Before I tell you why it's cheaper for me, you should know that new clothing here in New Zealand is probably more expensive than it is in places like the UK or the US. Fabric and sewing supplies are more expensive too. We have a small population and are pretty isolated so almost everything is more expensive and harder to get.
Start up costs
I guess the start up costs for sewing can be quite high if you want to buy everything new and you want lots of gadgets (I'm not judging). I learnt to sew on my Mum's sewing machine that she bought second hand thirty years ago. It's still going strong. It doesn't have many fancy features but it does a good job. Both of the sewing machines I own are second hand. One of them was a birthday present from my parents and I've been using it for about five years. It's from the early 80s, is good quality and will probably last for years yet. The other one is a 1950s Elna that I bought for $15 at an op shop. The man at the place where I got it serviced said it was in perfect condition which isn't bad for something that's around 60 years old. Sewing does require an initial investment but it doesn't have to be a big one.
Comparing apples and oranges
You may be able to get a dress cheaper than I can make a dress, but it doesn't mean that you can get a dress comparable to one I've made. I love vintage clothes and predominantly sew with vintage patterns using vintage or vintage style fabrics. I can't buy the style of clothes I like new very easily. Occasionally 'vintage' will be in for a season and vintage style clothes will flood the chain stores but I still don't buy those because they don't fit in a way that I like (too short, too much ease etc). I could probably buy a new dress from the mall for about $50 but I prefer to compare the cost of the dresses I make to the cost of buying a similar vintage dress because when I sew something I want it to look like it is vintage.
On the left is an apple print shirt dress I made a few months ago from a vintage pattern. On the right is a lovely vintage 1950s apple print shirt dress from Simplicity is Bliss on Etsy. Okay, so the colours and shape aren't that similar but I couldn't find a better match.
Cost of my shirt dress:
Fabric 3m @ $10p/m
Buttons $5 at a vintage shop
Pattern $0.20 at an op shop
Total: $35.20 (that's about US$27)
The dress on the right is US$185 (NZ$240) not including shipping. Don't think that I'm criticising vintage sellers for their prices. I'm not. I realise that they have to make a living. I love vintage and I do buy it, I just can't afford to buy all vintage clothes. Instead, I make clothes that (hopefully) look vintage but cost me less than vintage would.
Quality
This kind of follows on from the above point. While my sewing is far from perfect, the things I sew are usually better quality than what you can buy at cheap chain stores. I don't shop at cheap chain stores because I have ethical issues with them but sometimes I buy chain store clothes from the op shop. Quite often these clothes have rarely been worn and some still have their tags attached. I'm pretty careful with my clothes and handwash a lot but I've found the quality of most chain store clothes is pretty terrible. I have things that I sewed about four years ago that are still in good condition and that I still wear. Most chain store clothes I buy from the op shop start looking shoddy after a couple of washes (yes, I know they're already second hand when I buy them, but still).
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| Cotton floral print from an op shopped muumuu |
I try and sew using natural fibres like cotton because I'm not a fan of synthetics. It's hard to buy cheap new clothes made of natural fibres. At the moment I'm making a circle skirt made of 100% wool fabric. You pretty much can't buy anything that's 100% wool at chain stores here. I also try and sew clothes from fabrics which will wear well. It is far cheaper for me to make a wool circle skirt than to buy one (if I could even find one here). It will probably last longer too, which will save me more money in the long run. Rather than comparing the clothes I make with poor quality/cheap clothing, I'd rather compare it with clothing of a higher quality because this is a better comparison. For me it is definitely cheaper to make higher quality clothing than it is to buy it.
Sweatshop labour
I was kind of hesitant to write about this one because I'm not perfect and do sometimes buy things new that were probably made by someone who was paid very little, is banned from joining a union, and is not protected by health and safety regulations. I'm also aware that some people are not in any position to buy things that were not made in those circumstances. I don't want to make people feel guilty if they can't afford to buy clothes made in ethical circumstances because I'm not in a position to buy them either.
