Garment sewing was once a necessity for women to present themselves and their families in a socially acceptable manner. Despite societal and economics changes, as well as, an abundance of readily available cheap clothing, there is a resurging interest in personal garment sewing by women. This qualitative study explored the control gained by women who sew their own clothing finding that among the women interviewed personal garment sewing allowed them control over their clothing’s style, fit, and quality, which was not found through purchasing ready-to-wear clothes. Garment sewing permitted these women to present themselves in clothing that they felt more accurately represented their personality and taste. These findings provide insights into the usage of garment sewing by women to control their appearance which allowed them more authority over their clothing selection than their non-sewing peers. Validation of the women’s time spent sewing was established as the findings postulate noteworthy benefits that include increased satisfaction with both their appearance and their presentation of self to others. The findings are explained using theories related to self-presentation and identity.
BuckleyC (1999) On the margins: Theorizing the history and significance of making and designing clothes at home. In: BurmanB (ed.) The Culture of Sewing: Gender, Consumption, and Home Dressmaking, Oxford: Berg Publishers, pp. 55–72.
2.
BurmanB (1999) Made by clever fingers: Home dressmaking in Edwardian England. In: BurmanB (ed.) The Culture of Sewing: Gender, Consumption, and Home Dressmaking, Oxford: Berg Publisher, pp. 33–54.
3.
CampbellC (2005) The craft consumer: Culture, craft, and consumption in a postmodern society. Journal or Consumer Culture5(1): 23–42.
4.
Chan K (1975) The relationship of motivation for sewing, amount of sewing, perceived depersonalization of the job, and creativity. Master’s Thesis, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR.
5.
ChanskyR (2010) A stitch in time: Third-wave feminist reclamation of needled imagery. Journal of Popular Culture43(4): 681–4700.
6.
Christensen D (1995) Amounts, types, and reasons given for home sewing by a group of Wyoming seamstresses. Master’s Thesis, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY.
7.
Conklyn N (1961) Amounts and kinds of home sewing done and the reasons given for sewing by a group of homemakers. Master’s Thesis, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.
8.
Courtless JC (1982) Home sewing trends. Family Economics Review 4: 19–22.
9.
Dorhan A (1987) Motivations of adults to participate in sewing courses. Master’s Thesis, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
10.
EmeryJ (2014) A History of the Paper Pattern Industry: The Home Dressmaking Fashion Revolution, New York: Bloomsbury.
11.
FrancisJJohnstonMRobertsonC, et al. (2010) What is an adequate sample size? Operationalizing data saturation for theory-based interview studies. Psychology Health25(10): 1229–1245.
12.
GiddensA (1991) Modernity and Self-Identity: Self and Society in the Late Modern Age, Cambridge: Polity Press.
13.
GordonS (2004) “Boundless possibilities”: Home sewing and the meanings of women’s domestic work in the United States, 1890–1930. Journal of Women’s History16(2): 68–291.
14.
GordonS (2009) “Make It Yourself”: Home Sewing. Gender, and Culture 1890–1930, New York: Columbia University Press.
15.
GuyABanimM (2000) Personal collections: Women’s clothing use and identity. Journal of Gender Studies9(3): 313–327.
16.
GuyAGreenEBanimM (2001) Through the Wardrobe, Oxford: Berg Publisher.
17.
HackneyF (1999) Making modern women, stitch by stitch: Dressmaking and woman’s magazines in Britain 1919–39. In: BurmanB (ed.) The Culture of Sewing: Gender, Consumption, and Home Dressmaking, Oxford: Berg Publisher, pp. 73–96.
18.
Haider Z (2014) All sewn up: The popularity of do-it-yourself fashion will strengthen industry growth. IBIS World Industry Report no. 45113. Los Angeles, CA: IBIS World, December.
19.
Haider Z (2015) Loose thread: Competition from e-commerce and online auctions will stunt growth. IBIS World Industry Report no.45113. Los Angeles, CA: IBIS World, July.
20.
HallSJayneM (2016) Make, mend and befriend: Geographies of austerity, crafting and friendship in contemporary cultures of dressmaking in the UK. Gender, Place & Culture23(2): 216–234.
LuckmanS (2013) The aura of the analogue in a digital age: Women’s crafts, creative markets and home-based labour after Etsy. Cultural Studies Review191: 249–270.
28.
McCrackenG (1988) The Long Interview, London: Sage.
29.
McLean M (2005) Home sewing and the construction of feminine identities in Alberta, 1950–1970. Master’s Thesis, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
30.
MatcharE (2013) Homeward Bound: Why Women Are Embracing the New, New York: Simon & Schuster.
31.
Orton-JohnsonK (2014) DIY citizenship, critical making, and community. In: RattoMBolerM (eds) DIY Citizen: Critical Making and Social Media, Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, pp. 141–155.
32.
RitzerGDeanPJurgensonN (2012) The coming of age of the prosumer. American Behavioral Scientist56: 379–398.
33.
Roach-Higgins M and Eicher J (1995) Dress and identity. In: Roach-Higgins M, Eicher J and Johnson K (eds) Dress and Identity. New York, NY: Fairchild, 7–18.
34.
SaldañaJ (2016) The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers, London: Sage.
35.
Schofield-Tomschin S (1994) Perceived needs and benefits of home sewing: A regional study. Master’s Thesis, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND.
36.
Twigger HolroydA (2017) Folk Fashion, London: I.B. Tauris.
37.
York M (1961) Practices and opinions of a select group of homemakers with regards to home sewing. Doctoral Dissertation, Oklahoma State University – Stillwater, Stillwater, OK.
