Beginner's Guide
Tools:
Hands, books, a fully-equipped sewing kit (with a flexible tape measure and pins), scissors, a meter ruler (leftover from high school), and a straightening iron.
Cost:
Excluding your hands, all the tools can be purchased for less than 100 yuan. And who doesn't have a sewing kit, ruler, and scissors at home? You don't really need to buy them.
The initial decision to make my own hanfu came after graduation season, when my thesis defense was over and I had already signed a job contract. I just had to wait for graduation and then report to the company. With nothing to do at home, I started thinking about making hanfu. After watching many tutorials shared by seniors, I opened Taobao and started buying fabric.
I initially bought cheap fabric for practice. It was from a store called “Six Fields of Jiangnan,” which offered gradient chiffon for 10 yuan per 6 meters. I bought 10 yuan worth of gray-white gradient tencel chiffon and a 1-yuan lucky bag that contained a large piece of blue-white gradient chiffon, about 1.5×1.5 meters. Yes, 1 yuan. The lining fabric was white silk I bought from a local fabric market, which is soft and comfortable against the skin.
I made the top with the blue-white chiffon and the pleated skirt with the gray-white chiffon. I also sewed a stretchy skirt for my mom to dance in the square. Isn't that considerate?
For my first attempt at making hanfu, since the chiffon was too soft, I stiffened it with starch. I cooked a big pot of rice water and dried the fabric, which became quite stiff. For cutting, I used a small household scissors from Zhang Xiaoquan and drew lines with chalk instead of a tailor's chalk.
Without an iron, how could I press the pleats and collars, cuffs, etc.?
I had a sudden idea and found an unused straightening iron, which was still pink. Then I used the heavy book “Complete Works of Su Shi” to hold down one end of the skirt while I held the other end and pressed the pleats with the straightening iron. I also pressed the collar, hem, sleeve roots, and cuffs, and the results were unexpectedly good.
Intermediate Guide
Trust me, once you get into crafting, you won't be able to stop.
Sewing Machine: Domestic brand Feiyue; Imported brands Brother, JUKI
Price: 600-3000 yuan
Soon, you'll find hand-sewing too slow and not keeping up with your creativity, and you'll desperately want to buy a sewing machine. When I bought my sewing machine, I did a lot of research, joined various sewing groups, and learned from experienced crafters.
Most people said not to buy the cheap Fanghua brand, which appears on the first page of Taobao searches for sewing machines. Don't buy it unless you want a disposable toy. The machine parts are plastic and not usable, barely good enough for sewing A4 paper.
Some told me that sewing machines under 1000 yuan are garbage. With a responsible attitude, I personally bought one and can tell you that there are some decent machines within 1000 yuan.
If your needs are occasional use, home use, or for beginners, I recommend the domestic brand Feiyue, which costs around 600-800 yuan. It has complete functions and meets basic needs. If you plan to make more and want embroidery features, I recommend Brother or JUKI. Brother offers a combination embroidery and sewing machine for around 5000 yuan. Used ones can be found for about 3000 yuan. If you want to go professional, buy an industrial machine, which is very efficient!
Zhang Xiaoquan Tailor's Scissors
Price: Around 50 yuan is sufficient
A good pair of scissors can save a lot of effort when cutting fabric. Since I've been using a Zhang Xiaoquan scissors for many years, I trusted it and didn't do much research before buying the tailor's scissors.
Because my hands are small, I bought an 11-inch pair, which fits me well and isn't tiring to hold for long periods. My grandmother has a very large pair, which makes her hands tired quickly. When buying, check the size details carefully and choose the most suitable one for you. The price is around 50 yuan.
Tailor's Chalk, Water-soluble Pen/Air-soluble Pen, Long Ruler
Price: All are very affordable
Tailor's chalk, water-soluble pens/air-soluble pens, and long rulers are used to draw lines and are inexpensive. You can buy all these items from one online store. Someone once recommended a good tailor's chalk that doesn't break easily, but I forgot the brand name, so I just bought a random one. After all, I'm someone who has used chalk before.
Price: Around 100 yuan for entry-level
I bought an iron for around 100 yuan, which is entry-level but of good quality. There are many brands of irons, so I won't make specific recommendations. Just look at the popular brands, read the detailed function descriptions, and buy according to your budget.
Kraft Paper/Non-woven Fabric
Used for pattern making. I won't say much about this. Don't laugh, but I once used newspapers to make patterns a few times.
Conclusion
The journey of making hanfu is quite simple. If you want to make your own hanfu, just go for it! Use your imagination and utilize the tools you have. Gradually, as you make more, identify what tools you need and buy them. In general, preparing a sewing machine, tailor's scissors, an iron, pins, tailor's chalk, and a long ruler will meet your daily hanfu-making needs. Actually, as long as you have a pair of hands and determination, starting to make hanfu is really very simple.