We all know that one of the main reasons that cheap clothing is so readily available in many western countries is because of the use of cheap overseas labour. Sewing your own clothing means that you know that your clothing wasn't made in a sweatshop. However, this doesn't mean that the fabrics and notions you sew with weren't manufactured in similar conditions. The cotton picking industry in particular is known for exploiting its workers, including children. Unlike clothing, fabric does not usually have a country of origin label so it is impossible to tell where it was produced. While I try and buy fabric and notions second hand there isn't exactly an abundance of fabric in the op shops where I live. Most of my zips and buttons are from op shops. I do buy new fabric when I can't find it second hand. While part of the reason I make my own clothes is because I don't want to support companies that use sweatshop labour, I'm well aware that sewing is certainly not a perfect solution. In saying that, I do think it's hard to compare the price of clothes that were made in poorly paid and often unsafe conditions to something that has been sewn by someone for themselves. Sweatshop made clothing is cheaper only because of the way that it's been made. If I compared the clothing I make to clothing made here in New Zealand (which presumably uses fabric sourced from overseas) then the things I make would be far cheaper.
In the end sewing is cheaper than buying new depending on how you judge what "cheaper" is. I know that sewing my own clothes is cheaper for me. Sewing is also my hobby and I enjoy it so the fact that it saves me money is only one of the many reasons I do it.
If you sew, do you think it's cheaper for you than buying new?
This is a great post! I sew for the love of it, but I agree with pretty all you've said above. I'd also like to add that in somewhere as small as nz it can be hard to look unique if you buy from the chain stores - they are almost identical!
ReplyDeleteThanks. That's a really good point. There isn't a huge variety of clothes here like there is overseas. I often see people wearing the same chain store dress.
DeleteOh man this is SUCH a good post, I don't even know where to begin. So comprehensive! When people who don't sew say things like 'I wish I could sew, it'd be great to save that money!' I tell them to go check how much 3m of fabric is from Global Fabrics. I love how you explain that is CAN be cheaper, but isn't inherently some astoundingly thrifty hobby. I only sew with second-hand fabrics too, I've had astounding luck at opshops recently (4m of peachy pink white-flecked 100% wool for $3? Yes please) but I've also been given lots of fabrics by my mum's friends who are done with sewing which has proven really fruitful. Also what you said about Made in NZ clothing is so true- my mum was swooning over a MistER skirt that was $280, and she found the same fabric last week in Shanghai for $5/m, and only needed 1m to get an identical skirt made in Vietnam for $25. Obviously MistER have to import the fabric and handmake the skirts and made a living, but it shows how much cheaper it can be to do it yourself.
ReplyDeleteAh, every time you post it reminds me of my half-finished circus shift that I need to get onto.
Also that Elna is AMAZING. SO PRETTY.
Thanks. Yeah, the price of fabric in some places is pretty insane. That sounds amazing. Wool is so hard to find so 4m for three bucks is a great score. I've heard quite a few stories similar to your mum's. It seems like lots of NZ designers either buy their fabric here or sell their excess to fabric stores so you can totally make designer clothes way cheaper if that's what you're into.
DeleteFinish your circus shift! I want to see it.
Right? The green is even prettier in person. You should see the awesome case that it goes in.
Hear hear! What a great post! Like Trees I sew for the love of it. Too many people these days call shopping a hobby, to create something you're proud of is so rewarding and far better for the soul than sitting in front of the TV or mindlessly trawling the shopping centre. x
ReplyDeleteYes! I think love should be factored in to the price of sewing. I agree, creative things like sewing are good for the soul.
DeleteWhat a fabulous post! I am totally hearing you too. In my house sewing comes before housework, it's way more fun! I love the fact I can make a one of a kind dress for $2 of fabric found at the local op shop. I have to say though, I am creating my own sweatshop here at home but I can stop for coffee breaks whenever I want, pick up kids in between seams and cook a family meal while sewing on a button ;-) And yes, it is way cheaper, it may take a bit of time but Rome wasn't built in a day. I agree with Vix, creating something yourself is so good for the soul. On the rare occasions I go to a mall everyone looks as if they are on the treadmill, all racing for the same caramel "in-season" coat! By the way I have Elna envy! What a beauty x
ReplyDeleteThanks! Sewing is definitely more fun than housework. I love the fact sewing lets you make something unique too. Yes, it's nice not to be part of that shopping mall thing. Thanks.
DeleteThis is a really great post and really makes you think. I personally find sewing cheaper. The 100% silk 1950s dress I made for my party last year cost roughly £70 to make, it would have easily cost well over £200 to buy, had I even been able to find one. That's another thing, quite often you make things because you know exactly what you want, and there's a great pleasure in wearing something homemade, I think. Keep on sewing! X
ReplyDeleteExactly! Even if sewing something costs more than buying a dress, it's usually still cheaper to sew a vintage style silk dress than to buy one. Definitely. The joy of wearing something you made far outweighs the joy of buying something at the mall, for me anyway. You keep on sewing too.
