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Making your own clothes is a great way to show off your own personal style, and can also be great for your pounds and pennies - and the environment.

And you don’t have to invest in a sewing machine straight away - a needle and thread, crochet hook or tube of glue can be enough to get going, and to see if it's a hobby you want to pursue for a long time. Here are some ideas to get you started - and who knows, keep it up and you could be a future winner of the Great British Sewing Bee!

Try customising old clothes

If you’ve never tried making clothes before then customising garments is a great way to start. Put your own stamp on charity shop finds or give new life to jackets and trainers you have fallen out of love with.

There’s no limit to what you can create, says Bethan Flanagan, who runs ‘reworking’ workshops and makes clothes that she sells in her online boutique.

She says: “If I’m doing an image, I’ll usually print it off on carbon paper to get the outline,"explains Bethan. The image is transferred to the fabric by placing the carbon paper on to the material and tracing it with a pen or similar instrument. "Then you can use fabric paints, or paint marker pens to colour it in and add detail. You could add writing or little doodles like hearts or peace signs, or something graffiti-style.”

Denim and canvas are ideal for painting on, says Bethan. If you already have regular acrylic paints, you can save cash by mixing those with a fabric medium. Bethan also recommends tie-dying clothes, either with a kit or by making natural dyes from berries, red cabbage or turmeric.

She says: “Sometimes people get in the mindset of ‘I wanted to look this particular way’. But you've got to go with the flow a little bit with tie-dye, because you might spill a drop here, one colour might well into another. But it always turns out lovely, even though it's not what you imagined.”

Follow your ancestors - sew by hand

Did you know that hand sewing dates back at least 20,000 years? Archaeological discoveries show that Stone Age people sewed clothes out of fur and animal skin using needles made of bone.

In theory, anything that can be made on a sewing machine can be done by hand using a needle and thread. Some fabrics are trickier than others, so for thicker materials like denim you will need to make sure you are using a needle that is strong enough to poke through without hurting your fingers.

If you’re a beginner, start with a simple pattern that doesn’t involve anything complicated like zips and buttonholes. A bucket hat can be made from just a few pieces of fabric including a circle for the top and additional pieces for the headband and brim.

Learn a couple of basic stitches, such as running stitch and backstitch, and you’re good to go.

One more thing. You probably know what a thimble is (even if you’ve only seen one on Monopoly), but what is it for? It's a small metal or plastic cap you place over your finger while sewing. As well as protecting your finger from being pricked, it also helps when pushing the needle through the fabric. Alongside the protection, it can give you greater control, precision, and speed when sewing.

Fabric glue or bonding tape?

A potentially messier alternative to hand sewing, but a decent option if you haven’t got the knack of using needle and thread. Fabric glue can be used to hem seams, but bear in mind that it isn’t as longwearing as sewing and the results will depend on the fabric you’re working with. Iron-on bonding tape that fuses two pieces of fabric together is another option if you don’t like getting your fingers sticky - but make sure you have supervision from a trusted adult if you're not experienced at using an iron.

Bethan says glue can also be great for adding embellishments to the clothes you make. She explained: “I tend to use glue a lot for adding gems and glitter and I’ve also used it for patches and embellishments." When one of her clients wanted a pair of sandals made especially for her, Bethan glued pom poms, trims, tassels and ribbons decorated in different patterns to the fabric part of the footwear.

Get hooked on crochet

When Taylor Swift was snapped leaving a London restaurant wearing a pink, lilac and brown crocheted dress, fans across the country began zooming in on the photo in an attempt to recreate her look. But in fact crocheting has been ditching its reputation as something to do on a quiet night in for some time now, with the style proving very trendy with teens.

Crochet is too complicated to be done by machine so to get the real deal you are best giving it a go yourself. You just need a hook and a ball - or several - of yarn to create your first item. Each stitch is made up of a series of loops. There are a range of stitches you can learn, but they are all based on the same technique, so once you’ve got the hang of one or two you can easily pick up the rest.

Important fact: UK and US crochet terms are different - for example, a UK ‘double crochet’ stitch is called a ‘single crochet’ in America. It’s important to check which is being used in the pattern you’re following or it might not turn out as you expected!

This article was published in October 2024