Episode 215: Sewing is an act of self-determination (part 2), with Ruby of Spokes & Stitches

Welcome to Clotheshorse, the podcast that has a very unprofessional Hello Kitty Janome sewing machine that Dustin bought for me secondhand in 2020.

I’m your host Amanda and this is episode 215.  This is part 2 in a short series about all things sewing with Ruby of Spokes and Stitches.  And this week Ruby is going to share all kinds of super helpful information with you this week:

• Advice for finding your own secondhand sewing machine: where to look, what to look for, how to choose a good one, and even how much you should expect to spend.
• Sewing patterns: how to choose them, how to use them, and what to expect.
• And she will explain why she has started her own line of petite plus sewing patterns, Starling Petite Plus and all of the work that goes into creating a sewing pattern.

Before we get started I have a few callouts/reminders:

• Go vote for your favorite new potential iron-on transfer designs.
• If you want to receive merch before I leave for Japan, place your orders by Sunday 10/27
• Please do not use my Calendly link to schedule hang out sessions with me.

Home sewing has always been motivated by three things: 

• Saving money
• Creating unique stylish items that fit perfectly
• Conserving materials and resources

And to be honest, at different times in history, one of those three things was more important than other times, but even now, home sewing is still driven by these attributes, with the added bonus of the joy of making and learning/trying new things.  

As we talked about in the last episode with Ruby, home sewing was the norm for centuries, but in the 19th century, innovations made home sewing even more accessible/efficient for people at all income levels:  the sewing machine, paper patterns, and factory-produced fabrics. Back then, the latest looks were coming from Paris, including silhouettes, trims, and fabrics.  Paper patterns could be used to create the “latest” looks, often cut and sewn by professional dressmakers. Dressmakers would also just cut the pieces and sell them to less well-off customers to sew together themselves at home. 

Various incarnations of sewing machines were developed in the early 1800s, but things really started cooking in 1885 when Singer patented the Singer Vibrator Shuttle sewing machine.  And btw the path to this sewing machine was filled with stolen ideas and lawsuits.  Lots of early sewing machine drama! Previous versions of the sewing machine had been in use in for decades, but primarily only by clothing manufacturers. By the 1860s, sewing machines became more common in middle class homes.  Women’s magazines offered dress patterns and how-tos.  And of course, the lucky (perhaps cursed) owner of said machine could make and mend clothing for the families and friends.  But the Singer Vibrator Shuttle landed at the perfect time, when the Industrial Revolution meant that sewing machines could be churned out faster and cheaper, making them more accessible to everyone.  Millions of these machines were sold to homes, making home sewing faster and (maybe) easier. 

Btw, despite what you might be hearing on the internet, planned obsolescence was not invented by the Singer sewing machine company.  It was actually first used in bicycles, then later applied to cars.  While I have no doubt that the Singer sewing machine company did gradually invent reasons for people to buy new sewing machines, like new features, new colors, and eventually, lower quality products, they were doing what every other company was also doing.

Home sewing was sold as a thrifty idea for sure, but more importantly (at that time) it was seen as a way to curate your own special wardrobe and to stay on top of the latest style trends (which lasted wayyyyy longer than they do now). In fact, sewing was promoted as this thing that only the most “clever” women would do, tricking all of the world with their stylish wardrobe that they made themselves at major cost savings. That said, in the early 1900s, most women knew how to sew. They learned it from their mothers, grandmothers, and aunts.  And this was something that women of all economic classes knew how to do.  Sewing was–to a certain extent–a common link for women around the world.

 I think humans have always looked for ways to feel superior to other humans, while also doing whatever it takes to fit in and feel safe. And clothing has ALWAYS been a part of that.  Home sewing promised what fast fashion would do a century later: ostensibly democratize style.  Of course, we know that even as fast fashion allegedly democratized style, it really didn’t, it just made luxury brands and even later “sustainable” brands more necessary to fit in and not seem “poor.”  And I have no doubt that in the early 1900s, people were still being judged by how many dresses they had or what kind of fabric they used, etc.  