DeleteI feel the same as you about sewing. I spend more on patterns than I do on fabric - since most fabric I buy in op shops (though lately I've splashed out on some fancy vintage and new rayons)...patterns are usually exxy 40's ones off Etsy but I'm pretty obsessed at the moment.
ReplyDeleteNotions are also mostly vintage off Etsy.
My sewing machine is a '64 Singer 338 which had only one previous owner (low mileage! hehee!) and cost me $60.....
And the clothes I make fit me, are better made than chain store, and are usually natural fibres. It's a no-brainer really! :-)
Vintage patterns are my weakness too, although here new patterns are so expensive ($25-30) that vintage ones are definitely cheaper.
DeleteYour sewing machine was a bargain and it will probably last you for years.
The fit and natural fibres are important to me too. How do you compare something that fits well and is made of cotton to something cheap that fits badly and is synthetic?
Oh and dont get me STARTED on how SHORT everything is in the shops. ICK!
ReplyDeleteI know. It's too short for me.
DeleteHi, What a fantastic post! Here here to sewing your own clothes :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteI think you create magic with the fabric, and that is priceless.
ReplyDeleteYou are also an inspiration.
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Thanks Sacramento!
DeleteIf you can buy fabric in charity shops, then sewing is really cheap! But getting new nice fabric, i think its sort of the same as vintage - though then I don't buy vintage at the sort of prices you mention. Plus, I'm really not very good at sewing, so it always takes me weeks and months!
ReplyDeleteThat's true. Second hand fabric and notions do make it a lot cheaper. I don't buy vintage at that price either but I try and make cheaper versions that look like it.
DeleteIt's sort of a hard question to answer, because I think it definitely depends on how you measure it. Could I afford to dress the way I do now--in terms of quality, style, wardrobe depth--and buy all my clothes? No, absolutely not. But I also wouldn't be trying to. I'd be spending probably the same amount of money (or even less) on whatever I was finding in the Sally Am or other junk shop, and I wouldn't have nearly as obnoxiously developed opinions about fit and whatnot--but I'd be just fine with whatever it was I was doing. The part of me that makes sewing inexpensive--the thriftiness, the pursuit of a good bargain, the broke studenthood necessitating such, the willingness to poke through grimy op-shop bins--would simply be making my ready-to-wear purchases inexpensive instead. Those of us who forage that much work with what we've got no matter what it is.
ReplyDeleteI like, though, that you included the sweatshop issue as part of the cost discussion--considering it truly a human cost, instead of an ethical blip to be talked away, is something not enough people do.
And as a sidenote: please, PLEASE tell me that great green Elna in your first photo is one of your sewing machines. It's awesome!
DeleteThat's true. This is only my measure of it and other people probably calculate it differently. Good point. I'm the same. I couldn't afford to buy the clothes new that I make but, as a die hard second hand shopper, I probablu wouldn't buy them new anyway.
DeleteYes, the green Elna in the photo is my $15 one (thriftiness!). It sews beautifully too.
I totally agree with all of this post. I tend to buy vintage or second hand. I would just love to be able to sew as well as you and other talented bloggers. If I could, there would be no stopping me and I'm not sure I'd ever bother to look on the high street again
ReplyDeleteThanks. Sewing's not hard once you get the hang of it and it definitely makes you look at the high street clothes and think, I could make that.
DeleteExcellent post! I wish I could sew as I'd love to be able to customize shop bought dresses as well as recreating vintage patterns in modern day fabrics. I think sewing itself is such a valuable skill and possibly one which is in decline in the mainstream of society. I have 3 daughters and my eldest 2 both have a sewing machine. Although I can't sew beyond a simple cushion cover, my love of vintage has provided a platform for them to thin differently about sewing and we are working towards them being able to create their own vintage inspired clothes and to confidently create bespoke customizations which mean the garments both fit well and are unique! Thanks for this one xXx
ReplyDeleteThanks! Yes, it's definitely a declining skill. Probably all the women of my grandma's generation knew how to sew but hardly any of my generation do. That's really awesome what you're doing with your daughters. Being able to make your own clothes that fit and are unique is a great skill and I'm sure that they'll be happy that they learnt to do it.
