Laying the foundation of my sewing empire

I've been crafting - cross stitching, crocheting, knitting, embroidering, oil painting, drawing, etc. now and again from an early age (five or so?). Sometimes I had a lot going on and other times, I had all but abandoned creating things. Eventually I always circle back. According to my grandma, I used her portable Singer (model unknown) around the age of seven to make doll's clothes. She claims I had helped myself to the machine, taking it out of the closet where it lived. When she asked me how I had learned to operate the sewing machine, I replied that I had read the instruction booklet. The funny thing is, I have virtually no memory of using that machine. No recollection of any doll's clothes I supposedly sewed. I do recall the glass-topped black desk with white porcelain knobs and the sewing stand which was painted black to match. The right hand desk drawers were full of sewing goodies, as was the sewing stand. I freely used whatever I found stuffed in these spots; no one was using any of these goodies.

Around the time I was twelve, my aunt and I sewed a dress with reversible vest for me. She let me pick out the pattern and the fabric. I thought I was a designer! Of course, in retrospect, the color combination was awful. One of the fabrics was chocolate brown with small cream flowers sprinkled randomly all over, the other was the same colorway - reversed, and the third was a fine pinwhale corduroy in cream. I'd love to find a photo of me wearing this dress, but I'm afraid none exist. (At least, none that I'm aware of.)

I also tried my hand at sewing small plush animals. Did I sew more than one? I don't know.

This time around, I was inspired to start sewing for a variety of reasons: 1. to cover my couch, 2. to hem my own pants, 3. to finally escape the frustration of shopping for ill-fitting rtw clothing that falls apart right after the first wearing.

Next post: me and my sewing machine

peace & karma points =:)