When I was a little girl, my grandmother taught me to sew. I was so fascinated with how she made my baby blanket and clothes for my American Girl dolls that I wanted to learn how she did it. She also thought it was important for me to learn because it’s a life skill. Now, this isn’t about my childhood experiences, but it is about how sewing has helped me grow and develop my skills – and how it may help you as well.
I should preface this by saying that sewing may seem like a “homemaker’s job” or some kind of difficult and boring thing, but I can’t stress enough how useful it has become for me. Here are reasons why you should learn how to sew too:
- You don’t need to pay for repairing clothes, nor do you need to give them away when they rip.
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Sometimes I have found that my clothes and even blankets get rips or tears in them. While that’s okay, it still annoys me. I know sometimes if that happens, and that person isn’t fine with leaving it alone, they will take it to a tailor or seamstress. Luckily for me, I can simply tailor it myself and fix the tear immediately.
- You can add personal touches to your clothes.
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I will let you in on a little story from my high school days. I went to a private school where I had to wear uniforms, but in gym class, we could change into regular clothes. One day in gym class, I saw a girl, who I was not particularly friends with, wearing my sweatshirt that even had my name on it. It must’ve been in the lost and found, but it was so weird. It made me so upset that she was wearing my hoodie even though it literally had my last name on it. Context: it was merchandise from my family business so that’s how it had my last name on it.
Ever since then I have made it a point to embroider (just like sewing but with thicker thread or “floss”) a little heart on the sleeves of my sweatshirts so that I can always identify my sweatshirts and hoodies as my own. It also just makes me happy to look down on my sleeve and see a little heart on it.
- You can use it to your advantage in certain situations.
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I like saying that sewing is my special talent when icebreakers come up because it is a special talent; a skill. It’s not just for old ladies who have endless time on their hands anymore. Our generation is made of free thinkers and entrepreneurs who are creative and have endless amazing ideas. Using the skill of sewing, it’s an asset. I use it to my advantage. If my friends need something fixed, I’m here to help sew it together. I also find it so awesome to know how to make things: clothing, blankets, and so much more.
With all that said, sewing isn’t always easy. I can’t tell you how many times I have pricked my finger on the needle or had to re-stitch over again because I messed up. But what I can tell you is sewing has become a de-stressor for me. It reminds me of the times I’ve spent with my grandmother and how much I miss her. It also helps me to connect with my love of fashion. Not only do I think sewing is a skill, I think it is a life skill because of all the amazing things it has to offer when you learn how to do it.