Jun 14 2019
Thank you so much Claire for sharing your sewing story and pictures of you looking gorgeous and congratulations on being awarded our latest Ministry Makes Winner! Read on to be inspired........
My Sewing Story.
Had I been asked what my sewing story was 12 month’s ago, it would have been succinct.
I could not sew a button on.
The end.
See the photo to prove it
But this year I learnt to sew and there is no looking back. Learning to sew your own clothes is a game changer, I liken not being able to sew to not being able to cook.
Imagine you can’t cook at all, instead you just get meals plonked down in front of you for your whole life, regardless of your taste or how it makes your body feel. Eating would be boring and laborious, something you just simply had to do. This experience relates to shopping for clothes, you’re restricted to what’s in fashion and at the mercy to the taste of the shop’s buyer, you’re forced to fit inside something designed for a ‘standard’ size and you don’t get a say in what your garments is made of and who put it together. Learning to sew puts you in control, you decide the fabric, the weight, the composition, print or plain, the pattern, the fit and all of a sudden clothes become exciting, creative and dressing becomes a total pleasure rather than the same old complaint ‘so many clothes, nothing to wear’.
Sewing is more than just putting cloth to thread, sewing your own wardrobe gives a sense of satisfaction, purpose and identity that you’ll never find on the high street as you have to make it yourself. When I started sewing in March of this year, 2018, of course I didn’t know of the confidence it would reinstate or the creativity it would instil, simply, my friend made a Tilly and The Buttons Cleo and I thought I could give it a go too.
Predominately I’m self taught, with the help of Tilly and The Buttons ‘Love at First Stitch’ and watching tutorials on YouTube. I ploughed my way through projects, made a dress to wear as a wedding guest and even made my own coat. I could call myself a confident beginner.
But there is only so much you can learn from a book, especially with such a practical subject matter, I wanted to know more, especially about fitting and even toyed with the idea of learning to cut my own patterns. I searched for a pattern cutting class and came across the Ministry of Craft. I was delighted discover their range of pattern cutting workshops.
I signed up for the Bodice Fitting Class and it gave me the confidence to make alterations to existing patterns and has led me to discover more about drafting my own patterns. You can read more about my experience here. Sewing can be solitary, so it was great to meet other like minded people and pick up tips and tricks from my peers. Now there is no looking back and I’m currently planning drafting my first pattern. I started knitting my own jumper, I’m working on a pair of jeans and I’m constantly looking for my next make. I document my makes over at www.makersgottomake.co.uk.
A six-month subscription to Love Sewing Magazine is on the way to Claire, if you have a story you would like to share please send us an email
Back
