Why is it that ‘home-made’ is a good thing for cakes? No-one minds a wonky home-made Victoria sponge cake, because you know it’ll be super-tasty, but for clothes, home-made’s to be avoided at all costs. My sewing might be straighter and neater by now, but Bunmi tells me if I don’t understand the basics, my sewing will definitely look home-made.
Have you ever looked – really looked closely – at the insides of your clothes? That’s where you’ll see the difference between high street and high end. Right at the top of the scale, everything’s covered, bound, concealed; the stitching almost invisible. That takes years to learn, and hundreds of hours to do. We’re relieved she’s not going to be expecting us to do that. But we need to understand the different types of seam, and how to press and finish them. Without that anything we make will at best fall apart quickly, and at worst, look like the dreaded ‘home-made’.
Bunmi shows us the insides of some shop-bought garments. And the difference is clear. The scarcely-worn high street piece shows where corners have been cut to keep the cost down: the seams aren’t finished neatly, and the inside of the waistband is starting to fray. The designer piece is made from linen and looks almost new “It’s 10 years old, and I’ve worn it every year. It seemed expensive when I bought it, but cost-per-wear, it’s almost owing me.” She explains.
So it’s finishing and fabric? The better they are, the better the clothes will look. And she’s right: the class compares notes, and we all moan about Zara clothes where the buttons drop off after one wear. If we’re going to be investing time and effort into making something, we want it to look right.
Bunmi gives us homework this week: go shopping. Not to buy, just to look. Avoid Zara (too easy a target) and go somewhere higher end to inspect the finishing. So if you see me in the West End this week, I’ll be the one looking at the seams.
