THERE is a new must-have item on the high street. It's not yet reached waiting-list desirability levels, but it's heading that way. And no, it's not a handbag, or a pair of shoes, but something much more useful.
Right now, sewing machines are quite literally flying off the shelves. Whether it's a reaction to our increasingly throwaway culture that has burgeoned in tandem with high-street stores where cost-cutting is part of the deal – T-shirt for less than a
fiver, anyone? – or a reaction to the current daily headlines warning of lean times ahead, making your own is the way to go.
In terms of fashion, it's not that surprising. The pile-'em- high-to-sell-'em-low ethos doesn't entirely fit with fashion, because what we wear says something about who we are, we'd like to think. And there aren't many of us who want our clothes to say 'yes, the only thing you need to know about me is that I shop in exactly the same places as every other twenty-/thirty-/forty-/fifty-something' (delete as appropriate).
But the rise of walking feet and french curves – that's technical jargon for those of you yet to be inducted – suggest change is afoot.
In 2006-2007, Argos saw sales of Brother and Singer sewing machines rise by 50 per cent; meanwhile sales of the store's cheapest model, costing £69.99, shot up by an astonishing 500 per cent. Sewing machine sales at Woolworths increased by 258 per cent over the same period. So what explains the sudden urge to get stitching?
Laura Dolan, 28, who works at Glasgow Women's Library, was given a sewing machine by her parents a couple of years ago. She has already made curtains and cushion covers and even a bag to carry her yoga mat, but fed up of the same old clothes on the high street, she has now decided she wants to progress to the next level and make herself something to wear.
"I'm a nightmare," she says. "I search for things on eBay and all over the shops but I just can't find what I'm after. So I thought if I can learn how to make it myself then that'll be a bonus."
Laura's already started doing some sketches and, in order to transfer them from the page to her wardrobe, she's enrolled in a dressmaking evening class at Langside College in Glasgow, where she lives. "Everything is so generic when you go to the shops," she says. "If you want something different then you have to spend a fortune. Making your own clothes is not really that much cheaper than buying in shops like Primark, but if you want things that are unique or individual you have to do it yourself."
Josie Nicholson, a founder of the Ethical Fashion Forum, agrees. "Fast fashion has homogenised consumers' individual style," she says. "You will see at least one item of clothing you own on someone else on the street. Never a nice experience. Customising your own clothes means that you can create your own unique style."
As well as creating an advantage in the competitve style stakes, the fact that we throw away an estimated one million tonnes of textiles every year - most of it ending up in landfill - provides just one more good reason to work out how to revamp rather than restock your wardrobe.
"There will always be a reason for why you bought a certain item in the first place – you liked the colour, fabric or fit," says Nicholson. "Even when it's eventually on its last legs, you can turn it into something you love all over again. It's all about imagination and it's always much more rewarding when someone compliments you on a garment you have customised yourself."
For Abi Reid, 39, this is exactly what she loves about being able to make her own clothes. With three small children – Mac, 7, Elise, 5, and Neve, 2 – she may have less time for sewing than when she learned to do it in her teens, but she's still a fan of making her own clothes.
"I've always like drawing and designing things, so it's really come from me seeing things and just thinking 'oh I'd quite like something like that'. I also alter a lot of my clothes – they start off as shop bought, but I change them in some way.
"For instance, I had a jumper with a cowl neck and I just got so sick of the neck that I turned it into a tank top. That'll give it another year or so of life, then I'll throw it away. With a family, spending money on yourself is always the last priority, really, because the children always get the new things."
For Reid, giving well-loved clothes a new lease of life is one reason to sit down at the sewing machine, but she alters new items too, to get exactly what she wants. "Often there are clothes that you like but there's just something that's not quite right – a skirt that's just not the right length, say. I sometimes start off with long skirts, then change them to short or mid-length styles, so they get a second life.
"I just have a couple of basic patterns, but generally I use clothes that I like as templates to make others. I had a pair of jeans that I really loved the shape of, so I used them to make another pair of trousers. I wear the same sort of styles (all the time], so I hardly need any patterns."
Laura Dolan's not too keen on following someone else's pattern, either. She's got lots of ideas of her own: "I've done a few sketches, based on ideas that I've got in mind.