But as fashion trends shifted, sometimes home sewing didn’t make sense for anyone.  For example, in the 1920s, the style trends for women involved much simpler garments.  This meant that manufacturing these clothes was less expensive. And of course, it was easier to buy mass produced clothing.  So more women began to opt for mass produced clothing. Of course, that wasn’t great for sewing machine and clothing pattern companies…so they began to market a different angle: maybe sewing your own clothing wasn’t more economical, but it DID guarantee higher quality and better fitting clothing.  And if you were smart, you would opt to continue to sewing your clothing because it would be superior to anything you could buy. This wasn’t the last time the home sewing industry marketed the “superior” quality of home sewn garments.

By the 1930s, here in the United States, Home Economics education was mandatory in most middle schools for girls. Sewing, cooking, and household management were the core of the curriculum. And so, more generations of girls learned sewing, ensuring that home sewing remained a social norm.  

World War II changed the direction of home sewing.  Women were encouraged to remake, mend, and rework their existing clothing (and the clothing of their families) rather than buy new fabric, patterns, etc.  If they did need to use new fabric, they were encouraged to waste as little fabric as possible when cutting it out.  Some women even donated their sewing machines to be melted down into other items for the war effort.

I’ve said it here before, and I’ll say it again: I spend a lot of time thinking about consumerism and how it is connected to social trends.  And when I think about sort of “key moments” that accelerated our consumption of stuff I think of a few: the invention of celluloid plastic in the late 1800s.  The 1980s/the Reagan era here in the United States.  The dawn of fast fashion in 2008/the Great Recession.  And of course, post World War II.

And in the post World War II era, as we know, consumerism became a way of life here in the United States and many countries in the Global North. We also saw this baby boom–aka the “boomers,” the largest generational group in US history.  The sewing industry–particularly the sewing machines companies, like Singer–saw this new generation as a great new customer base.  And so they began to market towards teenage girls. In 1945, they began a 20 year campaign designed to “hook” teenage girls on sewing, the Singer Teen-Age Sewing course.  Now more than ever, women were expected to fit in to society and fitting in meant owning a lot of clothes, and replacing them as fashion trends shifted.  Teenage girls were told that home sewing insured they could always afford to be in style, guaranteeing social and romantic success.  And so sewing was a very common skill among that generation. If they weren’t learning it at home or in school, they could learn it at the Singer sewing center. That’s actually how my stepmother Karen, who can literally sew anything, learned how to sew.  Through the 1950s and 60s, sewing remained popular: as a cost saving activity AND as a hobby for women.

Home sewing declined in the 1970s for two major reasons:

• More and more women were working outside the home and sewing was just a chore (or activity) that they didn’t have time for. And as Ruby mentioned last week, many feminists felt that they no longer wanted to do the dull chores that had been previously expected of women.  They were free to choose different ways to spend their time.
• Shopping was no longer just a chore for running a household, it was now a social activity, a relaxing past time. Hanging out at the mall and shopping with friends became the norm.  And that made home sewn clothes less appealing.

During this time period, the sewing industry pivoted away from promises of style and social success, focusing more on the thriftiness of sewing. 

 But that was a losing proposition by the 1980s: as more and more clothing manufacturing moved overseas where cheaper labor could be exploited, mass produced clothing was cheaper than home sewn. And that never changed.  As we discussed in the last episode, the Reagan administration pulled home economics education out of schools in favor of more “job training” education like computer skills, typing, etc.  Less and less people sewed.

