Does sewing save money?

A “non-crafty” friend once told me that because I invest in the materials and machinery, that actually sewing clothing and gifts is not all that economical. And certainly when it comes to everyday clothing for the husband or children, she has a point. When it comes to my clothing, since the fashion industry seems to punish plus size people with a combination of cost, limited supply and lack of nice looking stuff ….. sewing for myself can be worthwhile, although I find it difficult at times (I am not easy to fit).

Gifts ……cost money …………I am not convinced that buying ready made is the way to go. My gift to my sister for the birth of her son (a stash of MCN’s and boosters), was a practical gift in terms of its usefulness, and in its ability to hold value. She is pregnant with her next, and they will be used for him, and then once both have grown out of them, they can be sold to provide a monetary benefit. I am not so precious about my sewing, that I expect her to hang onto them forever. The latest preggy friend gift features fabrics I already had, patterns I already had, and really a quite small portion of my time that I wasn’t already using gainfully. I source fabrics and patterns from op-shops and online, I almost never pay full price for fabric (with the exception of specialist fabrics), and I adore upcycling (as in making something from another piece of clothing).

Saving stress saves money …… Sewing gifts requires planning and time management. You can’t decide to make wallets for everyone at your workplace, in the last week before xmas. I am sure that it seems tedious to make lists and such, when I could just pick a weekend in December, rock into the mall, and thoroughly abuse my credit cards. By planning out and sewing at least some of my xmas list, I am cutting back the stress and torture of shopping at the busiest time of the year. I am increasing my happiness quota ….. which is a good thing, along with all that boring stuff like saving on interest.

Its the thought that counts ……. Oh don’t you hate that saying, when you are looking at your artistically decorated 12inch circular saw blade …. and wondering if it will rip a hole in the plasterwork and decapitate a child if you attempt to hang it on the wall. All of us have received some clangers when it comes to xmas presents. I prefer to sew my gifts (I rarely make clothing gifts aside from baby stuff), and I usually choose something useful …… banded towels, shopping totes, wallets, xmas decorations, pillows, notebook covers. Because they are planned in advance, you have more time to consider the person you are buying for, colours and textures, their likes and dislikes, what might be useful etc. And if the recipient doesn’t like it, then its still a useful item, that will go on to a useful life once it is passed on.

How much does love cost? ……. this is an argument that many a crafter uses to justify creating rather than buying ready made. And to me its a valid one. Every step in the creation process, I am thinking about the recipient. Whether its a workmate or a cherished loved one, and whether its a practical or purely decorative gift …… foremost in my mind isn’t the cost of the item, or my budget, or snotty shop assistants or the stupid crowd at the shopping mall. As the receiver of a gift I have made, you will know that while making it, you were the only thing I was thinking about. How’s that for intense? Exactly how do you place a value on that?

So yes, sewing saves money ….. not just because of dollars saved. It adds to the richness of life, for both the receiver and the creator, in values that are hard to ascribe a $ value.