My History with Sewing: the Early Years

My Mom is a wonderful seamstress!  When I was a little girl she made my sister and I matching clothes.  Here we are with her (isn’t she beautiful?) in our matching Strawberry Shortcake dresses.  Don’t you love the paneling too?

She also made me and my cabbage patch doll matching dresses.  Oh, and my Barbie doll clothes—even a wedding dress that is still in my possession. 

This is where my love for sewing began.  I loved watching her work and I was always so proud of the things she made (except for a dress in college that she remembers me not wanting to wear, even though I don’t remember it well.)  The summer before 5th grade she decided to sign me up for a sewing class.  I must have asked her a lot to teach me and she was worried she wouldn’t have the patience to teach me.  She is a bit of a perfectionist and would have probably just done it for me.  Well, I learned a lot that summer.  Our project was an outfit.  I wish I had a picture of that.  I picked out some Americana type fabric perhaps with fourth of July in mind???  They were elastic- waist shorts, but with a collared, button up top.  That teacher was ambitious!  I continued to do some sewing in high school.  My Mom really taught me by example and she is still teaching me and helping me with sewing.  I am very blessed!

If you have sewn long then you know the fabric now is way more beautiful then back then, but the savings of store bought vs.homemade then was great.  Times have changed when it comes to cost.  Back then you sewed by rules and patterns.  Now it is more of an art form, and I am so thankful.  I feel much more confident that way.  And the internet is amazing!!  The tutorials out there are out of this world and really there isn’t much need to every buy a pattern again. 

I am writing this because several people have asked if I had any helpful suggestions about beginning to sew.  There are great affordable machines out there. I sew on an inexpensive Singer.  Next, I would say to take a beginner class to learn some basic skills.  I know our local school district offers a continuing ed. sewing class.  Once you get the basics, you can just begin creating away.  I hope this helps anyone who is on the fence.  Just jump in, I don’t think you will regret it.

:-) Jaime