"I've drawn the ideas of the things that I want to make. I'm going to take them along to the class to see if I can make those, or whether they might recommend how I go about making a start."
Douglas McAllister, Director of Mandor Textile Centre in Glasgow, says that the customers in his shop are a real mixed bag, with students from the art school rubbing shoulders with older women who've been sewing for years and young people who are learning at school, as they choose fabrics and trimmings in the city-centre haberdashery.
McAllister's clear about the appeal of making your own clothes for the fashion-conscious. "People who want something unique go for something handmade. You're not going to bump into anyone wearing the same thing when you've got an item of clothing that you've made yourself. Some people just want to stand out from the crowd."
It's not only in terms of what you wear that being a dab hand at a French seam is useful. Abi Reid has also made good use of her sewing machine when it comes to decorating her home. "I've made curtains, duvet covers, cushion covers, seat covers," she says.
"They're so simple to do. Shops like Ikea have some great, affordable fabrics. With some of mine I use cheap fabric, but then I add little touches to them to make them look a bit different. It's so easy and so much cheaper than buying ready-made.
"Sewing is a skill for life. For me, it's been really useful. When I think about the way that we've decorated the house, it would have cost so much more if I hadn't been able to make all those things."
SEWING ONLINE||WEBSTART||www.startsewing.co.uk||WEBSTOP||
If you're thinking about putting your foot to the pedal and learning the tricks of the sewing machine, then there's no better place to start than the StartSewing website.
You will find everything you need here to learn how to make a dress, run up a pair of curtains or simply mend your favourite pair of jeans. Packed full of interesting features and practical advice – you'll even find instructions videos, so that you can follow step by step – this is a truly useful resource.
www.lutterloh.comIf you want to really get creative and make your own patterns as well as your own clothes, you might want to check out the Lutterloh pattern-making system. It will help you to learn to standardise your methods of working with fabric to get even styles and fit. Suitable for beginners and professionals, the system is quick and easy to learn and assures you that "you need only two measurements to make an excellent fitting pattern every time".
LEARNING IN A CLASS
If learning from a website doesn't work for you, then an evening class where you will be guided by a teacher to learn the basics of dressmaking skills may be more your cup of tea. Several local authorities offer evening classes for beginners and intermediate-level dressmakers. Log on to your authority's website for further information about classes. Edinburgh City Council's Adult Education Department can be reached on 0131-469 3250.
Langside College in Glasgow offers a dressmaking and soft-furnishings evening class. Call 0141-272 3600 or log on to
www.langside.ac.ukPATTERNS, PROJECTS AND OTHER INTERESTING IDEAS
www.allcrafts.net/sewing.htmThere's nothing worse than having trouble with your bobbin or constantly breaking your thread. If you've invested in a new sewing machine and are in need of a bit of troubleshooting, then this website will give you step-by-step guidance and get you hemming up a storm.
www.freeneedle.comA fantastic database of patterns, information and tutorials for all levels of sewers. You can search the entire database for a specific sewing pattern by just typing in a keyword, so you'll find your way to all kinds of free patterns to help you get going. Choose from clothes and quilting, cute things for your pets and gift ideas.
BUYING FABRIC
You can't start sewing until you've got fabric that you want to work with. Whether it's summer dresses or seat cushions, find fabric that's right for you. Here's a starter's guide to the shops.
Edinburgh
The Cloth Shop, 169, Bonnington Road, Edinburgh, EH6 5BQ
• Tel: 0131-554 7733
Edinburgh Fabrics, 12-14 St Patrick Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9EZ
• Tel: 0131-668 2790
The Dress Fabric Co, 38 Bruntsfield Place, Edinburgh, EH10 4HJ
• Tel: 0131-221 0464
Glasgow
Mandor Textile Centre Ltd, Fleming House, 134 Renfrew St, Glasgow, Lanarkshire G3 6ST
• Tel: 0141-332 7716
Remnant Kings Central, 146 Argyle St, Glasgow, G2 8BL
• Tel: 0141-221 2220
Classic Fabrics, 271 Maxwell Rd, Glasgow, G41 1TE
• Tel: 0141-429 4564
The full article contains 1781 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
