24 Oct Five Reasons Why Sewing is a Good Skill to Have
As you may have noticed, sewing is rapidly becoming a useful and trendy skill to have, and it’s getting more and more popular all the time. While sewing used to be a skill that nearly everyone knew, it went out of fashion for a while with the mass production of cheaply made clothing and other items. But it’s a common fact that homemade stuff lasts longer than something made in a factory by workers without TLC, and with the rise of DIYers in recent times, sewing is now trendy again, especially among bloggers and advocates of green living. So what are some of the reasons why sewing is a good skill to have?
You Can Mend Your Own Clothes
Of course, you can make your own clothes, but that’s a given. Before you reach that step, though, you can mend clothes you already have! Wouldn’t it be nice when you lose a button or a seam rips (as they often do, because most modern clothes were made in factories) you can quickly repair it and make it wearable again? How many times have you bought an article of clothing and washed it 2–3 times only to see a loose thread from a seam or a hole due to poor sewing? Or for that matter…you buy an item and it’s too loose in one area or too tight in another. Maybe you want to turn a pair of pants into maternity pants rather than buying new articles you’ll only wear for a short time. If you know some basic sewing skills, you can tailor your clothes a bit to fit you better! Then when you reach the step of sewing entire garments for yourself, you’ll know what to do and what not to do based on the mending and repairing you’ve already done.
You Can Make Customized Gifts
Think how awesome it feels when someone gives you a customized gift. And we’re not just talking about a mug with your initial on it; while those are nice, think of a time someone sewed you a custom apron or some nice placemats that match your decor. Maybe someone made you a scarf or headband, or sewed you a tote bag. How did it feel to receive something that someone put a lot of thought and effort into making just for you? Now think of being on the giving end of that exchange. You can create anything you’d like—for anyone you like. You can make custom baby shower gifts, wedding gifts, birthday or Christmas gifts—the possibilities are unlimited! You can pick a project and a fabric for it, and see it through from start to finish. Not only will the recipient be thrilled to have a custom gift made especially for them, but you will also be proud of what you’ve created and want to make more. For that matter, you can also make custom stuff for yourself—nothing wrong with that at all!
Sewing Exercises Creativity and Improves Dexterity
You may be surprised at how much creativity goes into sewing, especially if you’re designing your own items. Sewing is a fun, relaxing task that is almost therapeutic in nature; it lets you escape from the everyday stresses of the world and put your thoughts and effort into creating something that will be a nice finished product. Before long, you’ll find yourself stepping out of your comfort zone and making things you dared never imagine creating before, because your creative juices will be flowing and you’ll have more and more ideas. Sewing also stimulates the parts of the brain that allow you to solve more complex problems and tasks, with its measuring, planning, and stitching required.
On top of that, sewing improves your dexterity and fine motor skills by 1) getting you used to working with small items, such as thimbles, needles, thread, bobbins, etc., and 2) getting you used to working a machine and guiding it in the direction you want it to go to make the proper stitches. Anything you do that’s working with your hands improves your dexterity, and you’ll be glad for that when you go to do other tasks, as you’ll see that other things become easier. Improved creativity and dexterity are both benefits that will help you in the long run.
It’s Green and Saves Money
While these two are both basically a given as well, think about the fact that sewing and repairing your own clothes and items can help the environment. Fewer poorly made clothes means fewer clothes you throw into a landfill because they’ve fallen apart. Since you are also able to pick your own fabrics, you can choose ones that are responsibly sourced, using fair-trade or even organically grown cotton if you desire. Besides, anything you choose to make yourself is green, and think of the money you’ll save by buying yards of fabric instead of loads of clothes that won’t last very long (or will need those repairs that you can only do if you know how to sew!).
Marketable Skills Build Confidence and Repertoire
Sewing is a huge confidence booster, as it takes planning, preparation, focus, patience, and endurance to begin and see a project through to completion. Not only that, but showing off a finished project helps build self-esteem, as you can be proud of something you’ve created from start to finish. Sewing is a great marketable skill, and it never hurt anyone to have an extra skill set. You’ll never know when it might come in handy; on top of that, it may inspire you to learn some other skills because you’ll have more confidence than before you started as well. Sewing is a useful and impressive thing to add to your repertoire for all the above reasons and many more. Think about the Halloween costumes you can design or the handmade quilts you can make! There really is no end to what you can design and accomplish.
These five are only a few of the reasons why sewing is a good skill to have in your hat. Being able to use or gift an item you’ve created yourself will give you joy and a sense of pride—and confidence that you can do more. All this is on top of saving money and being more environmentally friendly; really, there is no downside to learning to sew. So what are you waiting for? There’s no better time than today to begin!
The Inspired Sewist offers sewing machines, supplies, repair, classes, and events. We can help you learn new techniques or inspire you to get started, guiding you through any project you’d like to tackle. Contact us for all your sewing and quilting needs.