September is National Sewing Month: Keep on Sewing Sustainably

 

This year's National Sewing Month theme is a continuation of last year's "Sew Sustainable" theme. 

Be Mindful of Sources

This one is a tough one in today's retail climate.  Often we make choices based on autopilot.  Or are you aware of the decisions made while searching for the perfect fabric and supplies for a project.  We all want to make "better" choices but there are so many challenges along the way.  Bolts of fabric are rarely labelled with information that might sway our decisions.  

Let's look at cotton production.  

When was the last time that you found the source listed on a bolt of cotton?  It's a rare sight.  But consider if a country's human rights or environmental record would affect your decision on whether or not to pick up a product.  What guides our decisions in the fabric aisles or are we being set up to operate on autopilot without considering questions we may have along the way.   

Use Fewer Materials

These past decades, there has been a steady decline in the RTW market of using fewer materials when constructing a garment.  It all started with less buttons appearing on a shirt and the growing trend towards pullover or pull-on pieces that eliminate the need for closures altogether.  

I'm not advocating for this, it's just an observation.  Although, I do like an easy access garment now-a-days while strapped into the back brace.  But I digress.  Instead, this point can be summed up as avoiding wastefulness.  Recently, I was able to use fewer materials with the appearance of a second hand Cover stitch machine.  When sewing knits pre-Cover stitch era, I used a lot of Knit 'n Stable to help me sew a neat and tidy hem on knit garments.  Now-a-days, there is no need to stock up on Knit 'N Stable tape and spend all that time pressing it in place.  

Recycle and Reuse

There are many opportunities in the sewing workspace to recycle.  From sourcing fabric from other places than the fabric store aisles to reusing fabric from a previously make garment that no longer fits.  I have a collection of fabric scraps and pieces that I patchwork together and use as a new-ish fabric source.  

And we all have button tins, right?  A collection of recycled buttons to be used in a new project down the road.  

Leave a Small Footprint 

The dictionary defines this phrase as "to have a significant or lasting impact on someone or something."  It can also refer to a lifestyle choice minimizing one's ecological impact on the environment and community by reducing resources and space requirements for daily living or sewing.  Simply put, embrace simplicity.   

How to do this?   

• Focus on quality over quantity.  I've recounted so many times on this blog that I fell for those trendy fabrics made from man-made fibers and they are not worth the hype.  I'm thinking of scuba knits as one example.  Natural fiber fabrics will hold up and last longer than any polyester.  
• Maximize the efficiency in your work space to reduce waste.  Could your worktable also work as your cutting table?  How about the space that your sewing machines occupy?  Smaller spaces use less energy.  Mind you, I do dream of a large sewing studio.  Ah, to dream.  But then again, with a smaller space there is no chance the fabric stash can get out of control, right?  

What other suggestions do you have to embrace simplicity at the sewing table?