Recently I have been watching “The Great British Sewing Bee” on Tuesday evenings and have found it entertaining and inspiring, though so far, I have not gone so far as to buy a sewing machine, having sold mine many years ago. If you haven’t seen the programme the format is that 12 contestants, all with good basic sewing skills, are presented with 3 challenges each week on a theme, for example children’s week, Mexico, summertime, literary icons, sports week. On each episode one contestant is awarded “garment of the week” and another contestant is asked to leave by the judges as their contributions have not met required standards. In the final episode three remaining contestants will compete to be named winner of the series.
One of the recurring themes on each series is “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle week”. This is one of the most thought provoking aspects of the programme. In the past I had thought of waste mainly in terms of the earth’s food resources but this programme has made me realise just how wasteful we are with textiles and clothing. 92 million tonnes of fabric are wasted each year, which is quite shocking to think about. The Sewing Bee aims to challenge the fashion industry and ourselves to become more sustainable.
In ” Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” week the contestants are required to make garments or other items from discarded fabrics. This year they had to make children’s toys out of old fleeces, pants out of old T shirts, and design new outfits out of old school uniform. So they not only have to be able to sew well but also be able to design outfits that are wearable and attractive from old preloved clothing. In past series contestants have had to design clothes out of old tents, and out of old curtains.
It has been good to see this emphasis on sustainability put across so strongly on a TV programme that will influence so many people up and down the country. It has certainly made me think about what can be made out of old things and how our relative affluence has made us careless about how we value fabrics and our clothing.
I have noted too that younger people often buy their clothes second hand from the website “Vinted” or from charity shops. We older folk may have to overcome some of our previous prejudices about second hand clothing, as there is much we can learn from their example about valuing the earth’s resources.
Prayer – God our Father. Help us to be mindful of waste in all areas of our lives. We thank you for those who use their creative skills to design, sew, knit and crochet clothes that use the rich array of fabrics and materials in our world.