Sewing isn’t just your grandma’s hobby anymore. Driven by a reaction to fast fashion (inexpensive trend-focused clothing made by mass retailers) and a desire to address sustainability, more people are not only making their own apparel but also repairing items in lieu of buying new. This, in turn, has led to a wave of new sewing classes in Milwaukee, as sewing and crafting clubs.
“The fact that people aren’t being taught to sew isn’t erasing the need for sewing,” says Vanessa Andrew, who teaches sewing classes through her Madam Chino brand, adding that AI “makes people crave authenticity and realness.”
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Her classes in West Allis nearly always fill up – a testament to this growing trend, and why she pivoted from selling her sewn items to teaching the skill. “People are finally understanding the impact of fast fashion and realizing thrifting is more fun, but want to make stuff fit,” she says.
This has spawned a network of young people either teaching the creative discipline or gleaning sewing tips through Instagram and TikTok. “Despite daunting algorithms, social media is connecting people over the craft, the creativity and the morale, allowing a place for people to share, inspire and learn from one another,” she says.
Another reason sewing is hot? It’s self-soothing. “[In 2020], we had time to be creative and express ourselves. ‘What lights us up? What makes us happy?’” says Shelby Ross of Chapter Two Sewing, who plans to launch sewing workshops in the Milwaukee area this summer. By hosting these in fun gathering spots, like wine bars, she hopes they’ll appear fun and not intimidating.
In addition to earning a B.S. in fashion design and development from UW-Stout and launching a career in technical design, Ross runs a clothing-repair business. Through this, she learned how much her clients want to tackle the sewing themselves. “Economic factors are driving people to look at what we have and say ‘How can I expand the longevity of what I have?,’” she says. “There’s a lot of waste out there. How can we use what we have better?”
“My goal is to show people they can do these things,” says Ross. “It’s more important for me to spread this skill and really empower people to feel good that they can do this.”
Sewing Classes in Milwaukee
Madam Chino’s, West Allis: “Machine Operations” class (1 p.m. to 4 p.m. first and third Sundays, and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. second Sundays) and “Open Sew Lab” (5 p.m. to 8 p.m. first, third and fourth Sundays, and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. second and fourth Sundays); $50 per session
To Hell and Back’s “Purl Jam Fiber Club,” The Drawing Room at Var Gallery, Walker’s Point: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., third Thursday of the month; suggested donation of $5-10 (optional)
Heidi Parkes’ “Hand Darning Techniques,” online: anytime at your own pace; $9.95 per session (Parkes teaches eight other online classes)
Nohemí Chávez Contreras’ private-instruction sewing classes debuted last October, tailored to specific needs, and focused on machine basics, sewing tutorials and clothing repairs
