Sewing from scratch

I love sewing.  My mother taught me to sew, along with knitting and crochet, even before I started school at five, and I have loved it ever since.  At primary school I can remember making myself a skirt, complete with fitted waistband and zip.  I made almost all my own clothes, my wedding dress, and my childrens' clothes when they were young.  Along the way I took up patchwork and quilting.  I used to make stuffed toy animals to earn 'pin-money'.  But at some point, I slowed down and eventually stopped.  I'm not too sure why.  I think it may have had something to do with the final job I did, which stifled any creative urge within me.  I worked shifts (as did DH, but never, so it seemed, the same shifts), starting early and/or finishing late, working every other weekend and ending up drained and tired.  The money was great, but we were both too tired to do much more than work, eat and sleep.  Crafts and hobbies took a backseat.

Now I have finished work, and after a year out in which we were fortunate to travel, we both now have the time, and more importantly the inclination, to take up our hobbies again.  DH is rekindling his passion for woodcraft and modelling, and I have the sewing machine out again.  

I have finally finished the waistcoat that had tested my patience with the alterations it needed.  However, DH is thrilled with it; it fits a treat and looks really great on.  It is such a pleasure to sew clothes for someone who is so appreciative of the time and skill needed, and I have told DH that it makes sewing all the more enjoyable for me.  We both said how sad it was that home-made clothes seem to be almost sneered at, or at least regarded as second-best.  We admit that we had, ourselves, fallen into the habit of buying cheap, mass-produced clothing (made in far-distant countries like China, India, Indonesia) without asking ourselves, or being willing to answer the question, why the clothing was so cheap.  At other times, however, we have tried to buy well-made, quality clothing which we hope will last, and is fit for the purpose we  want it for.  Into this mix, I hope now to make more of our clothes again myself.  I'm thankful that I can alter clothing - DH now has a new lease of life from a pair of trousers that were just a tad too snug round the waist, and I am happy to narrow the leg width on trousers that were in fashion a few years ago.  There is nothing wrong with them, they will last for a good number of years to come.  I no longer feel the need to keep up with fashion; I'd much rather wear something that fits well and is comfortable.  We have both decided to have another purge on our wardrobes - there is no point in keeping clothes that no longer fit.  Alterations can be made, the charity shops can benefit from any unwanted clothing, and we will have thinned-out, tidier wardrobes, full of clothes that we wear instead of simply hoarding.

And now I shall get off my soap-box!