I made this when I was 18. Anyone else want to share?

Before I was an IT consultant and then retired and then a glass artist… I used to sew… and knit, and crochet… and embroider…anything and everything really except paper related.
Made, and often also designed, all my own clothes from age 15 upwards as I was ultra skinny (made Twiggy look fat) and Mum, a highly skilled dressmaker, made my clothes to grow into … but I never did. So if I wanted them to fit, I had to make my own. Made my own wedding dress (both :slight_smile: ), .
I designed and made this one first year at Un from curtain lace. Woman in the fabric shop was horrified when I said it was to be a dress. Came in useful later when hemlines had dropped a little, as a blouse :slight_smile:

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I don’t have photos but I remember the first item I knitted. Mum, nan and my 4 aunts all knitted so there was no getting away from it! Mum taught me how to knit. My first item was made using horrible blue plastic knitting needles and it was a yellow garter stitch scarf for my teddy. It was a bit wobbly and I ended up cutting a hole in it…but I was only 4 years old! :slight_smile:

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although I now paint…I spent most of my life knitting, doing crochet and designing knitwear…with teaching machine knitting at adult education centres in London. My Mum knitted my wedding dress on a Knitmaster knitting machine (a 302) and it went on display in the Knitmaster stand at the Ideal Home exhibition…(MANY years ago)…
I have done many crafts…like a lot of people on here…and these include needlefelting, salt dough, fimo etc just don’t ask me to sew…I am hopeless at sewing…I have attached a pic of some of my needlefelted critters.and a crochet teddy bear.

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Ah I just love the dog second back on the left with the darker ears :slight_smile:

I love it!

First year fashion show, 1987. I’m in the middle. We had to make proper tailored coats or jackets and an outfit for underneath. I still have the coat.

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This all brought back happy memories! Love the mini dress come blouse. I remember cutting up my green satin bridesmaid dress and making bell bottom trousers. Still no good at sewing, but like everyone else love lots of crafts. Just not enough time to do them all. :smiley: x

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The advantage of the mini dress was that while at uni I had no sewing machine so everything was very literally handmade. The shorter the garment the less sewing (and fabric) was needed.
I had a sewing machine for my 21 st present so could make longer garments after that !

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A long time ago, before I started making dolls, I used to make bags and textile boxes. These are two that I had in an exhibition at a craft gallery.

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Your curtain lace dress and the talk of weddings made me think of my own which was quite a hand-crafted affair (a feat considering the whole event was planned and executed in only 12 days - luckily it was in November so not the height of the season.)
My sister made the flower girl’s dress out of curtain lining, I made the headdresses out of homemade silk roses and dried flowers. The cake was made by a fellow teacher at Dad’s school. I tied my own bouquet from flowers bought from the market. Unfortunately I was so anxious that the flowers wouldn’t go over that I’d kept them very cold and they were still tight buds on the day (looked great the next day apparently!) My friend and bridesmaid who had given birth only six weeks before made all the wedding favours and a hand-embroidered guest book. (She also promised to lend me her veil which she would bring with her the day before the wedding. She then panicked after I had bought the dress in case I’d forgotten what an off-white colour the veil was!) Best of all the invitations and order of service were printed from a painting that my mother did especially - very special to me as the reason the wedding happened so quickly was that she was terminally ill.
We celebrate our 30th anniversary this year!

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I imagine the memories are bittersweet, but how lovely to have so many close family and friends involved on that scale x

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Yes Lois, it was a day of hugely mixed emotions and the memories are similar but it was lovely that everyone rallied round to make it happen x

Great thread! This is the outfit I made for my A level in 1976. Cream Trevira from John Lewis. Hours and hours spent on those hooks and eyes.

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I made loads of clothes in the sixties when I was a teenager- shift dresses, so easy! I used my Mum’s sewing machine and we learned in school how to follow patterns. My best make was a turquoise wool “police” cape with a red lining- very flash. My daughter still has it.
I used to do pottery at a Saturday morning class when I was about 12 and made these…



I still have these on the top of my kitchen cupboard. My Mum used to have the owl for a letter rack on the fireplace.

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Those made me smile, Christine! They’re fab!!!

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Love this! and you could totally still wear that style now with a pair of leggings.

Sam x

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Love the chicken. :blush:

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I wish I could get back to that mindset when I could make something just because I wanted to, with no consideration as to whether it would sell!!

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…brings back memories. I also made everything - but wasn’t as skinny as twiggy (tho’ I wanted to be) Remember ‘Twiggies’ painted on eyelashes. What a hoot.

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At the time I oh so wished I were a size bigger. Couldn’t get denim jeans to fit, they didn’t make that small a size. That was when my waist was 19 inches. Now my waist has a 19inch waste !

My Mum wouldn’t let me have jeans because they had a zip at the front and were “made for boys”! :slight_smile:

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