I’ve been on a steady sewing kick since August, and I find myself thinking differently about many things. Although my sewing skills are in their nascent stage, I enjoy the freedom this skill-set gives me. For one, it gave me the confidence to declare (as the boy was playing Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood), “I can totally make that costume for you!” I can start to pick apart how that character’s attire *might* have been constructed. A proper seamstress might cringe at some of my initial conclusions, but hopefully the casual observer won’t notice once the costume is assembled. My options for Halloween (and convention) costumes have expanded exponentially.
Also, it helps me resist buying random clothes at the stores. My mom had a skill for finding sewing flaws in articles of clothing. I can’t count how many items I had to return an outfit to the rack because of a loose thread, a snag in the fabric, or an oil stain from the factory machines. It was irritating at the time, but now I also notice sewing flaws. In theory I now have the tools (and the instruction books) to sew my own basic wardrobe components (in which case, any flaws are my own fault). Of course, sewing a blouse takes at least 10-times longer than buying a blouse. So I started asking myself, do I want or need this shirt so badly that I can’t wait a week or two to make it myself? I now focus my shopping on wardrobe pieces that are [currently] too complicated for me to sew or are made from fabric that I can not afford.
As I write this, it has become apparent that through sewing I am one step closer to becoming my mom—in a good way. She made most of her own clothes in high school and college, a majority of my wardrobe through my elementary school days, and many costumes for Halloween and dress-up. I can only hope that one day I will be as skilled and creative as she is.
The Fabric Alchemist 