lies to unlearn about making your own wardrobe

Ever wondered why fast fashion can't give you the perfect wardrobe? Felt curious about sewing your own clothes or designing your own sustainable wardrobe? Just want to be nosey about why beginner sewers turn addicts so fast?
Here's my learnings from teaching myself to sew SO FAR and the assumptions I've discovered were porkies.

/// SUPPORT ///

Being in the club means you get: a free weekly podcast, access to a secret facebook group, a free poetry collection and play written by me, access to livestreams AND you get to access to all my videos before anyone else sees them!

/// SOURCES ///

Office for National Statistics - Living Costs and Food Survey:
‘Additionally, expenditure decreased by 38% on clothing and footwear (£8.90 less). This is likely to be related to the coronavirus lockdown restrictions and social distancing measures implemented for the retail industry during the coronavirus pandemic. However, a shift in consumer behaviour towards online shopping may have reduced the impact in this category.’
A low-end smart phone in my country:

Greenpeace on fast fashion:

/// TIMESTAMPS ///

00:00 Intro
01:10 Clothes are made by machines
04:22 You need a lot of money
09:09 You need a lot of space
11:55 You need a lot of time
14:35 It is hard
16:07 Sewing will save the planet
21:04 You are morally obliged to make your own clothes

// COME AND HANG WITH ME IN BETWEEN UPLOADS //

I use Octopus Energy which are a clean green sustainable energy company - if you're in the UK and are curious, here are the two videos I talk about them in:

[lauragibbons]

ADHDers/people with learning disabilities listen up! Patterns can be tricky to follow for us, sometimes making your own patterns might be more intuitive. I started by following videos, where simple sewing/drafting techniques got me to understand the concepts. I also learnt by doing alterations to existing clothing. This helped immensely with me intuitively learning construction tecniques by taking things apart and putting them back together. My biggest barrier to sewing was sewing patterns and following instructions and if it feels too difficult for you too that's okay, just start with whatever comes naturally to you. Lots of people tout certain aspects of sewing or knitting being beginners friendly or more difficult. But for me, a beginner scarf is impossible to knit because I have no motivation to learn in that way. For knitting I was motivated by wanting the perfect brown cropped jumper I could never find, and so I started there. I just made a start and learnt the tecniques in the pattern from YouTube along the way! And that's what worked for me, not starting at basics because it's not what motivated me to actually do it! So if you have an ND mind, maybe try starting somewhere other than where most people start because I find that path doesn't always work for us and we learn in a very different way! Also, done is better than perfect! If you can't see a mistake from a meter away and it doesn't effect the function or longevity of the garment DO NOT BE MAD ABOUT IT! All of nothing is such a common problem that stops ND people from starting. Aim to fail, repeatedly. Aim to do things badly because we literally learn from our mistakes. But adjust your expectations and just aim for wearable and then just keep doing it 🤷‍♀️ that's my ND advice anyway 🙂

[wendywhitley]

About Rachel Maksy, who was flashed in the video portion about sewing Ever since she started sewing, she's been crawling around on her floors cutting out patterns and sits with her machine on the floor....even after getting a studio. Most of her fabrics are from thrift stores and she's been reusing the same pattern pieces forever. She is a poster child for this topic.❤️

[indiabilly]

‘Sewing and buying sewing supplies are two different hobbies’ I feel seen and not in a good way! Another brilliant video xx

[ceciliap]

I found that learning to make my own clothes hasn't magically morphed into a "me made" wardrobe but rather a "me repaired" wardrobe and that's enough for me. I'm hoping to one day have the space and time (you don't need much but you do need some) to focus on building clothes in their entirety but it is so easy and fast, once you have learned the skills, to darn a sweater, fix a split seam, or hem a skirt.

[missimmi]

As a professional costumer, I get a lot of people looking at what I make for shows and clients and going, “oh I can’t sew, I can’t do that.”
I want to stress to everyone, that while costuming and sewing overlap, they are not the exact same.
If you can stitch a line in fabric, you can sew. If you can replace a button, or hem your trousers, you can sew.

[magiv]

"Just like with book buying, buying sewing materials and sewing are two different hobbies" Why you gotta attack me like that lmao

[humwengus]

I don't think anyone has mentioned this but in my town we have a sewing cafe where people mend their items and share skills and it's such a great idea. It is free and encourages people to look after their clothes.

Great video Leena :)

[ellienelson]

One of the things I have found most gratifying about making your own clothes is being able to make something that actually fits you. I am fairly pear-shaped, and trying to find trousers that go over my thighs and butt that don't then ludicrously gape at the waist is always a bit of an ordeal. Being able to tailor clothes to my own measurements, and actually choose the exact fabric and style I want makes the whole process much more fun than going shopping!

[evayguico]

A tip from one beginner knitter to those looking to start: as with clothing, a higher price of yarn does not mean higher quality. For one of my first big projects, I spent a $hit ton on what I thought was a "luxury" yarn only to find that it pilled immediately. I really love watching TL Yarn Crafts for her yarn reviews, and she has videos on budget yarn options!

