A stitch in time avoids fast fashion

An experienced seamstress is sharing her skills hosting sewing classes to help others make their own clothes and homewares. Carly reports.

When Jo Emmens first learned to sew, she timed herself, aiming to get faster with every skirt she made. Decades later it’s more about precision than pace as she passes on her expertise to others looking to turn a bolt of fabric into something visually pleasing – and more than likely the perfect fit.

Emmens opened the doors to her sewing classes at The Stitchery in Ferrymead, Christchurch, two and a half years ago to “teach people the joy of sewing, because it’s so much fun”, she said.

Courses include afterschool children’s classes, adult beginners, an evening “give it a go” class, and a social sew for people to bring along their own projects and take advantage of Emmens’ knowledge and space.

For some, getting the sewing machine out is a hobby, or a once in a blue moon occurrence when a hem needs taking up, but for Emmens it’s a career and a way of life.

Sewing is a passion and skill passed down from her mum. “My mum taught me how to sew. In a rural community, she was ... one of the local dressmakers in the area. All the girls would go to her to get their ball dresses made.”

She was a “really really good sewer”, who “made all our clothes growing up”, Emmens said.

Her mother’s passion for needle and thread has been passed on to Emmens too.

“I pretty much make everything. I don’t remember the last time I bought myself some clothes.”

The only exception was activewear due to the difficulty of sourcing quality fabrics, she said.

Making your own clothes allowed you to ensure they were the perfect fit for your body shape, the exact fabric and pattern of your choosing, and items that would last “longer than any fast fashion garment”, Emmens said.

That is, if time and care is taken during sewing.

She remembered making “very basic straight skirts with a zip and a waist band” when she was young, “and I used to time myself to see how fast I could make them”.

“They probably weren’t very well made,” she said, but she wanted to see if she could “make the next one faster”.

After completing design school, Emmens moved to Christchurch, eventually entering product development and pattern making, doing “the rounds of all the outdoor companies” that were once based in New Zealand, including Macpac and Kathmandu.

“Way back, I always thought maybe it would be quite cool to be a sewing teacher, but I never followed it through.

“Now I’m getting to do that in a smaller class with people who actually want to be here rather than school children who probably aren’t that interested.”

She said a lot of the people coming through her doors had sewn once at school and never touched it again due to a “bad experience”, usually due to “awful sewing teachers”.

“It really does surprise me how many people have never ever sewn in their lives.”

One of her favourite aspects of sewing was being able to take a flat piece of fabric “and turning it into a three dimensional garment that fits your body shape”.

Simple pattern adjustments could make an item fit well, she said.

Seeing her students complete their projects – and “the look on their face when they’ve made something themselves”, especially the children – also gave her a boost.

“They’re blown away they can sew something ... and something wearable. It’s really rewarding, I really love it.”