1. I was raised to fear the sewing machine. My mom completed all of 2 projects on her machine, relentlessly thwarted by broken needles & tangled thread. I blame it on her 80's Singer. She still has it.
2. I quit fashion school (FIDM in San Francisco) during my first sewing class, Apparel Design I, about one year into my degree. No, I do not regret it.
3. Sometimes I sew with my mom's oooooold thread. Oh yes, living on the edge! Her amyethyst purple thread (jumpsuit anyone?) is stitching up my current work-in-progress.
4. Selling my childhood My Little Pony collection financed the purchase of my sewing machine, and my first (crazy-large) fabric stashing. Those plastic ponies changed my life.
5. I was adamant when considering features I'd need for my machine, that I would NEVER, EVER be making quilts.
6. In my opinion, everyone should know how to mend a hole and sew a button on. I mean, really, should anyone be that helpless?
7. I don't really have a favorite color, but I will name green under duress. And, for some reason, I tend to dislike black in prints unless the palette is strictly black and white.
8. I am no longer scared of the zipper. Well, at least not the invisible zipper...
9. I hate unfinished projects, and only have 2 abandoned/unfinished ones (one is a set of coasters from scraps and the other is almost a year old - I promise to work on it soon!). I think this is cause my Aunt was infamous for committing to sew for others, taking materials and then never finishing the job. Oh my goodness, I don't want to be "her".
10. It's easy for me to say "no" in almost all aspects of life. But, when friends ask me to sew for them I loose all powers of smooth-talking refusal.
11. My mom gave me confidence in my sense of color as a child by asking my opinion on her crafty art. She made dried and silk floral arrangements for gift shops and custom order, and would often request my opinion on balance and color while in process. It meant so much to me.
12. My children are the most beautiful things I'll ever make.
13. I don't have a SINGLE quilting cotton print in my stash over 1 yard. Is that normal?
Now, I believe the etiquette is to tag 3 other friends to share. But, I think it would be more fun if you would, dear reader, share 1 random thing about you and your stitching in the comments here (or just make fun of my mom's amethyst purple jumpsuit).
I'm all ears...
When I was about 12 years old I made a pair of bell-bottom bib overalls and proudly wore them to school! Years later I found them and they were ridiculously bad. One fat strap, one skinny strap, crooked seams, one bell-bottom was huge, one skinny, etc. etc.
ReplyDeleteI always wonder what my teachers thought and WHY my mother let me wear them.
My first year out of homeschooling was my freshman year of high school. As if I wasn't socially awkward enough, my mom made me sew all my own shorts for school. I didn't sew again for many many years.
ReplyDeleteAnd like you, I really REALLY never thought I would make a quilt. Ever.
Hmmm. That was two things. Oh well.
When I see random fabrics that I like I only ever buy a quarter as I don't know what I'll do with it. Then when I think of something, I haven't got enough of the fabric to do it! I'm trying to stop. Well, buy bigger pieces. Thats my excuse anyway!!!
ReplyDeleteQuilt? Never!!!! Hahaa. I've just recently broken my habit of licking my thread before threading a needle. My grandmother and mom always did it and one day I just totally dawned on my that I could just cut a clean edge instead of sticking it in my mouth.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone else do this??
I don't think I've ever threaded a needle without licking the thread first!
ReplyDeleteMy random fact: I thought I wanted to be a teacher until I did a teaching practicum in a Grade 1 class.
BaileyGirl 5 - OMG, that is too funny! Maybe they thought you were making a fashion statement?
ReplyDeleteJenn - That was just BRUTAL of her. But, hey, maybe we'll be that mom someday...
I took up quilting in high school. I volunteered in the gift shop at the Textile Museum of Canada, where I was the youngest staffer by about 50 years. I also had a lot of free time because we rarely had many customers, and spent much of it perusing our books. I started reading about making quilts, and the rest is history!
