Hi everyone! My name is Kaitlyn and I created this website for my capstone. 

Here's my story: After learning about fast fashion in middle school, I started thrifting. I wanted to buy clothes that were already going to end up in a landfill so that I didn't contribute to companies that mass produce clothing our planet doesn't need more of. Once I started thrifting, I came across one main issue: most of the clothes I found were adorable but just didn't fit me exactly how I wanted them to. I realized that if I got a sewing machine, I would be able to alter the clothes I bought to fit me perfectly!

So my Grandma bought me a sewing machine and I taught myself first how to alter my clothes. I learned about hems and seams and eventually began making tank tops out of my mom's old clothes that had a lot of fabric to them. I would use my old shirts for reference, cut out the fabric, and try my best to recreate whatever shirt I had initially been trying to make. Sewing became something very fun for me and I always felt such a large sense of accomplishment whenever I would finish a piece that I made all by myself.

I realized that the shirts I created I valued even more than clothes I had bought from the thrift store. They were things that I made through using my own hands and mind, and they were unique because I made them out of my mom's old fabric from her old clothes! Sewing has become such an integral part of my life because I can use it not only to make new things but also to mend old things. I always use my sewing machine to fix holes in my loved ones' clothing, which transforms them from things that were going to get thrown away into usable items again.

All of these things are reasons why I decided to center my capstone around sewing. I think it's an important skill to be able to fix things up again, especially because our society is so largely based on consumerism. People nowadays oftentimes purchase cheap clothing from companies who use low quality textiles and pay their workers next to nothing. Supporting these businesses is only worsening the state of our planet because these items get thrown away often after just a few uses. 

It's important for people to value their items so that they keep and take care of them. That's my goal with my capstone: to be able to inspire others to get creative. Rather than throwing something away that appears to have no use, why not repurpose it? That's what I'm doing with my family's old clothing. This website will display ten items I made using only my family's old clothes! I'll show the process so I can encourage others to start sewing, and if not, at least have them think twice before getting rid of something that could have been up-cycled.

Thanks for taking a look at my website, I hope you enjoy learning more about fast fashion and sewing!