What is Great about Sewing?

Hello! I found some time in the midst of hectic schedule to ask myself this: What is great about sewing? I thought long and hard, and realised how much I have benefitted from sewing! Whether it was for mental wellness or honing some skill, I have grown so much as a person through my love for sewing.

1. Customisation and self-expression

Sewing lets me customize my creations, from selecting the clothing or bag style to choosing the fabric and decorations. Each decision reflects my personality and preferences, ensuring the final product truly represents me and my love for the recipient.

 2. Sense of Accomplishment

There's immense satisfaction in creating something from scratch. The end product is tangible, thus providing myself a reminder of my achievements. This is particularly satisfying when the project has difficult instructions and requires some critical thinking, encountering many hiccups during the process (endless unpicking due to mistakes), or includes new skills that I have never learnt before.

I might be a little too eager but I always aim to learn something new before I pick a project to start on. It could be a different method to sew something I've done many times before, or different materials that I have never tried before. It gets me really excited to embark on that project.

3. Practicality and Sustainability

The beauty of our bodies in different shapes and sizes often come with one common problem: Fit. While many are able to find clothes that suit them well off the shelf, this is often an issue in my household.

Let's take my daughter and husband as our examples. They are skinny and tall so store-bought clothes often turn out to be baggy since they will buy something that fits their heights. This is not a big deal with casual clothes like T-shirts but when it comes to shirts, dresses and pants, it just doesn't work. Best solution: Tailor according to their size.

Also, it's through sewing that I realise how much effort goes into making a piece of clothing or a bag that I learnt to appreciate the clothes I do buy. I am still building my own me-made wardrobe but in the mean time, I would choose something well made and pay a little more than something poorly made but is so cheap. That doesn't make me rich, I just choose to have fewer pieces of clothing but I select pieces that are easy to mix and match with (think capsule wardrobe). It is unfortunate that many people do turn to these cheaper options because it means they can keep changing their clothes once they spoil (which is pretty frequent). Well, that is a topic for another day.

4. Therapeutic and Stress-Relieving

The repetitive motions of sewing—threading the needle, stitching the fabric—can be meditative and help to reduce stress. The focus required for sewing encourages mindfulness, which can help calm my mind and promote relaxation. It doesn't have to be a long session, just a short hour-long session here and there is sufficient to sooth my anxious mind.

5. Independence and Empowerment

For me, I love figuring out how things work. Before I start on a project, I would skim through the instructions and try to understand the purpose behind each section. It helps to provide clarity before embarking on the project.
I feel empowered when I am able to solve any problems that surface during the project and it helps that I love to find out for myself instead of asking for help. There is absolutely no harm in asking. When someone asks a question, many people around stand to benefit from it. I just love the satisfaction I get from solving problems myself, it's just how I learn. The confidence I gain from this helps me to explore even more.

In summary, sewing is a valuable and enjoyable skill that fosters creativity, sustainability, relaxation, and personal growth. Whether you're making clothes, bags, or simply mending a tear, sewing provides both practical and emotional rewards, enhancing your life in many ways. It is time consuming and time is such a luxury in our busy lives! But, if you don't invest time in your mental wellbeing, how do you find strength in your daily grind? We all need a bit of time to take in calmness and for me, that's sewing time!

I hope that you'll find as much joy, if not more, as I did in sewing!