Sewing is my most beloved hobby. But, like many things that don’t fit into a tightly filled Isla Vista apartment and even more crammed schedule, it’s not really something I can maintain in college. Since first starting at UCSB, my time spent sewing has been very utilitarian, reserved for hand-stitching a tear here and there either for myself, friends, or Fix-It-Fair goers. This alone has kept the spark alive with my favorite craft, but I’ve been longing to get more creative once again.
While I’d heard of UCSB’s Makerspace before, it wasn’t until recently that I finally paid a visit. Thanks to a friend curious about sewing and a thrift haul from Oxnard that left me with some alterations to do, I found my new favorite spot in the library.
What You Can Make
Walking into the Makerspace, I was genuinely in awe of the supplies and machinery they have. The sewing area looked like my dream shopping spree at Joann’s (RIP). Beyond the industrial sewing and embroidery machines with their endless stitch varieties were 3D printers, laser cutting, and tools I didn’t even recognize.
No matter whether you’re familiar with the equipment or not, the Makerspace’s peer-mentorship training will give you the opportunity to learn and try it out! Even more importantly, it’ll point you toward who can answer your burning questions about crafting.
Machines and Classes
Powered and non-powered hand tools, 3D modeling softwares, Cricut Maker 3, and a button maker are just a few names in the full equipment catalog. And don’t worry about bringing anything extra to supplement this machinery, because whatever you think you may need, the Makerspace has already provided (and more)!
As I measured, pinned, cut, and sewed my new (old) thrifted cargo pants into my size, I found far more use in the craft station at the Makerspace than I would’ve at my desk all the way back home. I reached for water-soluble markers, rotary cutters, and, most wonderful of all, fabric scissors unscathed by the harsh fibers of paper and other materials my own precious pair has been dulled by (dear family, please stop abusing them).
If free reign with unfamiliar equipment isn’t the best way for you to learn, try a workshop! Rather than stepping a heavy foot onto your pedal right after the student employee teaches you the basics, try out a guided tutorial and walk away with a guaranteed crafting success story.
Getting Started at the Makerspace
Whether or not you have experience in any of these crafts, a few brief learning modules are required to get started. This is best to do before going into the Makerspace, so that you’re all ready for the hands-on tutorial once you get there.
After completing these, plus a quick quiz to refresh your memory on the technicalities of whichever machinery you’ve chosen, make your way to the first floor (oceanside) of the Davidson Library and receive a demonstration from an employee specific to your craft. Then, it’s all yours!
Sewing to Save (Your Wallet & the Planet!)
Our generation, and I’d argue the UCSB community especially, seems to be largely aware of the wastefulness of the fashion industry. Shopping for clothing secondhand is great for both the earth and your wallet (although iffy on the latter if you’re purchasing from the IV thrift vendors…).
The rapid production of clothing exhausts precious resources like water, fibers, and human labor, without reciprocity in terms of replenishing these resources and paying workers appropriately. Not only does the creation of new clothing exploit nature and people, but what is essentially plastic sits in landfills once the short-lived trend that warranted its purchase has passed.
We can’t forget about the benefits to your wardrobe (and street credit). While standing in line for coffee earlier this week, a very stylish older woman approached me and said she just had to ask me where my pants were from. Getting to tell her I thrifted them and then altered them myself was genuinely the highlight of my day. Ironically, I spilt that coffee on said white pants just a few minutes later, but nothing a little OxiClean couldn’t fix. Another lesson to not give up on your clothes, new or old!
Get Creative!
It would be a total shame to restrict your Makerspace usage to simple mends and alterations. With all the equipment available there, it really is a crafter’s playground. Consider starting a whole sewing project from scratch, or trying new machinery to embroider a personalized graduation stole!
While in my two completed years at UCSB I have yet to check out a book from the library, I feel like I’m definitely making the use of the resources and knowledge available to me after finally exploring the Makerspace. Whether utilitarian or creative, making something with my hands is, at least for me, the best outlet to take my mind away from schoolwork. Happy crafting!