As a young teenager, of course I wanted the latest fashions, but did not have the money for them. My father, my hero, taught me a great lesson. He would not buy me clothes other than what I needed, but he said if I learned to sew, he would pay for the fabric. Hmmm, say no more. I learned to sew, and boy did I ever.
There was nothing I did not tackle, from pillow cases and bedding, to underwear, bathing suits and even shirts and a sports jacket for my husband. I sewed shirts for my father and mended his clothes for years.
When I was considering becoming an interior designer, I took an upholstery course, basic at first and then an advanced module, not because I wanted to be an upholsterer, but because I needed to know how it was done in order to measure and quote properly for my clients. I also took some sewing courses for drapery and home materials such as duvet covers and slip covers. Learning to estimate yardages with pattern matches in consideration was invaluable as a designer. I did love to sew, but sewing take space and time, two things that were running short in life then. My employees were excellent seamstresses and sewed when they were not busy. One in particular was from the Ukraine, where sewing is a way of life and perfection goes along with it. I still have some household items that she sewed as demos for the shop.
Recently, I bought an old Singer, a 1911 model that has been restored to its glory and is in perfect working order. I used to sew on one years back, especially for leather or heavy material for upholstery and am looking forward to having it. For rural living it will be great for extended power outages as well. I also have a serger, which is a machine that overcasts edges and trims as it sews and a nice machine. None of these have been in use since moving here.
My spare room houses my computer and of course a bed for guests, but I only have guests once or twice a year. So, I have decided to dismantle the bed and set it upright against the wall, and set up the machines in that room. I have tons of beautiful decor fabrics and will make simple curtain panels, pillows, table cloths, and other household items for sale. My farm store will open again in the summer. It hopefully will be a wonderful place to add these items to.
One type of sewing that I am not fond of, though have done a lot, is mending. I could not make a business out of fixing zippers and sewing up ripped clothing. I need to be creative in my work and that is not in the least so.
The old singer has its own cabinet but the other two machines do not, so I will have to set up some sort of table and cutting surface somewhere in my tiny farmhouse where I can lay out at least the size of a queen bed duvet to match patterns.
Now I am excited. All those fabrics! I can begin to decorate the Airstream trailer too. It is still in my mind to live in it for some time between traveling when I retire. Why not make it unique and quaint at the same time?
Here is to sewing. Do you sew?
There was nothing I did not tackle, from pillow cases and bedding, to underwear, bathing suits and even shirts and a sports jacket for my husband. I sewed shirts for my father and mended his clothes for years.
When I was considering becoming an interior designer, I took an upholstery course, basic at first and then an advanced module, not because I wanted to be an upholsterer, but because I needed to know how it was done in order to measure and quote properly for my clients. I also took some sewing courses for drapery and home materials such as duvet covers and slip covers. Learning to estimate yardages with pattern matches in consideration was invaluable as a designer. I did love to sew, but sewing take space and time, two things that were running short in life then. My employees were excellent seamstresses and sewed when they were not busy. One in particular was from the Ukraine, where sewing is a way of life and perfection goes along with it. I still have some household items that she sewed as demos for the shop.
Recently, I bought an old Singer, a 1911 model that has been restored to its glory and is in perfect working order. I used to sew on one years back, especially for leather or heavy material for upholstery and am looking forward to having it. For rural living it will be great for extended power outages as well. I also have a serger, which is a machine that overcasts edges and trims as it sews and a nice machine. None of these have been in use since moving here.
My spare room houses my computer and of course a bed for guests, but I only have guests once or twice a year. So, I have decided to dismantle the bed and set it upright against the wall, and set up the machines in that room. I have tons of beautiful decor fabrics and will make simple curtain panels, pillows, table cloths, and other household items for sale. My farm store will open again in the summer. It hopefully will be a wonderful place to add these items to.
One type of sewing that I am not fond of, though have done a lot, is mending. I could not make a business out of fixing zippers and sewing up ripped clothing. I need to be creative in my work and that is not in the least so.
The old singer has its own cabinet but the other two machines do not, so I will have to set up some sort of table and cutting surface somewhere in my tiny farmhouse where I can lay out at least the size of a queen bed duvet to match patterns.
Now I am excited. All those fabrics! I can begin to decorate the Airstream trailer too. It is still in my mind to live in it for some time between traveling when I retire. Why not make it unique and quaint at the same time?
Here is to sewing. Do you sew?
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