I know lots of people were sewing before we were all told to shut ourselves in our homes for the last year and a bit. However, it seems that sewing is making a return to those who had sold their machines and donated their stash. There are also so many new people picking up sewing. Maybe they were sewing masks at the beginning but soon they will be branching into new sewing projects. How do I know this?
Evidence #1
I called my local sewing machine dealer to ask some questions about how to make a better button hole on my vintage machine and to discuss what a new machine could do for me. Stores like this live for those days when someone asks about a new machine because they don’t usually sell one ever day….until now. The dealer told me all about the new machines and then told me they wouldn’t be able to sell me one any time soon. They explained due to the pandemic, sewing machines were on short supply.
Evidence #2
Where I live, we have had a lot of shutdowns. Everything from stores not being able to sell anything except essentials in person to reduced capacity in stores. I have been sewing regularly since 2017 so I am used to being in Fabricland with a few quilters, a couple people buying some fabric to make a cushion and Hutterites (a religious group who live in secluded colonies) who sew all of their own clothes. Even on a busy day there was plenty of room for me to walk around. It’s rare that I ever saw someone buying a fashion pattern or apparel fabric. This all changed during the pandemic. I remember the first time I tried to saunter into Fabricland only to be stopped at the door and told to wait in my car. Only then did I notice a parking lot full of people with their engines running in the cold weather. A. Parking. Lot. FULL!!!! That day, I had to wait 90 minutes to get a chance to go in their store. The next weekend I went to a different store and had to wait in a line of people for an hour in the winter cold. A. Line. of. People!!!!! The store had reduced capacity but never had I been in Fabricland with more than 10 people in there with me on a regular day. The line had women, teens, old men and young men. These were sewers I had never seen before….and I go there often
Evidence #3
In Winnipeg there are 2 fabric stores – it’s actually quite sad when I consider how many places we had when I was a kid. You could buy beautiful fabrics and at decent prices. Now we have Marshall Fabrics and Fabricland. I don’t like Marshall Fabics because the prices are high for what I want. At Fabricland they have a clearance section where I can buy fabric at a decent price, albeit limited choice. Anyways, what I noticed is that in the last year Fabricland has been bringing in more fashion fabrics. This year they even had a selection of swimsuit fabric, not an endless amount but more than I saw 2 years ago when I sewed my own suit. They seem to be carrying more for people, like me, who sew clothes. Prior, it seemed they focused on quilting because I think that’s who their customers were. When they had a sale on the bargain fabrics this spring, I wasn’t the only one grabbing fashion fabrics (as much as I could carry). There were other people buying 5 – 10 different types of apparel fabric. Another thing I noticed is Fabricland has been putting out clearance patterns and people are buying them fast. They haven’t had a single sale on vogue/mccalls/butterick patterns this year because I think they know people will just buy them with their membership discount. I don’t – I wait for them to come on sale online on the Mccalls site and then buy direct from them. However in the last few years, I used to wait for the pattern sale and buy them when they went for $5 – $7…..but Fabricland is wise to the pandemic sewers, they don’t need to cut the price.
Evidence #4
I talked about seeing people I had never seen before at the store but I know they are new to sewing because of the questions they ask. I saw an older lady pull out a pattern she had bought online and ask the fabricland clerk to help her figure it out. That is the first time I have ever seen someone pull out all the tissue and lay it out on the cutting table. The next time I was there another woman asked the clerk at the cutting table to help pick out all the supplies she needed for her project. It was a bit irksome because I had to wait for 20 minutes to get my fabric cut while this lady had a personal shopper but I realized she was completely new to sewing.
Evidence #5
Finally, the one thing that has happened in this pandemic period is pattern sales. I started my shop in the pandemic so I don’t have a starting point to compare. What I am analyzing are the types of patterns people are buying and the types of customers I have interacted with. There are lots of new sewers and there are lots of old sewers starting to sew again. Around Christmas, we had so many patterns sold for Christmas presents. For myself, due to the lockdown I couldn’t shop in stores for gifts. I had to buy it online or sew it and I think many people experienced the same thing. Every time my husband wears the gifts I made him, I feel really proud. I even bought some patterns for next Christmas. It’s possible the pandemic sewing effect will not go away when everything opens again.
This makes me extremely happy! Where I live, if more people sew it means we might get more selection in our stores….or even better, get some independent stores. Right now, if I want bra making supplies, swim wear lining, hat making supplies, fine wool or silk I have to order through Etsy or China. I don’t mind supporting Esty sellers but the shipping really adds to the costs of a project so I would prefer to shop locally.
So here’s to the positive effects of the pandemic! Cheers to all those new sewers and their seam rippers!
Style Sewciety 