Nowadays, we are using smartphones, tablets, computers and lots of other gadgets, they are everywhere. You just canât get away from them. However, when you start a sewing journey it is completely off-grid (well, we still need the power grid).
However, sewing is not necessarily the first thought that springs to mind when you’re looking to have fun. But you will find that hours will fly past without you actually looking at your phone. No, honestly I mean it.
In times gone past, sewing was mostly something they did because they didnât have a choice. After all, things were not so readily available or perhaps money was tight, but wanting to look good is human nature and sometimes just needing to have clothes and uniforms were a necessity.
Nowadays, the reasons for sewing and starting a sewing journey are a lot different. It is cheaper to buy a dress or a T-shirt than to sew one. So why on earth would we start a sewing journey when we can buy what we need so cheaply?
Well, I think that when you sew, youâre not just making a bag, a T-shirt or a dress, youâre being creative.
Part of you is displayed to the world with everything you make. You are making choices about the style, colour and material for every project. Itâs your skill level thatâs on display with everything you make. You are actually releasing your creative juices, it allows you to express yourself and feel good, and besides, itâs fun!
After retiring, losing your job, breaking off an important relationship, or other changes in your life, it might be good to find some new passions and new goals. So why not start a sewing journey? It will definitely take your mind away from stuff you donât want to think about and the best thing is, in the morning it wonât cause a hangover!!!
Sewing will make you happier, right away
We all want to be happy in the future, but why not be happy in the present, because thatâs a nice present. With sewing, youâll enjoy the present and not worry about the future. After all, sewing is a journey, not a destination.
When you complete your first project and you show it to your friends and family and they admire your handiwork, it’s a fair bet that you will get a sense of pleasure and even pride in what youâve achieved.
Furthermore, while making whatever it is, you will envision how good it will look on you or in your home/office/car. This sense of achievement will, without a doubt, improve your self-worth. You just need to take the first step and then enjoy the journey.
When youâre sewing, your mind is occupied with deciphering a pattern, threading the machine, cutting out, pinning together a seam and even unpicking what youâve done because it’s not quite right. But during that time any worries or concerns will have just melted away and you effectively take a break from your daily life. Add into the mix chatting with others at the same time and worries just donât stand a chance hence, âSewing TheraBeeâ.
Sewing itself is usually an individual activity, but for decades people have been creating sewing bees where they got together to sew.
When you start a sewing journey it can help to improve your mind
In the same way that sudoku and crosswords can stimulate our brains and make them healthier, so does sewing. Learning to use a sewing machine takes practice, and the process of sewing is a very detail-oriented one.
Your brain has to solve problems all the time when you are sewing but they are different problems and itâs that that helps relieve the stress.
When you start a sewing journey you will have to become acquainted with many sewing terms, techniques and find out how and what to do on a sewing machine. Very rapidly, youâll have better coordination, faster reflexes and your ability to focus improved. Not to mention you will very quickly learn to have a deep respect for needles.
Sewing can improve your health
People think that you are constantly sitting while sewing. Nothing is further from the truth. The fact is you are moving a lot, you need to get up to cut the fabric, you need to get up to press the fabric every 5 minutes, you need to change machines for different kinds of operations. One minute youâre on the sewing machine then you’re using the overlocker or maybe the cross-stitch machine (we haven’t got one of those yet!!!)
Finally
Even if you donât, or canât, come to one of our Sewing TheraBee sessions, I hope this article has encouraged you to do something that allows you to unplug for a while and do something completely different. This is from a guy that is never more than a few feet from his phone/Ipad/computer. Except of course when Iâm sewing and then I have no idea where it is. These days quite often the sewing machines are the only tech fix I need.