Making your own clothes may seem like a forgotten art but dust off your sewing machine because here are eight reasons to  and sew your own clothes.

8. Sewing your own clothes is an eco-friendly option

You’ve probably heard that our landfills are growing rapidly because of yesterday’s fashion.  Clothes are made cheaply and sold cheaply, that means what looks great today could be falling apart within a few weeks.  It all heads over to the dump, but no worries, clothes are cheap so we just go buy more and the cycle continues.

Here is a segment from CBC News that really delves into the problem of fast fashion and where our clothes really go after we move on to the next item.

I will preface all of this by saying that sewing for yourself is only truly eco-friendly when sewing with natural fibers, preferably organic.  Many of the clothes on the market today are made with blended fibers. This means that two different fibers, generally synthetic and natural, are spun into the same yarn or thread and then are woven or knit into the fabric that ultimately becomes our clothes.

Here are a couple of my favorite stores to find organic fabric and yarn (and no, I’m not sponsored by any of these companies, I just love their products):

Organic Cotton Plus

Diaper Sewing Supplies

(Note, Diaper Sewing Supplies doesn’t sell natural fiber-fabrics but they do sell PUL, a fabric commonly used to make cloth diapers.  Their PUL is made in the USA and cloth diapers are a great way to reduce diaper waste in landfills.  Still not a perfect solution but better than disposables.)

Another route to becoming eco-friendly while sewing is to use up that stash of fabric that your grandmother gave you or hit up thrift stores.  You will more than likely create some beautiful and lasting items and therefore keep all that fabric out of the landfill.

7. When You Sew Your Own Clothes, You Are Your Own Factory

When sewing your own clothes, as long as your fabric is well sourced, you are your own factory.  This eliminates the problem of child labor and toxic chemicals being used in large factories.

It also brings work to your own neighborhood, especially if you can buy local fibers and fabrics.

6. Minimalism

Sewing your own clothes and creating a homemade bullet wardrobe can be a great way to minimize your clutter and the amount of laundry you have to do.  When you sew for yourself you are creating smaller amounts of quality garments that you put your own time and energy into.  When you have quality items you don’t need as many because they last longer and you love them!

5. One Size Does Not Fit All

If you are like me, it can be a daunting task to buy off-the-rack.  The fashion industry for years has catered to a very uncommon body type among women, tall and narrow, pencil like.  Unfortunately this is not a body type that most women have.  I’m just going to put it out there and say that even at my high school weight of 135 lbs I could never find a pair of pants that fit both my bottom and my waist.  If the bottom was big enough then you could see straight down the waist.  If the waist was small enough there was no way I was getting these thighs in.

When you sew for your self it is a process that honors the body that YOU have instead of trying to, somehow, conform to a body some CEO said you should have.

Which brings me to my next point……

4.  Clothes Fit Better When You Make Them Yourself!

When you sew for yourself you can adjust patterns to fit YOU!  Not your friends, not your grandma, not Twiggy, but YOU!!

With patterns there are different sizes to choose from.  With that you can pick one size for your bust, one size for your waist, and one size for your bum and then redraw the pattern so that one size leads to the next.  I am currently working on some posts that will give detailed instructions on how to do this.  Stay tuned.

There is no “body supposed to” in sewing only “clothes supposed to”!

Your body has it’s own shape and it is a good one!

3.  You Decide What you Wear

Have you ever shown up at the store with a very specific idea of what you want to wear, only to get there and find nothing remotely similar to the vision in your head?

When you sew your own clothes the sky is the limit when it comes to materials and design.  Your clothes therefore can look and feel how you  want them to.

2.  Sewing and Knitting Is Fun

Need I say more?

1.  You Can Take Pride in What You Wear

You take pride in what you wear when you’ve made it yourself.  With all of the above reasons you will not simply wear your clothes but your clothes will be a joyful part of your daily life.  They will be treasures to you.  I know I am more thankful for my clothes when I make them myself.

Clothes you make yourself  become lasting and valuable pieces.