TEA AND
A CHAT
SEWING YOUR WAY
TO POSITIVITY WITH
JULIET UZOR, 2019
SEWING BEE WINNER
“Sewing served as
an escape and helped
reduce my anxiety.”
THIS MONTH I’M LOVING...
Watching: TikTok videos!
Learning: Via an online course on
setting up a podcast
Checking out: Fellow sewists who
shared their lockdown sewing videos
on YouTube
Listening to: Chilled piano music
playlists on YouTube
B
eing a self taught sewist who, many
years ago, spent evenings after work
learning how to sew bags and
garments, the lockdown took me
back to my early sewing days. I’ve
spent a lot of time trying out new sewing
techniques, tackling a few self-drafted sewing
patterns that needed tweaks in the past, and
completing old sewing projects in my UFO
(unfinished objects) box. It’s safe to say
sewing served as a great escape from the
media and helped reduce my anxiety and fear.
The act of pinning, cutting, stitching,
hemming and pressing fabrics played a
crucial role in increasing mindfulness and
positivity. It’s easy to get sucked into the hole
of fear but in order to maintain a healthy
mental wellbeing and keep those creative
juices flowing, I also drew inspiration from
the online sewing community. Engaging in
live sewing meet-ups with some Instagram
friends was also fantastic and I encouraged
the members of my Facebook group to
share their makes – no matter how
little. This served as motivation to
continue sewing for their mental
wellbeing. There’s also a huge
sewing community online sharing
ideas on how to sew masks, ear
savers, scrubs and scrub laundry
bags. Like many other small businesses
that require contact with real people to
survive, I took to my YouTube channel
to share sewing inspiration and stay in
contact with the sewing community.
That helped to keep me busy and
reduce any anxiety related to the halt in
my bespoke dressmaking and sewing
education business.Juliet shares sewing, fashion and lifestyle content
at http://www.sewsonatural.com, inspiring women to
sew and own their style. Follow her on Instagram
@julietuzor and search Juliet Uzor on YouTube.