by Henry C. Gernhardt III

Created on: February 26, 2007   Last Updated: November 03, 2011

I was six and being awakened during the night. My father had been working for days on a new coat for me - a Frostkit. He was performing a final fitting. I remember that the coat fit me well for two winters.

I was 12 and was becoming fascinated by the fact that when my mother needed a new suit, she simply spent the weekend making it. I watched her working one Saturday afternoon and asked if I might learn from her. She taught me the basics - pattern placement and cutting, stitching, hemming.

I was 21 and decided I needed some new pants. Rather than go clothes shopping, I decided to dust off the old skills and try my hand at sewing again. Armed with a Singer 301, a pattern and a couple of pieces of fabric, I proceeded to make a pair of shorts and a pair of pants. Both attempts met with a fair level of success.

Three years later, I had made several pairs of pants and several shirts. I had also inherited an old book from my maternal grandmother, published by Singer, on the art and craft of sewing. Given the date, the book focused primarily on women's and childrens' clothing. I had also managed to find the one pattern publisher who actually had a decent stock of men's fashion patterns - Vogue. I decided it was time to make a suit for myself. Forty hours of dedicated work later, I had a three-piece plum crepe suit, no lapel, with a purple jacquard lining and a purple cave-painting motif, banded collar short-sleeved shirt to match. It earned apropos from all who saw me in it.

I look back on the money I've spent on the clothing I have made, and found it to be a significant savings over what I would pay for store-bought items. The purple suit itself would have probably cost me somewhere in the range of $750-$1,000, as it would have to be custom-tailored. How much did I pay for the suit? About $50 or so.

Yes, sewing is time-consuming; however it can yield great rewards - not only in the finished product, but in the relaxation that can come from the craft itself. I've found myself poring over fabric as some people pore over clothing. I examine buttons and other notions in the way some examine fine jewelery. Just a few dollars later, and I have the makings of a wonderfully loud aloha shirt, a particularly fine pair of pants, or perhaps even a zoot suit.

Sewing is not a difficult art to learn. Being your own tailor can take time, but you can wind up with a wardrobe of clothing that will be the envy of all those around you. Add that to the fact that you wear your own portfolio, and you may find yourself building a small, but profitable clientele.

Learn more about this author, Henry C. Gernhardt III.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.