Would you prefer to... Buy clothes or make them?

I think both, but mostly towards making my own. I like to create my own stuff and I would like to get better in it, and there is only one way to do it, practice So unless it's something very special I don't think I would buy it.

 

make dress!
and also have lots of fun!

 

I prefer to make my own clothes for a couple of reasons.

1) I prefer MSD size, and sadly because of the difficulty sewing on such a small scale a lot of clothes available for MSD are not made as well as I would like. Sometimes they look out of scale because of larger stitching, too large prints, etc. (Obviously this is not always the case, some handmade clothes are amazing)

2) My doll (and future dolls) have a pretty unique style, or I guess I could say that I do. I make a some of my own clothes as well for that reason. Often some odd garment that I want just doesn't exist. (My Cissy's cat hat for example)

3) It saves so much moneeeyyyy, oh my glob e_e I can see how easy it would be to spend waaay over the value of the actual doll just on clothes and accessories... and since I can sew, I would rather spend it on more dolls!

Now I realize that some people cannot sew (for whatever reason), or they have money to burn, or they just like the styles etc of premade clothes and I respect that some people prefer to buy their clothes. I have bought a couple things myself, just the odd thing that I liked, and also shoes. I have not yet mastered making shoes. Also I have a policy that if I can buy something for less trouble/money than it would be for me to make, I do it. I'm not elitist about it.

That said, if I couldn't sew and craft I honestly probably would never have gotten into this hobby. I wouldn't have been able to afford it, and the last reason I guess is that...

4) I just love making tiny cute things for my dolls! x3 In short, it's fun and my favourite part of the hobby.

 

Maybe if I was better at sewing, I would sew my own clothes. I'm horrible though, and I'd rather not subject my dollies to that. So, buying adorable clothes it is.

 

I would like to make my own clothes, i have a lot of ideas but the thing is i don't have any experience in sewing clothes so for now i will stay with ready made outfits and maybe pay somebody to make few of my projects someday.

 

I wish I could make wonderful clothes to them but I just cant.... well I usually spend a lot of money on buying BJD clothes. (more than the total of buying dolls)

 

I make most of my dolls clothes except jeans, they are just too hard to get right so I buy those.
Kimonos, t-shirts, dress shirts I can do all that. I'm trying hard to make a pattern to do a proper frock coat for the Dickens era. That will be my masterpiece when I finish.

 

I like buying and making, but my sewing skills are in the "beginning beginner" range, so I buy most at the moment. Even though I don't have much money, I do enjoy the idea of supporting talented people who are trying to make an income from something they love.

 

While it is much,much easier to buy the clothes, i feel like it would be more genuine and personal to make them. I plan to make a lot of clothes but also plan to buy a lot of them too so i am kind of on the fence about this. Personally i thinks it's better to make them, it add's to the emotional value. But clothes that you buy can also be fabulous!

 

I'd prefer to make clothes, then I can make sure it fits, and do small changes, choose fabric etc., but it does feel good to buy/commission clothes sometimes as well

 

I love to make them myself becuase then it is unique, I'm studying design so it is not so hard =V=

 

i make them cause its a part of the hoby for me. i often see an outfit and think "lets try to sew it"

 

Ahh, I wish I could sew! I would totally make more clothes if I could, but unfortunately I've never been too handy with a needle and thread. I've been practising, but I've been progressing a whole lot slower than I would like to XD Almost all of my boy's clothes are bought, though I've made a couple of things here and there. He never wears them, though - I think most of their value comes from the practice I got from making them. :P

 

I have 40 years experience in making clothes and costumes, so I will absolutely be making all my doll's clothing. Only things I'm forced to buy are shoes and some accessories. But the shoes are SO cute, I really don't mind.

 

I would love to have the talent and imagination to make my own but unfortunately have none so I have to buy from the many talented people I have crossed paths with and can only thank them for the beautiful cloths I have.

 

I prefer to buy because doesn't it feel great to shop for your beloved doll?^^ I sew from time to time, if I feel like I couldn't find what I am looking for in stores or if I have an article of clothing which i bought that needs something to match with it. I also sew when my local BJD community has themed meets.c: well, sewing for your doll also feels great in a different way. Like you put your heart into making those things with love~;") but I simply prefer to buy, yes.

 

Buy them for now…but one day? MAKE THEM

 

This is my philosophy: "If you can make it, don't buy it." and I love my philosophy, haha!

Some of you won't believe how much some companies over-price doll items, it made me feel scammed I hang around a lot on Taobao stores, because the items sold there are way cheaper than an independent online store. You can find a pair of shoes that are sold for $30+ in one store and it'll be around $15 from Taobao, which is ridiculous, because they are the same exact pair. I guess maybe shipping and handling adds up to the price of the shoes on the online store, so it really depends, but now I know if I find anything that I really want, I'd have to look for it from Taobao before purchasing anything unreasonably expensive.

Now, the only thing I purchased from Taobao are shoes, because although I did contemplate the idea of making my own shoes, I didn't try it yet and just decided to purchase standard ones that would look good with any outfit. I also planned on buying shorts, jeans and other necessities like those, but then tried sewing, and discovered that I saved up about $60 just by making them out of unwanted jeans and black leggings, and I'm really proud of the shorts I made because they honestly look great!

Shameless self-advertising lols:



These are just the shorts, I also made black leggings and jeggings too but these are the ones I'm most proud of. I didn't sew real functioning pockets, just embroidered to make them look like pockets, and trimmed small pieces and sewed them on for the "belt-holder"(?)

I hope someone reads this and sees how making something can look as good as factory-made outfits by companies!

Edit: Also, I used to design a LOT when I was young, and although they were too big of fashion designer dreams back then, I'm hoping I could put my skills to the test and start designing real outfits for my girl now! Just gotta get off my lazy butt :'>

 

Well, I was a professional seamstress for a long time, and I have made doll clothes since I was six. I was in this hobby for five years before I ever bought any clothes. My first doll has oh, maybe two dozen outfits. I do like Freedom Teller's clothes, so I did order some of those to justify the shipping charges when I bought their equestrian boots last year. Without spending a fortune you can not buy tailored things that fit perfectly, or are OOAK, nor can you find historically accurate costumes for the periods I like, so I will always sew much more than I buy. I mean if you can sew, why buy?

 

No talent sew here, buy is only the option oTL