Is it Getting Too Expensive to Sew?

I read somewhere yesterday morning, I wish I could find it now, that someone was considering selling their machines because of the increasing cost of sewing.

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What do you think, is it getting too expensive to sew?

I can see her point as the other day, I picked up an invisible zipper for $5.50 (Cdn $) before taxes. Six dollars and twenty-two cents if you calculate that with the taxes. That is an increase of 41% from a couple of weeks ago and the last time I looked at zippers, they were three dollars and ninety cents before taxes. Even Value Village increased the re-sale price of donated sewing machines with a 38% mark-up! Now, it's not just sewing supplies, housing prices, groceries (remember the eight dollar cauliflower of 2015 that went down to $7.99 in 2016), just about everything now-a-days is being affected by price increases even though the rate of inflation has remained low. It really broke my heart to read someone would consider giving up sewing altogether because of the increasing costs even though I have experienced sticker shock as well.

Making clothing was once seen as an activity of austerity. But this is not the case now-a-days. Depending on how much your willing to spend you can dole out some serious cash for sewing retreats and expensive computerized embroidery machines. Like everything else, sewing costs more than it once did. But are recent price increases of 38 to 41% for basic supplies justified? After a decline in home sewing over the recent decades, sewing one's own clothes is seeing a resurgence. Could this renewed interest in sewing be what's behind the increase in prices seen at the stores? We'll likely never know for sure, price increases are often blamed on fuel costs and the low dollar, but it is hard to miss that it's happening during a period when sewing is popularized on television (do people still watch TV?) and on social media sites.  As Gail Vaz Oxlade once told a participant on her show who was trying to sell their car, "it's only worth what someone is willing to pay for it."

I still believe that it is far more economical to sew one's own clothes than to purchase ready-to-wear. Yes, I can pick up a cute Knot Front Tee-shirt from Joe Fresh for twenty-four dollars and break my four-year RTW Fast (don't worry it won't happen, I'm still committed to the fast) but it is a polyester and rayon blend. Not exactly my favourite fibre content. Even though there is some polyester and rayons in my current wardrobe (I'm trying to change my foolish ways), my preference is for natural fibres and these are getting to be more and more difficult to find in RTW clothing. I can still find these natural fibres in the fabric stores. Clothing made in cheaper man-made fibres have a higher cost to them over time. How long would that RTW item in a man-made fibre last compared to a home sewn item in natural fibre item? My money is on the home sewn natural fibre one. And with a bit of creative manoeuvring you can come up with your knot front tee.

I can tell you, I feel it's worth it in the long run to make something in a fabric that has superior qualities to that of the man-made fibres found in the RTW sections of the store. We have to compare and consider how long and well it will last before dismissing the act of sewing clothes as too expensive. And let's not forget fit! When I sew, I fit my project to my shape and avoid the expense and time of having something altered.

So how can one save while sewing?

Plan your projects.  This way you can shop with a plan, when a sale comes on at the local fabric store you'll have a list of what you need.  This is the time that I stock up on that premium thread for my serger!

You don't need all the fancy equipment. Sure it's nice to have but there are also tutorials to make your own tailor's ham and beautiful garments have been created on simple sewing machines of a certain vintage. I remember my Mom sewing us fantastic clothes on a treadle sewing machine, no zig zag or fancy stitches. And some swear by vintage machines.

Know your fabrics. If there is anything that I've learned the hard way, it is better to buy quality fabrics. Natural fibres last longer and wear better than most man-made fibres. You don't have to wash wools as often because wool has a natural anti-bacterial property to it, saving even more money on laundering.

Second hand stores often sell zippers and notions in bundles, even if you only use one zipper, it is cheaper to pay for the bundle zippers than buy one zipper at full price at the fabric store. I use threads found in these bundles for basting.

Here in Canada it is getting harder to find patterns we want at our fabric stores. Independent labels, Simplicity and New Look patterns are no longer found here and the focus in retail has been on the Big Four (McCall's, Vogue, Butterick and Kwik Sew). If you shop for the others adding in shipping cost and the exchange rate, it can be a shock to the system. Check out sites like eBay and Etsy for their offerings. You might be surprised what deals are to be found on current Simplicity and New Look patterns. It is how I got my hands on Simplicity 8229 which as it turned out to be worth it's weight in gold. And now that I found a good source for picot elastic (thanks, Tany!), I'll soon be making more.

These are just a few of my suggestions.  How about you, do you have any other suggestions for keeping sewing projects on budget?

Happy Sewing!