Does it even need saying that I love to sew? And I mean, LOVE LOVE LOVE! Weither it be emboridering, regular or counted cross stitch, regular clothes, costumes, stuffed toys, almost everything you can thing of, if it can be shown, I love it! The one exception: hemming jeans. Mostly because they kill my sewing machines, and doing them by hand hurts to the point I break out the pliers to save my fingers. Aching hands, cramps in my neck and back, frustrations with fabric sliding, all disappear when the item I created is worn with joy and pride, and the person looks great in it. Now, weither you can sew an entire outfit from pants to coat, or you have trouble threading a needle to sew a button back on, learning the skills needed to sew sturdy garments is an important one.
If TEOTWASKI were to happen tomorrow, how long would your clothing last? Really look at your clothing for a minute. Is the fabric thin or thick, worn or new? Is the stitching in the seams good? If you had to shovel snow to get to the wood pile, would you be soaked by the time you got there? If the clothes you had now were to be soiled, would you know how to clean them by hand? Would you have the means to do so? If what you had now no longer fit, or was in very bad condition, could you replace them?
The clothing we wear can have a lot of impact on our survival. In the obvious ways such as only having a thin shirt and shorts during a freezing winter, heavy wool during summer, heavy gloves for handling wood for the fire or gardening, oven mitts for handling hot serving-wear, etc. But also in less obvious ways, such as having clothing long enough to protect from bites from insects that can turn infected, or protect from sunburn. Helping to shed rain so our core temp stays at the right degree, rather then being soaked and chilled. Clothing is the first step towards shelter. What you have on at any given moment helps to protect your body from the elements around it. Being able to replace your clothing as it becomes worn beyond usfullness for covering your body is essentail.
Now having a sewing machine is not essentail, but it does reduce the time it takes to sew a seam considerably. Even if the power were to fail, all sewing machines have a hand crank that moves all the parts, so it is still usefull after TEOTWAWKI. Not as fast, perhaps, as it being powered remotely, but still much, much faster then hand sewing. Some people are fortunate enough to have an antique machine that was pedal powered, exactly like on a spinning wheel, that would work still. Even if the machine were not working, a rig coule be set up that the hand crack could be moved by frictions through the pedal and wheels. But such is a post for another time. If you do get a machine of your own, read all instructions carefully, and if new to sewing, watch some instructional videos.
Even after TEOTWAWKI, there are many ways of making threads and yarns, and weaving fabric, as well as hides for leather, all of which will need to be sewn to make clothes, bags, carriers. etc, all to make life a bit easier.
If TEOTWASKI were to happen tomorrow, how long would your clothing last? Really look at your clothing for a minute. Is the fabric thin or thick, worn or new? Is the stitching in the seams good? If you had to shovel snow to get to the wood pile, would you be soaked by the time you got there? If the clothes you had now were to be soiled, would you know how to clean them by hand? Would you have the means to do so? If what you had now no longer fit, or was in very bad condition, could you replace them?
The clothing we wear can have a lot of impact on our survival. In the obvious ways such as only having a thin shirt and shorts during a freezing winter, heavy wool during summer, heavy gloves for handling wood for the fire or gardening, oven mitts for handling hot serving-wear, etc. But also in less obvious ways, such as having clothing long enough to protect from bites from insects that can turn infected, or protect from sunburn. Helping to shed rain so our core temp stays at the right degree, rather then being soaked and chilled. Clothing is the first step towards shelter. What you have on at any given moment helps to protect your body from the elements around it. Being able to replace your clothing as it becomes worn beyond usfullness for covering your body is essentail.
Now having a sewing machine is not essentail, but it does reduce the time it takes to sew a seam considerably. Even if the power were to fail, all sewing machines have a hand crank that moves all the parts, so it is still usefull after TEOTWAWKI. Not as fast, perhaps, as it being powered remotely, but still much, much faster then hand sewing. Some people are fortunate enough to have an antique machine that was pedal powered, exactly like on a spinning wheel, that would work still. Even if the machine were not working, a rig coule be set up that the hand crack could be moved by frictions through the pedal and wheels. But such is a post for another time. If you do get a machine of your own, read all instructions carefully, and if new to sewing, watch some instructional videos.
Even after TEOTWAWKI, there are many ways of making threads and yarns, and weaving fabric, as well as hides for leather, all of which will need to be sewn to make clothes, bags, carriers. etc, all to make life a bit easier.