{"id":1899,"date":"2015-09-08T17:51:41","date_gmt":"2015-09-08T21:51:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedailysew.com\/?p=1899"},"modified":"2016-08-03T10:29:11","modified_gmt":"2016-08-03T14:29:11","slug":"stop-buying-start-sewing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedailysew.com\/blog\/2015\/09\/stop-buying-start-sewing\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop Buying. Start sewing."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"buy<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all heard jokes about uncontrollable fabric shopping and overflowing fabric stashes. We\u2019ve laughed at them with a knowing cringe for certainly all of us are guilty of buying fabric we didn\u2019t have a need for just because we loved it. And almost as certainly all of us have done it more than once.<\/p>\n

The jokes are funny. I can relate, in fact, I\u2019ve posted quite a few. We laugh because there\u2019s some truth behind the jokes. Recently, and I say this while not trying to sound uptight, I think these jokes are starting to becoming more sad than funny. I think the sewing industry is laughing at us, not with us as they introduce yet another new line of coordinating, themed cottons.<\/p>\n

Twice in the last month I had to buy notions for a project I was in the middle of. First trip was to a chain fabric store. In the parking lot I reminded myself I only needed X. I walked straight to where I thought I would find it then to the register and back to the car. I left feeling proud of myself for not buying anything else.<\/p>\n

The second notion emergency run was to the independent fabric store. Again I went straight to where I knew my needed item would be. The sales assistant, after helping me choose the color thread I had already selected, seemed sort of put out that I was ready to be rung up. Didn\u2019t I want to buy some fabric I may never use? No thanks, not today, I\u2019m being \u201cgood\u201d.<\/p>\n

Really, this was my reaction? I felt \u201cproud\u201d that I could control myself like an adult should and not consume items I don\u2019t need? That by not buying fabric I was being a \u201cgood girl\u201d? That seems a little silly. Are we really behaving like spoiled children? Have we lost control? Signed our souls over to the sewing industry for an occasional endorphin rush? Are we so gullible to every fabric sale, coupon, new pattern promotion or sewing book release that we hand over our credit card and beg to be in debt?<\/p>\n

\"new<\/p>\n

Marketing is a strong force and we\u2019re lying to ourselves if we think sewing companies, fabric shops and pattern makers are looking out for us. As I\u2019ve heard said, \u201cNo brand is your friend.\u201d A business needs to make money. My money, your money, any sewist with an extra $20 will do. \u201cSucker\u201d, they say on the way to the bank and they toss us another meme about buying fabric.<\/p>\n

We hear about food waste in the world and what a tragedy it is to buy food we never eat but just throw away. Well, I have fabric that I bought 25 years ago and still not cut into. Not thrown away but certainly ignored like those scallions in my produce drawer. I have given \u00a0yardage away to friends and to charities where, depending on how dated the design or style of the fabric, it may be used or it could be tossed. I also have fabric the sun has bleached where it was folded sitting on a shelf for too many years rendering it questionable for use; past its Best By Date.<\/p>\n

\"fabric<\/p>\n

My grandmother made quilts for everyday use out of tiny fabric scraps. My other grandmother and her sister, when they were teenagers, bartered housework in exchange for a large women\u2019s dress and then cut it up and sewed it into two dresses so they would each have one. They didn\u2019t waste. They didn\u2019t have stock piles of fabric sitting for years and getting added to which is a waste, not of fabric, but of resources. I know my grandmothers were of a different time but why do we, modern women, most of us better educated, with more independence and personal freedoms cave in so eagerly to the manipulations of the sewing industry?<\/p>\n

I understand buying fabric or patterns you truly love when you see them. I know sometimes it may take a while to use them but to never use them is denying yourself your creative passion. To never get enjoyment from working with that fabric, to never advance your sewing skills from sewing up that pattern, to never try\u00a0something new from that book of ideas is not why you bought these things. The exact opposite thought popped in your head when you first saw that wonderful fabric, pattern, craft book. You were going to make something. No one ever says, \u201cI\u2019m going to buy two yards of this so I can never use it.\u201d But that’s what we do.\u00a0When we buy what we don\u2019t need we are being wasteful and setting ourselves up for guilt, that “gift-with-purchase” thrown in for extra pleasure.<\/p>\n

Years after a purchase I see an item I bought and feel guilt for not following through on what I told myself I was\u00a0going to do. I feel guilt as I remember having to have that fabric\u00a0that was hyped as so \u201con trend\u201d. Guilt that I still haven’t touched that pattern I\u00a0bought a\u00a0year ago when it was 20% off. I\u00a0feel guilt for\u00a0falling for pitches and hype. I fooled myself into thinking I was\u00a0going to belong to a sewing community when I\u00a0bought the subscription, the class, the hook line and sinker. I\u00a0beat myself\u00a0up because I didn’t reach my unrealistic expectations of endless sewing time and professional skills. I’m tired of this. Guilt is not a gift that I want anymore. It only makes me feel bad about myself and it lessens the fun of sewing and of life.<\/p>\n

I want to sew. I want to enjoy sewing. I want to carry on the legacy of the women in my family; resourceful, creative, and\u00a0talented in their craft.<\/p>\n

While I have not yet made a pledge to buy no new fabric, or patterns, I am making a very concerted effort to sew with what I already own. To buy only what I really am going to sew. I\u2019m no longer going to feel guilt over my fabric and pattern stash but I\u2019m not going to be played anymore either. I\u2019m going to try hard to be aware of what it is I really want and not be distracted by all the chatter of what\u2019s in and hot and on sale and must have. I am sure this is the way to more self-confidence and true happiness through sewing. I’ll probably still \u00a0laugh at fabric jokes but I’m hoping\u00a0the inside cringe isn’t as strong.<\/p>\n

How big is your stash and how soon are you going to use it?<\/p>\n

(Yes, I do know this is a first world problem to complain about having things. I am grateful that I have everything I need and even things I want.)<\/p>\n

\"consumerismgraffitity\"<\/p>\n

[The women in my life are very talented.\u00a0Grandma Wes sewed, quilted, knitted.\u00a0My Aunt Bonnie is a perfectionist and also prolific in knitting, needle work and sewing. My mother-in-law is a genius at decorating, floral arrangement, gardening and crochet. My mom has tried many\u00a0crafts, she’s good at all of them. I especially\u00a0loved the paper mache frog waste basket she made in the 70’s. My older sister is a wizard in the kitchen and my younger sister paints and can have any young child in love with her in 30 seconds flat. She is the most awesome preschool teacher I know – soon to be\u00a0rivaled\u00a0by my daughter whose also a great\u00a0knitter]<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve all heard jokes about uncontrollable fabric shopping and overflowing fabric stashes. We\u2019ve laughed at them with a knowing cringe for certainly all of us are guilty of buying fabric we didn\u2019t have a need for just because we loved it. And almost as certainly all of us have done it more than once. The […] Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1903,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[87],"tags":[211,13,12,210],"class_list":["post-1899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sewing-life","tag-anti-consumerism","tag-fabric","tag-patterns","tag-shopping"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thedailysew.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/make-something-feat.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EZxn-uD","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedailysew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1899","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedailysew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedailysew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedailysew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedailysew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1899"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/thedailysew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1899\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1916,"href":"https:\/\/thedailysew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1899\/revisions\/1916"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedailysew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedailysew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedailysew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedailysew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}