Hi pals,
After a long absence I’m finally back to share with you some of many life changing thougths that have been rumbling my mind over the last few months.
With considerably less time to sew and blog about the things I make, I’ve come to the conclusion that I really should put more thought and love into each one of the pieces I make. In the past, I used to sew one or more garments a week, but many of the garments I sewed for myself were illfitting, with unfinished seams, and/or simply on a style that was off for me and I rarely wore them. I want to work in great fitting garments that are well finished and will last a long while.
I’ve been having some major thoughts on what I teach my children through my lifestyle. I’ve been thinking about the things I buy, the food I choose, where the store bouthg clothes I choose to afford come from, what are the processes and the conditions involved in the food, things and clothes I buy, how much energy do I use, what happens with my waste?
I want to teach my children to be responsible for the world they live in. I want to teach my children to care for it.
I welcome you to the space where I share the little life style changes I decide to make towards a more concious and better lifestyle with a focus on sewing.
Here are 5 things I have learned through sewing for myself #sewinglessons :
- I can sew pretty much ANYTHING I want to see myself wearing.
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- I can make very practical and useful things, like my cocoon coat extension, my pregnancy leggings (unblogged) or my nursing bras that I’ve worn to death.
- I can discover my style and feel confident, beautiful and comfortable!
- I can share life and things I make and meet wonderful and like minded people.
- I now know the time, love and effort that goes into making garments that I will love wearing and that will last a long time. I much rather to take more time to make something well thought and excecuted than paying the fast fashion industry to continue [1].
[1] If you don’t know about fast fashion yet, the documentary “The True Cost” [Andrew Morgan] is a great startpoint, you can also watch it on Netflix.
I invite you think about 5 things you have learned through sewing for yourself and share them with the hastag #sewinglessons .
How has sewing for yourself changed the way you shop?
Had you heard about the Fast fashion industry?
How did having kids affect the way you live?
Thanks for reading and I’d love to hear your thoughts!!
See you next time!
❤
M
mexicanpink 
I, too learned through sewing that I really like other people who sew! And, we sewers learn that good fit is so important and can be frustrating, but oh, so rewarding when the garment is fit TO you. I’ve learned that if it is sewn carefully and looks beautiful on the inside as well as the outside, I feel very satisfied. I’m trying to choose my fabrics wisely. Natural fibers seem to sew up more easily than some man made fibers. But, I have to fight against choosing by color only. And, if I can fit a bra and sew it perfectly, why is it so difficult to fit the shoulders and bust area in a shirt! That is my current challenge. But I know that,learning from others, taking my time and recording my progress, I will get there. Almost all of my clothes are now made by me. It is a great feeling.
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Hi my darling, What an interesting comment, natural fibers are also materials that will biodegrade with time, polyester and other synthetic fibers don’t. There are some new textiles coming from natural sources that seem to have excelent properties, feel and in great colors. also, the chemicals involved in the production processes of some of these fibers is recycled and so there is much less contamination. Lenzing in Germany is one of the most well known factories going this route (I think they have a distributer in the US). It would be really interesting to test some of those new fabrics. I have not yet been lucky enough to get my hands on one of them. Hopefully one day!
About your troubles with the fit around the shoulders and bust, I had a great experience with Kathleen Cheetham Craftsy class on pants. Have you tried her classes on adjusting the shoulders, back and bust??
Recording our process is the best we can do, only that way we can learn from our mistakes. 🙂
❤
M
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I sewed a lot prior to having babies, then a bit after until I lost my sewing room to a baby. He is now 16! The machine was very difficult to access for a while so I didn’t sew much. We reorganised and I’m back at it.
I LOVE wool in all forms, especially tweed and merino jersey. I like cotton too, but growing it has a huge impact on our environment too. Then there is bamboo which I also love, but, is also somewhat green washed.
We had high ideals about the legacy we would leave our children too. My very clever Miss 17 did comment that having three children and pets was as damaging to the world as using synthetic fabrics. (She wasn’t prepared to say which one of them should go). Miss 17 then got upset when asked to have shorted showers to conserve water. Mr 16 suggested we eat less meat, then asked for ham or bacon to go into all our vegetarian dishes (Sigh). Miss 12 agreed we need ham in all pasta sauces, except for the ones that have chicken. They can all cook from scratch so we’ve succeeded in keeping our food packaging to a minimum.
No one and nothing is perfect, except maybe wool!
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Hahahahaha, I love it!! I really appreciate your comment, it makes me feel like I’m not alone. I can’t wait to discuss these kind of things with Emilia when she grows up. It’s pretty cool that you guys bike around, we love biking in the Summer here!
About the fabrics, there are luckily some new factories that are focusing on botanic cellulose fibers and more sustainable practices. I found a green youtuber who studied fashion, her name is Erin Verena, from “My Green Closet” she has a little series on Fabrics and Fibers that I found interesting to watch. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLab1HN1VQq5MHGbiOTFMPOE7qMkRewpRk .
Lovely to read to you!
Keep in touch.
M
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