You might have observed that the mass-made products on the market run out of use in quite a short time. That is because not all of our needs can be matched by a standard commodity since we all have unique wants and needs. Also, there emerges a new want or need with every passing day, and neither us nor the market can keep up with the pace of life in the twenty-first century.
Maybe that is how the market keeps itself alive: by constantly opening up spaces that it can then invade. Maybe that is where human greed has led us to. Maybe that happens only because our lizard rulers in hiding decree it so. Don’t give into the bleakness, though, because I am about to make a hopeful point: no matter how advanced the influence of the market and mass production is, it can never meet the millennia-long conventions of human beings to “do-it-yourself”: to employ their own skills on unique and practical DIY projects.
Therefore, believe me when I say that no purchased item will be able to replace the usefulness of what you can sew in the comfort of your home. You can customize your projects however you see fit to your needs, and even if they run out of their usefulness from wear-and-tear or growing obsolete, you can easily adjust them further.
Now, let’s see in detail what you can sew and how useful it can be.
Phone-Charging Station
A phone-charging station might sound like an unnecessary accessory given we like immediate access to our phones at all times, but imagine how a phone being charged is able to obstruct you: the problem of where to place it, the hassle the charging cable creates when it’s left loose, and the overall unaesthetic appearance of a cable hanging from the wall.
When it’s in a neatly-sewn pouch near the socket while charging, however, your place will still look as tidy as ever, and that’s not even the only use it might have. With your phone theoretically out of sight and out of touch (at least for a while), you won’t have to read all the boring texts on your messaging groups, you won’t have to return calls you don’t want to, and you won’t have to log on to Twitter and fall into despair (or is it just my feed that’s depressing?).
Moreover, a phone-charging station is quite easy to sew, too. Considering the quantity and quality of its benefits and the little effort you have to put in to create one, it sounds like a project you won’t regret.
Organizers and Caddies
These simple pouches come in many forms: an ironing board organizer, a sofa caddy, a bedside pouch with many pockets, or a walker caddy. Therefore, the way they are sewn will vary depending on what purpose they will serve (their use).
A sofa caddy may have pockets for phones, remote controllers for your TV, stereo, or A/C units, books, and other little items you like keeping at your side while relaxing on your living room sofa. A bedside pouch for your kids will probably have a special unit for their favorite toys – it might also have a pocket for glasses if there are any in use. If there is an elderly person around you who can only move around with the help of a walker, the caddy you’ll sew for them will have pockets for what they cannot carry while holding onto the bars of their walker.
In short, a standard organizer will not be able to match the unique needs of every household. Therefore, you’ll shortly reap the benefits of starting a sewing project for customized organizers and caddies when you see how they increase the quality of life and reduce effort (work smart, not hard!).
Hand Purses
Some things are easier sewn than bought, and a purse is one of those, that is if you are not looking for a fancy and expensive look, full genuine leather, or a glamorous presence in one.
Let me confess: my mom and I have purchased our fair share of such purses, most of which were eventually left to decay in various corners of our houses. We had raided my grandma’s house together after she passed away and saw that it was a family tradition and that most of her empty purses scattered around the house were now a home for spiders. You might say that the women of this lineage have a consumerist craze but I think ours is just a quest for the perfect purse.
What is the perfect purse? Well, I can brag about being the wisest of all the women in my ancestry, and I claim that the perfection of a hand purse has nothing to do with the material it’s made of or its appearance, but only its practicality. The companies that showcase glamorous purses on their displays or that put them on nominal discounts online and then notify you as if they have achieved world peace can never predict and create what you want in a purse.
Guess what, though? The power to sew the perfect purse with the utmost practicality is bestowed upon you by your sewing machine and the ancestral collection of impulsively-bought-and-useless purses. You can make the best of it and have a purse that completely addresses your needs with all the necessary compartments with just a few straight stitches and beautiful fabric. Appearances are still important, after all.
Baskets
You know those straight baskets, right? It’s early morning and you and your family are jumping with excitement because you are just about to leave for a picnic. You organized all the stuff you need for some good time, put your wine, cheese, cookies, spreads, and the fancy bread you cooked in the dead of the night (because you wanted it to be as fresh as possible for your picnic) into one of those ordinary baskets, and then carefully placed the basket in the trunk of your car.
No matter how straight the road is or how smoothly you drive, though, there is still a big possibility that you’ll see your trunk has become a mess because the basket failed to do its one simple job: contain things.
Does sewing also offer a solution for potential spills that might happen during your exciting picnic trips? Why, my dear, yes, of course. Just by sewing a customized picnic basket that has special compartments for everything you might need, you can easily do away with the worry.
Cases for Phones, Pads, and Laptops
Phones, pads, and laptops are pretty valuable items and that’s not only because you paid a great deal for them but also because they contain documents, photos, and texting histories you don’t want to lose – assuming that you hate to backup like me. Therefore, you know why you shouldn’t drop them on the ground from a considerable height and why you shouldn’t spill soda on them, and that’s why you are holding onto them tightly at all times as if your life depended on it.
However, there is still the possibility that an unexpected accident might happen and your beloved device might just stop working. Now, the question is, is buying a case specifically recommended by the brand worth the price?
My answer to this question was and still is no. Rather than paying more than its worth for a “professional” case, you can easily sew one on your own, and it’ll be just as safe and even more beautiful than its alternative.
Adjustable Aprons
I just hate it when my partner is running around in the kitchen with a knife in their hand, asking where the knife is (the very knife they are holding). They are not a particularly forgetful person, but it’s something that happens to everyone in the heat of the moment. Therefore, I have recently sewn an adjustable apron, which, I hope, will be left behind when we break up.
Thanks to the apron, my partner started putting all the little kitchen utensils they might need into the pockets of the apron, so all the tools have their place and are always at hand. No pocket for knives, though – I can’t possibly allow for that since I don’t want to be an accessory to murder by adjustable apron.
For knives, I am thinking of sewing a custom knife roll that could be just hung on the counter, but I am still trying to process if it’s too masculine a thing to own.
Makeup Organizer
Not everyone has the same focus when it comes to makeup, so the “tools” they need vary. Instead of going on a search in the marketplace for the best makeup organizer, you can easily sew one and perfectly fit everything you have in it.
Do you need a makeup brush roll that you can hang on your bathroom closet and easily have access to? It would just take a little nail and stitching a hanger on the back of your roll.
Final Thoughts
I have already covered how to have fun while sewing by recommending a handful of entertaining projects, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t prioritize practicality. Also, just because the end-product has a use doesn’t mean the process of sewing it is any less fun.
I personally have fun while making pouches, bags, or purses that are absolutely more useful than their mass-produced and expensive alternatives. My neighbors can testify in court how I cry out in joy while sewing a tiny little pocket on a pouch for a hologram unit that I might need in future, like: “Up yours, Gucci!”, or: “Have that, you despicable lizards – you won’t be able to pull me towards your darkness!”
I am sure that you and I will be sharing this pleasure once you start experiencing the benefits of sewing yourself, and if you want, we’ll even sing together: “Sue me, Louis Vuitton!”
