 |
January 10, 2019
It's always hard for me to come out of Epiphany and I'm still in a reflective mood, and one of the things I've been reflective about is how to better describe what I do. Yes, I teach sewing. But I also teach how to design for yourself. I also teach now to style clothes to better flattering yourself. I also teach how to pick out fabrics and colors for your style and coloring. Most of all I teach how to empower yourself. I'm probably more
of a sewing stylist that simply a sewing teacher.
There are 15 million ways to get to your goal, which is to look as flattering as possible, in the most latest styles (that are modified for your shape and size to flatter you). And one of those (or more) will work for you. It's my job to introduce you to a way that will work for you.
But the most important thing I teach about sewing is how it can empower you. I realized this for myself after about 30 years of making my own clothes, it occurred to me one night as I was sitting in bed thinking I had a function to go to the next weekend and what was I going to wear?....more specifically what did I want to wear. And therein it finally hit me that it's never been a matter of...
1. is anything I have going to fit?
2. is anything I have appropriate?
3. is anything I have going to reflect exactly how I feel and how I want to project?....and
4. is anything I have going to be comfy to wear?
All I had to do was dream up what I wanted, and poof there I was Saturday night in the most perfect look, perfect fit, perfect proportions, perfectly flattering and perfectly comfy. I began to realize how few people really have this sort of empowerment.
Even better than having a dream outfit, is that the process of creating my outfits is a meaningful experience. OK, I can hear you now, "Claire.....
my machine breaking down is not a meaningful experience,
my complicated pattern is anything but an meaningful experience,
sewing is like some sort of evil process invented by a demented trickster,
and the process of sewing for me is anything but meaningful!" Well, yes, there can be some processes in sewing that are fraught with problems, but let's be honest, anything you take on - cooking, laundry, settling books, leading a group of employees through a task, even if it's a simple one - but all of those are fraught with problems and possible solutions, and sewing is no different.
But there's more to this than making a garment, and empowering you to express yourself exactly the way you like. The process itself is one remarkable process and something that I like for all my students to appreciate but also for it to be meaningful for them.
Being Safe and Effective
We humans most of all like strive to make our lives safe and to be effective in our lives. Part of being effective is having meaningful work. For a long time we've been encouraged to find meaningful work, but often there are other priorities - locations, financial and even other factors that are prioritized about meaningful work. It's remarkably refreshing for us to be able to have something that we can turn to that is meaningful. And making your own clothing is
more meaningful than you can imagine.
Thirty Years of Trash Clothing
What has happened in the last 30 years to fashion has been a horrible assault against a very worthwhile and honorable pursuit. In an effort to deliver cheaper and cheaper clothing every year, has ended up enabling slave labor, trashing out the world's ecosystem, and worst of all trashing out consumers' closets and making them believe that they can't afford anything better, and shouldn't expect it.
But this is changing. More and more pressure is on companies to be humane about the making of their products and the disposal of their products. At the same time, the market for trash garments is becoming passé (more on that next week). What this means for we sewists is that our work in making our garments is going to grow more prized and valuable. That doesn't really fit into the safe category but it does fall into the effective category.
So here's the world that is right around the corner: how about dreaming up an outfit that is inspired by a $1,000 garment you see, but you can do it for $100. But that's not the end of it. The best part is dreaming up the garment and figuring out how to do this so it's flattering, fitted and fashionable for you? How would you feel wearing it - know it works in so many ways for you - it fits you, you're comfortable, it's flattering and it's
fashionable? But even more.....how about the fact that you made it - you dreamed it up and made it. That sense of feeling of accomplishment does fall into the effective category, but it also shines in there.
For years, psychologists have done research on how musicians feel when they are playing some of their favorite music. The findings reveal that they release endorphins that are similar to those released when humans are eating ice cream or having sex. Now, I'm not saying that playing music is a replacement for making love, but the endorphins released are the same and offer the same feeling of happiness. Sewing falls into that same category. And it's more than
sewing - it's the feeling of accomplishment that falls into this endorphin-releasing category - it's the feeling of accomplishment, satisfaction and joy of fulfillment that is releasing these endorphins that make you feel really great.
Now, I'm not saying that the high you will get will get is similar to eating ice cream and/or making love, but the chemistry is there and the sense of fulfillment and enjoyment from a job done well is a real high.
For me, this is the feeling of satisfaction, empowerment and enjoyment that I want all my sewist students to experience. A world of where you can create something that is so individual and flattering for you that every time you look at the garment you get a high, and every time you wear it, you experience that same high, "I made this, and it is very good!"
Many of us have regular jobs that aren't all that great or fun or even meaningful, and a lot of us have to do stuff on a daily basis that is equally meaningless, funless or purposeful. Sewing is one of those endeavors that enables us to not only use our brain and creative abilities but offers us as an end result, the reminder of how much we have accomplished over and over again.
Let me know of garments that have created this great sense of enjoyment that you get, and I'd love to see pictures of them.
So something that is a huge accomplishment for me is changing the main site. This new year will bring a new look and lots of new things to add to the site. In the meantime, things will be placed a little different, and if you can't find something that you liked or would like to find, just let me know. It's easy as pie - you can simply respond to this email and I'll get it. I get all these emails and I read all of them. so let me know if something seems
awry for you or out of place.
We're working on simplifying it and changing it to a more functional and easier place to get around.
If there's something you liked from before and don't see, LMK.
If there's something you've never seen, but would like, LMK.
And of course if there's something that seems haywire or good, LMK!
You all will be the first to know when it's more settled, but for right now we're still moving the furniture around!
PS - I do a lot of posting on Facebook as SewingArtistry - like my page to see more goodies!
To view this email in browser or to see past emails click here. (This works now and is a lot of fun to check out!)
We respect your email privacy
|
|
Follow Us!
  
 
|
|