Sewing garments is an incredibly rewarding experience. The number of people, who when hearing I made an outfit that they just complimented, respond, “Oh, I could never do something like that. You are so talented.” A decent subset of those people will mention that they have wanted to try making clothes. But they don’t know where to start or their grandmother sewed but they assume no one else does anymore and they’re scared to try. I completely get it.
If you make your own clothing, you are either an amazing fashion designer or Amish and you don’t see yourself in either category. So it gets relegated to an interesting idea and not pursued. Guess what? I didn’t go to FIT nor am I in an Anabaptist group, and I love sewing. Half of my wardrobe and 90% of my favorite items, I made myself. Consider why you should make your own clothing:
- Personalization of design
- Custom Fit
- Better construction
- Skill Acquisition
- Joy of Making
Reasons to Make Your Clothes
Indulge Your Inner Designer
Clothing is deeply personal and an important way we share ourselves with the outside world. Mass market clothing reduces your choices in a variety of ways, whether by color, fabric type, or garment shape.
…And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of eight different designers. And then it, uh, filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic Casual Corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin. However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and it’s sort of comical how you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you’re wearing the sweater that was selected for you..
Miranda Priestly, The Devil Wears Prada
You don’t have to live this way. Walk around enough stores and you realize that the color stories are largely the same in a given time frame and if none of the current colors are flattering on you, well, tough cookies. Maybe you have that perfect outfit you found 5 years ago, and you would love to get another just like it. But trends have shifted, you tried something “updated” but you don’t glow like when you wear that perfect outfit. And you would love to have another just like it, but you can’t find anything similar when shopping. You can break free of that dynamic, pick exactly what you want, and unleash your creative vision.
Customize Your Fit
Your clothing should serve you, not you serving your clothing. Everybody deserves clothing that fits their bodies. Unfortunately, ready made clothes sizing is a series of compromises and in trying to be something for everyone, it misses the mark. But you can customize your garment to your body, making for greater comfort and improving garment function.
Wear Better Quality Garments
You win on two fronts here- good quality for discount prices and durability. I have a decent amount of ready to wear from a good department store and the actual construction is okay at best to bad. Quality sewing in a factory costs money and a number of manufacturers correctly gamble that hitting a cheap price point is more important than a garment that you can enjoy for years.
Acquire New Skills
Successful sewing teaches a number of useful skills even if you never sew another garment again. The same skills cover basic alterations and repairs. A worker somewhere made every piece of clothing in a store in much the same way that you can. Sure there are some specialized machines, but in the end, a person sits at a sewing machine, stitching seams. When you know how it’s done, you will more easily recognize quality in sewn products.
Creating is a Joy
In a world where many people spend their days creating electronic ephemera, garment sewing is a way to connect with something real. From the first cut into the fabric until the final stitch, you are using tools to create, one of the most basic parts of what it means to be human.
“The place to improve the world is first in one’s own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there.”
Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values
Pitfalls of Making Your Clothes
- The learning curve. Matching your vision to your skills can be daunting. I have been there and I am here to help you improve.
- Worry about waste. It’s just fabric and thread, but fear of failure on any one project can be paralyzing. Every garment is a learning opportunity. The goal is to enjoy the process, not worry about perfection.
The biggest obstacle to success in sewing, or anything really, is your own mindset. If you believe you can learn the skills, you will make it, even if you pick as your first project something as involved as making a wedding dress. All of the skills needed are learnable by anyone- sewing success is just waiting on you!
To paraphrase the line from Ratatouille, anyone can sew. Experience the joy of a new article of clothing that is 100% yours from start to finish. You can and should make your own clothes; start today.