How often do you wear the things you sew?
Every once in a while I'll get lucky and sew something for myself that becomes a regular part of my wardrobe, but most of the stuff I make is only worn once or twice. It really is quite frustrating if you think about it.
It’s not just a
matter of the time and money I put into a project, but it also adds to the
clutter and waste that I have to deal with. I happen to hate clutter and waste so this is very troubling.
It’s a problem that has been plaguing me for most of my
adult life. Not just with sewing but with clothing in general. I am a victim of
the disposable clothing mindset.
I keep hearing over and over again that the solution is to
by quality over quantity, but that isn't always possible. Sure I would love to
by a $200 ethically made designer silk shirt, but I would also like to pay my
electric bill.
Another solution that is popular among bloggers is
refashioning. I have made some amazing outfits for the kids with this method,
and they are things that get worn over and over again all year round.
However
it doesn't seem to work out that well when sewing for myself. I have had some
great luck finding shoes in thrift stores but never any clothes that I can see myself
turning into something I would wear.
The way I usually acquire a new item is to see it on a blog
or in a store and then purchase it (or the materials to make it), just like
most people. But what if I turned things around a bit. Maybe the solution is to
figure out what I like to wear first, and then buy or make only what fits that
description.
I’ve been following a series on The Colleterie (My most favoritist blog ever) called WardrobeArchitect. It’s designed to make you think about designing a wardrobe that fits
your tastes, body shape, and lifestyle. As the series goes on I believe she
will also talk more about making it all work together.
Each week Sarai posts a new topic that builds on the previous
weeks and an assignment to help you work towards building your perfect
wardrobe. Part of the assignment involves collecting pictures to help you get a
visual idea of the look you want. I've been using a Pinterest board that I named Core Style. Hopefully by the time I am ready to take on my next big
sewing project I’ll be better equipped to make something that will get used
over and over again.
If anyone else decides to make a Pinterest board and follow
along with the Wardrobe Architech series be sure to add a link to it in the
comments section of this post so I can follow along with your progress.
