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Sewing can be a hobby, life skill, or career. I thought I would take a few moments to share with you the reasons why I love to sew and believe this is a great skill for anyone to learn.
KEEPING FABRIC OUT OF LANDFILLS
Textile waste is a huge problem – North America sends over 10 million tons of clothing to landfills every year. I am an advocate for repair, refashion, and re purpose of textiles. Eventually, I use what can’t be used further for rags after salvaging buttons and zippers. (I do donate clothing too – but keep in mind, if it is too worn out for you to wear, it is likely to be disposed of by the organisation who receives it).
Now, sewing from scratch does create some odd sized fabric pieces that can end up in the garbage, but consider looking up some scrap-busting fabric projects. Scrunchies are fast and easy; I have also made a rag rug from longer narrow fabric scraps. A good amount of the fabric in the rag rug was hems from bridesmaid dresses that would have otherwise ended up in the trash. I did have some cut up worn out clothes in there too.
PERFECT FIT
I love tailoring clothing for clients (oh, and myself too!) and seeing the transformation that takes place when someone is wearing something that they feel great in. If you find clothes shopping frustrating because you can’t find something that fits quite right – you are not alone! Clothing sizes are based on averages….which means a lot of people have trouble finding something that fits just right. If you added up all the time I have tried on something too short in the sleeve and put it back on the rack, I probably would have enough hours to make myself a fabulously fitting coat. Once you find a good pattern that works for you (and yes, you may have to make adjustments to the pattern), you can skip the frustration that can come with going clothes shopping and take control of your clothes.
ONE OF A KIND WARDROBE
This is probaly the must fun reason why I sew. I love making clothes that fit me, in my own style. Plus I know that I am not supporting unfair labour practices in factories, and it is not going to fall apart after a few washes.
WHY DO YOU SEW?
I would love it if you left a comment letting me know your sewing “why”!
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Want to learn more about altering clothes you already have, to fit your unique body and style? Receive my free guide full of tips to get you started doing your own clothing adjustments by signing up to my newsletter here.
5 responses to “Why I Sew”
I’m learning to sew via youtube videos… my main project so far was a mask and a new pet stair cover. I’m wanting to learn to sew as a new hobby!
That’s a great start Tiffany! Let me know if you get stuck with anything, or if you have tutorial requests for clothing repair or alterations!
find having someone alter a garment so very expensive and have wanted to improve my sewing techniques.
Hi, Elise. I always had difficulty finding a dress that fits perfectly. I’m a petite woman with short torso, wide hips and full breasts. So imagine my difficulties. I love to wear dresses but almost always end up wearing skirts, pants and blouses and most of the time these don’t fit as I like. Your ideas are wonderful and I’m going to start easy by altering some clothes that are too big because I lost some weight over the past year. Thank you and God bless you.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment. You may find that with dresses, the waist and hip lines fall too low on you. I did a post on the importance of vertical measurements which may help you as well. https://elisesewingstudio.com/vertical-measurements-in-sewing-patterns/
I encourage you to pracice your own alterations!
Elise