There seems to be a lot of talk at the moment about sewing, making and traditional crafts having a bit of a comeback.

Liberty has recently expanded its fabric department significantly after seeing increased demand for sewing and craft, and there are more classes, workshops and creative events appearing all over the place.

But I keep wondering whether sewing is really “coming back” at all.

Perhaps it never actually went away.

For many of us, making things has always been part of everyday life. We might not all have called ourselves makers, sewists or textile artists, but people have always altered clothes, shortened curtains, replaced buttons, made cushions, embroidered gifts and turned leftover fabric into something useful.

What has changed, I think, is the reason many people are coming back to it.

For some, it is practical. Clothes do not always fit properly straight from the shop, and learning how to alter something can make an enormous difference.

For others, it is about individuality. There is something very satisfying about wearing something that nobody else has, or creating a cushion, bag or piece of art that is completely your own.

And then there is something else that I see more and more.

People want time away from screens.

So much of our day is spent looking at phones, emails, social media and computers that sitting down with fabric and thread can feel surprisingly refreshing.

When you are sewing, you have to concentrate on what is actually in front of you.

You notice colour.

You notice texture.

You think about how two fabrics work together.

You solve little problems as you go.

And eventually you have something physical in your hands that did not exist before you started.

I think that sense of achievement is one of the things that keeps people coming back.

It isn't always about producing something perfect

One thing I try very hard to encourage at Eau Brink Studio is the idea that making does not have to be about perfection.

Sometimes people arrive at a workshop worried that everyone else will know more than they do.

They worry about sewing a perfectly straight line, choosing the “right” colour or whether their finished piece will look exactly like the tutor's sample.

But that really isn't the point.

Learning a creative skill is supposed to involve experimenting, making mistakes and occasionally doing something completely unexpected.

Some of the most interesting textile work comes from something not quite going according to plan.

That is certainly true of my own work.

Sewing has become social again too

Another thing I have noticed is how important the social side of making has become.

People do not necessarily come to a workshop simply because they need to learn a technique.

They come because they want to spend a day with other people who enjoy the same things.

There is conversation, laughter, cups of tea, people helping one another and plenty of discussion about fabric.

Often someone will arrive knowing nobody and leave having spent the day chatting as though they had known everyone for years.

That community around making is incredibly important.

It is one of the reasons our Social Wednesday sessions have become such a lovely part of the studio.

People bring completely different projects. One person might be hand stitching, another using a sewing machine and somebody else might be working on something entirely different.

There does not have to be a finished product at the end of the day.

Sometimes the important part is simply having made some time to create.

Younger makers are approaching sewing differently

I also think newer generations of makers are changing the way sewing looks.

They are mixing traditional skills with completely different ideas.

Vintage fabrics are being used alongside modern prints.

Old garments are being altered rather than thrown away.

Embroidery is appearing on clothing, artwork, bags and home furnishings.

Textile techniques are crossing over into mixed media, printmaking and digital embroidery.

The boundaries between dressmaking, craft and textile art are becoming much less rigid.

And I think that is exciting.

There is room for traditional techniques, but there is also plenty of space to experiment.

Learning to sew gives you choices

Perhaps that is the biggest reason sewing continues to appeal.

Once you know how to use a sewing machine and understand a few basic techniques, you suddenly have choices.

You can alter something that does not fit.

You can repair something you love.

You can make something completely from scratch.

You can turn an unusual piece of fabric into something useful.

Or you can simply stitch because you enjoy the process.

There does not always have to be a practical reason.

Sometimes making something simply because you want to is reason enough.

So perhaps sewing isn't having another moment after all.

Perhaps people are simply rediscovering something that has been quietly there all along.

And judging by the conversations I have with people who walk through the studio door, I don't think our love of fabric, thread and making things with our hands is disappearing anytime soon.