It’s easy to get caught up in some sort of nostalgic “things were better back then, when people were sewing at home all the time.” But let’s not get caught up in that.  Nostalgia tends to paint a rosier picture of the past than the actual reality of that time period.  I’ll notice that with my own life.  Like I’ll think “those years when Dylan was a toddler and we were broke AF were some of the happiest times in my life.” Um not really.  I had bronchitis for like six months.  I worked at a crappy retail job.  I was constantly biking in the cold winter rain.  Sometimes I was so hungry that I would lay in bed imagining myself eating the food I couldn’t afford.  And people were constantly kinda shitty to me for being a single mom.  So no, it wasn’t perfect and things were hard.  And when we look back on the 50s and 60s when many women were sewing at home, well, plenty of them weren’t having a great time.  Plenty of them hated sewing and wished they could be writing books or traveling the world or doing just about anything else.

But I do wish that it were easier now for people who want to sew to be able to sew…that luxuries like time, skill, space, and equipment were accessible to those who want them.  I have a lot of thoughts about this and I am sure you do, too.  In fact, Ruby and I talked about that at length and I am planning to share that part of our conversation in December.  If you have thoughts about how we can get sewing into more people’s lives, send them my way via email or an audio message. My email address is [email protected].

1. Find a sewing machine
   1. FB Marketplace, eBay, yard sales and buy nothing groups
   2. What to look for:
      1. Something recently tuned up/serviced (or be willing to get it serviced for $100-$200)
      2. Vintage machines are GREAT!
         1. But not all equal… look for something from the 1960’s-1980’s with all metal components
         2. Features you will want:
            1. Backstitch function
            2. Zig-zag capability
            3. Bobbin winder
         3. Check for broken/missing components (some of the most common issues are):
            1. Needle plate
            2. Presser foot
            3. Bobbin case
            4. Thread stand
            5. Light bulb
            6. Foot pedal and power cord
            7. Belt drive
      3. How much should you pay?
         1. New machines can cost anywhere from $80-$10k
         2. For a solid vintage machine, $80-$300 is good
         3. For a new machine, something in the $150-$300 range
   3. What models of machines do I recommend?
      1. Sears Kenmores from the 1970’s
      2. Bernina 730 and 830 Record
      3. Vintage Necchi machines are plentiful around PA and solid
      4. Mid-range reliable machines include Singer, Brother, Janome
   4. Other kinds of machines:
      1. Sergers and Coverstitch machines
      2. Blindstitch machines
      3. Buttonhole and bartack machines
      4. Walking foot and industrial machines
2. Start with sewing patterns
   1. Will have all the pieces and instructions, so it’s like a kit that you follow along with to make the item on the cover
   2. Big 4 (McCalls, Butterick, Vogue, Simplicity) vs. Indie Sewing Patterns
      1. PatternReview.com
      2. Curvy Pattern Database
      3. Etsy.com (see if the designer has their own website)
      4. Follow sewing bloggers/influencers whose style you like, great way to discover new patterns
      5. Search via body measurement hashtag and community hashtags to find sewists close to your own size and proportions with similar style #bXXwYYhZZ #sewtall #sewpetite #sewqueer
         1. Beware of anything that looks suspiciously cheap
         2. A good sewing pattern will cost between $10-$20
3. Once you’ve made a few projects, you may want to learn how to design your own sewing patterns, or how to get better at troubleshooting fit
4. Different kinds of garment sewing often have different subcommunities, material suppliers, and pattern companies:
   1. Bra making
   2. Swimwear
   3. Menswear
   4. Childrenswear
   5. Woven (nonstretch) vs. Cut-and-Sew knit garments (stretchy tee shirts, dresses, leggings)
   6. Vintage-inspired, period costumes, cosplay
   7. Hats and millinery
   8. Bags
   9. Home decor

