Making Modern Women, Stitch by Stitch

The role of nostalgia in retro sewing

“…Sewing and DIY have always encapsulated feminist characteristics by allowing the participant to challenge social norms and define their own visual identity (Gordon, 2004;Hackney, 1999). Recent studies have identified sewing as having the same characteristics as third-wave feminism (Bain, 2016;Martindale, 2017).…”

Women’s motivations to sew clothing for themselves

“…The sentiments expressed by the women of this study echoed that of third-wave feminists who reclaimed fiber-related handcraft as a leisure activity (Chansky, 2010;Rowe-Finkbeiner, 2004;Stalp, 2015). The decision these women made to use their leisure time to sew was a deliberately made choice (Chansky, 2010) with no economic or societal pressures evident, as in previous generations (Buckley, 1999;Burman, 1999;Gordon, 2004Gordon, , 2009Hackney, 1999;McLean, 2005). Although none of the women in the study identified themselves as feminists, they held views similar to third-wave feminists as they used their sewing as a creative outlet and an opportunity to express their individuality.…”

“…however, despite these women's backgrounds, all of their decisions were linked to ideas of women's work, domesticity, and family (Gordon, 2004(Gordon, , 2009Hackney, 1999). The findings from this previous research has revealed much about the economic and productive benefits of women sewing and indicated that home sewing plays a role in women's identity construction.…”

“…The findings of qualitative studies revealed many of the same economic factors for women sewing: that sewing was a way for women to possess items that they could not afford to purchase and provided a way for them to present themselves and their families in socially acceptable clothing (Buckley, 1999;Burman, 1999Gordon, 2004Hackney, 1999;McLean, 2005). Furthermore, the researchers in these studies looked closer at women's sewing practices; they found that sewing was an opportunity for women to be creative and the findings revealed the role that sewing garments had on the identity construction of women (McLean, 2005).…”

“…These behaviors are comparable to the upscale sewing consumer segment, identified by Kean and Levin (1989), whose interest was in creating unique high quality clothing items as opposed to purchasing them. Previous qualitative researchers who looked at women's sewing in the last decades of the 19th and first half of the 20th century indicated that sewing was used by women as a means of control over self-presentation (Buckley, 1999;Burman, 1999;Gordon, 2004Gordon, , 2009Hackney, 1999;McLean, 2005). Yet those women's sewing practices were undertaken out of economic need to insure their appearance was presented in a socially acceptable manner when they didn't have the option of buying their garments (Buckley, 1999;Burman, 1999;Gordon, 2004Gordon, , 2009Hackney, 1999;McLean, 2005).…”