Why sew my own clothes? How do I sew my own clothes? I’ll answer these questions!

Sewing your own clothes is fun, creative, empowering!

Why would you sew your own clothes? I’m no seamstress and if you’d told me a year ago that I’d start sewing my own clothes, I would have laughed. But, I started simple and made myself a summer skirt. So, why did I find myself doing it? Simply, I wanted a comfortable summer skirt and after thrifting first, felt that the cute skirts I found were too short for my lifestyle of chasing kids at the playground and teaching them how to slide down fireman poles safely. I’m so drawn to bright colors and had been searching for months on Facebook marketplace for Lilly Pulitzer attire, only to run into situations where I wasn’t first in line or they were too far away.

You can sew your own clothes, thanks to great tutorials!

Why did I decide to sew myself a skirt? I really loved the bright, colorful fabric I found and reached a decision that I’d embark on this new journey. In other words, a skirt is a good place to start and here’s the tutorial I used! So, I was inspired by beauty and saw it as an adventure that was a win-win! As a result, I learned three things (probably more, but three seems like a good place to camp out).

1. Clothes don’t make themselves. Obviously, I know. But thanks (no, thanks!) to fast fashion, most of our clothes come from countries on the other side of the world, places we’ve never been. Therefore, we have no idea what those workers go through so that we can add to our wardrobe. As simple as the tutorial was, I fiddled with a few parts of it and got frustrated with my lack of skill and the complexity of my sewing machine. I almost gave up. But I didn’t! I pressed through and wore that skirt with a better appreciation for what goes into clothing production.
2. The person who makes my clothes deserves good compensation. It took me more than an afternoon to finish my project. If I were to be paid a reasonable wage for my skirt, it would have been a very expensive skirt! I’m glad I don’t have to make all my own clothes, because I’d be a strange sight! And, I do want to think more about supporting companies that pay their workers fairly and offer conditions that I would expect for myself.
3. Progress is more important than perfection! Easily said. However, harder to practice. Believe me, I know. My skirt was imperfect and I didn’t feel confident wearing it at first. But because I’d put so much effort into it, I decided to wear it to a cookout with friends. Actually, I got a compliment on my cute skirt! I don’t know when I’ll get to my next project, but I felt empowered to learn new skills, try something new, and yes, I already have a ‘next’ project in the works! Stay tuned!