• Let’s talk about the process of creating a pattern, because the average person knows nothing about this! 
  • Where do you start? 
    • 3 main methods of patternmaking: flat, draping, & tracing off existing garments… 
    • first method usually starts with drawing out what we call a sloper or basic block in your “sample size”, you take a bunch of measurements and then plot these numbers out in a specific way on paper to create a basic shape, then you use different pattern manipulation techniques to turn this block into different styles of garments
    • Draping is often associated with more sculptural styles of garments, like eveningwear and bridal, or costume design (I used this method a lot for mascots and puppets, and now teach a specific method of sloper development that is draping-based)
    • 3rd method (tracing off) is most widely used in the fashion industry because it is efficient. Is this an ethical gray area? You can’t actually copyright a pattern shape, only logos and brandmarks (which is why we associate luxury logos with exclusivity, like Gucci or Chanel, LV)
  • How do you test it? -in the industry, we bring in live fit models… more companies are switching to 3D software like Clo3D. Usually several samples are part of the design process, repeated tweaking and refinement of fit. 
    • In the DIY community, “pattern testing” is a process by which hobbyists volunteer to test a pattern within a set time frame and offer feedback on the fit and instructions to the designer. This is typically unpaid labor, or done in exchange for a free copy of the pattern or a material stipend.
  • How long does it take?  -in the industry, it’s getting faster and faster. Sometimes companies skip fittings altogether, or rely solely on software. 
    • In the DIY/crafting community, it depends on the complexity of the design. Testing can be anywhere from a 2-week to 2-month window. There is usually an expectation that the designer will be available and responsive to the testers throughout this time frame, and sometimes an online group is provided for communication and feedback among testers, like through Slack or Discord or a FB group.
• Why did you decide to start your own petite plus pattern line?
  • I previous released 4 sewing patterns under my main brand, Spokes & Stitches. I started in 2020 when there was a lot of activism in the sewing community pushing for greater size inclusivity. I pored over size chart data and population surveys for months, trying to come up with the perfect, most inclusive size chart. I settled on this “linear and dynamic” fit system where I drafted each pattern for two different sets of body proportions, one that was straighter and one that was more curvy. The idea was that sewists could mix and match the tops and bottoms of patterns to get a more customized fit depending on their body shape. 
  • It was a fun challenge to draft this way, but I quickly became discouraged because, in trying to appeal to these “averages,” I had written my own petite-plus proportions out of the size chart entirely. I had to alter my own patterns pretty significantly to get them to fit me.
  • In doing more research, I learned that the “average height” of AFAB people in the US is actually 5’4”, not 5’6” as is the standard for sewing patterns, or 5’8” which is the minimum height for fashion models in the industry
  • If the average waist size is 38-40” then that means that maybe most people actually are closer to petite-plus proportions than we are led to believe
  • Like many, I got into fashion because I loved to dress up and play with personal style. As I got older (and more firmly on the plus-size side of the spectrum) I felt sad and discouraged by my options when it comes to fashion. There are like 3 brick-and-mortar stores I can shop in (Lane Bryant, Torrid, and Old Navy) and I hate most of what is available in them. I wanted to play with my own personal style again, and embrace the size and shape I am now instead of feeling wistful for the days in my 20s when I could fit into more fun and expressive styles.
• Do you think that more pattern makers should focus on a niche, too? I do see a lot of conversation on Reddit about lack of variety in the world of patterns (in both sewing and knitting/crochet).
  • I do really think it is wise! If everyone is always designing for the same presumed “average,” that means the same people keep getting left out of fashion over and over again.
  • It creates this illusion that the people on the fringes of those size charts are somehow wrong or undeserving, which is untrue.
  • Shoutout to the movie Empire Waist, which just came out and shares the story of a young plus-size designer who doesn’t feel worthy of wearing her own designs… but then she starts making clothes for her classmates who are bigger, smaller, wheelchair users, trans folks, etc. and discovers how empowering it can be for others to have clothes that fit them. So sweet, I cried!
  • Some niches that could really make a splash are:
    • Extra tall folks
    • Wheelchair users (SewnAdaptive collab with Simplicity)
    • Extra petite (shoutout to Chamiah Dewey fashion for little people in the UK)
    • Transmasc or transfemme bodies (Both& recently announced they are closing but mentioned something about making their patterns available)
    • Large busts (shoutout to LIndsie @sewbusty)