Why I Sew

9.05.2013



Briar Rose Flashback Tee

People often ask, “why do you sew?”

Why when you could buy the same thing for half price…when it’s just going to get ruined…when you should probably be spending your time doing many other things?

Why indeed.

Well the reasons are many.  

Sewing challenges me to learn new things and apply new knowledge.  Sewing allows me to appreciate the beauty of goods, understanding what is a high-quality product and why.  Sewing allows me to have a creative outlet.  Sewing allows me to produce goods for myself and my loved ones that I wouldn’t otherwise be able to find.  But mostly, sewing for my children ensures that when they head out into the world they are clothed in my love.

And as my oldest heads out to school for the first time this week that alone means the world to me. 

And that is why I sew.

Happy first day of school, O!

14 comments:

  1. Good reason in my book! and I'm obsessed with that fabric by the way.

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  2. Love this post. I have never thought of sewing for my kids like that, but yes, that is exactly why! And why it actually feels necessary some times. Thanks.

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  3. I love it! I was never one to sew for my daughter until I made her a dress over Labor Day weekend. She told me she was a ballerina after putting on the dress and my heart melted. You said it best - clothed in love! Your little one looks awesome.

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  4. Cute! (and I agree with all those reasons, especially the last one!)

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  5. aww, such a sweet post. i agree with all of the reasons you listed. another one of my reasons is that i recharge by being alone, now more than ever, perhaps because i'm with my four kids all day. i feel, in this society, there's so much pressure to be an extrovert. so many people want us to come to their bi-weekly gatherings or invite me to girls night out and that is just not how i recharge at all. in fact, it's draining to me. after being with my kids all day, i love to be able to make something that stays done, i like having a complete thought to myself, and i looove the quiet. when i drive in the car alone now, i don't turn on the radio and instead i soak in the quiet. ahhhh! :)

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    1. Rachel, I relate to everything you said here!

      Carolyn- love this post... it's not about saving money (well, sometimes it is), it's about wrapping them in mama-made love! Like any hobby, you just do it because you like doing it. The entire process of sewing (the fabric choosing, the pattern cutting, the initial vision coming to life...) is something that fulfills me. Though, I did just roll over my thumb with a rotary cutter... and that did not fulfill me. :(

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  6. And perfectly dressed for that first day of school too!

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  7. wrapped in your love . . . yes, that says it all!

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  8. You hit the nail on the head! And that top is adorable!

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  9. Anonymous5.9.13

    So sweet, my girls love it when I sew for them! And I love sewing for myself also. I suppose knowing where store bought "cheap" clothes really comes from motivates me, but mostly I sew because it is my art and my creative expression. And I love it :) And I love seeing the things you sew!

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  10. Love the shirt, the haircut, and this post!

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  11. Yes, yes, yes, and yes! I think about this a lot. I am a lawyer, and I deal in abstractions and ideas and words for a living. It's a bit "alienated" in the most correct, Marxist meaning of the word. Making things - food, clothing, a garden - with my hands is a good way to reconnect with my creative side and feel a bit more grounded. My labor at home has tangible results, for a change.

    And while I do love to sew for my kids, and clothe them in my love, I'm realizing that my love of sewing is bigger than that and can even survive one of my kids refusing to make most of the things I sew him! I think, as Rachel says, it's also about the "me time."

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    1. Refusing to WEAR most of the things I make him, of course. :-)

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  12. this makes my heart so happy! she is so adorable! i also love your no soliciting sign with the luchadores.

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