DIY clothes

In recent weeks we’ve been chatting about eco-friendly fashion and buying secondhand. But there’s a third option, if you want to go hardcore: making your own clothes.

I haven’t sewn my own gear since I was at university, but lately there’s been an upswing in the number of people making their own clothes, and it’s easy to see why. Here’s some of the advantages:

• you get exactly the size, colour and fabric you want
• you get something unique, instead of something everyone else has
• it’s a satisfying hobby, and you get to show off the results to everyone
• you can ensure you get good quality, compared to fast-fashion from cheap chain stores
• you can choose fabrics that are easy for you to take care of
• guaranteed sweatshop-free, unless you’re very hard on yourself!

All of this adds up to less waste and less pressure on the environment from fast-fashion, because you can get what you want and make it last for ages. The only disadvantage is that it can be difficult to buy organic fabrics, depending on where you live.

To get started, you’ll need a sewing machine. Check places like Freecycle, Scoodi and the Trading Post for secondhand machines, or see if a retailer stocks secondhand ones. The latest and greatest machines do all sorts of awesome tricks, and may be worth investing in if you discover you really love sewing, but to begin you’ll pretty much just need one that can handle straight stitch and a zigzag stitch.

Next, you’ll need to learn how it all works! Sewing tutorials are all over the internet. You can easily find specific techniques as you need them, or you can go straight to Burda’s extensive sewing how-to section. Or you might like to get a book on the topic so that you’ve got it right beside you as you go. Check your local library to try before you buy, and make sure you get one with patterns in it for basic things you’d like to make. And if you really need to see things to learn them, and haven’t got someone who can show you in person, YouTube has many tutorials as well.

When you’re ready to really get going, you’ll be needing patterns. Your local craft store will be able to help you here, but there are also free patterns are available all over the internet. Personally, I like the modern and simple stuff at Burda and Australia’s own Fitzpatterns. Both have freebies available, and the patterns can be downloaded online (another win for the environment!). If you’re ready to branch out from clothes, Craft Zine’s sewing section has plenty of patterns and how-to’s as well, and has great ideas on how to reuse items you already have around the house.

Searching for organic fabrics in Australia brings up some interesting leads. But don’t forget to talk about this with your local craft store as well – they may be happy to source and stock eco-friendly fabrics if they know there’s a demand for them! But if you can’t get eco-friendly fabrics, stick with what your craft store recommends.

Making your own clothes can be a fun and rewarding hobby, and has environmental benefits as well. If you’ve given it a go, have you got any recommendations for the rest of us? If so, leave a comment!