Last summer, I started sewing again after a long hiatus. I think the last time I had made anything was when I was in elementary school. I come from a long line of expert seamstresses. My grandmother did alterations at the local cleaners and my mother is a homemaking teacher. I did not embrace sewing when I was young and I think part of the reason is because I felt the great weight of coming up behind such talented women. I felt like I could not rise to the occasion, for whatever reason. My family never pressured me about sewing; it was more my own tendency to put pressure and stress on myself, so I just avoided all of it by not sewing much.
However, last summer I decided I wanted to sew again. My main motivation started as an increasing dissatisfaction with the ready-to-wear clothing available to buy. The slinky, cheap knits and shapeless garments were not flattering to my body. I noticed that brands that had formally fit well were being cut skimpier, specifically in the shoulders and across the bust. Something felt wrong about having to go up two sizes to fit my bust and shoulders and then having to take in all the excess material in the waist area. It seemed that I should just start from scratch if I was going to have to alter garments that much. I also noticed that it was becoming harder to find the little details that really mattered to me, like belt loops on pants and bust darts. In addition, I was tired of the unflattering fit of the low-rise and skinny pants in the stores.
Fabric and Button Detail
My mom and I happened to be in a fabric and craft store one day, looking for something else, and found some nice fabric on sale. I took the plunge and bought a blouse pattern and some fabric. After making that first blouse, I received so many compliments when I wore it. People were amazed when I said I had made it. I was so pleased with the fit that I wanted to make another. This time I tried out a different pattern.
Button Detail on Gold Blouse
And what’s a snazzy new blouse without a snazzy new skirt to wear with
it?
I then decided to make a pair of pants in a wonderful linen herringbone. I used a reprint of a Vintage Simplicity Pattern from the 1940s, so the style is high-waisted with very full legs. I also lined them. These are my absolute favorite pants now. They are so comfortable!
Linen Herringbone Fabric Detail
By then, I was getting my sewing mojo back and decided to tackle something tougher, a lined wool vest with bound buttonholes. The original pattern did not call for bound buttonholes or to be lined, but I think both features really add a lot to the garment. It is warm but lightweight, and looks equally at home with jeans or dress pants. I wore this vest a lot this past winter and I can see myself wearing this for seasons to come. This garment exemplifies to me what clothing should be about. One should love their garments enough that he or she looks for reasons to wear them.
Without fail, I have received numerous, unsolicited comments on every garment I have made, even from random strangers. I find it fascinating. When my mom was growing up, all of her clothes were handmade because they could not afford clothing in the stores. She did not look out of place though; my grandmother would window-shop the latest fashions and go home to make my mom something similar, most often without buying a new pattern. She would take the patterns she had and make them over into the latest style. Still, in my mom’s youth, it would have been seen as having more socioeconomic status to have something purchased from a store. Have the tables turned so much in one generation? That a homemade garment now looks so much better than ready-to-wear that it distinguishes itself that much? Or, is it because the clothing actually fits my shape and stands out against the sea of sweatshirts and baggy jeans? Admittedly, some of the styles are more retro in design, so the design itself is probably more noticeable.
I now find myself utterly and completely addicted to sewing. Having experienced the true joy of clothing that fits, I find myself less and less inclined to purchase things. The last few times I have ordered online, the majority of the order has been returned due to poor fit or inferior quality. I love the creative aspect of sewing as well. Now, if I find that I need something in a specific style and color, I am not limited by the narrow options available in the stores for the current season. I can usually find a suitable pattern and fabric in the color I envision.
