Save the money you'd spend on the handheld and buy a good, old used machine from the 60's/70's. If you buy the handheld you're going to learn nothing except to hate sewing. They're fairly worthless from what I understand.

As for shift type dresses, have you checked folkwear.com? They may not have exactly what you're looking for but I bet a lot of those patterns would be easy to adapt :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Folkwear

I agree with pele on the machine...the handhelds are for mending and hemming...and not very good for much of anything.

You can get a new moderately priced machine for around $150 and then take sewing lessons to include learning hand stitches as you can't sew everything by machine...save yourself grief later down the road. The expense does not stop at a machine purchase, there is other necessary equipment that is needed including a good pair of shears that will run around $30. Borrow sewing texts that include fitting patterns from the library to give you an idea of what sewing is and the technical aspects to be learned.

A shift dress is not a good first project. A simple gathered cotton skirt or simple elastic waist skirt is a good first project so you get seaming accuracy and pattern skills down before going to the next project...you build from there.

The patterns are in the fabric stores, you have to look through the pattern books paying careful attention to the line drawings that will tell you what the style is (helps when you've sewn those dresses the first time they came out as a teen sewer). Many times they are on sale for $1.99 and buy the pattern size according to your measurements, not ready-to-wear size.

If you want 60's style dresses, consider buying vintage patterns. There is a huge market for these, and most of them are quite reasonable. There are any number of online sellers, including, but not limited to, eBay.

Some vintage patterns are very collectable (and therefore, expensive), but I'm guessing what you are interested in (standard shift dresses from the 60s) will be readily available at a resonable price.

Check the thrift stores in your area. Goodwill stores in my area tend not to sell sewing patterns, but I often find sewing patterns and sewing notions in other charity thrift stores, usually for under a dollar, sometimes for as little as 10 or 25 cents.

Take your bust measurment and use that to determine which size you need, whether vintage patterns or current patterns. Sometime in the 70s (I think) pattern companies changed their sizing numbers -- not the sizes, just the numbers, so you should always go by your measurements. Pattern sizing has nothing to do with ready-made sizing. If you are a size 10 in ready-made, you may find that you are a 14 or 16 in current sewing pattern sizing, so don't be alarmed.

For a sewing machine, go to the sewing machine dealers in your area, and ask about their used machines and explain your price range. You can probably pick up something very usable for about $100. They may let you buy on layaway, they may give you lessons on using the machine. The advantage of buying used from a dealer is that he's serviced the machine before he puts it up for sale.

Sewing is a very satisfying craft and hobby. A class in basic sewing from either your sewing machine dealer, local fabric store, or local adult education department/recreation department will really get you started out on the right foot.

CMC

Here is a link that might be useful: Grandma's House vintage patterns, 60s and 70s web page

I agree with the others about sewing machines, but not necessarily about patterns. I was in my 20's throughtout the sixties and sewed all my own clothes. I find that a lot of patterns and styles of the 60's are back in fashion. You may want to get a fashion magazine from the 60's from a library and take it to a sewing shop with pattern books. One thing about shift dresses, however, is that they are much looser now than they were in the 60's
and for all the simple looking designs most of the dresses were more fitted than appear. We wore good support undergarments!! The type that I bet few would wear today - Jackie Kennedy was a lady you know ;-)

I agree that a full skirt would be a good start but that would be more of a 50's/ 70's style. One thing I wore a lot in the 60's were 'shell' tops (with cardigan sweaters, also back in style) but they were rather fitted and required knowing measurements and darts. I think I sewed more darts in clothing in the 60's than I have since. We looked slim for a reason! And the long sleeves were quite fitted with darts in them. Everyone wore a simple black dress because we felt elegantly poured into it!

You may also check thrift stores for older dresses you can remake to fit yourself. There are a few library books on that as well, but you still need a good sewing machine - or learn to sew by hand.

Good luck and let us know how you make out!

Ebay carries all types of old patterns. They often cost next to nothing. Check there and you may be surprised at what you find.

Hi Angel

I am also a child of the 80s. Still cringe when I see the photos from my teen years and I can't believe that some of that stuff is back in fashion!

I've had a look on Vogue Patterns and found some things that might be what you want.

http://store.sewingtoday.com/cgi-bin/voguepatterns/shop.cgi?s.item.V8319=x&TI=20002&page=1

http://store.sewingtoday.com/cgi-bin/voguepatterns/shop.cgi?s.item.V8282=x&TI=20002&page=1

and especially
http://store.sewingtoday.com/cgi-bin/voguepatterns/shop.cgi?s.item.V8146=x&TI=20002&page=3

this last is all darts, like somebody said, but these are all sleeveless, so that is one less thing to worry about ;-)

There is also a thing called a Fitting Shell
http://store.sewingtoday.com/cgi-bin/voguepatterns/shop.cgi?s.item.V1004=x&TI='shell'&page=1

This is basic pattern designed for you to figure out what pattern adjustments you are going to need. It includes quite detailed instructions on fitting and it is suggested that you make it up in gingham check fabric, the straight lines in all directions make it obvious where the problems lie and help with measuring on the body.

I can't agree more that you should not bother with a handheld machine. They make a chainstitch. This come out very easily and even if you succeeded sewing a dress with one of these infernal things, there is a good chance you'd be popping the seams when you wore it!

The first thing I made in dressmaking classes, many moons ago, was a straight skirt, this has darts and a zip, so is a good practice project considering the direction you want to go in.

I can't stress enough the value of practicing on old sheets/ scrap fabric. Having the freedom to mess up and just use your disaster for cleaning the floor is very liberating. By not wasting good fabric, it also saves money in the long run!

Best of luck,
AJ

i know you asked about shifts, but i was a 60's girl and wore (and made) tons of peasant blouses and dresses - elastic necks and sleeves, sometimes elastic under the bust, little florals or crazy op-art type prints. easy easy easy to make and patterns readily available today. just a thought...

The great thing about sewing garments long enough is you learn that most garment pieces are based off from the same typical patter pieces, with changes made in eases and lengths to suit a particular style, IMHO. That said, if you concentrate on the true lines of what you are looking for, you can probably find what you want in modern day patterns. Or bits here-and-there. Which is why it's important to always do a mock stitch-up in a cheap muslim fabric before you begin with your expensive fashion fabric. You might find by piecing together the look you want on muslim, you can create your own unique pattern (from the muslim pieces) to make your dress.

Even if your fashion fabric was only $2/yd, how bad would you feel if you finished your project only to find out it looked terrible on you? Please, stitch it up quickly on a fabric you don't care about. You don't even have to finish the hems or sleeves to find out if it works for you!

One word of advice about a machine (beyond the "don't get a handheld!") is to look on craigslist for a machine. http://www.craigslist.org You can search in your area, and many (especially metropolitan areas) often have many reasonably priced machines at any given time. Also, for getting vintage patterns, you can buy pattern paper, and deconstruct a garment and draw up your own pattern, but I wouldn't reccomend doing that until you're quite confortable with all of the nuances of clothes making. (ie darts, different types of seams, construction techniques, etc)

Wes
majesticdecadence@yahoo.com