4 Reasons Why You Should Learn To Sew

Hello Everyone!

When you think of sewing, do you think of fashion and designers? Or do you think sustainability and survival? There are so many useful things you could do, when you learn to sew, least of all is to make your own clothes, but that’s not all you can do, with sewing. You can create lots of other things like accessories, bags, and if you're working with leather, furniture. You can create decorative items to personalise your home. You can even create heat insulators for cooking and dining. There are so many things you can create, when you know how to sew, but obviously, the question today is, should you? Here are 4 reasons why I think you should.

1.   It’s Environmentally Friendly

If you really want to say you’re doing your part to save the planet, then learn to sew. Obviously, sewing by hand is really the way to go, if you want to be environmentally friendly. However, you can still be environmentally friend if you use a machine (especially one that uses kinetic power rather than electricity). What I mean by being environmentally friendly is that you won’t be throwing away your old clothes, when they have holes, or when you no longer want to use them anymore. You can sew those old rags together and make something new, like a bathmat, or a tea cosy. You could even sew together a new piece of clothing out of those old ones, if you have the vision for it.

Being environmentally friendly isn’t just knowing which bin to put your recyclables into. It’s also about upcycling the things you have, and giving them a new lease of life, in other ways. Plus, if you hand sew your pieces together, you’re saving yourself a lot of electricity. Electric powered sewing machines can take up quite a bit of power, especially if you’re sewing together something that requires a lot more oomph, like sewing upholstery or fabric furniture. You’ll need a lot of power to get that needle to punch through the thick materials you’d be working with. So, don’t be afraid to learn to sew, you might just be helping the environment by doing so.

2.   Scraps Can Be Used For Other Projects

As you all know, I’ve tried to sew a few things before, cushion covers, small pouches and bags, and I’ve kept a lot of the cut offs and scraps of those fabrics, because I didn’t want to waste them, even if they weren’t big enough for some projects, I know that I can make something out of them, especially if I’m using the quilt style of sewing. What I mean is that I sew together random pieces, to make a larger fabric piece that can be used for other projects. The same can be said for you. If you’ve ever tried sewing together something, and have a lot of cut-offs and scraps, save them. You could make a quilted piece that could be functional for something.

I mean, I created a book pouch for myself, out of some of the scraps I had on me. It’s not perfect, and the lines aren’t clean, but it’s something, and it’s inspiring me every day to keep trying, because I know that, one day, I‘ll be able to make something even better. Of course, that one day is going to be a long way off, since I’m not practicing every day (I am a busy woman, after all). Having said that, you don’t have to always use your scraps in other sewing projects, you can use them for stuffing as well! For example, if you’re knitting or crocheting a plushie, you can use those small pieces of fabric to stuff it or at least hold together the hundreds and thousands of tiny yarn scraps you use for the stuffing. It’ll be better than having those tiny scraps peeking out through the holes of your plushie.

3.   It's A Useful Skill

You might not think it’s a useful skill for survival, but you never know when you’re going to need to patch something up. I mean, have you gone to the grocery store and brought an old plastic bag with you, only to have the handle break on you, or the bottom of the bag just rip open? The sewing skill could be handy in that situation. Sure, it might take time, but at least you’ve patched up the bag that you can use over and over again. While it’s not an ultimate survival skill, it’s a useful skill to have. I mean, even doctors need to learn to sew, in order to stitch up their patients after a surgery. So, if a doctor can learn, so can you.

Like I said, it’s a useful skill, one that might help you in the long run, because then you can use whatever it is you’ve patched up, again and again, instead of buying something to replace it. Of course, while it might not save you time, it’ll definitely save you money, and as the world is getting more and more expensive these days, every penny counts, right? So, learn to sew. It might not be pretty at first, but it’s something, and over time, you’ll be able to make something much more visually appealing.

4.   Remake Your Clothes Or Make New Ones

Ok, I have to include this in here, because it’s what we all want to learn. Nowadays you hear of fashion companies using subpar fabric and materials for their products. Not to mention, all the horror stories about their use of pesticides and chemicals, to either enhance the colour of the fabric, or to protect it from pests. It’s why shops tell you to wash the items first, before using them. Gone are the days where you can buy a piece of clothing and just wear it out of the store. Not to mention, with the increased use of plastics in clothes (I’m not joking, everything is now in polyester, acrylic or some other form of plastic), our bodies can no longer breathe in the things we wear. That’s why, if you learn to sew, you can source for better and more natural materials, again to save the environment, and to ensure they last a long time and are durable for everyday wear.

Ok, here’s a personal thing I’ll share with you guys, I easily sweat, whenever I go out, and all the shirts, under shirts, dresses, skirts and trousers I have do not help me at all. Even if they’re breezy, even if they’re light, no matter what I do, or where I go, I know there will be sweat patches everywhere. It’s crazy! I’ve come to the point where I no longer want to buy anything from high street stores, even though they’re cheap. I’d be more inclined to buy the more expensive clothes that use natural fibres like linen and cotton, because they will definitely help my body breath. It’s now come to the point where I can no longer look at the fashion brands I used to love and feel comfortable when I see their clothes. In fact, every time I look at a cheap clothing store, I physically flinch, because their clothes make me feel very uncomfortable.

Bonus Reason: Sewing Economically Better For You

As you all know, I’m currently unemployed, so there’s really no reason for me to buy new clothes, but even if I were to still be employed, I wouldn’t go shopping for new clothes, unless I absolutely need to. Partly because I don’t want those plastics sticking to my skin, every time I go out, and partly because I want to eventually sew my own clothes together. Now, I’m not at the point where I can do that, but I can sew some small pieces together, and that’s a comforting thought for me, because it’s better than nothing. If you learn to sew (again, I highly recommend it, it doesn’t matter who you are), you’ll be proud of yourself, because you can then create things that many of us have forgotten or have never learned to do.

Well, that’s it from me today, I’m going to go and delude myself into thinking I can sew by playing the new Dressmaker game (have you seen it! It's amazing!). While I go do that, please don’t forget to like, subscribe, comment, share and follow me, here on Feather’s Charm, on my YouTube channel, on my other social media channels (Instagram, Twitter/X, TikTok), and on Patreon. Your support really does help me make more content like this, for you guys.

And as always, be kind, be creative, and be unique.

I’ll see you later!

Feather, out!