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Welcome to Issue 67: CHOICES

Think about all the choices you make when you sew your own clothing, by Meg Stively.

Posted in: Creativity & Mindset • May 31, 2020

How do you deal with choices? Do you feel free when you have the option to choose your own adventure? Or do you feel a creeping sense of analysis paralysis? There are endless paths to take when you practice a craft like sewing, one that offers so many choices. You can follow the rules, break them, question them, or discover a brand new rule that works for you and only you.

Think about all of the choices you make when you sew a garment. If you decide to make a T-shirt, you've already chosen to refuse what ready-to-wear has to offer. You've chosen to take control of this project and pick the color, fabric, and silhouette. You make choices in each step as you sew. Do you follow the instructions or follow your experience? Do you make the pattern as-is or hack it to suit your style? Do you sew it in an afternoon or complete it step by step in ten minutes each day? When you are done, what do you wear with it? And finally, what will you make next? That's a lot of choices for one little tee.

If you find that you struggle to make choices, or you are just starting to learn to sew garments, and you want to follow a clear path, we have an invaluable resource in this month's video class: Garment Sewing Basics. Sienna is your trailblazer, and in these videos, she teaches you how to sew the new Willis top, a project that will guide you through a handful of sewing's essential techniques: buttonholes, collars, bias tape, pockets, and darts.

In Garment Sewing Basics, Sienna walks you through each step to make the Willis top, and you'll pick up all those totally usable skills as you go. Sometimes, becoming really familiar with basic sewing techniques can empower you to make bolder choices in the future.

If you love to play with choices, this issue of Seamwork reveals several choices that await you when you sew. We're giving you some sustainable DIY tutorials if you want to minimize waste, as Wallis teaches you how to hack three different Seamwork patterns to sew period panties, I show you how to sew your own cloth pads using fabric scraps, and Haley shows you how to take even tinier fabric scraps and make reusable breast pads (pro tip: these double as make-up removing pads!).

Michelle is back with another sustainable fabric article, discussing a controversial fabric and its more planet-friendly alternatives. If you combine Michelle's fabric research with our book review of Zero Waste: 16 projects to make, wear and enjoy by Elizabeth Haywood, you can make what is nearly the most sustainable garment possible. How's that for a powerful choice?








Sarai has an article to help you escape productivity shame, a place where you might find that you often get stuck. Of course, we have our favorite regular features this month, as Farrah gives you three ways to wear the Willis top, and Chelsea chose a fun pattern hack for her shirt.

The next time you have to make a choice while you are sewing, stop and think about your creative practice. How do you feel? Empowered or a little cautious? Share your thoughts on the Community this month, and let's talk about it.






Meg
Managing Editor





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