There have been a couple of interesting articles about sewing and fashion lately.
First is this NYT article a friend pointed out to me about how more people are sewing as a hobby. I really liked the bit at the end about how sewists become more discerning customers because they understand the construction of a garment. When I’m walking down the street I’m always amazed how many people are wearings things that don’t fit them properly, or how much cheap synthetic fabric we wear. In a meeting recently I was staring at the tidy, barely visible hand stitching on another person’s (no doubt) expensive suit, and feeling pleased that tailoring hasn’t become a completely lost art.
That brings me to my next one – this Slate article about our culture of disposable clothing.
The funny thing about my one-year challenge of not buying any clothing for myself and the kids is how easy it’s been (though I must confess Grandma has bought some t-shirts for the kids). My family really did not need as many clothes as we were accumulating when I was shopping more regularly. I don’t have to make as much stuff as I used to buy, because let’s face it, that’s not really particularly economical either. In a sense much kids’ clothing is by nature disposable given that it can get stained, ripped, torn or outgrown very quickly, but when I make the clothes I can take down a hem, and size them right to fit my lean, tall kids. And most importantly, I can pare down on the unnecessary.
