As a child my mother made almost all of my clothes. I loved
my Little House on the Prairie inspired skirts and shirts. That was until I was
in about 4th grade, then I only wanted store bought clothes like the
ones my friends wore. I really was foolish. My mother’s clothes were much
better made, and they had a story, something store bought clothes would never
have. My mother continued to make clothes for my Barbies (which always seemed
to disappear when I played with certain girls). My mother tried to teach me how
to sew clothes for my dolls. I was not a very good student (or she may not have
been a good teacher).
When I was fifteen, I thought I should learn to make my own
clothes. My second attempt at sewing resulted in a thoroughly screwed up sewing
machine (this was not a cheap Wal-Mart sewing machine, since Wal-Mart had not invaded
our area yet).
My Senior Prom, I intended on making my prom dress. My
mother knew that it would be a shit show, so she made it for me. My mother didn’t
do zippers. She had a fear of them, because in home economics class she broke a
needle that stuck into her eyelid. Since then, she never sewed a zipper.
In my early 20s I started playing with dolls again, I bought
patters and fabric, and an inexpensive sewing machine. I tried very hard to
teach myself to sew. I was again not successful. I broke this sewing machine as
well.
In my mid 20s my mother in law had a sewing machine she
never used. She gave it to me (after I told her if she was never going to use
it I would be happy to take it off her hands) with the understanding that I
would hem my father in law’s pants. Well, that only happened once. I guess he
didn’t like how screwed up they looked after my hem job. I actually made some
clothes that I wore in public. BUT, I didn’t use the right material for the
pattern, and some of the seams started to come apart while I was wearing them.
I made a fabulous Halloween costume; I was Holly Golightly from Breakfast at
Tiffany’s.
I stopped sewing again. I gave my mother my sewing machine
(because she had sold her Wal-Mart special in a yard sale).
Five years ago, I did a Secret Santa Swap with another dog
owner. The dog was a Bull Mastiff. She was always complaining that she could
never find clothes to fit her. I decided I would make dog dresses for a Bull
Mastiff for Christmas. I bought a sewing machine during a black Friday sale at Wal-Mart;
it was a Project Runway Brother. I began making little dog clothes. I thought
that I would sell them on Etsy or EBay. Honestly, they were not that well made,
but I tried hard.
I began trying to make clothes for myself again. I didn’t
install zippers, because my mother put this fear in me that I would get poked
in the eye with a broken needle. I used too heavy material, and never wore any
of these clothes in public. I made pj bottoms for my best friend, myself &
my husband. I wasn’t bad at all. I lost interest and the sewing machine was
packed away in a corner.
I decided that I wanted to make clothes again, bought books,
watched a few YouTube videos, stocked up when I saw fabric sales. I lost interest
again. I think it was because I had gained a lot of weight. I found large
patterns and started sewing again. Nothing spectacular.
As I lost weight, I bought more books and learned how to
take clothes in, learned how the proper fabric can make or break a sewing experience.
I began making dresses, my first attempt wasn’t great, but each time I sewed
something new I felt at little more accomplished with what I had made.
I decided that if I was going to actually sew, I needed a
more advanced machine. I researched what sewing machine would be best for a new
sewer. I discovered that Brother (which was the brand that I was using) was the
most user friendly machine, and that they had made a new computerized Project Runway
Machine. I decided to purchase it. I began making skirts that I actually wore
in public and loved. I made a couple of shirts and even a pair of shorts!
I decided that I wanted to make an outfit for a disco era
themed Drag Show. I did not enjoy working with sequins this time. It was tricky
to make, the sequins dulled the needle, you couldn’t iron it, but I continued
on. I swore I would never work with sequin material again! Much to my surprise,
my outfit was a success.
A)
I looked amazing in it.
B)
I had people
who wanted to steal it right off my body.
C)
I had
people who began asking me to make clothes for them!
I admit the idea of making something for someone scared the
shit out of me! I wasn’t a real seamstress, and I only had one outfit under my
belt that was remotely amazing. Luckily, the person changed her mind, and I
felt better. I don’t know what about it made me so frightened, but it did.
I made some more outfits that I wore out in public & I
received complements on. As my confidence in my sewing grew, so did my skill.
I read more books on different techniques, watched YouTube
videos, and started following sewing and refashioning blogs.
I entered a pinup competition and made my outfit. It was amazing!!!
I began really enjoying sewing. I made a few dresses, some
failures, but it hasn’t stopped me.
Halloween came this year; I decided that I would make my
Halloween Costume. I wasn’t afraid that it wouldn’t come out well. I knew I
finally had the skill to make something amazing. I did something I never
anticipated doing. I OFFERED to make the husband’s cousin’s costume for The
Nightmare Before Christmas Drag Show. She actually agreed to let me make her
something!!! I made her a sexy Mrs.
Clause dress IN SEQUINS! I didn’t hate working with it, and it came out
AMAZING! My costume came out amazing as well.
I decided I wanted to make my own Christmas Dress in sequins
as well. It is DONE! I’m just wondering what I will do for my next project!