DeleteI'm going to disagree on this one, in part. One think you did not factor in on your cost comparison was your own time cost... How long did you spend making your dress? If you were to pay a seamstress to make it how much would it have cost? I know it may not have actually cost you anything, but it's not a like for like comparison if you don't factor it in. When you tell people it only cost $35 to make you are devaluing the cost of your own time. As a business owner I now have to think that each minute I am making something for myself is a minute I'm not working on my business & therefore potentially losing revenue. Likewise for you, you could have been working, so have lost wages /salary. Do you know where I'm coming from? Aside from that, what about the years it has taken to learn the skills? You don't just wake up one day & produce 12 perfect bound buttonholes, so once again the value of your skills just rose again from someone who just presses a button on their fully automated machine. Your $35 dress just got pricier once you factor in the 3/4/5/+? Hours you spent on sourcing materials, cutting it out , sewing & customizing it at a skill relevant wage of $40/hour.
ReplyDeleteBut since it's a hobby, cost of time doesn't count! I'm sure you do take some leisure time too, even if it's just hanging out in front of the TV. Many of us rather spend this time sewing. I would never spend money on a fancy TV or paid cable or whatever other people call essential.
DeleteYou also gotta consider that there are people with more time than money.
A friend of mine puts up every last tomato that her garden gives to her. It takes a lot of time to put it all up, but she was laid of work and the cost of putting food up is less than buying it. She saves a lot on grocery bills.. and at the moment noone's paying for her time anyway, so she can very well spend it doing something that saves her money in the end.
I just stop here, otherwise I could go on forever.
I agree with gruenekleider here! Because sewing is a hobby for me and not a business, I don't think of my own time as something that has a financial value. As I am unemployed anyway, I would either spend that time I spent sewing reading, watching movies or going for walks, none of which I put a financial value on either. Just as I wouldn't say 'this book cost me $50 of time' I wouldn't factor that into sewing. Even if I had a job, by spending half an hour every evening making a dress I am not losing any income if it's outside of my work hours, just as someone isn't losing work hours by watching a movie after work. Of course that's different for someone who makes a living off making garments, but for Camelia (and most of the readers of her blog) sewing is a fun endeavour that is about making something unique and lovely.
DeleteI definitely considered the cost of my time thing when I was thinking about this post but then, like gruenekleider and Georgia said, I decided not to count that as a cost because I sew for fun. The time I sew is my leisure time and I don't think of any of my other hobbies in terms of how much I could earn if I was working. I'm not really losing potential revenue because I'm a student. If anything, I'm losing potential study time. I think if I was going to include my time as part of the cost I would also have to include the 'joy' cost ie. how much happiness sewing brings me, because that's a really important part of sewing for me but there's no dollar value for that. I understand where you're coming from as a small business owner but for me, and lots of other people who sew, we don't put a dollar value on our sewing time because sewing is strictly a hobby. It's more complicated when making things is your hobby and your business. The comparison is never going to be perfect because there are a lot of different factors that I didn't include because it would be way too complicated (what about carbon footprint, cost of electricity to run my sewing machine etc). That's why I said at the beginning that sewing is cheaper for me ie. I consider it cheaper because this is how I work out the cost. Maybe I should have made that clearer.
DeleteI'm going to disagree on this one, in part. One think you did not factor in on your cost comparison was your own time cost... How long did you spend making your dress? If you were to pay a seamstress to make it how much would it have cost? I know it may not have actually cost you anything, but it's not a like for like comparison if you don't factor it in. When you tell people it only cost $35 to make you are devaluing the cost of your own time. As a business owner I now have to think that each minute I am making something for myself is a minute I'm not working on my business & therefore potentially losing revenue. Likewise for you, you could have been working, so have lost wages /salary. Do you know where I'm coming from? Aside from that, what about the years it has taken to learn the skills? You don't just wake up one day & produce 12 perfect bound buttonholes, so once again the value of your skills just rose again from someone who just presses a button on their fully automated machine. Your $35 dress just got pricier once you factor in the 3/4/5/+? Hours you spent on sourcing materials, cutting it out , sewing & customizing it at a skill relevant wage of $40/hour.
ReplyDeleteLike you say, I could not buy the type of clothes I make for so little money--one-of-a-kind, made to fit me exactly right, and so on. So in that sense, sewing is cheaper. On the other hand, if I didn't sew, I would just do without those kinds of garments and wouldn't be spending money on them at all because I couldn't afford them.
ReplyDeleteThat's true. I think the cheapness (or not) of sewing is pretty complicated. If I didn't sew I wouldn't be able to afford to buy the sorts of clothes I can make either but maybe I'd spend the money I spend on sewing on another hobby so it would be spent anyway.
