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Parents today strive to raise their children not just to be responsible and kind, but many are concerned also about sustainably. This is not only important as a lifeskill, because more sustainable living can lead to better spending habits, but also will help reduce environmental waste. In the past few decades, with the rise of fast fashion, clothing waste has significantly increased, leaving piles of clothing on foreign shores.
Sewing is a great skill for children to learn at a young age, so that they become more aware of how to mend, repair, alter and recycle textiles as they grow into adulthood. For children mending isn’t always that interesting, but most are very interested in being able to create something for scratch as it seems exciting, creative and fulfilling.
What Sustainable Sewing Is and Why It Matters
In years gone by children were exposed to sewing because they mothers and grandmothers sewed but this is no longer the case. Many people in my generation don’t have any sewing supplies in their home and hardly know how to sew on a button, which is one of the reasons I love teaching kids to sew.
From the dye pot to the sweatshirt
In effort to educate the next generation on sustainable fashion and sewing, I’ve been collaborating with the owner of Chickadee Studio in Red Hook NY, over kids sewing classes. Last month our class finished a bamboo fleece sweatshirt that the students had dyed themselves.
Thinking outside the box to make the most of your fabric
The pattern we used was from Sew House Seven, but did not include a hood or pocket, which is a great favorite among young people. Rather than convincing them to totally follow the pattern, we made templates for hoods and pockets that they could add to the pattern. Teaching them now to think outside the box about their clothing will help them to think more creatively about the clothing they possess as they get older.
There are so many ways to teach kids about sustainable sewing. Just the act of working with fabric will help them begin to make smarter decisions about the clothing that they wear. As Elizabeth Cline wrote in her book Overdressed, “If more of us picked up the lost art of sewing, or reconnected with the seamstresses and tailors in our communities, we could all be our own fashion designers and constantly reinvent, personalize and perfect the things we own.”
Instilling sustainable sewing habits in your kids is easy and can help them to be more mindful when it comes to sustainability for the rest of their lives.
Learning to sew with your child can also be a great way to start this journey together! Make it a goal for this year and start by taking a class!
