Why sewing is magic
Our next drafting project starts next week but in the meantime, I'd like to share this essay about why I believe sewing your own clothing is a transformative and empowering practice.
About me and this Substack: I've been sewing my own clothing for almost 30 years and I've been designing and selling pdf sewing patterns for the last 10 years. This Substack brings together my love of math with my love of sewing. Most posts are lessons in how to draft sewing patterns. Today, is an essay about why I believe sewing is magical, healing, and empowering.
The thing about sewing, that not many people know, is that it is magic. Not only does sewing transform a piece of fabric and a bit of thread into something usable—a coat! a pair of pants! a duffle bag! a whole dang quilt! But sewing also has the power to transform your life in (at least) three very important ways.
First, there is the ACT of sewing. While it may seem simple, the act of sewing, of using our hands and focusing our brains on this one task, has the power to relax and calm.
When we allow ourselves to focus on the task of sewing, of cutting and stitching the fabric, we can let the other parts of life drift away, if only for a little bit. Sometimes, we can even get in the flow or more technically, "achieve a state of flow" during our sewing practice. In a world that is filled with distractions and constant updates, finding a state of flow can feel both relaxing and exciting. In focusing our energy and attention onto one task, we can life's other worries drift away, even just for a little while. Our minds and bodies can relax and live more fully in the present.
For me, sewing can help me work through my feelings. I've sewn through grief and loneliness, heartbreak and fear. Back in March 2020 (I think we all remember that old global pandemic that shut down the entire world), I was falling apart. Once I realized that no one knew when it would end, I felt unmoored. I was living alone, and all of my freelance work had dried up in an instant. And while I didn't feel specifically lonely or worried about money, I didn't know how to handle the idea that I couldn't make any plans for the future. I had no vision of when my current state would change and no way to change it. My life (all of our lives) were completely out of our control and I felt powerless.
During one of my many crying episodes, I had a sort of epiphany. I realized that even though the future was out of my control, the thing I could control was my present. And I could make the best of it. Worrying about when the pandemic would end was pointless. So, without a job or any social engagements, I turned to sewing. My house was filled with enough fabric to keep me busy for years to come. So, I set about making use of it.
My first pandemic project was a quilt that I named "Rejects and Leftovers". In the mid-2000s, I took a patchwork class and made 15 to 20 quilt blocks. I had made the best blocks into a quilt but still had leftover blocks and fabric. (Obviously, I never threw them away because those blocks would be useful someday.) I took all of those ugly blocks and sewed them together, focusing more on the act of making than on creating something beautiful. It's kind of small and not that pretty. But the act of sewing that quilt supported me through an incredibly stressful time and helped me move into a healthier mental outlook as well as one of my most productive periods for my pattern making business.
In 2019, I had a similar sewing-through-grief experience that I honestly cherish the memory of. My dear great-aunt Miriam passed away at the beginning of 2019, just shy of her 103rd birthday. I didn't know her while I was growing up but got to know her after I moved to Southern California. She was a feisty, opinionated woman who also loved sewing clothes. I really enjoyed getting to know her and bonding over our shared love of sewing.
After she passed, I decided to make a black dress. I already had fabric and a pattern in my stash and I knew that the process of making would feel healing. While cutting and sewing, I was able to take the time to make something for myself, and to think about her life and what she meant to me. In a way, I feel like the dress was made in honor of her. And among all the grief and stress and things that must be done and cared for after someone dies, it was really nice to be able to take some time for myself. I guess you could say it was an act of self-care. And, I think she would have liked the dress.
OK, part two of this essay is MUCH lighter.
The second way that sewing transforms our lives is that we can create clothing that is designed just for us. When clothing is designed to fit our bodies, we feel comfortable both physically and emotionally.
When our clothes are uncomfortable due to poor fit, it can be distracting. Instead of being in the moment, we think about how our clothing is pulling or pinching or moving out of place.
A number of years ago, I was wearing a blouse that I had sewn for myself and whenever I was sitting down, the shirt would ride up on my shoulders and rub against my neck. It was minor but it was distracting. After some analysis, I realized that the angle of the shoulder seam in the blouse was steeper than my decidedly square shoulders. I was able to make an alteration, taking a little wedge out of the shoulder near the neck and fix the issue. I could then wear the blouse without thinking about wearing the blouse. (Btw, I now religiously check shoulder angle in patterns and it makes such a big difference.)
I have struggled to find clothing in stores since I was a teenager and it was then that I first turned to sewing my own clothes. I reached 5'10" by the age 13 and soon after had a full bust to reckon with as well. Trying to fit my tall, busty body into clothing designed for someone with an entirely different shape was disheartening.
Over the years, I have gradually sewn more and more of my wardrobe and purchased much less. I moved last year and it was harder to sew for myself so I ended up buying a few pieces of clothing. It was an awakening to how accustomed I've become to wearing clothing that is custom fit to my body. I was particularly cold last fall and on the road, so I bought a pair of long johns. They were so comically short on me that the cuffs hit around my mid-calf. They were tight and uncomfortable and there was no way that I'd be able to wear them comfortably. While I was frustrated and disappointed that the purchase did not work out, I found a new appreciation for my sewing skills.
I think many people approach clothing with the mission of finding a style or cut that works for them and makes them feel good. I think that even more important and more transformative is finding (or making) clothing that fits your body. And for many people, finding clothing that fits well is going to mean making it yourself. And sometimes, like with the shoulder angle, we don't even realize how great clothing can fit until we start playing around with it and paying attention to how it makes us feel.
I'm so grateful that I've been able to sew things for myself that fit well and help me feel more comfortable in my clothing and therefore more confident in life. There's nothing like the magical feeling of wearing something that lets you live your life with ease.
So, a little word of encouragement for you lovely reader. If you enjoy making things and struggle at all with RTW, I highly recommend giving sewing a try. Most patterns will need some tweaks to fit your unique body. But, it's worth the time and effort to find your own custom fit.
Part 3 Empowerment Ok, we're working through our feelings, making clothes that FIT our bodies. We're happy. We're comfortable. And as a bonus we are empowered.
When you make clothing for yourself, you no longer have to rely on mass market stores. You can create something on your own that is millions of times better than store bought. You get to choose your own fabric and colors. You get to decide if you want a higher, or lower, neckline. You get to add ruffles if you like. Or, add a seam line here or a pocket there. It's also a little knife in the side of capitalism that says, "Hey, I don't have to wear what you want me to wear."
Maybe there's a dash of self-expression in there too.
Sewing your own clothing empowers you to create garments that fit, while building valuable skills. If that's not magic, I don't know what is.
Thank you so much for reading my thoughts on why sewing is magic and how it can transform and support you inside and out.
Beth
Further reading:
There's lots of writing out there about "flow" but if you're looking for more reading on being present, I highly recommend the book The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. I read it for a yoga class about 20 years ago. It honestly changed my perspective on life and I still think about it often.
A couple of books on fitting:(These are in my collection and are highly recommended but I have not used them extensively.)
Fast Fit by Sandra Betzina
The Fitting Book by Gina Renee Dunham
Shameless self promo:
My favorite way to get in the flow with sewing is to make improvisational quilts with my fabric scraps. If you are interested and don't know where to start, I have an online course called Improvisational Quilting for Garment Sewists where I teach how to organize your fabric, how to piece the quilt top and how to quilt it (among many other lessons). The course is a pay-what-you-can-afford structure starting at $34. Learn more about it here.
It’s wonderful to take time to appreciate the act of sewing, thank you for sharing!
I took your improv quilt class a few years ago and it tranfor how I think of quilts and scraps. Recommend! And thank you!