Wearing What Matters
Reflections, resources, and inspiration for a more handmade, thoughtful wardrobe this Me-Made May.
MAY: Me Made!
Hello,
How are you? It is getting cold and dark here in Christchurch, New Zealand, but the autumn colours have been amazing. Such a gift to have autumn colours here, as most deciduous trees are from other lands. But, let’s talk about Me-Made May!
I was quite surprised when I sat down and documented all the patterns in my stash that I have and haven’t tried. I never knew I had so many! Given the cold weather I haven’t worn as many me-made items as I do in the summer. I get cold very easily so it’s mostly been thermals and my Shifty sweater.
But I’ve been looking at my clothes with a lot more consideration this month. I enjoy seeing things I know I’ve made myself. I enjoy seeing things that I’ve found in secondhand shops, and I love seeing the items that are locally designed and made here in New Zealand. It’s nice to feel a connection to what you wear. It got me thinking and reflecting on my clothes. And so I wanted to help you think about your wardrobe as well.
Reflection Prompts For Me-Made May:
These prompts are designed to help you take an honest look at your handmade wardrobe. They’re a chance to get clear on what you actually wear (like how I don’t seem to wear dresses, but maybe I haven’t just found the right style yet?), and better decision making around sewing garments for yourself. I know I for one, need to spend more time tuning into my own style, habits, and thinking about what I want to make.
Why do you want to make your own clothes?
How do you feel when you wear something you’ve made?
Which pieces in your wardrobe do you love to wear, and why?
What’s missing from your (handmade) wardrobe?
What sort of colours, prints, or fabrics do you love to wear?
Can you actually sew the fabric that you just bought? (I ask this from experience)
Free and Pay-What-You-Can Sewing Patterns:
Whilst searching for a boxy top pattern to make, I stumbled across the Peppermint Magazine website. I knew from borrowing their magazines at our local library they came with a pattern, but I never knew they offered these patterns online in an amazing pay-what-you-can pricing model! That is just so special and inclusive that I just about cried. It got me wondering, how many other places had free or low-cost sewing patterns. Here is what I’ve found:
I only know Mood from Project Runway and had no idea they release free sewing patterns every week! Everything from dresses to coats to lingerie! I’m a bit on the fence about this as there are so many amazing independent designers out that they need our support. But, this is a good option if you need it.
Every three months they commission a pattern maker to create a beautiful new pattern that they release with their magazine and offer on their website under a pay-what-you-can model. There are so many stunning and modern patterns, including a quilt coat, yay! And they support indie designers so it is win-win!
These guys are producing a small but growing selection of pay-what-you-can patterns. They also have lots of sew-alongs over on their YouTube channel as well as a huge range of tips and ideas on their blog. Oh and 5% of the profits on each pattern goes to a different charity! Love it.
While they don’t have no-cost/low-cost patterns, they do have a large range of sewing tutorials, tips and hacks on their site. They do have one free pattern with instructions—the zero-waste robe!
While they don’t seem to have free patterns (they have free part-patterns like pockets and sleeves etc.), they do have loads of sewing help on hand, plus a great range of beginner-friendly patterns.
I found a range of sewing patterns on their blog, some however you can only access for free during their month of release. But there are lots of other options on there with a bit of scrolling.
There is a huge range of sewing patterns (not pay-what-you-can sorry) on Etsy. And while the platform has changed over the years (not for the better in my opinion), there are still many independent makers that rely on sales from this platform. So if you can, please support individual makers and pattern designers.
If you know of some great resources like these for sewing, please share them in the comments below!
Zero waste Sewing.
As I mentioned in my first post this month, the environmental disaster that is “fast-fashion” is pretty mind-blowing. The over-production, over-consumption, and enormous waste produced by the fashion industry begs belief.
But, there are a lot of people doing amazing things to mitigate the detrimental effects of fashion.
Enter Zero Waste sewing!
