Why I sew

Through the years I have sewn many different types of things: garment construction for women, children and a few things for men, smocking, heirloom sewing, embroidery and even a little quilting, anything that can be done with a needle and thread. I began sewing a long time ago, when I was 13 and wanted stylish clothing. There was not a lot of money around our house, so sewing allowed me to have things that were in style at a lesser cost. In those days, you could save a good bit of money because fabric and notions were less expensive than ready to wear. My mom showed me some basics of pattern reading and I was off. The first garments were actually sewn on a treadle sewing machine that I still have. No I'm not that old - we did have electricity. But as I said, money was tight and my mom saved her green stamps to buy a Singer portable sewing machine. Finally a machine that would run under its own power and would do more than straight stitch forward.

Through junior high, high school and college, I made most of my own clothing. There were things that turned out well, and things that were disastrous, but all in all, I did pretty well. In college, I decided to major in Fashion Merchandising, where I took three sewing classes. The first was just a basic sewing class designed to give me skills I already had. The second was a tailoring class, where we spent a whole semester making a wool blazer, welt pockets and all. The final sewing class was called Flat Pattern and we were required to start with a basic sloper pattern and make all kinds of alterations to it to achieve various design elements. For our final exam, the instructor put a jacket with some unusual details on a mannequin and told us to make the pattern for it. To me this was the class that taught me the most. From it, I gained a true understanding of how garments go together and what is required to achieve the design elements I might want. I still use this knowledge today, some thirty years later. Whenever I am designing something, I still like to start with a pattern that is similar in silhouette and make the necessary changes to it to achieve the look I want.

When I became pregnant with my first child, I developed an interest in smocking. My next door neighbor was pregnant at the same time, and she knew how to smock. She showed me some basic stitches, and loaned me a book on smocking. When my child turned out to be a girl, I was delighted to be able to make her some sweet little outfits. Then my son was born, and I was able to make some neat little boy outfits for him as well. He soon outgrew them, but my daughter wore her little dresses up until she was in second or third grade. Her teachers knew her as "that little girl whose mommy makes her all of those sweet little dresses." And now this daughter has blessed me with a sweet granddaughter to sew for, so I am back in smocking mode!

As my daughter outgrew the smocking, I turned my interests into more adult clothing. During this time, I began working at a local fabric store that sold Bernina machines, and carried luscious fabrics for garments. I still work for this neat little shop. We sold beautiful silks, rayon challis, bridal fabrics, yummy cottons and linens. I of course knew the basics of sewing and during this time, worked toward making my sewing perfect. Gone were the days of taking shortcuts that nobody would know I took. Instead, my garments were as perfect on the inside as they were on the outside. As the sewing industry started turning away from garment sewing, and more towards quilting, the shop started bringing in more quilting fabrics and fewer garment fabrics. I tried to embrace this move, but honestly I am not a quilter and never will be. I have made two quilts in my life, and there was ten years between them. I can certainly appreciate the work that goes into them, and the eye for color that so many quilters have. But cutting fabric into little pieces then sewing them back together is just not for me.

I also started teaching a lot of private lessons at the shop. We offer some basic classes - beginning sewing and smocking, among others. Once students have gone through the basic classes, we find that many of them have very specific paths they want to venture into. That's where these private classes come in - one on one instruction pertaining specifically to the student's interest. I have had several very successful students, including two young ladies who were featured designers several years ago during Charleston Fashion Week. This has become a really big deal in our area, and this, along with Project Runway on television has really rekindled an interest in garment sewing.

Another thing that I have mastered over the last few years is a deeper understanding of sewing machines - how they work and what to do to keep them going. When I could no longer get the fabrics I loved for garments, I decided to become a machine technician. I have been trained to take the machines apart and put them back together, and usually don't come out with any spare screws when I'm finished. One of my jobs is to teach new machine owners how to use their machine. Not only do I show them what all of the buttons mean and how to use different stitches for different techniques, but I also teach them how they can troubleshoot their machine when they are having problems. Today's technology is amazing, and we have come a very long way since that treadle machine I learned on!

I started sewing as a teenager out of necessity, but now my sewing is a hobby I have been able to make a little bit of money from through the years. My plan with this blog is to share some of the knowledge I have acquired through the years. I have taught many classes and will begin sharing some of those. I love sharing my knowledge with others, and love to see them get as excited about sewing as I am.