Juliana daRoza ‘22 in her family’s at-home studio space.
Blog post by Juliana daRoza ’22.
With frontline workers in need of personal protective equipment (PPE) of all kinds, people across the globe have come together to collect and make these much-needed supplies. In the fashion world, designer Christian Siriano has been making masks and Pyer Moss has transformed offices into a donation center for supplies. As of late April 2020, states including New York, New Jersey, Hawaii, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Connecticut, among a growing number of others, now require individuals to wear masks in public settings where the recommended 6-foot physical distancing is a challenge. Now more than ever, people are (re)introducing themselves to their sewing machines: making masks means that they must (re)learn the essential skill of sewing. Kelly Kim, class of ‘22 at Cornell University studying communications, recently told me she unearthed an old Singer sewing machine from her garage to keep her occupied and give her a sense of purpose during this time. Although she had never sewn prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, she says that it has been a fun skill to learn, and has helped to relieve stress.
Kelly Kim‘22 makes clothing alterations on her Singer sewing machine.
Ruby Jones ‘22 sporting her handmade mask.
With more time at home, many who never learned how to sew have taken this time to learn, just like Kelly. From major news outlets to personal blogs, many have noted the pandemic’s role in the resurgence of arts and crafts. Since the Industrial Revolution, many Americans have adapted to a life of factory-made goods, including clothing. “Ever since quarantine started, everyone’s revitalized all their home economics activities like sewing, cooking, and knitting,” says Yvonne Schichtel, class of ‘21 studying fashion design at Cornell University. “We’re always buying and consuming more and more when really we all own enough to patch together things we need.” Yvonne makes the important point that our generation, “Generation Z” or “Centennials” in the United States, have never lived through a war nor a depression; we have never had to learn to reuse, conserve, or ration products like previous generations. Our primary and secondary school curriculums did not teach us any of these essential skills, like sewing. These essential skills needed to maintain and manage a home were historically taught through the discipline of Home Economics, which is the origin of Cornell’s College of Human Ecology today. In the Cornell Fashion + Textile Collection (CF+TC), a number of pieces that highlight a time when people learned these essential skills in school. One item, a white muslin pinafore from around the year 1915, particularly stood out to me. The garment was made in an eighth grade home economics class. Tragically, classes like these have all but disappeared from the curriculums offered in our current educational system. If we cannot make something ourselves, we simply order it online —food, clothes, even masks—you name it. Although rationing, conserving, and practicing self-determination are not new, they feel new to a generation like ours who have just have never had to do it.
Many sewing groups and quilt guilds, including my mother’s, have been working tirelessly to make masks for friends, family, and frontline personnel. I, myself, have been using my home machine more than ever with my mom, an artist and quilt instructor. Ruby Jones, class of ‘22 studying fashion design at Cornell University expressed that making masks is a great way to practice and begin home sewing because of the simplicity and basic materials needed. “It’s really easy to use scraps of fabric you may have lying around or to repurpose something else,” she says. Ruby also talked about how making masks and scrub caps for nurses forced her to keep sewing and designing. Although we began making masks and gear as a result of the shortage, the practice has encouraged so many of us to reflect on our skills and creativity, and to question how it is that we have become so accustomed to ordering online and instant delivery. In this new era, with stores closed and online orders delayed, will we eventually return to sewing our own garments? Will home sewing continue after the pandemic?
Juliana daRoza‘22 sewing and constructing masks for frontline personnel, family, and friends.
“Carving out a workspace and sewing again helped me process all these changes” noted Kate Greder, an apparel design PhD student, who has been making masks but has also historically sewn her own clothing. She is not the only one who has turned to sewing to aid in the process of these changes. According to PBS News WTTW, sewing has become a stress relieving task for many people during this time because it allows them to do something with their hands other than typing on a computer or texting on a phone. A close family friend recently called to discuss Singer sewing machines with me. She was looking to purchase one to keep her creatively occupied, but also to do small at-home mending and alterations, such as hemming pants or fixing buttons. Until now, these were tasks she had outsourced.
Home sewn garments in the CF+TC from the late 1960s-early 1970s.
As people (re)turn to sewing as a stress reliever, amidst the context of growing unemployment and the potential of a major economic depression on the horizon, will we begin to see more people making their own clothing? Will the fashion trends of the near future be constructed at home rather than in sweatshops and factories offshore? Fashion history may offer some insights. The Cornell Fashion + Textile Collection includes a number of fashionable garments that were constructed as home sewing projects. These include a brightly colored tweed dress with contrasting buttons from a 1970s McCall’s pattern (CF+TC 2002.09.040), a psychedelic cotton paisley dress and kerchief that was made in 1966 (CF+TC #1996.06.001abc), and a polka dot mini dress from the late 1960s (CF+TC #2008.14.162). These pieces were all from a time when home sewing was taught in schools and considered a popular and more economical alternative to purchasing factory made clothing. The garment was made as a home sewing project and often worn by the donor. As the rise of home sewing continues to grow, it could result in new styles and trends being made from our home offices, living rooms, and bedrooms—that is, anywhere that’s available to set up a sewing machine and ironing board.
Home sewing seemed like a relic of a bygone era just two months ago, but these unprecedented times have given us the opportunity to (re)learn and popularize this essential skill. With our sewing machines we can do something creative with our hands and make ourselves helpful in this moment of world suffering.
Author bio:
Juliana daRoza ‘22 studies fashion design at Cornell University. She is from San Francisco, CA. On campus she is involved with the Cornell Fashion Collective and Thread Magazine.
Citations:
Farber, M. (2020, April 21). What states require coronavirus face masks in public? Retrieved
April 24, 2020, from
https://www.foxnews.com/health/what-states-require-coronavirus-face-masks-in-public
Wetli, P. (2020, April 13). Sewing Has Been Making a Comeback, and it Couldn’t Have
Happened at a Better Time. Retrieved April 24, 2020, from
https://news.wttw.com/2020/04/13/sewing-has-been-making-comeback-and-it-couldn-t-h