My Sewing Story
I've never met a sewist who didn't have an interesting story. Most of our stories start out similarly, my -insert female relative here- taught me how to sew when I was young but for some reason didn't stick with it... now I love the idea of making my own clothes. But all of the details are special and I feel that why we began to sew will give fantastic insight into who we are and why we dedicate so much to such a time-consuming, often unforgiving mistress.
Don't get me wrong- it's all worth it. But it is a lot. A lot of time, a lot of money, a lot of mistakes to revive an art form that has been replaced by fast fashion at a high cost to humanity.
I do have two, beautiful crafty women in my family who taught me to sew at some point. The truth is that my attention problems were many and that dedicating that kind of passion and commitment that goes into sewing just wasn't a possibility for me when I was young. They gave up and so did I.
However, I struggled with my self esteem as my body grew and changed. Having come from a hearty, Swedish stock in a culture that valued the slim, long silhouette, I was teased a lot in school. I was bigger than all of the kids in my class by the time I was 6 years old and they never let me forget how different I was. Where there is understanding, there can be forgiveness and I realized that if it wasn't for the relentless pain I felt I wouldn't be as unique as I am today.
The simplest reason I began to sew is that while I could find pants that fit in the waist and hips, they would never fit me properly around the ankles. I could find tops that fit, but if they weren't form fitting knits (t-shirts etc) than they would be way too big in the bust if they fit me in the waist and vice versa.
So, I discovered the magic of thrift store shopping at around the age of 11 and my experiments began. I'd buy 4 pairs of pants for $10, take them home and start taking in the legs as best as I could. First pants, then tops, then dresses. I'd buy them a little big for my waist and hips and then take in the side seams at the bust and the shoulder seams for the arms. It was a beautiful mess and I'd constantly have to re-stitch, having no idea what a seam allowance was or what the proper stitch would be for a specific fabric. It was fantastic and as far as I knew, i'd figured out a way to get clothes to fit me.
My sewing machine has always come with me. To my first apartment and now my beautiful sewing room. While it's always been in my life for simple use: hemming pants, making curtains, altering clothing. It wasn't until I moved to Nashville in 2012, my husband and I beginning our lives again with a baby on the way, that I started to become interested in garment sewing from patterns. I was lucky enough to have the support of my husband and some crafty friends that my journey began only 3 years ago. And now, with basic concepts under my belt and some simple garments made, I'm ready to transition into slower sewing with a purpose- to learn as much as I can about my body and the craft that continues to teach about myself and the world around me.
Fun Details
I'm a stay-at-home Mom and vocational homemaker. I am one busy mama! I was born and raised on the beautiful sandy beaches of Orange County, California and I'm so grateful for my home. I met my husband in 2006 and we got married in 2008. He's an organic search engine specialist and my best friend in the world. In May of 2012, we found out we were expecting a baby and we were blessed with her presence in January of 2013. Noelle was born at home with a midwife and she is easily my favorite person ever.
We live in super-hip East Nashville, Tennessee with our Coonhound (Jack), a grey tabby with orange eyes (Poppy) & 7 chickens running around our backyard!
I cook, clean, organize, schedule, mend, prepare and pick up the slack wherever I'm needed. In a past life I was a vintage consignment buyer, makeup artist & licensed esthetician with a focus on homemade, organic, natural skin care.
I went to college and majored in studio art & art history, dropped out, moved to Los Angeles and never looked back!
Favorites
Food: Mas Tacos Por Favor (East Nashville) or Taco Loco (Laguna Beach)
Fabric: Chambray
Color: Tiffany Box Blue
Movie: Bringing Up Baby (1938)
Album: Jenny Lewis- The Voyager
Road Trip Snack: Macadamia Nuts
Place for brunch: Marche
Goals: Own a pet pig, learn how to upholster, build a house with my bare hands
