Sewing for Tznius

She makes her own bedspreads; her clothing is of fine linen and luxurious cloth. — Mishlei 31:22

She makes and sells linens; she supplies the merchants with sashes. She is robed in strength and dignity, and she smiles at the future. — Mishlei 31: 24-25

It is a Jewish tradition for the married Jewish woman to aspire to the ideals of the Eishes Chayil, the Woman of Valor.   A survey was recently sent out to a group of N’shei Chayil who values the mitzvah of modesty and sews tznius clothing. Here are the results of the survey compiled by Mrs. Moriya Chesler.

Survey Questions

This survey asks the following questions:

1. Age
2. What is your skill level?
3. How long have you been sewing?
4. Do you sew professionally?
5. Do you sew for yourself?
6. Do you sew for your family?
7. How often do you sew?
8. What do you sew?
9. Where did you learn sewing?
10. Do you make your own sewing patterns?
11. Do you think sewing for tznius is a necessity in this generation?
12. Do you find sewing financially manageable?
13. Do you think sewing should be included in this generation’s school curriculum?
14. Would you encourage others to sew for tznius, and why?

Results

Here are some quotes from survey participants on the question: ‘Would You Encourage Others to Sew for Tznius and Why?’

Yes, because in addition to tzniut,  it’s a great skill to be able to make clothes that fit you well, and are the style & color that you want.

 

Yes. When you sew your own garment, you can design in tznius elements from the beginning, and they will look like they belong. I don’t really like the layered look prevalent today as people try to make their clothes tznius without sewing. As a side note, I do a lot of kickpleating or otherwise filling in slits in skirts — so much easier to design a skirt without or even to build the kickpleat into the design and not need to match or coordinate added fabric afterwards!

 

Yes, because sewing for tznius is now a necessity in order to dress modestly al pi halacha.

 

Everyone would benefit from having basic skills, to be able to let down a hem, or put in a snap or button. Also to understand what is possible to do with pre-made garments & what is not.

 

Yes. Some of the current untznius styles can easily be made tznius-like.

 

It is very hard to find cloths that are affordable that are Tznius. Even in Israel sometimes the Tznius stuff is borderline.

 

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Mrs. Moriya Chesler’s work can be found on JoyOfTznius.com, KosherPatterns.com, and ModestAnytime.com.