DeleteEven though a sewing project may cost more than buying a garment in stores, the garments I make are unique pieces that have stories attached to them. I hold them dear to me because I made them and I remember the process - the successes and the obstacles - that went into making it.
ReplyDeleteThat's a really good point. I don't know if it's possible to put a price on the uniqueness of wearing something you made.
DeleteTime, Shmime. You can sit on your pratt and watch (ugh) Oprah for an hour a day. Or....you can knit a few rows, sew a few seams, draw a few designs. I like to walk my laps around the park and do the planning and math in my head. I read a book years ago called (I think) "10, 20 30 minutes to Sew", and the author's premise was that little scraps of time used wisely result in results.
ReplyDeleteWhat I REALLY should have been paid $40 per hour for was raising 3 children from scratch.
How are you anyway, Darling?
Exactly. If I wasn't sewing I probably wouldn't be doing anything useful. I get that, I like to ride my bike and plan. Yes, I'm a big fan of the 30 minutes a day of sewing thing. It all adds up quickly and before you know it you've sewn a whole dress. Child rearing seems like it can be a pretty thankless task sometimes, $40 an hour probably wouldn't be enough. I'm great. How are you?
ReplyDeleteOh, I am suffering thru' a Kansas summer. Blast furnace heat. Arid, shimmering parking lot hell. When I say I plan whilst I walk my laps in the park,I mean I plan whilst I jump over the cracks in the ground. I have been giving the garter snakes water in a Frisbee, like dogs. They gather 'round and drink, for real.
ReplyDeleteHow horrible! I sympathise because summer is my least favourite time of year. You have snakes? I don't think I've ever even seen one in real life.
DeleteWhat a great post (and excellent comments and replies, might I add)! I am definitely of the 'sewing is my hobby so I don't mentally charge labour' school, and as I am mostly home with a three year old it's nice to take time out from my 'valuable' input into her life in order to stay sane. I like your comment somewhere here about putting a value on the uniqueness of a garment. As well as being semi-self-sufficient in my wardrobe, I also quite enjoy being able to sew up a pair of pants for said three year old when all the other pairs are in the wash. Whether she wears them is another matter, but the satisfaction in being able to sort it all out myself is my own kick of value.
ReplyDeleteAnd, being able to mend things because I know how they were made in the first place!
Thanks. Sewing is a great sanity saver. Exactly. I like the idea of being somewhat self sufficient as another kind of value to making your own clothes. Yeah, you're right, it's great knowing how to mend things, which not a lot of people can do these days.
DeleteI must get better at sewing. I really must start soon! You've totally inspired me. I get dresses quite cheaply over here from ebay or charity shops but the quality and fit vary, making my own mean's they'll fit well (hopefully) and I won't be so precious about adjusting them
ReplyDeleteI think the only way to get better is to dive right in. I'm glad I've inspired you. Yeah, I do buy things at charity/op shops too but you're right about the fit thing. If you sew it yourself it generally fits a lot better.
Deleteyour apple dress is much more cute than the one from etsy... i'm not good on sewing and sadly i'm not patient enough to learn it proper. always i prefered working with wood and metal ... but buying on most of my clothes at flea markets and thrift stores makes fashion shopping not too expensive.
ReplyDeletehttp://wardrobexperience.blogspot.de
Thanks! I'm no good working with wood or metal so I guess everyone has different skills. Yes, buying second hand is definitely cheaper.
DeleteI'll second the idea that sewing is my hobby, or dare I even say "my creative outlet", materials, equipment, classes and time are all part of the cost of my hobby, so my clothes actually cost nothing! They are a by product of sewing. That said, in adddition to the issue that you mention about the cost of clothes in New Zealand, the range is very limited (a result of a population base), especially in the 30 - 60 age range; once you've moved out of the cheap and cheerful Glassons/Supre market there is very little in the lower price ranges until you're ready for Millers, cardigans and slippers!
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived overseas the one thing everyone new about NZ was that there were sheep there, so what's the story with the wool? I found it easier to by quality NZ wool fabric in London than here!
LOve the apple print dress-Looks perfectly cut!
ReplyDeleteAnd the print is definitely a conversation starter!
xo
Shubhi's Revels!
Excellent post, I really enjoyed it. Like you, I'll buy a mass-produced garment second hand if I like the print or something, but I'd never buy it new directly from the shop. I try to do this for most things, I even buy my kitchen utensils from a secondhand shop if I can, which I know would gross some people out! xx
ReplyDelete