Sewing brings wellbeing – Sally Harris

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Clothing has become so available and affordable in the past decade that most people no longer sew. Yet there are intangible rewards from making your own wearables, including a sense of achievement from reusing natural resources.

Sally Harris wears a wool poncho she made from a knee rug for The Slow Clothing Project.

Sally Harris wears a wool poncho she made from a knee rug for The Slow Clothing Project.

Canberra-based Sally Harris credits The Slow Clothing Project with giving her an incentive to sew again. “With such emphasis on new clothes these days, it is lovely to take part in the Slow Clothing Project and enlighten people to the good old ways.”  Continue Reading →

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Cherishing the effort – Xin Wang

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Maths teacher Xin Wang says the more she sews her own clothes, the more she realises how much effort goes into making one simple garment. She cherishes garments more, whether they are made by her or other people, because of the effort and time put into them.

Gorgeous Flora Hanisch wears a dress handmade by her mum Xin

Gorgeous Flora Hanisch wears a dress handmade by her mum Xin for The Slow Clothing Project

“I love making my own clothes because I enjoy making things with my hands. I like clothes that are different – the worst thing to me in terms of clothes is wearing the same clothes as somebody else and that applies to my two kids’ clothes as well. Finally, it’s cheaper to make my own to achieve the uniqueness rather than buying designer clothes,” Xin said.

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Valuing sewing skills – Cath Jarvis

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Cath Jarvis is a busy sonographer and mother of three who with partner Kevin runs a sheep property at Tottenham in central New South Wales. When growing up in the country a few decades ago, Cath’s Mum encouraged her and two sisters to step away from learning ‘domestic’ tasks and get more into professional and untraditional work. This meant Cath only learned to sew later in life when she realised these skills were useful for sustainable living.

Cath Jarvis wears the pinny she created from discarded jeans and work shorts

Cath Jarvis wears the pinny she created for The Slow Clothing Project from discarded jeans and work shorts

“We all rode motorbikes and horses, and generally mucked around on the farm, we might have been a bit wild. Then when we went off to high school we were sent to an agricultural high school and these subjects weren’t offered. I didn’t ever think it was a great loss until my late 30s when I realised being able to sew could be very handy.

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Learning by design – Genevieve Manhal

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Genevieve Manhal made a resolution to buy nothing new this year (except a few items of underwear when necessary) and she’s noticing even more the media stream of fast fashion that is in her face all the time, on television, in magazines and on social media. “No wonder there are so many people struggling with body image issues and the notion of not ‘fitting in’ when this consumerist image is constantly being shown and targeted at every age group,” said Genevieve who lives in the Bass Coast area of south Gippsland in Victoria.

Genevieve Manhal made this versatile pinafore/skirt from resources already in circulation for The Slow Clothing Project.

Genevieve Manhal from south Gippsland in Victoria made this versatile pinafore/skirt for The Slow Clothing Project.

Growing up in a household that valued being sustainable and repurposing items, building your own from scratch and thinking environmentally, the idea of fast fashion has always been an issue of concern for Genevieve. “Also studying design at TAFE it was always in your face, what was in ‘trend’, what you needed to look ‘cool’ and I have always felt, even after being out of secondary school for 10 years, that a big factor with peer pressure and fitting in is by wearing ‘correct’ fashion.

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The joy of making – Frances Leske

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Handmade skills give Frances Leske enormous self-confidence, self-satisfaction and pleasure. These skills greatly enhance her wellbeing, even though they may originate from a background of survival and living within your means.

Frances Leske used fabric gifted from her mother to create wide-leg pants and a top for The Slow Clothing Project.

Frances Leske used fabric gifted from her mother to create wide-leg pants and a top for The Slow Clothing Project.

“Making my own clothing brings me joy – the wonderful feeling of achievement and the positive comments made by people in the street. I love to sew and create garments for myself which are unique, handmade with care and attention. It brings me such joy,” she said.

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A meditative process –Tamara Russell

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Melbourne-based Tamara Russell knows firsthand that handmade is so much more satisfying than a quick purchase. For many years, she has been remaking, revamping and reworking her own clothing from other people’s hand-me-downs or op shop finds.

Tamara Russell made a signature wool cardigan from rescued materials for The Slow Clothing Project.

Tamara Russell made a signature wool cardigan from rescued materials for The Slow Clothing Project.

She believes the slow, meditative process of sewing, knitting, crochet and stitching is great for body and soul, slowing one down to enjoy life around them and to be proud of their own creations rather than a quick purchase to follow ‘fashion’ and then disposing of items as they go ‘out of fashion’.

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Handmade purpose – Emma Williamson

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Emma Williamson’s story embodies the values, spirit and actions of The Slow Clothing Project. When she moved to the remote Pilbara region in Western Australia last year, Emma discovered fresh purpose through handmade. She found a local need of women wanting to learn to sew and set up Sturt Pea Conscious Clothing business to bring inspired clothing into the world and return benefits to people and the planet.

Emma Williamson wears the dress she made from a sheet for The Slow Clothing Project

Emma Williamson wears the dress she made from a sheet for The Slow Clothing Project. Photos by Helen Osler.

“I teach a sewing class, and contribute my skills in dressmaking at a weekly mother’s group. I love helping people to gain an appreciation and aptitude for garment making. I’ve seen it can be very empowering, particularly for those coming from a low socio-economic group,” Emma said.

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Timeless styling – Elizabeth Kingston

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There is much evidence that our planet cannot continue to provide the resources for mass manufactured garments and that so much is wasted in oversupply. Textile enthusiast Elizabeth Kingston believes that if people can be educated to shift from being ‘in fashion’ to being ‘in style’ then the concept of what it means to have a new wardrobe every season can move sidewards.

Elizabeth Kingston wears her Frida Kahlo-inspired ensemble handmade and styled from existing resources

Elizabeth Kingston wears her Frida Kahlo-inspired ensemble handmade and styled from existing resources

“For those of us who can make, it is vital that we continue to do so as these skills are becoming a dying art and an example needs to be set that it should be all about quality not quantity. For those who can’t/choose not to learn how to sew, then to support the artist/designer/creator of these handmade/limited creations through purchase is the next best option,” Elizabeth said.

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A conscious maker – Paisley Park

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Paisley Park was raised to be conscious of all that surrounds her, including food, clothing, impacts on people and the environment. As a child her clothes were either made by her mother, hand-me-downs or from charity shops. She was never been interested in fashion, and the idea of creating comfortable practical clothing that can be worn for years appeals greatly.

Paisley Park in the dress she created from cotton offcuts for The Slow Clothing Project

Paisley Park in the dress she created from organic cotton offcuts for The Slow Clothing Project. Photo by Jo Hammond.

“I am fascinated by neuropsychology and also its impact in regards to sociology so I could write a book on my perspective of consumerism. In short though, we need to be educating the younger generations and allowing them access to develop empathy over the way that things in our lives are created from growing food, to the production of our power, electronics and clothing to name a few,” Paisley said.

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A sewing way of life – Miriam Gillham

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Slow clothing is way of life for Miriam Gillham. She says sewing is a wonderful means to express unique individual style, to create clothing that is considered, thoughtful, necessary and valuable. She’s made clothes for her family, altered men’s formal wear suits for a part-time job, designed and sewn special occasion gowns, dance and theatre costumes, curtains and soft furnishings. And she makes soft sculptures, textile art embellishment pieces and soft corsets which are embellished with embroidery, beading and fabric manipulation.

Miriam Gillham with the formerly supersized dress she repurposed for daughter for The Slow Clothing Project

Miriam Gillham with the supersized dress she repurposed for her daughter and The Slow Clothing Project

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