I found that it is difficult to sew all of my own clothes primarily because of time. I just don't have enough of it! It takes me a week or 2 to sew a garment like a dress: I can sew about an hour every other day, and perhaps 3-4 hours on the weekends. (Especially in the summer, when I don't want to sit indoors at my machine.) I have other hobbies that I like to indulge: road cycling, reading, cooking, and Mr. ASW and I love to take little weekend road trips around New England in the fall.
The second is skill/inclination: I want a military-style jacket for fall, but I'd prefer to spend $50 on one than spend a month piecing together my own, if I could even find the right materials - the pattern, knit neckline, little zippers, grommets, materials - and then execute it. I could make a few skirts and tops in that amount of time.
A cost analysis does come into play: sometimes it's cheaper to buy than make. For example, the military jacket above: after all the materials are added up, it might cost more to sew the jacket. Or little summer tops: Forever 21 has super cute blousy pieces to wear with shorts for well under $20. One could be sewn up for under $10, perhaps, but I'd prefer to use that time to sew distinctive skirts or dresses.
My going-forward sewing goals will be much less ambitious than this past year's: I'm going to sew to fill holes in my closet... just not all the holes! And I'm not going to shy away from a pattern because it may be time-consuming or a challenge. I'm going to take on more adventurous pieces this year now that I have a basic understanding.
I have definitely been bitten by the sewing bug. I don't think I could ever stop sewing now. I almost threw the towel in when I could not get the McCall's 5753 dress to work. I was so frustrated. But there are just too many cool patterns and great fabrics, and I have too many ideas. Too many pieces that I want that I couldn't buy - they exist only in my imagination right now! But with sewing, they don't have to stay there. Don't you just love that?
