Resourceful Sewing
This week we celebrate Earth Day, a day set aside to show gratitude for this beautiful planet we live on, and be thoughtful about how we can help protect it. In thinking about Earth Day, I have had sustainable sewing on my mind, and specifically, how I can be resourceful in my sewing when it comes to accumulating, using, and sharing materials.
I asked our amazing Boo and Lu pattern tester team what some of their favorite tips for resourceful sewing were as well, and they had some great ideas! Today I have a collection of ideas to help you think about resourcefulness in your own sewing work, to waste less, use more, and enjoy every moment.
Resourceful Sewing
Get creative in where you get your supplies!
- Thrift stores and antique stores often have sewing notions like buttons, trims, etc. Some even have fabric!
- Find sewing supplies and fabric at yard sales and in digital destash groups
- If your town has a local Buy Nothing group, join it! You can find sewing items people are giving away, and you can give away your unused items so they can be put to use by someone else.
- Upcycle items lie table linens,sheets, old clothes, etc. and turn something old into something new
- Consider how something unneeded by someone could be put to a new use- one tester had the brilliant idea to collect the pads from sports bras from her gym friends that they don’t want and uses them to sew built-in-bras in her garments!
Use up every scrap!
Our testers had so many awesome ideas for scrap-busting projects. Here are some to get you started:
- Scrunchies
- Dog bandanas
- Super soft face cloths
- Stuffing for animal pillows/beds
- Patchwork quilt the scraps to create new yardage
- Use for small applique projects
- Bows and accessories (we’ve got some great patterns here!)
- Fabric covered buttons (learn how here!)
- Tiny feeding tube covers, NICU hearts, etc., to donate
- Zippy pouches (like these!) to gift to friends or donate to shelters
What about pieces that are bigger than scraps but too small for a whole projec
- Sew small baby/child items to gift
- Use for “frankenfit” muslin toiles- one piece for the lining, another for a bodice,another for a sleeve. It doesn’t have to look pretty, it just saves your good fabric for your finished project!
- Turn the pieces into cleaning rags and save paper!
- Use these pieces for undies, bralettes, etc.
How to waste less and make the most of what you have
- Digital “pattern tetris”: If you have the programs to, digitally arrange your pattern pieces before cutting to plan how to cut with the smallest amount of waste fabric. In addition to wasting less excess fabric, you can get more from smaller pieces!
- Make your personal body adjustments digitally instead of on paper to save paper
- Look into projector sewing to save paper and ink
- If you print your patterns, save the bigger paper scraps for grocery lists, art paper for kids, etc.
- Use up your less-wanted thread colors for things like basting, gathering, etc. where the color won’t show and save your favorite thread colors for topstitching and hemming
Stay Organized
- An organized sewing room helps you keep track of what you have, so that you use it all and don’t accidentally purchase things you don’t need
- Plan your projects, batch sew when you can, etc. As one tester put it, your time and energy are valuable resources to!!
There are so many ways to be resourceful in our sewing.
Making the most out of all materials, reducing what we use, and reusing instead of trashing items, are all ways to not only save money but also help our beautiful planet. Being thoughtful in how we use our resources also helps us keep our minds and hearts grounded, connected to ourselves and our communities, and intentional in our sewing.