ReplyDeleteI think my mother had that same possessed sewing machine! I have since inherited it when she finally got a new one! I think I fight with it just as much as I remember her fighting with it! Lol
ReplyDeleteI hated sewing, from the time at school we had to produce an apron and cap for "Domestic Science"...(oh thats dating me lol)That is why i am a very late starter in Quilting..Now i just love it and wish i had started years ago,,,
ReplyDeleteI am still using my mom's old Singer. It's probably 30 years old and does everything that I want it to! I've made some wonderful things with that old machine and don't particularly feel like I need to upgrade :)
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother taught me to sew the summer I was eight, and my first project was a pair of shorts with darts, a zipper, and a waistband. No one told me that was a little advanced - my grandmother just instilled me with the confidence that I was able to do it!
ReplyDeleteI made a "Dorothy Hamil" dress when I was in high school. Dorothy had a line of, like, McCall's patterns. I then proceeded to bowl in it. Yes, white lycra-type hose and bowling shoes. I was a picture of fashion.
ReplyDeleteI, too, promised myself I would never make a quilt. In fact, I made my best friend promise to yell at me and never let me do it if I ever even considered it. But thankfully since she's a great friend, she did not.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes sew with my mom's oooold thread too. Had to chuckle about selling your MLP collection to pay for your machine. My 23-yo daughter has a collection of hundreds of MLPs, all wrapped and stored up in the attic above the garage. I wonder if it'll finance a major purchase for her someday?
ReplyDeletethose little ponies sure came in handy! too bad you didn't get the quilting features. maybe next time! :)
ReplyDeleteMy mom never, never, *ever* sewed. Period. End of story. I love it to pieces, but I'll find that I collect patterns and tutorials like crazy because I'm terrified that whatever I make will turn out really stinky. And it's really difficult to justify fabric at $9/yd when I'm such a chicken. I'm learning though. I just ordered a super cute fabric bundle for my Christmas, so now I'll be forced to have to do something with it (anything less would be wasteful, right, lol).
ReplyDeleteJust like you, my mother had no luck with sewing or sewing machines. Her threee daughters all LOVE sewing and quilting. She's still puzzled! :-)
ReplyDeleteI really dislike cutting fabric. It makes my hands sweat and I lose the ability to use a ruler properly. It's almost as if I do it with my eyes closed! Disasterous!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was 12 I could draft my own pattern from a picture. I drafted and sewed my own civil war renactment dresses. Almost 20 years later I am just getting back into making my own patterns.
ReplyDeleteMy focus when sewing is enhanced when playing loud rock & roll music, preferably Prince.
ReplyDeleteI sew to spite my Mom. She was a horrible teacher. Always complaining about my seams. Very sweet lady, but hard to please. Something I thrive at now and my seams are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI almost failed home economics (ok maybe not, but when you're almost a straight A student and only get a C, it feels like it!), and... I quit my 1st sewing class because I just didn't "get it".
ReplyDeleteI gave you a blog award, because I love the blog! Check it out if you get a minute. :)
ReplyDeletewww.excellcrafts.blogspot.com
I love this list! The ponies! How cool.
ReplyDeleteI also thought I would never need quilting features, and am now in the search for a new machine :)
Speaking of, what kind of machine(s) do you sew with?
My favorite thing to do growing up was to play with my mom's combo button box/pin holder. It was a little house. The roof opened to the buttons, and the chimney was the pincushion. What I wouldn't give for that thing to still be in our family!
My dad showed me how to sew, he sewed us some shorts and our first tutu for ballet lessons when my sister and were kids.I sewed myself some deep purple pants when i was 14 out of an old bed sheet--uugh
ReplyDeleteI really like your blog. It´s so real. Thank you Rachel !
JuneBug - My machine is a Kenmore. I was told that Janome makes Sear's Kenmore machines (about $140 now). I got lots more features for my money than I would have with a Janome, and I do feel it's served me well.
ReplyDeletemy sewing table was my great-great aunt's sewing table with the singer machine folded up inside. i haven't braved that machine yet!
ReplyDelete