Sewing is one avenue to cut basic costs and still have what is needed. A sense of personal pride and accomplishment is often the ultimate reward in a home sewn garment.

Another important reason why many people sew is to achieve a personalized fit. Everyone has a unique physique or figure and ready-to-wear does not always accommodate your individual needs. Sewing a garment to your individual requirements can not only give you a better fit, but also give you individual fashions that are not seen on 'every rack, in every store.'

The market place has responded to this increased demand for information and updated technology to make our sewing easier. New sewing products and methods are constantly being developed to help the home seamstress save time and money in her home sewn projects.

Sewing machines today truly make 'light work' of many tasks. Computer technology has added memory to some of the newest sewing machines, which allows them to make perfect buttonholes every time, write names and slogans for your 'own' designer look, adds machine embroidery to your children's clothes, and can stitch, overcast and trim a seam all in one motion.

There has been a fundamental change in how home sewers use patterns today. Traditionally, the seamstress went to the store, purchased a one-sized pattern and then needed to take it home and make it FIT. The tedious process of slashing and spreading the pattern or overlapping and pleating, then trying to determine if the changes would then suit your figure, took up much of her precious time.

Learning how to create personal designs that complement your particular body shape and many new shortcuts can help cut the cost of clothing construction, and give you the latest fashions.