Zero waste patterns are designed to minimise or reduce completely, fabric waste usually associated with cutting out garment patterns. When you cut out a normal pattern, there is a lot of scraps left and it can be hard to use these in other projects. Zero waste patterns are designed on a square or rectangle and generally, don’t use curves. Instead they rely on techniques such as tucks, pleats and folding to shape the garment.
Such a great idea!
Here are some resources if you are interested in having a go at Zero Waste and Sustainable Sewing:
Zero Waste Sewing by Elizabeth Haywood
This is the foundational book on zero-waste garment design. Haywood is a former fashion industry professional turned zero-waste innovator. The great thing about her patterns is you don’t need to print them out! Everything is drawn directly on the fabric using measurements.
Zero Waste Patterns by Birgitta Helmersson
A beautiful and modern, scandi-style approach to zero waste sewing. Birgitta’s book includes 5 simple patterns—a t-shirt, skirt, singlet, shirt, and trousers—that can then be modified to make another 15 projects. And again, these patterns are “paperless” so even better for the environment.
Make Thrift Mend by Katrina Rodabaugh
A beautiful followup to her book “Mending Matters”, Katrina’s latest book is zero waste in a slightly different way. It’s all about how to mend, patch, dye or alter the clothes you already have and love. Full of beautiful photos, great instructions and so much inspiration.
Make, Sew and Mend: Traditional Techniques to Sustainably Maintain and Refashion Your Clothes by Bernadette Banner
While the cover immediately puts me off this book, its a great resource for beginner to intermediate sewists. Once you get past the very traditional cover, you’ll see lovely clear pictures and instructions inside. While this is not a zero waste sewing book, it’s a nice intro to sewing with a slow-fashion, historial mindset.
Sustainable Wardrobe by Sophie Benson
Again, not a zero waste sewing book, but Sophie is a journalist who focuses on sustainable fashion. This book includes how to maintain a low-waste wardrobe through things like mending, upcycling and shopping secondhand.
Bonus Mending & Sewing Books:
Mending Life by Nina and Sonya Montenegro
The Act of Sewing by Sonya Philip
Visible Mending: Repair, Renew, Reuse The Clothes You Love by Khounnoraj Arounna
Goldfinch Textile Studio - Not a book but a website with low-waste & zero-waste sewing patterns.
Are still struggling with what to make?
Explore what other’s are making using the hashtag #MakeNineChallenge on Instagram. The Make Nine Challenge is where you choose nine projects to make during the year and I’ve found quite a few great patterns this way.
Another helpful search is for me-made capsule wardrobes (if you haven’t heard of it, a capsule wardrobe is a curated collection of clothing that can be mixed and matched). It’s a great way to have a smaller number of garments but which can be worn in different ways.
And lastly, local sewist Jess from Chchsews offers a great roundup of sewing patterns and ideas over on her blog so make sure you check that out if you are looking for things like “not the usual sweater patterns”, or “oversized shirt patterns”. So much there!
Ok, I’ll leave it there for now. I hope you have enjoyed this and find it a useful resource to come back to again and again. And if you do, make sure to share it with your sewing friends!
Happy making,
Esta
Seek to Make is an exploration of creativity and making. Each month, I share a monthly theme around making, showcase inspiring makers, share tips, tools and encouragement. Together let's get curious and immerse ourselves in the art of making!
Enjoyed this post – your wardrobe sounds like mine Esta, a happy mix of second hand, home-made and select pieces by New Zealand designers and makers. I am also super lucky that my partner is a sewer and he makes me beautiful pieces, from hoodies to party dresses. As he is a better sewer than me I have slowed down a bit with my own sewing, but you have inspired me to pick up the pace.
Wow! What an interesting article Esta. It's full of great resources and wouldn't it be wonderful to have all those books in your personal library! I especially love the idea of zero waste sewing, actually zero waste in anything that we make is something that we should all be thinking about. Those paperless patterns sound fantastic too, no more printing endless pages and taping them together, yay!