Design and Product Development

Motivations for Lingerie Sewing among Contemporary Seamstresses

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Abstract

The home sewing industry is experiencing a major boom in participation (Hall & Jayne, 2016; Martindale & McKinney, 2020),especially since the Covid-19 pandemic. Additionally, there has been more interest among home sewers in making lingerie, in particular bras (Redfern, 2020; Ryan, 2021). There are numerous blogs and websites selling lingerie sewing patterns, supplies, and even offering workshops (Ryan, 2021). This begs the question, what are the motivations for home sewers to make their lingerie? To explore the purpose statement, a sample of16 participants was recruited for inclusion in this research. Participants demonstrated similar motivations for sewing lingerie as past research findings,enjoyment of the activity, creativity, community support, and ability to properly fit their bodies. Surprisingly, some were quick to point out that being “sexy” was not part of their motivation for sewing lingerie and should be further investigated. 

Keywords: home sewing, lingerie, motivations, crafting

How to Cite:

Stannard, C. R. & Honeycutt, L. D., (2024) “Motivations for Lingerie Sewing among Contemporary Seamstresses”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 80(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.17397