The Joy of Sewing: Why Homemade Clothes Beat Store-Bought Every Time
I love clothes, and that’s why I love to teach and make sewing patterns. Clothing creates identity and is a fantastic way to express your style and body awareness.
Earlier this week, Louise and I went on an inspirational trip to Copenhagen to explore what the stores had to offer. Neither Louise nor I buy a lot of clothes – personally, about 80% of my wardrobe is homemade. We started at one of the big department stores that offer a wide range of both Danish and international brands. We tried on about 15 pieces of clothing each, choosing to try the same items to see how they fit our very different bodies. Unfortunately, we were both very disappointed. We encountered poor workmanship, limited size selections – size EU 42 was the largest for most brands – and low-quality materials, often 100% polyester. Even if it says recycled polyester, it’s still plastic.
Louise: Tall (183 cm), with a long body and shorter legs. Small bust, narrow shoulder and wider hip. Size EU 36/38 at upper boddy and size EU42 at lower body
Nanna: Short (163 cm) Short legs and bodylength. Big bust and buttom and overall curvy. Size EU 42/44 at upper body size EU 44/46 at lover body
This experience reminded us of the joy of sewing your own clothes. By creating your own clothing, you can ensure a good fit, high quality, and personal design. The fashion industry's overproduction results in enormous amounts of waste and low-quality products, which became evident to us on our little trip. The clothes we saw, in my opinion, were not well thought out – they lacked care and love for the details. The big difference between store-bought clothes and homemade clothes is that homemade clothes bring love and care back into the wardrobe.
I actually liked this dress a lot; I thought the design was interesting and the material felt perfect. However, the finish was so poor. This is the zipper at the back. Not to mention the sizing - it was compleaty off.
Sewing your own clothes is not just about individuality but also about taking responsibility for what we put on our bodies and what we accept as good enough for ourselves. It is a deeply satisfying process to create clothing that fits perfectly to one's own body and style, and it provides a unique joy that mass-produced clothing can never offer.
For me, this trip was a bit disheartening – disheartening, even though I know what’s available in the stores. But it was also uplifting because I had found my place in this big fashion circus.
This dress is a great example of why different body types need different designs. This wrap dress is perfect for Louise. It gives her a fuller bust and broader shoulders. It makes her legs look longer because of the waist placement, and the small collar frames her face and makes her long neck look a bit shorter. On the other hand, I look like a square, with the bust ending at my waist. The draping at the bust just doesn't work. It makes my upper body look very heavy and gives me a broad neck. Wrap dresses are usually a good pick for me; however, if the design doesn’t work, it just makes my body look like a square.
