> I'm interested in making clothing (dry tops etc) - I'm sure it's simple to
> come up with a design if you're a competent seamstress but I'm not,
> anybody have any suggestions?

Head to your local fabric store. Usually towards the back you will find their patterns. You will prbably be the only male in alien territory, so this can be frightening, but here is how it works:

There will be a table with catalogs on it. These may be about the size of the old Sears Roebuck catalog, and a bit intimidating, but they are well organized and user-friendly. 80 percent of the patterns are for women, 15 percent for kids, 3 percent for crafts, and only about 2% for menswear. If the catalog you pick does not have a section set aside for menswear, look for the sections on unisex styles or outdoor sportswear.

As you turn the pages you should eventually encounter some parka or anorak designs. This is a god place to start. There will be a photo of the item and/or an artists drawing of it. The pattern may have several options ( with lining or not, with full length zipper, partial zipper, or no zipper. With pockets or not. etc.) The catalog page should show these variations. If not, they should be on the pattern envelope.

Every pattern in the catalog has a number. Usually it is 4 digits. If you see several patterns for sportswear that you want ot make, copy all the numbers down on a scrpa of paper -- along with the pattern maker's name (McCalls, Simplicity, Jiffy Sew, etc). There will be file cabinets near the pattern catalogs. The patterns are filed in numeric order and the drawers are marked with numbers to correspond to the pattern numbers inside them. Each pattern maker has their own section. First find the right section, then the drawer that should have your pattern.

When you find the right pattern number in the drawer you may see one or more pattern envelopes at that location. DO NOT just grab the first one. You need to find the envelope that has your size. This information is in smaller print, but should be towards the top of the pattern envelope. The information on sizes will probably be in English and French. It may also be in Spanish. This is just to confuse you.

The catalog will list the sizes that are available. Frequently a pattern envelope will contain patterns for several sizes. Get the right size. If you are in doubt, copy the information from the catalog or pattern envelope, buy a tape measure at the fabric store, go home and measure yourself. (This can be a humbling experience)

Carefully read the pattern envelope. It will give you information about how much fabric you will need to purchase. It will also list the notions (buttons, zippers, hooks, velcro, etc) that you will need. Once you have the pattern envelope in hand, and know your size you can frequently hand the thing to a store employee and say `Can you please help me find these things?' If you know what kind of sewing machine you have, ask for a new needle for that machine, and get one in the right size for the fabric. If you are getting fabric in a color, get your thread at the same time you get the fabric so you can easily match the colors. Get good thread. Totally ignore the cheap threads. Saving a few cents by getting good general purpose thread is still no bargain. Splurge for the best thread they have. If your garments are going to be getting wet, remember that cotton thread will shrink. The local sewing machine store suggested, and I've been using, a 100% polyester thread from Europe (Ibelieve the brand is Gutterman) that costs about $1 a spool more than the really good Coats and Clark, dual purpose, polyester-wrapped thread that I used to use. You really do get what you pay for.

Sometimes patterns call for fabric or notions that are not in stock. Many fabric stores can special order these things for you. Special order catalogs should have small samples of the fabrics so you can touch them. Even if they have them, some stores hide their special order catalogs, so you have to ask. Others keep them on display. You pay in advance for most special orders, and few stores will allow you to return or exchange specially ordered fabric that has been cut to your specifications, so be sure you are ordering exactly what you want.

The pattern envelope will contain several large, flimsy sheets of paper with the pattern printed on it. There will also be instruction sheets printed on newsprint. The intruction sheets show how the pattern pieces are laid out on the fabric so that it can be cut. Different widths of fabric may have different cutting instructions. If you are dealing with expensive fabric you may want to investigate how it is to be cut, before you order it. If you only need 45 inch wide fabric, and buy 60 inch width, you could have lots of expensive scraps.

Before you cut the fabric you need the patern pieces to be straight. You get the wrinkles out of them by carefully ironing the paper. If you are dealing with a fabric that shrinks, wash it and iron it to preshrink it before you cut it -- unless you plan to shrink it to size after it is sewn. This is a common idea with sewing canvas or duck for skin on frame kayaks. Here you sew the unshrunken fabric, put it on the frame and sprinkle with water so it shrinks tightly. Then when the wrinkles have shrunken out, you paint on the waterproofing.

For some projects I have purchased cheap fabric (a dollar a yard or less. I look for remnants and sale items) and made a sample of my project from that. (here is where I use up my cheap thread) If it fits I get out the good fabric and good thread and make it right. If it doesn't, I modify it to make it fit. Then I transfer the modifications to the pattern, before cutting the good fabric. Some people skip this step and make a sample garment out of the pattern pieces. Cut out the pieces and hold them together with straight pins or staples. Try it on.

For first projects look for patterns that have few pieces. The pattern envelope will say how many pieces there are, and the instructions will list them. In a pattern that has 21 pieces you may only use 6 or 7 for the garment you wish to make. The other pattern pieces may be for optional linings, pockets, collars, etc.

The catalogs may list a difficulty rating, or give an estimated sewing time. They tend to be very optimistic about those estimated sewing times. A `Two Hour' pattern can easily take 6 hours. The easy to cut and fast to sew patterns may not give you the best fit. As you might imagine, it is faster to sew something that fits like a sweatshirt, than it is to sew a suit jacket. Patterns from companies like Simplicity and Jiffy-Sew are good ones to look at as they have good compromises between good fit and easy construction. Other brands have designs that are designed to be easy to assemble, or are geard to beginning tailors. This feature is mentioned in the description in the catalog.

Putting together a design in fabric is just like constructing a stitch and glue kayak. You lay out the pattern, cut the pieces and stitch them together. This time, though, you do not need to sand. Most patterns are designed to be cut 5/8 inches oversized on all sides. This is called a seam allowance. You then stitch 5/8 inch in from the edge. Some patterns are designed for sergers. (If you don't have a serger, don't get that pattern.) Some patterns can be used with either a sewing machine or a serger. If so, read the instructions carefully, as the seam allowance for a serger is usually 1/4 inch. If you use a sewing machine you may have to sew closer to the edge, or cut the pattern larger. The instructions will explain this.

There are many good books on beginning to sew which you can check out from your local library. Singer has a good series, and comprehensive single volumes have been put out by McCalls and Readers Digest.

Hope this helps.

Paul Jacobson