While the idea of repairing and mending clothes fell out of fashion in a previous generation, it's now returned to the fore. More people than ever are using sewing machines to help repair their wardrobe and expand their possibilities. With the rise of fashion-based reality shows, people are more comfortable than ever to express their creativity in fashion and learn about sewing machine facts.

Here are five facts about how owning a sewing machine can change your life.

1. You Can Make Anything Unique Sewing machines are an incredible tool if only because you now open yourself up to a whole world of fashion possibilities. When you have your own sewing machine, you can ensure that you can customize every piece of cloth in your home. From pillowcases to sweatshirts and curtains, everything could be made in a custom design.

If you like the look and feel of new bedding, buying new sheets can be costly. However, they're so simple to make once you have the cloth cut that all you really need is a sewing machine. You can make pillowcases and matching curtains from any material that you choose.

Follow a simple pattern for your first projects and you'll find that you feel increasingly more comfortable with each project.

After you get the hang of using the machine, follow some simple patterns for clothing designs. Magazines and websites offer free patterns all the time. Start with a simple dress or shirt and then move on to more complicated patters.

You can even add or subtract elements from pieces of clothing that you have. If you'd wear a given shirt more often if it were better fitted to your body, you can fix it in a snap with your sewing machine.

2. You Can Keep Favorites in Circulation Everyone has a favorite outfit that is going to be hard to replace. When you wear through the sleeves or snag it on a loose nail, it can be heartbreaking. We'd end up putting it into the closet with the hope that one day we can figure out what to do with it.

With the help of a sewing machine, you no longer have to keep those items of clothing sitting around. You can fix them once you understand how to properly use your sewing machine. You'll be able to clean up some clutter and to make use of things that you haven't worn in a while.

You also get the chance to free up some of your storage space now that you're no longer using it to store clothes you're not wearing.

After your first few trials, you'll find it easy to repair garments in just a few hours or even minutes. Rather than having to send them to a tailor or garment repair shop, wait for them to come back, and pay them, you'll be able to take care of business on your own.

3. You'll Stay On Top of Trends Trends change constantly in fashion, meaning your absolute favorite garment might not be in style in just a couple of years. That doesn't mean that you should just dump those garments, however. Not only is fashion cyclical, but many changes to fashion have to do with cut, style, and combination.

The piece you're wearing today could live on in the next fashion trend with just a little bit of adjustment. Rather than having to add money to your monthly budget to keep up, you can just use your sewing machine. You can buy vintage or on sale items and customize them to your size.

You can also go through your old wardrobe and see what could be put back into the mix with a little bit of reshaping. You might be surprised with how much life you can get out of some of your favorite garments with a little bit of adjusting.

4. It Saves You Money Everything from a missing button to a torn sleeve can be fixed easily and cheaply by a tailor. However, if you have a family and are constantly dealing with torn clothing, these constant trips to the tailor are going to add up. Rather than having to do that, your sewing machine helps you handle things on your own.

Even if you live alone, you can save money with your sewing machine. When you buy

The cost of buying a new wardrobe isn't worth it if you're just getting rid of clothes because of minor damages. When you could be repairing your clothes, you could also be saving money on your day to day expenses.

Whether you're a penny pincher or a fashionista, you know the value of quality materials and a well-made garment. When well-made garments wear down, you can often save them with a simple repair.

5. Businesses Start With the Right Tool If you have a passion for fashion and clothing, all that you need are the tools and equipment to get a business started. Many successful garment shops were begun with just a sewing machine and a creative owner and designer.

Start off by talking to your friends and colleagues. Everyone has an item of clothing that they could use some help with.

Build by word of mouth and you could end up having your own small garment empire soon enough.

Sewing Machine Facts Rely On You The sewing machine facts above are only important if you're invested in what you're doing. If you love the projects that you work on and are committed to trying new things, you'll find there's a lot to explore once you start working on your machine.

If you're interested in the must-have accessories on your next major quilting project, check out our guide for tips.