A second year of sewing my own clothes

It's time I documented my second year of making my own clothes. This year there was no outright self-imposed ban on buying new or second hand clothes, so I have been lucky to acquire a few more beautiful Gudrun Sjödén pieces, as well as purchasing some needed socks and knickers.

The original year-long-experiment which began in May 2013 has remained habit changing and sewing my own is a regular part of my weekly routine. Between 17th May 2014 and 31st May 2015 I sewed a lot of dresses, a few tops, had a summertime flurry of trouser making, and made three beautiful coats.

The Wiksten Tova was my 'discovery' staple sewing pattern this year, and the one I've made most of (current Tova count is six). My second favourite repeatedly sewn pattern is the Lisette Portfolio dress Kerry Green most generously sent me in January (I made three). I must also mention its sister-pattern the lovely Liesl & Co Cappuccino dress (four more of these now hanging in my wardrobe). The 'outsider lovely surprise pattern' was Scarlet et Marguerite's Baba Yaga dress.

Garment Of The Sewing Year: Burda 7072 Quilted Coat

My favourite garment of the year is the one that took the most work, a quilted Burda 7072 coat. Worth every frustrating second of fiddling to get the under-arm seams right!

The round-up photo above doesn't include everything I made, and not all of it was blogged – there are at least three more holiday dresses and six pairs of baggy trousers not included here. I may try to slow down production in the coming year, but can't see myself stopping as I love the act of sewing and the self expression of wearing handmade clothes. I wear something I've made myself every day of the year.

I am however, a little less keen to continue photographing and blogging my makes (and my gurning face) so am not sure if there'll be a third year with a round-up like this. In part I think joining Instagram has removed some of the urge to blog. So much social media, so little time.

For now though, it is a pleasure to present the line up of clothes sewn in my second sew-my-own year.

Trouserathon, July 2014

The year I stopped buying clothes and sewed myself a new wardrobe

A year ago I publicly pledged to give up buying clothes for a year, a move prompted by finding this article in a newspaper left on a train and by the Rana Plaza clothing factory disaster. My rule was no new clothes, shoes, underwear, hosiery and no 'new' second hand or vintage purchases. Basically to STOP buying! If I wanted new stuff then I had to make it myself.

The clothes I made between 16th May 2013 and 16th May 2014

The first few weeks were strange. Like most people if I'm told I can't do something I want to do it even more so I positively craved the smell of clothing shops and the thrill and discovery of trying on new (or second hand/new) clothes.

When passing clothes shops in town I felt a pang of longing. So much so that I started completely avoiding them and this included going to cafés near clothing shops. Saturdays had often been my day for a bike ride to a destination where I could browse shops and drink coffee. To adjust to not-clothes-buying I changed my routine so that I was just doing the bike ride part with the destination being a museum or gallery, or a remote spot outdoors. Then the dressmaking bug really set in and Saturday mornings are now set aside solely for sewing for myself and my daughter while listening to Sounds of The Sixties - afternoons we're currently rehearsing for Worthing Community Play.

Five months into the challenge Gudrun Sjödén invited me to become an ambassador for the brand, a role which would involve no obligation on my part but would give me the opportunity to sometimes try out their products. I mulled this over and consulted friends for their opinion as I wasn't sure if it was a conflict of interest with my 'no buying new clothes' declaration. As a long-time Gudrun Sjödén fan and an erstwhile customer with several of her designs in my wardrobe already, I found it impossible to say no. However, when I have been lucky enough to chose one of Gudrun's garments to write about and wear I've picked things I couldn't make myself (due to lack of skills and equipment) like this raincoat.

I can happily report that the experiment has been thoroughly habit-changing for me. A year on, the smell of clothes shops repels me and now that I'm free to spend my birthday money have found that nothing fits as well or looks as good as handmade. I can't see myself ever going back to buying dresses from the high street and pledge to try to only buy new clothing when my own clothes (knickers, socks) are beyond repair, and then only if I can't make it myself. The days of scooping up three cheap tops from Primark for an instant fashion fix are over.

An unexpected development in my year of giving up clothes shopping is that my wardrobe has GROWN! It's now full of beautiful, bright handmade clothes in fabrics I've chosen in combinations of my own design. I wear at least one garment I've sewn myself every single day and feel this is the ultimate form of self expression.

Giving up clothes shopping for a year

It was my 44th birthday this week and to mark the occasion of reaching this bingo-tastic age, I've decided to give up buying clothes for a year.

Three things prompted this decision:

1. Finding an abandoned copy of The Guardian on a train in January and reading about Rebecca Smithers doing exactly this last year. I've been thinking about this article ever since.
2. Discovering the Stylish Dress Book Japanese home dressmaking phenomenon.
3. The Bangladeshi clothing factory collapse

Reading Smithers's article I immediately thought it was something I wanted to try too, but couldn't actually imagine giving up the fleeting thrill of a fantastic vintage find, or a root around Primark for a cheap instant fashion fix. I love clothes and always have, but after 28 adult years of acquiring stuff, I think the time has come for me to stop buying and take stock.

I have enough long sleeve tops, cheap vests and socks accumulated in the last few years alone, not to mention rails of dresses and jackets amassed over the decades to see me through at least five winters to come! Of course I can manage one year without buying more.

Two weeks ago a clothing factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh collapsed killing 1127 people who died while working in appalling conditions to produce clothing for Western high street retailers. I simply don't want to be complicit in our society's need for increasingly cheap, fast fashion any more. Making more of my own clothes this year has reminded me how much work and skill is involved in producing even the most simple of garments and whenever I return to buying clothes I pledge to only buy products produced in fair conditions – whatever it costs.

Until then I'm following Smithers's lead and will stop buying new clothes for a year. I won't buy any new hosiery, no underwear, no shoes or boots or handbags, no 'preloved' or secondhand items and no accessories – this includes brooches and scarves (my weakness). Instead I will make do, mend or make things myself.

I've started telling friends and acquaintances about my mission and already two have also pledged to join me. And we're not the only ones.  

Others who stopped buying clothes for a year:
Rebecca Smithers 
Leona from Manchester
Sarah Peck from San Francisco 
All the folk who've taken part in The Great American Apparel Diet

Or, if you have money to burn (approx £1,933 that is) and no sense willpower, you can enlist a specialist life coach who will take the money you may have spent on buying clothes and in return they will motivate you not to shop! I think that's how it works anyway. Just like this.

Or do it my way and just stop buying clothes all by yourself. I'll let you know how I get on.