How I sew my own clothes and also enjoy buying RTW Fashion while keeping my sanity intact in 2022.
First off, what is a "me-made wardrobe"?
Well I am unsure if it is just a hashtag or if it's actually an idiology with a public manifesto BUT what I do know is: the way of saying you have a closet full of clothes you made yourself by sewing, knitting or whichever technique you choose.
These are the two most common reasons I see online of why people choose to have a me-made wardrobe.
Sewing is their hobby, so adding a goal like a me-made wardrobe helps in keeping the creative juices flowing.
It is believed to be more sustainable than shopping fast fashion, so in an attempt to be more eco-friendly they choose this way of having clothes.
Both reasons / universes are valid, and you may have a bit of both in mind or non at all but an entirely different reason.
Either way, if you sew, I could almost garantee you've seen the term pop up and would like to know more, so here's my tiny recap of my me-made journey.
Entering an Era of Triumph
The very first me-made garment I created was a Marigold Jumpsuit by Tilly and The Buttons back in 2017, by then I had been sewing for about a decade but never with RTW results.
I had sewn muslins, school projects or very basic stuff like living room cushions, but never a piece of clothing that I could actually wear out in public. The whole home sewing pattern universe was almost non-existent to me, so making this jumpsuit was an absolute turning point for me. A pleasure like no other was born.
I purchased sewing patterns like crazy, followed all of the sewing related hashtags to discover what else could I make AND wear! I was able to sew jumpsuits, dresses, bodysuits, lingerie, trousers, for me, for my mom, for my boyfriend. I felt anything was possible for me to create.
Life went on, sewing machine in hand, creating tons of garments - everything sounds nice, right? Except for the part where I was purchasing fabric way faster than I was sewing, and this is where my first questioning came in, is this truly more sustainable?
My quick answer could be YES, due to me being the one who was sewing but also NO, since I wasn't making the best decisions material-wise for my fabric hauls.
Would it be more sustainable if I only sew with linen, flax, organic cotton? With locally sourced fabric? Or by upcycling thrifted garments?
Maybe fast fash is the ultimate "bad decision" but was my sewing far better?
I will not answer these questions here because that is part of a much larger conversation that I still haven't concluded with myself, but I leave you with a lovely quote for some food for thought.
The process of sustainability is a process of internalizing the business of watching out for each other.
Entering an Era of Gloom
As everything in life, we have peaks and valleys, and my me-made wardrobe had its first demise in 2020.
I can totally blame the coviblues, even though I had all the time in the world to sew and fine tune my capsule wardrobe, I felt totally miserable and had little to no excitement for sewing just for the pleasure of it.
Things then took a turn for the worse.
I do not know what came over me but I decided to cleanse and get rid of half my wardrobe. Me-mades included, fast fash, hand-me-downs, gifts, anything HAD to go.
To this day I still miss garments I lost to that rash decision.
But no use in crying over spilled milk.
As we started to come out of our pandemicaves I found myself in desperate need of clothing. But I didn't have time to sew as much as I needed so I had to buy clothes, and yes, I felt into the deep end of fast fashion. I won't beat myself up for it but I can say I am not proud of ending my 5 year long fast fashion streak.
That's another turning point for me. I bought clothes, and the world didn't end. I felt comfortable wearing them, I take good care of them, I look presentable. Was I putting to much presure on myself by only having clothes I made myself?
YES. So much yes. What's the point of sewing for pleasure if it turns into a duty?
Gladly I can report that my relationship with my me-made wardrobe is much better today in 2022. I was able to sew my two wedding looks (you can see one of them below), I've been sewing for the pleasure of it AND my me-mades are very welcoming now to my RTW fast fash garments.
At the end, it is all in the balance of things.
Pros / Cons of a Me-Made Wardrobe
This is my quick recap of gains and losses when sewing your own wardrobe
Gains
Developing a skill. Maybe it is a personality type, but is there anything more satisfying that conquering harder and harder projects?
Developing your unique style. Louder for the people at the back.
I am all about being humble, but let's face it, the high one gets when people hype your me-made outfits is *chef's kiss*
Having more control over how clothes fit, how we wish to present ourselves.
Being involved in the process. It is a fact that once you sew one garment you take pricing, materials, construction and clothing in general much more serious, even when shopping.
Losses
Chances are, you'll be showing off a new outfit quite less frequently.
If you are a beginner, the gap between your skill and your ideas might be frustrating (keep practicing!)
In my case, sewing is much more of a splurge than buying RTW clothing.
Sometimes fabrics are less interesting in fabric stores than in brick and mortar clothing shops :/
If you have any Q's or comments about your own journey of me-made don't hesitate to reach out! I love reading you :)
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