Sewing skills shortage

To celebrate National Sewing Machine Day, the BHF is on a mission to bring back sewing. 

Around six in ten (55%) people from the North West say that sewing is a skill that is being lost in today’s generation, with around half of residents (49%) having to ask their mothers to help fix their clothes.

These surprising statistics have been released on National Sewing Machine Day (Tuesday 13 June) by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) for its Big Stitch Campaign.

Taking place throughout July, The Big Stitch encourages consumers to pop into a BHF shop, buy an item(s) and inject their own fashion flair to it to help fund life saving research into heart disease.

Six in ten (60%) people polled revealed they are unable to sew confidently or at all, with around a third (30%) of people revealing that they were never even taught how to sew. The absence of sewing skills in today’s society means around half of residents (49%) have to ask their mothers to help fix their clothes and over one in ten (14%) asks their grandparents for help.

Nearly a quarter of those polled (23%) can’t even sew on a button on properly, around two fifths of people (39%) cannot alter the length of their trousers and around a third (30%) cannot mend a rip in their clothes. Around a fifth (18%) said that if they lost a button, they would buy a new item of clothing instead of fixing it.

It has also resulted in residents in the region spending over £130 million fixing or tailoring clothes and £300 million replacing items of clothing due to an easily-repairable fault last year. Around 26 million items of clothing were thrown or given away in the North West due to a fault that could have been repaired.

However, over half (51%) of people in the North West wish they could sew and around six in ten (59%) are willing to learn the money-saving skill. The BHF’s Big Stitch campaign gives people the perfect opportunity to either put into practice their sewing skills or learn how easy it is to personalise their wardrobe. For a whole month, style seekers will be encouraged to put their own stamp on their wardrobe by visiting a BHF shop and personalising items bought in-store by practising sewing and dressmaking skills.

Jax Black, Senior Costume Technician at London College of Fashion, said: “It is great to see the BHF championing sewing and dressmaking skills. Making alterations, adding buttons, trims, embroidery, and other decorative items to your BHF purchases is a great way to update your wardrobe this July.”

Allison Swaine-Hughes, Retail Operations Director at the BHF, added: “As the largest charity retailer in Europe, we want to bring sewing back to life. It always amazes me to see how clothes can be transformed so easily and cheaply, so we are really looking forward to seeing what the thousands of style seekers across the UK can create throughout July. All of our customers will be helping us raise £100 million to invest in heart research this year, so visit your local shop, buy an item and inject your own style stamp on your clothes this July.”

By visiting one of around 750 BHF charity shops across the UK, buying an item and adding a touch of individual fashion flair to it, shoppers can save a bit of cash and help support life saving research in the fight against heart disease.

For further information on The Big Stitch, which runs from the 1 to 31 July, and information about how to locate your nearest BHF shop visit bhf.org.uk/TheBigStitch