Thursday, January 30, 2014

Take The Seamless Pledge!

We've talked a lot about ethical clothing here on the Ears and Whiskers blog, and today Sarah is back with a new challenge for 2014...

I used to love to shop, but lately I've been feeling a pang of guilt every time I walk into Primark or window shop in Topshop. Ever thought that you'd love to spend less time in H&M and more time reworking vintage pieces or amazing finds from the charity shop but aren't sure where to start?

Perhaps you're starting to feel like if you can't guarantee the ethics of shop you'd rather not shop there? Or maybe you're just fed up with seeing people wearing the same clothes as you! (I know I am, always very embarrasing to spot someone else in the room wearing your favourite dress, right?)

If any of the above applies to you and you're looking for a change then why not try The Seamless Pledge!

The Seamless Pledge is all about encouraging people not to buy mass manufactured clothing, and to go out and either make your own or buy something second hand. Hubbard's Cupboard is all about vintage and one of a kind pieces, so I think it fits in with the pledge pretty well! :)



We spoke to Elena Cresci, the girl behind the Seamless Pledge to get an idea of why she started the project :)

How long have you been sewing?

I have been sewing since 2009 I think? I got started in my second year of university (I hand-sewed a wonky skirt), but it wasn't until the Summer I got started with proper patterns and the like. Then, I moved to Germany for a bit, got myself a second-hand sewing machine and tried to improve as much as I could.

What inspired you to create the Seamless Pledge? 

The blog itself actually started as a project for my postgraduate journalism course at university! I was already blogging about sewing at that point, but I kind of wanted to take it to the next level. When I first started sewing, there was a pledge called Wardrobe Refashion, but the woman who had started wasn't able to carry it on. I interviewed Zoe Edwards, another sewing blogger, and we were talking about how it was a shame there wasn't anything like that anymore... enter the Seamless Pledge!
After Zoe shared it, I got loads of people saying they were up for it, it was so surreal. I didn't quite expect it to hit the nerve it did. I think there are a lot of people thinking about the ethical and environmental implications of fashion these days.

How long have you been doing it now? 

I didn't buy any new clothes at all for at least a year, if not more, from October 2011. I'll hold my hands up, I have bought the odd thing since the "official" pledge came to an end in 2012, but I can honestly count on one hand the amount of new clothes I bought in 2013. And one was a Christmas jumper, which I figured was OK because I cannot knit so save my live AND it had a Home Alone reference... Whay!

What are the rules of the Seamless pledge?

The rules
  • No buying new clothes for the duration of your pledge. New mean any new mass-manufactured clothes.
  • You can buy second-hand manufactured clothes – so be prepared to get to know your local charity shops awfully well.
  • Vintage clothing is a-ok!
  • Anything you’ve made by hand is definitely allowed. Get your sewing machines and your knitting needles out, because handmade is definitely in!

What are you sewing goals for 2014? 

I had this whole 12-month challenge set out where I was going to pick one sewing project a month to concentrate on. Annoyingly, it's already come to pieces because a) I haven't had a sewing machine for about a month and b) my first challenge of sewing sequins turned out to be THE MOST TIME-CONSUMING THING EVERRR. Right now I'm drafting "the pain of sequins" post in my head - it's been traumatic. But I'm still going to squirrel away at that challenge because it's more about stretching my sewing abilities than meeting some arbitrary sewing target.
I have a 'Can't Jar' so I'm basically picking things out of that and going from there. I sewed my first pair of trousers recently, which was immense. Next on the list will be things like a bag, a coat... next month, I'd like to draft my own dress pattern. That'll be fun

What tips can you give to people who want to move away from mass market fashion? 

Charity shops are your friend. Seriously. They are the best places. And go to the ones in rich neighbourhoods - when I lived in Guildford, there were constantly designer clothes in the local charity shops. You'd be amazed what people chuck away. Also, you may think you can't sew, but it can be pretty easy to whip up a quick pencil skirt. It's having a big resurgence at the moment, so there are plenty of sewing classes around. That said, there is a plethora of material online from various sewing bloggers who are far better at this sewing lark than I am.

What has been the most helpful resource in learning how to sew new things? 

See above - definitely the sewing blogosphere. You'll be hard pressed to find a kinder and more open community of people online. They are a constant source of inspiration and motivation. Some of my faves are Gertie's New Blog For Better Sewing, Tilly and the Buttons and Zoe (interviewed above). Karen of Did You Make That also has a blog on the Guardian fashion network because she is brilliaaaant. 


What kind of sewing seemed daunting when you started that you now feel you've mastered?

TROUSERS! I definitely haven't mastered them, but I'm going to brag about having made a pair forever and ever. Buttons are also becoming less daunting. What I've found is I can fudge things quite a lot so long as I remember that no one has to see how messy my stuff is on the inside...
-
Thanks Elena! :) Do you think you could give up buying new clothes for a month? Six months? ...*gulp* a year?

If the answer is a big fat YES! then here's how to join in:

 

It’s super simple to join up. Just comment on the site with your name, your blog (if you have one) and how long you’re signing up for. Once you’ve done that, you can also add the button to your blog using this code:


[a href="http://seamlessblog.wordpress.com/the-pledge/" target="_blank">[img src="http://seamlessblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/button.png" alt="The Seamless Pledge" /][/a] (replace the [ ] with < >)


Replace brackets with < > and stick it in a textbox widget on your blog and/or post the following to your social network of choice:

"I (insert your name here) am taking the #seamlesspledge until (length of time here). http://bit.ly/tktV04"

& that's it! Do let us know if you sign up, and if you have a blog then leave the link in the comments, I love to read them! :)
Love

Sarah 

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