The Quarantine Hyperfixation that Stuck

Five months after move-in day and I have just about settled into my lovely IHouse single room. A kettle, microwave-fridge-freezer, wardrobe full of clothes, and semi-functioning radiator are now at my disposal. Yet my room is markedly different to my room back in Leeds, England (a 2 hour train ride from London, for those who need a reference); I have no sewing machine here.

Cycling through hobbies - rather, hyperfixations- was one of the things which kept me semi-sane during the various national lockdowns last year and the year before. Between riveting online classes, I started reading fiction for fun again, made some tacky jewellery, and then tried to learn Russian on Duolingo. (I may still have the Russian alphabet keyboard on my phone, but do not test me on anything other than “привет”). Each of these phases lasted for a couple of weeks before I needed to find something else to stop me doomscrolling on TikTok all day.

During my 5-hours-a-day doomscrolling era (don’t judge), my algorithm, which had worked out I was into fashion, kept feeding me thrift flips à la the videos in this compilation. I impulsively bought a sewing machine and decided to start altering and upcycling some of the clothes in the back of my wardrobe.

My first sewing machine. Featured image via (yes, sorry, it was from Amazon).

I bought this sewing machine and it served its purpose for a while, honestly. It even came with pre-wound bobbins. After a year almost daily use and abuse, RIP this sewing machine though (2020-2021).

My aim was to teach myself how to sew from scratch, and after allowing myself to watch one (1) YouTube tutorial on how to thread my machine, I began by hemming a pair of trousers which I would previously have to awkwardly roll up, and thus rarely wore. Lots of tedious stitch unpicking and re-sewing later, I had a now wearable pair of trousers.

After staying up for hours at a time wrestling with my machine, and upcycling the clothes I already had, I set myself a goal of making something from scratch. When my local charity shops reopened, I bought a baby pink bedsheet which would form the basis of the next stage of my sewing obsession. I started with a tote bag, then another tote bag, this time with better stitching, and then yet another tote bag for my little sister (my first client??) because she liked the ones I made myself. Then, I made my first pattern and constructed a corset top from that same cotton bedsheet. It was pretty rough but, after that, I was inspired to buy some fabric in a colour I would wear (those who know me know that I only wear dark pink, green, or purple monochrome outfits). After a few more hours, I now had a purple flower print corset top complete with bias binding and a lace up back!

You may be wondering why this hobby stuck and others didn’t. For someone who gets bored easily, I was also surprised. Some may think it is the sunk cost (hi econ majors) of the sewing machine, fabric, thread, et al., but it was more the sense of guilt I felt that I owned many clothes that I hardly wore because they didn’t fit me correctly. The coalescence of being an impulse purchaser (I’m working on it, don’t worry) and my intense reluctance to get rid of anything I have bought, left me with at least half of my wardrobe being almost unwearable.

Learning to sew was my first significant step towards slow fashion. Instead of buying a cheaply-made top that I kinda liked from a fast-fashion brand, I could now make the exact item I envisioned for myself by upcycling charity shop finds or from fabric I bought from a local craft store. When I wear an item I have made, I feel proud and confident- and the serotonin increase I get when someone asks me where it is from is unparalleled. I have started to curate my personal style, while still engaging with some current trends in a more sustainable way by upcycling and making clothes from scratch.

Sadly, the hotel sewing kit my mum brought me when my family came to visit Chicago recently is all I have for now, but I cannot wait to return home this summer to my new sewing machine- which actually has a warranty (but no pre-wound bobbins :/)- this summer.