The Manly Art of sewing.

[luvmysuper]

With a lot of time on my retired hands I have branched out from my typical shop work of woodwork, metal lathe turning, welding and home improvement with tobacco pipe repair and refurbishment. Even so, I have more time than I know what to do with so...
I'm teaching myself how to sew.
Yep. Like with a sewing machine.
I know that some may think that sewing isn't a "manly" endeavor - let me remind those who feel that way that a Tailor is an honorable manly occupation.
And...
Who do you think made Mountain Man Jeremiah Johnsons shirts, coats, pants and leggings?
Jeremiah Johnson of course, and he did it by hand! There's no big box store in the wilderness to buy a new pair of moccasins.
The quest to master machinery is an admirable manly trait. It doesn't matter what the machine is.
I'm enjoying the learning process and am curious what the memberships thoughts are on the subject.

I mean, who wouldn't want to be able to make his own rifle sling, bug out bag, repair a wilderness tent or make a warm custom hat for winter?

Anyone else do their own repairs on a favorite ancient pair of jeans or other item that you just can't buy new anymore?
We seem to be evolving into a society that buys, uses and throws away. Why not make a quality item last by repairing it?

 

[silverlifter]

I have darned my own socks for years now. I'll sew buttons back on shirts, and attempt any other sort of repair that can be accomplished with a needle and thread, but I have not got the hang of a machine.

I also tend to use clothes until they are beyond repair. So a nice dress shirt will be worn to the office until it is starting to fray around the collar, and then it gets repurposed for work outside, until it goes into the rag tub and the buttons are salvaged for repairs. Same for other items.

 

[Gdawgs]

I have sewn a few times. My wife is a teacher and makes these little hand puppets every year for a lesson at school. It's a very simple sew job and I help out a bit.

But, sewing machines fascinate me. They are mechanical wonders. If I had the time, I wouldn't mind learning to repair them as a side job.

 

[SharpieB]

I do shirt/suit buttons but that about it.

Sewing machines frustrate me as I tend to get thread tangled and everywhere. Almost have to be a sewing machine mechanic to use one of those things!

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I'll certainly go as far as simple functional repairs. Ripped pockets, lost buttons, etc. My work tends to be bombproof, but fugly

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I do shirt/suit buttons but that about it.

Sewing machines frustrate me as I tend to get thread tangled and everywhere. Almost have to be a sewing machine mechanic to use one of those things!

Agreed. I haven't used one of those since my teens, and don't know if I would have the patience for one now.

 

[BanjoCowboyMartaTobes]

We purchased a sewing machine for our 10 year old daughter a few years ago and she has taught me many stitches. Making dolls is much more fun than playing with them I’ll say. She also shaves with me (no blade) and has her own brush and superspeed.

 

[ColtRevolver]

I learned to sew with a machine in high school in home economics class. I have always had a machine or two.

 

[bjm]

My sewing skills don't go beyond the buttons and small tears, but I applaud your efforts to learn how to use a sewing machine. My dad was skilled in the art and I believe it came from him growing up at a time when nothing was wasted. If an item could be repaired, the smart thing to do was to fix it. Otherwise, you had better have a spare.

I always thought it would be a good idea to learn how to sew using patterns. Find something you like and make as many as you want. I just never seemed to find the time to do it. Kudos to you.

 

[EclipseRedRing]

I remember as a child when my school shirts had worn through at the collar. Times were hard and my Mother would unstitch the collar, turn it around, and stitch it back on by hand so that the inside became the outside. I can't imagine many folks do that these days; I also sew on buttons and repair what I can by hand. I buy clothes that last a long while and are worth repairing, but when I do try to replace worn out items with the same brand the quality has often deteriorated which makes extending the life of a vintage piece even more worthwhile. Nothing 'unmanly' about needlework, being self reliant is about as manly as it gets.

 

[Slock]

My daughter is learning to sew. We got her a machine last year. What is cool is she takes the sewing machine apart and fixes it when it breaks. She is learning how to use tools. It was bit comical when she was trying to tell me she needed an Allen wrench and had no idea what the name for it was. She has absconded with my screwdriver set. I had no idea she had any mechanical ability but she does.

 

[rbscebu]

I was taught to be self-sufficient from an early age. My mother taught me to sew in my early teens, both by machine and hand. Not just seeing but also cutting out from a pattern and sewing the resultant parts together. This skill, as well as many other self-sufficiency skills that I was taught, have remained with me to this day.

Other skills that I have been taught include cooking, ironing, household budgeting and housework. All this has held me in good stead so that I don't need a wife.

 

[luvmysuper]

Making a ripstop canvas cover for the bed of my English Mastiff. She's hard on the cheap covers you can buy.

 

[FarmerTan]

My grandma lived with us, but we never could afford a machine. But she and my mom both, "sewed on their hands" as they called it.

One of my mostest prized possessions is my grandma's old "button tin" that stayed with the house when we bought it. I've used many buttons out of it over the years. Some definitely 100 years old. My Dad sewed. Those Depression Kids never wasted nuttin'!

 

[Paulford]

I was never short of beer money in the Marines. I had a used Juki bartacker and charged $3 a buckle to convert Alice packs and web gear to fastex buckles.

 

[Whisky]

I can sew buttons and patch ripped canvas etc. but that about it. My wife on the other hand is a regular seamstress and frequently makes clothes for our kids.

 

[Doc4]

Every former Boy Scout who learned to sew on his own merit badges knows there's nothing unmanly about sewing.


... but your other friends will still give you some needling.

 

[StlEd]

Do y'all think Dan'l Boon or the mountain men sent their clothes home to be sewn or mended?
Sewing your own gear can be as "manly" as you want to consider it to be.
And yes, I've been sewing some of my own clothes and gear for many years.

 

[joamo]

When I was reenacting, I would sew most of my uniforms. Trousers, shirts, vests and a piped frock coat. The coat was a learning experience but turned out well. Even sewed up a few kilts, children's uniforms and a saddle.

 

[borwish]

I learned how to use a sewing machine in middle school home economics. (Classes were assigned randomly). I will sew any buttons back on myself, but all serious repairs go to the wife. Her hobbies are sewing, knitting, crocheting, and jewelry making.

I've got something that'll be right up some of you guy's alley. A fully functioning, treadle powered, mechanical sewing machine!