Moms of older kids - will they still wear your home-sewn clothes??

[MittensKittens]

Just something I am wondering about.

I know that my mom used to sew everything for me, but at some point - the point at which brands started to matter to my peers - I refused to wear her stuff. Not because it wasn't nice, but because I used to get unpleasant comments about the stuff from classmates.

I would love to continue making my kids' stuff for as long as possible . So who here has older kids that still enjoy wearing the clothes you sew them? Or if they don't want to wear it anymore, when did that happen?

[saphire]

It's all going to come down to the specific kid, kwim? My oldest is 9, and wears mama made frequently. However, I make her stuff she likes, that looks like it's a current style, and is well made.

IMO things that would put off a child from wearing mama made are:
uncomfortable/unstylish fabrics
out of date pattern style
sub-par construction
attending a school with a lot of peer pressure
not congruent with child's personal sense of style

I remember being about 10 when I stopped wanting to wear my mama made clothes- but it was the style and materials that I didn't like.
Nowadays there are adorable patterns for so many personal preferences.
Reasons kids may want to stay in mama made:
Personal fabric/ pattern choice
Having something made with love
OOAK clothing
Personalized fit

[MittensKittens]

Thanks for your reply - great to hear your DD will still wear the clothes you make. Of course it has to be in style for them to want to wear it! Where we live, a lot of kids wear cheapo Made in China stuff because it is a poor country. I just hope that my kids wont prefer to wear that, just because everyone else does .

[jillmamma]

My mom made me a dress when I was in high school, and I wore it a lot. It was in a style and fabric I really liked, so I enjoyed wearing it.

[iowaorganic]

I was in high school and still wore a lot of homemade dress clothes. Everyday school clothes- my mom just bought those for us.

I know a young gal (about 10-12) who wears ONLY grandma made clothes- that while using beautiful and expensive fabrics and patterns- are pretty sad looking due to subpar construction. Anyway- it is so sweet that the gma makes all those clothes- but too bad she hasn't ever learned about seam finishing.

I love sewing my little girl cute clothes- but honestly- I can buy them at yard sales for so much cheaper..... Kind of dumb to make her more clothes than she needs just for fun. But sometimes I just keep on sewing them for her.

[Ruthla]

I personally stopped wearing the clothes my mom made when I was in kindergarten or first grade.

I never really got into the habit of sewing for my kids when they were little, as it was easier and cheaper to shop in thrift stores than to buy fabric to sew my own.

I did some sewing for them when they were entering 4th and 5th grade, when I was switching them from public school to a Jewish school and they were required to wear long skirts or dresses every day. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find skirts in big girls' sizes? And how much they cost, and how easy it is to sew a simple rectangle of knit fabric with an elastic casing at the top? Although, it's not fair to say that I sewed for them- once I got started, they watched what I was doing and they made most of the clothes.

Now that they're in adult sizes, it's once again easier to buy ready-made skirts.

[choli]

I stoppped wearing my mother's home made clothes around the age when my classmates (and I) realised that she deliberately dressed me like a much younger child than I was. Around 10, I guess.

[orangefoot]

My ds2 is 12 and is wearing some boxers I made for him from an old t shirt of dh's. His brother is 16 and is wearing some pyjama trousers I made for him using his old pj's as a pattern. He hates new clothes but he had ripped through the bum of the old pair and this seemed like the best quick solution one night!

They want me to make them some straight legged sweatshirt type joggers because they hate the logos and stripes on everything for kids their age. I have an Otto pattern traced for these and just need to get some fabric.

ottobre magazine is a good source of patterns for older kids. Have a look here

[ReddKatt]

My daughter is 14 and DOES where things I make for her.

Now realize that my sewing level is very experienced, and my construction is boutique level. I also sew with fabrics SHE likes, styles SHE likes and wants and requests.

If your construction is excellent and the fabric and clothing does not LOOK handmade, the kids will wear it and love it. If it LOOKS homemade the kids won't like it. Heck--"I" won't wear it if it looks "homemade" so why would I expect my daughter to?

Kathie

[KariM]

I have a 17 y/o boy who requested that I sew him some fleece jackets - does that count?

I don't think I'd sew his entire wardrobe, but he's the kind of kid who asks me to sew for him fairly often. He likes unique DIY sort of accessories and clothing and it's pretty easy for us to whip them up rather than seek them out to buy.

[Roxy2007]

i still wear some of the clothes my mother make for me and i now have 2 kids..lol granted now i can sew my own clothing but its nice not having to go to the mirror every 5 seconds to check fit. she sewed all my maternity wear.

i agree with older kids, its about trend. my youngest sibling is 9 and my mother still sews for him except jeans. i made him a pair of tshirt recently and he loves it!

[KJoslyn78]

my daughter loves it when i make her dresses, skirts and lounge/PJs... but i dont do jeans or shirts (other then for play - ie my younger dd's scrub set)... i just never seem to get the fit/hang of shirts right

[SuzyLee]

I think I stopped wearing my mom-sewn stuff around 5th grade. My mom mostly sewed cotton dresses in simple styles, which are great for little girls and not so much for preteens. Perhaps she would have been willing to sew me something else if I asked, but since the family finanaces improved I think she prefered to just buy them.

[flapjack]

Cough. Formalwear. Cough. I went to a school where a lot of the sixth-form parties- even birthday parties- had a dress code. We made my corsets, ballgowns, the works. It was like Cinderella, but with a different ball to go to each month

[BetsyS]

My mom sewed for me through college. Somewhere in high school (when ready to wear became much more affordable), it switched to just special occasion stuff. She made my prom dress, pretty dresses for the first day of school, a dress to wear to a wedding, that sort of thing.

Since I've had children, she's switched over to sewing for them (as do I). I don't make very much, though, because it's expensive. I tend to just sew their special occasion, holiday stuff.

[scrapadoozer]

My mom stopped sewing for me around Jr. High. I wanted her to keep sewing my clothes but she was over it. We'll see how dd feels about it in a few years I guess.

[sewchris2642]

In middle school. But they started asking for me to make clothes again in high school. Especially for the dances, prom, etc. My mom stopped making clothes for us when we learned to sew and started sewing our own. So high school. It wasn't until much later, after I was married, that I found out that she really didn't like to sew. She only did it because clothing 3 girls was hard on the budget and she could stretch out the clothing dollars by sewing.

On a side note, I really don't like the terms "mama made" or "homemade". Both say poor construction to me. Which is odd because mom was a fantastic sewer. She could have been a professional if she had enjoyed it. And I became a professional dressmaker when the girls were in elementary school.