The Rediscovery of Sewing

Sew Fresh Studio

Once upon a time in 20th century America, when you wanted the latest thing, you reached for the Sears Catalogue. No more. In 1993 the company terminated its venerable icon and today competes for customers online. Polaroid is making a similar shift away from self-developing cameras to products that compete in the digital age. Sewing is no different. Subject to the same law of changing times, studios around the country are reaching out with new techniques and technology to the next generation of sewists. Did we mention new terminology?

Sew Fresh Studio in Niwot, CO, is one such place. Its well-lit and colorful interior resembles a Starbucks, and that difference is by design.

“It’s a different time in the sewing world,” said owner Nora McCray. “We are seeing young people hungry for a craft, turning to sewing as a diversion from their Internet lives. At the same time they expect the kind of results they get when they Google something online. It takes years to become a good couture sewist, but with today’s user friendly machines and the right projects, you can deliver results quickly.”

That word again: sewist. Think of artist. Think creativity. Think new technology. Welcome to sewing’s new identity, where customers find you through your Web site and are comfortable with computerized sewing. At Sew Fresh Studio (SFS) they come for classes in sewing or home décor or for one of a kind pieces that are professionally made.

“We can either do it for you or teach you how to do it,” McCray said.

She has seen revenue from classes nearly double in the past year, but couture sewing remains important. The skills of draping and fitting, pattern making or simply the knowledge of how to work with gorgeous yet difficult fabric are critical to making quality clothing. They bear fruit in the unique and perfectly fitted clothing produced at SFS. These technical skills also benefit her beginning students as the foundation for McCray’s teaching.

“Clothing construction is a sequential process,” she said. “What you do now will affect what you do later, so the best teachers know how to anticipate problems. That’s something students appreciate.”

McCray was aware of a change in the audience for sewing before she opened SFS in 2005. The location and look were planned to attract a new demographic. Niwot is a charming village between two mid-size cities, Longmont and Boulder. Its tree lined streets invite people to linger, to dine or take in a yoga class. She wanted coming there to feel like a vacation and sewing itself to be something fun and special. She made community one of her goals; the three-sided sewing tables were custom built to bring her clientele together socially. Corrugated metal walls add a touch of silver. The color scheme, track lighting and sound system are all planned to create a congenial atmosphere. Gone are the days of the lonely seamstress hunched over a sewing machine. Today’s women, often handling both careers and children, don’t sew out of economic necessity but for the fun of craft and the joy of creating. In fact, McCray was instrumental in doing away with “hunching” when she co-created the Perfect Sewing Chair and patented th
e Tilt’Able, an ergonomically designed sewing platform that tilts the machine toward the sewist, alleviating the need to bend over the work. Ergonomic Advantage offers these products, and McCray carries them for students to purchase.

“My first class is all about the machine,” she said. “We go over terminology and learn what the dials and buttons are for. I give them my three rules for jam proof sewing (see inset) and teach them how to hem a pair of jeans. Everyone takes something home with them the first time. Usually it’s a tote bag. In the second class the learning curve steepens as students learn how to use a pattern and start to make clothing. In the teen workshop a high school girl is making her friend’s prom dress for this spring.

“The machine we use is the Janome, although I will support any machine a student brings in. The computerized Janome (SFS is a sub-dealer of Make It Sew in Broomfield) is a very dependable, moderately priced machine and excellent for new students.”

The Janome machine is provided for students in classes and is also available for hourly rental during open sewing periods. Rentals include expert advice from the staff. In the past year three women made their daughter’s wedding dresses during open sewing sessions. Providing reliable equipment, be it machines, irons or chairs leads to sales.

Clothing is not the only game in town, however. Younger students influenced by Project Runway and The Devil Wears Prada are intrigued by the world of fashion. This interest has filled classes in “Fashion Illustration” and “Careers in Fashion.” Professionals are brought in to teach these classes and others like “Color Theory for Clothing and Home,” “Silk Painting” and “Interior Design.” McCray herself teaches pattern-making in “Copy Cats,” a fun class where students duplicate an article of clothing that they love.

“It’s important to stay in touch with the interests of your students,” McCray said, adding, “They are the emerging market of people who want to sew, the future of your business. Their success in a class will lead them to buy what they need and possibly to a career in this world that we love and these skills we want to pass on.”

Interns recruited to SFS from top fashion schools also contribute new ideas. In the past year McCray has seen student interest make a major move toward the art and craft of fiber. If they can’t make clothing from scratch, young people want to individualize the clothing they do buy. Painting on fabric, felting, embellishing techniques such as appliqué and embossing have all been popular in recent months and helped to fill classes over the past year, McCray said. Again, these techniques produce satisfying results with relative ease as they introduce students to the tradition of sewing and the wonderful sense of accomplishment it provides.

The future looks distinctly green in McCray’s crystal ball. Her studio uses 100 percent wind powered electricity, and in the remodel of her space she used all earth friendly paint and building materials. McCray is developing a line of gowns with organic fabrics such as bamboo, hemp and silk. A corn-based fabric called ingeo is gaining popularity.

“Sewing has always been recycler friendly,” McCray pointed out. “The quilts our grandmothers made were sewn from used clothing. Today we can make wedding dresses from fabrics that will compost. I’m not there yet, but I see it as our future, as businesses look to reduce their impact on the environment. I mean, we have brides wading into the Everglades, submerging expensive dresses in the waters of a swamp! And doing it with a photographer present! Even the concept of wedding seems to be changing. We have to stay in touch with that.”

Reprinted from SQE Professional, June 2008