I’m going to leave you with some reading for your long holiday weekend. Molly from A Foothill Home Companion has a way with words. Her blog always leaves me nodding my head yes, wishing and hoping that in a few more years my husband and I will stay up all night talking, and she always leaves me inspired craft-wise.
1. At what age did you start sewing? And for how long have you been sewing?
I probably started sewing around the age of 7 or 8. My mom sewed – she made a lot of our clothes when we were little. I remember taking fabric scraps out of the trash and making a little tank top for myself by stapling the seams – with my Hello Kitty stapler.
I had a lot of help from my mom when I learned how to sew. I don’t remember having free reign of the sewing machine or really knowing how to use the sewing machine until I took a home economics class in high school.
2 : Did it come ‘naturally’ to you or did you have to work hard at it?
I’d say that sewing seemed natural to me, especially since I had seen my mom sewing. Following sewing patterns never seemed natural to me though. I find the directions quite confusing in many patterns. When sewing something, I try to wrap my mind around the whole concept of how the pattern goes together, going through the process from beginning to end in my head, before I start sewing.
I often think that it might be easier to just read the pattern and follow the directions, but I can’t help it – I’m a rebellious seamstress.
3 : Did you have a mentor to help you get started and help you throughout the learning process or did you teach yourself?
Besides my mom, I’ve had several sewing mentors. My home ec teacher in high school, the wonderful seamstresses in a clothing construction course at a community college, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law (who have kindly provided me hand-me-down sewing machines over the years). All these women have inspired me to sew, and to learn as I go. It’s quite helpful to have someone to call and ask for help when I get into a sewing pinch.
4 : What is your favorite book or website about sewing?
I can’t say that I have any particular favorites. I look anywhere and everywhere for sewing inspiration and advice. There are so many incredible seamstresses out there publishing books and writing blogs right now, but even old sewing books and patterns can be inspiring. There are quite a few tutorials I’d like to try from Sew, Mama, Sew. I also love Purl Bee.
5 : Do you follow patterns or do you prefer to make it up as you go?
A little bit of both. As I mentioned, I’m horrible at reading patterns and can get very frustrated and discouraged. When I see a project I like, I like to put my own spin on it and modify it as I go along. My favorite completed projects, though, are the ones I make up. It’s very satisfying to make an idea come to life.
6 : What tips do you have for the beginning sewer?
Start simple. Straight lines are easy to sew. Think pillows, baby blankets, potholders, aprons, market bags. Think about the whole project, start to finish, before starting. Visualize the process and don’t get to hung up on the outcome. Don’t be surprised if things turn out differently from what you envisioned – different can be good. Don’t spend a lot of money on fabric at first. It’s much easier to take risks with $1 a yard fabric than $10 a yard fabric.
And like my father-in-law and husband always say when they start a carpentry project, “Measure twice and cut once.”
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I love the “measure twice and cut once” advice. Also, straight lines are for sure easier and I need to start with that!
Thank you so much Molly! Go visit her at A Foothill Home Companion today!
1 Comment
July 5, 2009 at 5:09 pm
good sewing advice. Another great spotlight