Why sewing your own clothes is not (always) better

Let’s face it, I am extremely proud to wear clothes made by my 10 fingers. Just like you reading me, most likely. This has allowed me to (almost) ban H&M, Zara and other ready-to-wear brands that treat their employees badly and produce poor quality clothing. However, should I ask to wear the halo right away? Is it really better to make your own clothes? let’s take a closer look at this…

coudre ses vêtements

Were you afraid when you saw the blog disappear? Well, me too! I’ll tell you all about it at the end.

You’re saving money

Sewing clothes doesn’t necessarily cut your clothing budget, on the contrary. First of all, sewing ALL your clothes is difficult : I don’t know how to make shoes and some fabric are yet out of my reach in terms of technical knowledge.

Then there’s the equipment. The minimum equipment to make quality (trinkets for sewing fast, sewing machine) can quickly reach 400$. We all these new pattern brands that are blooming everywhere, we’re going to want to buy the latest Tilly and the Buttons creation, or to make your own version of the popular pattern of the moment. In short, we’re going to have a tendency to reproduce with sewing what we do in shopping:  accumulate and spend without necessarily wearing (creating) afterwards.

And I don’t get me started on my (more or less controlled) luxury tastes when it comes to fabrics…

The only real economy I see there, and this is what I prefer to sew, is “exceptional” sewing. Reproducing a Dior dress, a Chanel jacket that you would never have bought yourselves otherwise.

So savings are not really the best reason to sew your own clothes.

Next reason?

robe dior couture
another dress from the Dior exhibit in Paris last year 

You stand out from the crowd

I follow sewing forum for curvy seamstresses (usually beyond the standard sizes of ready-to-wear). It is a close-knit community that often expresses the transition to sewing as a response to the industry’s lack of pretty clothes to suit their size.

Just because you’re a size 20 doesn’t mean you want to live in leggings + a wide t-shirt all year round (as Mary Alice from Well Sewn Style portrayed brilliantly). Sewing in this frame is the perfect remedy because it opens the field of possibilities.

But for standard sizes? Well I find that often the clothes created by me or my girlfriends are copies of the trade. We will look for our version of the sweater “Sézane like” or recreate a top Zara copied on the last fashion show of a great couturier.

Sewing is not always synonymous with originality, but it allows you to test your style in a new way. If you spend 10 hours on a dress you don’t like, believe me next time you’ll think twice before you go!

Fabrics are a great source of expression, however. In my opinion, they are the true vector of uniqueness.

Any other good reason to sew?

couture top tendance
Two stylish ladies at SXSW in Austin (I had the chance to attend for work) you might see my version of the top on the right pretty soon 😉

You stop impulse buying

couture top tendance
I am actually doing VR shopping in this picture

If I confess to calming shopping ardour with a great deal of sale fabric, sewing (and the lack of space in my cupboards) taught me to refocus on quality, to see what is well done from what will give out at the next wash.

After spending so much time feeling beautiful fabrics, I can no longer fall back on cotton at the H&M discount rack. Because I have a lot of fabrics in stock, I also often say to myself “why buy it when you’ll have a lot more fun doing it yourself?”.

For this reason, sewing is the best therapy!

 

couture top tendance
this is what I see through the Vive headset

 You do good to the planet and to the seamstresses of Bangladesh.

Yes and no.

Yes, because our consumer choices always end up impacting brands. By no longer buying from them, I am indicating my dissatisfaction and I am not taking advantage of a helpless worker. But yet, do I trace all my fabrics? Do I make sure that they have not been dyed by little children somewhere in a sweetshop in Asia?

I regret to say no. So my contribution is imperfect. Baby steps they say.

 

Curious to read more on the topic ? You can have a look at this article by my Friend Daniela, it’s all about setting up your sewing atelier including all the advantages you can expect out of it.

couture - sewing
Austin again,one of the display to announce the upcoming Handmaid’s tale season 2

This is the first “philosophical post” I translate in english (I have a couple of others I was to lazy to translate from french)

Would you like to read more ?

About the disappearance of the blog

O la la my friends, the blog went very close to disappearing. Early last year, silly me decided to remove the automatic renewal of my hosting provider (why you wonder? Well the answer is lost to me too to be honest). And just like when you choose to not pay your utility bills at some point they cut you out.

You can imagine the shock on my face…

Fortunately, Jerome, official “HTML whisperer”, saved the day and managed to resurrect the blog from its grave… I can never be thankful enough!

In the meantime, I have not remained inactive and I am working hard on version 2.0 of Marquise Electrique: the creation of Electric Patterns!

I’ll tell you all about it on the blog and Instagram !

La bise

Alicia

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?️ When you went back to work but you are still on holiday in your head… ?️ Closer look at this #memade swimsuit. It fitted perfectly with a flowy skirt and I was ? ready in 3 seconds! ? I am thinking about turning it into my very first multisize pattern, who would be interested in making it ? ________________ ?? Encore peu la tête à la plage (dans le sable ?). ?? Vivement que je reporte mon nouveau maillot made in 2018 fait par bibi ! Je pense digitaliser le patron d'ailleurs, qui serait intéressé pour l'essayer ? Photo : Mathilde et Bastien ! #beachvibe #swimsuit #mermaidvibe #seamstress #patternmaker #lingerie #jefaismonmaillotdebain #lingeriemaison #faitparmoi #faitmaison #faitmain #seamstressofinstagram #couture #coutureaddict #jaimelacouture #jaimecoudre #wedding #chic #ootd #nofilter

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