Debunking 4 Myths about Sewing

Myth 1 - Sewing costs just as much as buying ready-made clothing.

This can be true.  But it doesn't have to be true!  If you look for fabric sales at your local fabric stores and online fabric shops, you can actually do pretty well and save some money over buying ready-made clothing.  Also, check for fabric outlets near you.  We have a wonderful outlet near us that gets leftover bolts of fabric from clothing companies and other sources.  They then sell the fabric for 50% off.  It's a a treasure trove of high quality, inexpensive fabric.  Another source is Facebook Marketplace and Destash groups on Facebook.  There are always people trying to sell off some of their excess fabric.

Secondly, even if you can't find the sales, and it ends up costing just as much as buying ready-made clothing, there are so many other factors that make it better than ready-made.  The act of sewing something for your children is a beautiful act of love, and it can be an amazingly satisfying creative outlet.  Your children will cherish their mama-made clothing.  And watching them wear your creations on repeat does a mama heart so much good!!!!  Additionally, you can make special clothing that fits your child's personality and preferences.  If you have a dinosaur loving girl, you can find girly dinosaur fabric and make something that she absolutely adores!

Myth 2 - Anything I Make Will Look Homemade.

With a little practice, you can make clothing that looks just as good if not better than store bought clothing.  Practice on a few simple pieces such as a bow or a skirt.  When you become more confident and can maintain an even seam allowance, try a more challenging pattern.  Visualizing what a particular fabric will look like after it's sewn can be tricky.  If you are unsure about which patterns and fabric will look good, you can always look for store bought clothing that you love.  Then try to find similar fabric and patterns.  It can be really fun to try to recreate a look that you love.

Myth 3 - Handmade Clothing Doesn't Fit As Well As Store-bought Clothing

On the contrary, I would argue that handmade clothing fits better than store bought clothing.  You do need to make sure you choose patterns that have a good fit.  My favorites are Sunflower Seams, Peek-a-Boo Patterns, Little Lizard King, Styla, and Simple Life Pattern Company.  There are so many great PDF pattern companies out there though.  If you are interested in a particular pattern, search that particular pattern in the pattern company Facebook group.  Look carefully at how the pattern is fitting all of the models in the pictures.  If if looks like a good fit across the board, it should be a good choice.  

Actually, one of my favorite benefits of sewing is making clothing that actually fits.  I have one daughter for which I cannot find well-fitting pants at the store.  Anything that is long enough, falls off her at the waist.  When I make clothing for her, I can make size 14 length and 10 width, and it actually looks really good on her unlike anything that we can find in the store.  And let's be real, how many adults do you know that are happy with the fit of store bought clothing?  I am definitely not a standard size.  I am tall, so it is impossible to buy pants off the racks.  And tops?  After having 5 kids, my middle is two sizes bigger than my hips.  No wonder I don't like the fit of most things I find in the store.  Sewing for yourself fixes all of that!   And don't worry, it's actually not that hard to blend sizes.  I'll write a post later about blending sizes!   Stay tuned!

Myth 4 - My Kids Will Not Wear Anything that I Make Them

You might be surprised!  When kids are young.  They will love anything that you make.  It's really quite a confidence boost.  When they get older, it does get a little more challenging because they start to have an opinion about what they wear.   I've learned the hard way that I need to involve them in the planning process.  If I don't consult my tweens and teens before making something, my hard work ends up getting buried at the bottom of a dresser drawer.  However, every time I've involved my older kids with picking out the pattern and fabric, they have loved the result.  They especially like it if you can recreate something that they see at the store or a style that a friend wears.

So, Let's Get Sewing!!!!

I hope I was able to inspire and encourage you to give sewing a try!  I love it, and I love to spread the love!  I'm going to do more than just encourage you to try though!  I am going to offer free sewing lessons for a year on this blog!  Come back on January 30th for the first lesson.  I will have one lesson per month complete with a pattern suggestion that you can complete with what you learn in the lesson.  And Becca of Sunflower Seams has graciously offered to give my readers a coupon code for the pattern in each lesson!  It's going to be a great year of learning!  Come join me!

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