Over this past year an amazing group of people have grown to know one another, over the subject of making garments. In June 2012, a large group of us gathered for our first Seam Allowance meeting and pledged to make at least 25% of our clothing. Among us were people with a wide range of experience and expertise. While many of us in the group have had sewing and knitting experience, many of us had not sewn a garment in some time. Some people had taken time away from sewing garments due to having children, a hectic schedule, the availability of inexpensive clothing, or simply not really wanting to think about one's body, and furthermore having to create a garment that fits. That said, many of the people in the group were interested in joining Seam Allowance and coming back to sewing and knitting garments, for themselves, driven by the desire to stop supporting mass manufacturing, tired of purchasing clothing not made well or that looked flattering, and to use sewing garments as a way to connect with themselves, even if that means confronting perfectionism, and to work towards creating garments that fit. For many of us, this first year has been a lot about organizing space and time to accommodate our desire to make garments. As members of the group made garments, we came to commiserate over the need for space to cut, a space to set up our sewing machine permanently, instead of having to break down our sewing spaces. We worked on and supported one another in strategies of time management. And worked together to create a solid foundation for further sewing exploits - like taking through body measurements, debating the usefulness of a dress form, the pros and cons of sewing patterns and types of fabrics. Through witnessing each others' progress through the form of show and tell, we learned from each others' mistakes, heard a wide array of advice given by fellow group members, and witnessed the follow through to see what outcome was chosen and how it fared.
Our June 2013 meeting marked for many of us our 1 year anniversary of Seam Allowance. Members graciously modeled garments they had sewn and are particularly enamored with at the moment.
We've decided as a group to continue meeting for Seam Allowance Year 2. Many of us have been successful at carving out that space and time for sewing and are looking forward to honing our sewing and knitting garment making skills. This year, we are offering studio hours as part of the Seam Allowance membership. That way, members will have a space to cut out garments and sew without interruption. If you would ever like to join us, please do. We welcome all levels. We meet the 2nd Sunday of the month from 5:30-7:30. Our next meeting is this Sunday, July 14th.
-- Kristine