We quit buying new clothes… so I turned a duvet cover into dresses in a 48 hours. (What I learned!)
Watch the full video VLOG of learning to sew my girls dresses HERE on YouTube!
Our family has been on a decade long journey of lowering our our environmental and human impact and clothing is a MASSIVE part of that. With a family wedding only 12 days away and a commitment to no new clothes to avoid the horrific impact of the textile industry… I realised I needed to get creative! Except I’ve never sewn clothes before.
For myself, I have a charity shop dress and second hand is the way we go for all of our clothes. But I wanted my kids to have sentimental and beautiful matching dresses, and that seemed hard to do with used clothes. So what could I do?!
And that’s what led me to this fun and sustainable project, taking something already in circulation and repurposing the fabric to make dresses.
THE DRESS PATTERN I CHOSE (KNOWING NOTHING ABOUT PATTERNS!)
This pattern from Peony Designs was honestly flawless! I know nothing about choosing a pattern. I hopped on Etsy and searched dress patterns, I liked this dress and bought the pattern. It’s not rated in terms of difficulty so I showed some friends and they said the tie back was a good way to start.
WHAT IT COST ME TO SEW DRESSES FROM A DUVET
- Used duvet from Vinted: £25
- Pattern from Etsy: £8.79
- Thread: £5
- Total cost per dress: £19.40
WHAT I USED/WHAT YOU NEED TO SEW THE DRESS
- I used this “Willow Dress” pattern from Etsy with Size 1Y to 14Y. (It gets a 10/10 from me!)
- I sewed the dress on a 30 year old Brother Sewing Machine. You can often pick them up second hand – try Facebook marketplace or Craigslist in the US!
- I sourced a cotton duvet cover from Vinted – the pattern shows how much fabric you need for each size so I could make sure I had enough.
- It takes a lot of thread, my favourite is GOTS organic cotton thread to not add plastic in via polyester, and regular cotton is a lower cost option too. I’ve bought Scanfil on Etsy before too – it also makes a great gift for someone creative!
- This pattern takes two widths of elastic: THIS and THIS.
- The pattern also suggests a fabric marker and a fabric roller but I used scissors and a washable felt tip. I think I’ll end up buying both of these for future sewing. The rotary cutter wasn’t needed, but it would have saved me a lot of time as I’ve now cut pieces for 3 dresses!
I had very basic sewing machine skills that I figured out as a teenager, but I’d never sewn more than a straight line or a square! My sewing machine skill were limited but I had some level of experience from my teens. I was able to make a sewing machine go forward, thread the needle and bobbin, and finish a line of stitching. So my skill level was low but I had some basic skills.
WHY MAKE YOUR OWN CLOTHES?
Sewing honestly isn’t something I’ve wanted to try. It’s a hobby that can seem like it’s for a certain kind of person and I didn’t think that was me. But I set myself this challenge out of necessity and wanting to avoid the impact of new clothes.
If that seems overwhelming remember second hand clothing is a fantastic alternative and there is a LOT of choice there. The new clothing industry is one of the most detrimental to our environment and this was my main drive to start learning a new skill.
I talk more about that in this video on France’s approach to cutting the impact of fast fashion.
- It’s estimated that the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global emissions.
- Textile dyeing and treatment is responsible for 20% of global industrial wastewater.
- 85% of textiles in the US end up in landfills each year. We desperately need to see these stats change.
They’re so detrimental to the planet but that impact is hurting people too. By choosing to make my dress, I’m taking a small step towards a more sustainable wardrobe and reducing our impact but still getting an original piece and something sentimental.
THE DRESS PATTERN + REVIEW
This dress is the Willow Dress pattern from Peony Designs on Etsy. Having never followed a pattern before I found it a really good starting point!
Someone on Facebook described this pattern as an “intermediate” level pattern, but equally as someone with no pattern following experience, I found it left nothing unsaid and was very clear. It comes in 14 sizes all included in the price, and the seller was really helpful when I had a technical download issue (which was my fault not theirs!)
Overall I’d give Peony Designs a 10/10 on this pattern, for a relative beginner!
The only thing I’d add is that I was able to avoid buying a lot of the “extras” they said were needed, like the rotary cutter and fabric markers.
