My Sewing Journey

Three and a half years ago my sewing journey began. Mainly because I was a pregnant runner who was too miserable to run. In desperate need of a hobby, sewing became my go-to form of entertainment and stress relief. After scouring the Internet, the pillowcase dress seemed like a good place to start. I was and still am incredibly proud of these first few dresses. They were made using a sewing machine that I did battle with every time I tried to sew. After sewing these dresses I moved on to minky. I kid you not…minky…and I’m still sewing…can you even believe that?! If you are considering learning to sew, go on and buy the entry-level sewing machine that you have to do battle with (it helps you learn how the machines work) but avoid the minky at all costs. Try cotton. Just a nice broadcloth.

Over time my machine waved the white flag and let me win. I even defeated minky….I have blankets my son uses to prove it. I made these bonnets, moved on to quilting cottons and corduroy (that was way too thick for baby clothes) and even learned how to do button holes. Unfortunately for that machine, the button hole did it in. That machine did not like button holes and I did. My next (and current) machine, the Babylock Aventura, loves button holes. So we get along. This was the first of many steps that I made to dramatically improve my sewing.

The next step was learning to use this new machine. I did that by going to Children’s Corner Store for sit-n-sews. Susan: the Thursday teacher, an amazing seamstress, taught me a TON. Everything from how to correctly read a pattern, sew an inverted pleat, choose the appropriate fabric, make a sleeve, pipe a collar properly… a TON. The first garment she helped me make was a sleeveless Carol. I still cherish this dress. She is unbelievably talented and if you ever have an available Thursday to make a trip to Nashville do it! You will have a blast and learn so much.

Something about sewing for your child is primal. There is a part of me that is hardwired to want to “make” for my babies. So; my sewing love and desire to learn more has been fueled by this internal drive. It seems as though there are more and more of us out there. Loving our babies through our work.

If you’d like to sew for your little one or are a beginning sewist hoping to make strides, I cannot recommend finding a group of others to sew with enough. Search for a local sewing store and sign up for a class or a sit-n-sew. If that isn’t an option, find a group with whom you can discuss sewing. Just having someone to bounce ideas off of can dramatically improve your sewing. You can also bounce ideas off of me through Instagram or Facebook. I’ll do what I can to answer your questions or send you in the right direction.

As I improved with practice I began to try more challenging garments. My mom introduced me to pleating/smocking and the game changed. Sewing became a passion. One of my first garments with smocking (that my mom didn’t smock for me) was this little Creations by Miche Sunsuit.

I then met my sewing mentor (through Instagram!) and have added even more challenging types of sewing to my repertoire. See my post on dabbling in heirloom sewing.

This picture above is of my very first smocked Bishop. This was the first of many. The smocking took me an extremely long time. I’ve definitely sped up and improved. I had help pleating it and help choosing the fabric. This was the first of many Bishops and pleating has become less challenging. Although, I did a white Polyester blend seersucker the other day…I don’t advise that for your first tries.

Here is an image of one of my recent challenging projects. This was done with the help of Classic Sewing magazine. Wrinkles and imperfect collar placement courtesy of Miss Maria 🙂

I hope this helps you soldier on in your sewing and encourages you to continue trying new things and seek more education. There are so many valuable resources out there…just find what works for you! As I’m sure you can tell, I still have a ton to learn. Hope you’ll join me on this journey.