which is $1.99 or 99 cents sometimes, but usually they're 199 I go on to simplicity website or whichever one and I write down all the patterns that I want. Then I go to my local Joanne's and I already have the list with me and then buy them from there. Because you honestly elicited vintage pattern which I have like if you guys followed me I did a bold pattern with this crane fabric. I got the fabric at Joanne's but the pattern was a discontinued Vogue pattern and I did want it for so long. I ended up finding it on eBay and it was so hard to find in my size. Make sure talking about size. I'm gonna leave you with one more tip here. When you buy a pattern, make sure that you don't go off your clothing. AKA if the pattern says this is for size 678 910. That does not mean that it's for dress size 678 910 that means that you need to read the pattern and the pattern will tell you what measurements go with that size. Now, don't assume that because you're this size and this person pattern, the pattern You're the same, every pattern is different. Never assume, make sure you look at what they recommend behind the pattern. And then look at the back of the pattern tells you everything what you're going to need, what notions how much fabric, and the fabric, take it with a grain of salt, because for example, that crane fabric I'm talking about, or Swan sorry, this one fabric I'm talking to you about it had a pattern. So you're going to need a little more fabric if you want to line up everything together. So just keep that in mind. I feel like I was able to explain my journey into sewing and a few tips and a few questions that I've been asked recently on online. If you're interested in seeing like more videos, seeing videos on my YouTube about this I really want to push once everything is settled in my life. I've been a little crazy trying to get my life I'm sure a lot of you have. And that's why this podcast is incredible to me because I've been able to meet so many incredible people and share them with you. And that's been my sanity. So thank you truly from the bottom of my heart. Thank you guys for listening in supporting me being there. It means more than y'all will ever know. Next week, next week, I am going to have these incredible artists that I that I followed through because I went to dapper day and I saw these two guys I made parasols but these ladies these are not just a parasols these, his art are they create our own parasols are called the umbrella fellows. You're not going to want to miss next week's episode and make sure if you have any questions, hit me up. I'll ask them. Well guys, I hope you're staying safe getting vaccine. I will see you next week.