From start to finish, sewing is about transformation. Materials become something new and wonderful. An idea becomes a garment you can wear. And sometimes, during the process of sewing, we find ourselves transformed too.
We're so pleased to welcome Storyteller Carol Kite to the Twig + Tale blog, sharing her reflections on the transformative process of sewing. As Carol says:
Being a sewist is to be part of a world where one embraces transformation. It is a world where dreams can become real, a place where opportunities can be endless. It is a realm where we can create magic.
Sewing is a journey that begins with that first piece of fabric, that first stitch, that first dream. It doesn’t matter where we are in terms of skills or experience - once we pick up fabric scissors and make the first cut, we are on a lifelong adventure. It is a journey that will transform us and we will be transformed by it.
Becoming a creator of your own clothes is a liberating experience. The barriers of what we wear are lifted. We enter a mindset of "I can", and this positivity can spill over into other areas of our life.
When I was a child I longed for shop-bought clothes. My child’s eyes saw them as superior and I aspired to be able to afford to buy ‘off the peg’. Life certainly brings unexpected turns. Once I was a wage earner and could spend my money how I wished, I quickly realised I greatly preferred home made garments - alas, I just didn’t have the time to make everything and sewing for myself only happened occasionally. Now, I have reached a stage where I prefer handmade items and have the time to spend creating them. I take pleasure in making clothes that fit well, are well sewn and finished and are different. Both the process of creating and the wearing bring rewards.
The move towards fast fashion has come at a cost. Quantity is often prized over quality. It is a trade that has resulted in us having 5 times as many clothes as people had 50 years ago. It is an industry that has taken advantage of workers, plundered the planet’s resources and created mountains of waste.
People used to value and care much more about their clothes and not see them as throwaway items. They were worn, cherished, repaired, passed on or repurposed. Being a maker, I can create clothes that can be just that again. It is a small step in reversing a toxic trend, but perhaps my step will be noticed by others and will encourage them to do the same.
"Be the change that you wish to see in the world."
- Mahatma Gandhi
Upcycling - finding joy in sustainable transformation
I am of an age where I am rapidly becoming one of the few of the generation that remember “make do and mend” from post wartime. This has led me to collecting random items in large numbers over the years because they may come in useful, but it has also meant I rarely need to buy a new button, and always have fabric scraps to hand.
My approach to using a piece of fabric is rather like a smallholder’s approach to rearing a pig - you use everything but the squeak. In sewing, I feel that if I don’t waste leftover pieces, I am being respectful of the resources used in manufacture and I am keeping fabric from landfill.
At the end of last year the Storytellers used each other's scraps to make the most wonderful gift bags. I made a pact with myself that going forward I would use fabric for all of my gift wrapping. For half a year now I have been using waste and left over material to do this. I love the pleasure that my bags bring me and the recipient.
The Making eBook Drawstring Project Bag has been my go to pattern for gift bags. Some have grown in size to accommodate large gifts. Many are personally decorated, adding to the delight they can give.
I am particularly fond of my small bags made by shrinking the pattern. It is a pleasure matching the bag to the present or receiver, and it can even become a key part of the present itself.
There is something very satisfying about taking an old garment and cutting it into a new one, or in darning a worn garment so that the new stitches become a badge of honour. We can transform the old into something that continues to have use and can often be beautiful, just in a different way.
A ripped seam [again] on a nightgown last night made me realise that the time had come to repurpose it, and it was actually more a joyous thought than one of despair. I have been happily contemplating what it will transform into - a petticoat for wearing on colder days under my skirts and a selection of dollies’ clothes perhaps. Oh, and more buttons for my tin!
Some of my repurposed fabrics are now getting to be tiny pieces indeed - scraps that are often full of memories. I used these when making a set of Pebble Pocket Dolls (pictured below) for storytelling. Not only are those treasured scraps transformed, but the dolls are already full of the memories that those fabrics hold.
Sourcing fabrics well by using deadstock and repurposing fabric that would often be wasted is one way of encouraging transformation in clothing production. I was fortunate to buy a deadstock package of plain linen last year. It was perfect for my foray into natural dyeing - another way to bring about transformation. Look what happened when I put together a Scenic Top and extra small leaf blanket pattern with a little deadstock linen and some scrap cotton...
Transforming household linens
During lockdown I loved the spirit that brought sewists together to repurpose bedding fabrics to make scrubs. These makes were joyous in so many ways - the fabric itself, the gratitude in which they were received, and the dedication of the makers coming together to solve a problem.
Since then I often browse the bed linen section for fabrics I can transform into clothing.
When I saw a linen duvet cover on sale, a rapid calculation told me that it could supply me with fabric for many garments. My first makes from it have been a Wildflower Skirt (using the pinafore pattern, but omitting the bib) and Cascades Top, and I haven’t even used all of one side. It gives duvet days a new meaning!
Thinking about this make led me to suggest to the other Storytellers that we all show what can be done by reusing bedlinen for our June theme, Transform/ation. A sheet might become a dress, a quilt a coat, a pillowcase a child’s plaything or garment. You can have a look at some of their upcycled projects here.
I love that some of my fellow makers are searching out treasured vintage fabrics for their transformations. Embroidered linens and other worn bedding that is no longer fit for purpose that with carefully cutting will give forth beautiful makes - The Ugly Duckling can become a Swan!
Bedding fabric often has a different scale of print which can be useful for making a statement or special piece. As soon as I saw this duvet cover I knew it was going to give me so many fun projects to create, like this Harbour Top for my grandson:
Mindful, me-made wardrobe transformation
Since I have moved into having a much more me-made wardrobe, it is easier to create harmony within one's wardrobe. Having homemade clothing has transformed my attitude to dressing. My wardrobe has become much more of a palette of possibilities from which I can select different items to put together… and if I need a fix of the new, one extra item can provide a multitude of extra options. Updating one’s look doesn’t mean having to replace everything.
Focusing on garments that cross seasons has also led me to wear each individual garment more often. A top such as the Cascades Top can be layered over a t-shirt on cooler days. A linen skirt is still warm to wear if you add a petticoat and wooly tights. It used to be said that we should aim to wear what we add to our wardrobe 40 times, but by careful planning we can do so much more than that and truly make a difference.
Retrimming, adding to or removing things from garments we already own, can transform them. Shortening or lengthening a skirt will perhaps make something unloved into something wearable.
New pockets, embroidery and appliqué can add to our existing garments and satisfy that need for something new or give life to the unloved items. If that isn’t possible, it's far better to repurpose it entirely or rehome it than allowing it to clutter up your space and create discord.
Transforming a pattern can involve small or big changes - you just need to let your imagination run with it. Best of all, you can make the garment with all the features you want, in the colour and fabric you want and with adaptations to suit your shape and style.
When I went to make up this green deadstock fabric I discovered that it was too narrow to cut all my skirt pieces, so necessity became the mother of invention and I used other scraps on my pockets, waistband and a decorative under hem.
Being a sewist can transform your approach to the world. It has taught me to be more thoughtful, more considered. The choices I make when sewing can be easily transferred into life itself. Being more respectful and considerate are good maxims to live by, whatever we are doing!
I believe that sewing your own clothes is a transformation in itself. One is no longer limited by what the marketplace has to offer and be subject to changing fashion, size and age-appropriate choices. By making, one can allow one’s true character to be reflected in how you present yourself to the world.
I feel since I have focussed on making and wearing my own clothes again, I have cast off a cloak. I am stronger in my own self worth and can step more confidently into the world - I do not hide behind garments but aim to shine through them.