[samd]

The last myth you shared really hit home! I think the push for people to grow their own food, make their own clothes, etc can easily slip into a push for hyper-independence where you do not rely on others for anything. As you said, the reality is that relying on other people and being part of a community is a strength, not a weakness. I love the idea of swapping a 40 hour garment for 40 hours worth of food!!

[BethEades]

My mum still has the sewing machine she was given for her 21st birthday, and she’s now approaching a significant birthday beginning with a 6. She made uni ball gowns, her own wedding dress, and almost every single curtain in my parents house. Take care of your sewing machine and it will take care of you!

[AshleyLouiseBarrett]

I love that you mention the idea of this being a therapy "replacement"! (for the record, go to actual therapy too) There's a ton of studies that have shown that "crafting" - be it painting, sewing, mending, knitting, or paper cutting - lowers cortisol and engages our brains in ways that help create new and stronger neuropathways; because all creative work in the brain is conflict resolution/problem solving! It's also a huge confidence booster to wear a garment you've made with your own hands! The thing about sewing that I think is so magical isn't just the social implications of the hobby, but also the personal development aspects. It's a skill that produces social consciousness around the garments we wear, and develops us into calmer, more creative humans with a shareable skill! I had a job where we were required to wear a very specific uniform that included a hem length on our trousers, and because I was the only person the any of my co-workers knew with a sewing machine I traded hems for coffee/lunch gift cards. A friend of mine now trades me loaves of homemade bread for hemming/mending her kids clothes. I've traded sewing for replacing the breaks on my car! I think people forget the mental health benefits of sharing skills. Skills sharing is community care! Another aspect I could talk for hours about is the generational healing that comes from learning skills like this and passing that knowledge on. Loved this video so much!

[CassianGray]

I love making my own Hobbit-inspired clothing and getting compliments on it! I'm autistic and a bit chubby, and making my own clothing has helped me be happier and more comfortable with what I wear, physically and psychologically.
Not only are sewing and crocheting useful skills for "after the collapse", I like to think that I'm connecting with generations of my ancestors who did the same thing, e.g. my mother sews, my grandmother sews and knits, her mother probably sewed too, etc. It's cool to think that the essentials of something like crocheting hasn't changed over the last two hundred years.

[Babebb]

You've stated that you are trying not to gain a stash, which might be crucial for people living in smaller spaces. However, having a stash that you add to with the leftovers from other projects or that you add to with supplies intended for a new project when it is on sale is a great way to make crafting more affordable. I am a knitter and can use my leftover yarn for colour work, striped pieces or Frankensocks. My mum is a quilter and uses fabric from her stash in every quilt she makes. "Shop from your stash" is something crafters hear a lot and is a great way to make a jumper that could have been $200 in materials more affordable by using my stash yarn first and supplementing it when needed.

[SarasBooksAndThings]

Even if you don't make entirely new clothes learning to alter and mend your clothes is incredibly useful.

A shirt you love but the fit is meh tweak it and volia! Or putting patches on elbows or knees or a dart in a waist to fix how it fits

[ElizabethMidfordHatesCops]

4:30 I would like to say about this section is that you don't need a sewing machine. Everything I sew is hand sewn. And while it won't look as pristine as it would have if done by a machine, I think it looks way better. I like that you can tell I made it myself. And sometimes, on rare occasion, the sewing job looks _really_ good and no one can tell, and then you get to feel extra proud of yourself.

[vintage]

I am paralyzed and spend my days in a wheelchair. I must be able to raise my arms above my head with absolutely no constriction (restriction) from the "shoulder" of a garment. I have caused serious shoulder pain to myself from wearing a shirt that constrained my shoulder movement. I have done alterations on almost every shirt I own to make them "not a danger" to my shoulder joint health. I crudely hand-stitched those alterations, but I am very proud of my comfy clothes.

[lema]

I'm gonna add, knowing how to make alterations to your own clothes is also rly good on the sustainability end. I had this dress that I was barely wearing because it just felt too short, so one day I decided to turn it into a top instead and now it's a summer favourite for me. Altering things you've grown tired of/don't really wear is a great way to breathe new life into your wardrobe without actually buying anything new🌸And you don't even need a sewing machine for that!!

[NemuiDoraneko]

To anyone who may be worried that sewing/knitting may take up too much time and not give any space to be social:
I've grown up with a grandma that was knitting every evening or during trips while having engaging conversations with us and generally hanging out.
My mum used to put on a film while ironing and my brother and I would cozy up next to her in the sofa.
I have several friends that regularly bring their crochet or knitting to our meetups to keep their yands busy while we are all catching up

You can do it ^^

[EyeGlassTrainofMind]

As someone who just graduated from their master's and is literally wearing a top they bought when they were 12, for me, being thoughtful about clothing consumption to avoid chronic buying isn't one of my struggles and I think I would actually end up being more wasteful if I went down the sewing route BUT I really appreciate your bartering skillsets idea! It's definitely something I can work with as I like to garden, cook, and am learning carpentry from my mum. Hopefully these skills can not only be helpful to me but also others as I develop them!