I started to sew simple pillows and ended up finding patterns online for 1930s clothes (isn’t that dress just awesome?), which are also starting to show up in fall 2009 fashion. I think it’s great, and wish I had stashes of fabric to play with. My car tends to stop off at fabric stores a lot lately (I even cruised the fabric aisle at IKEA last week) and I think I’m in deep, very deep.
Hubby wonders what has gotten into my head as he comes home to find fabric and pillow forms stacked on the dining room table, a new rug in the foyer, and curtain rods stashed everywhere. I am in SEW mode.
Between Amy Butler’s book on sewing, Domino’s book on home decorating, and my trusty Kenmore sewing machine (bought for 100 bucks about twelve years ago), I could quickly get lost in this. I spent most of the 1990s sewing (my freelance business was still quite small and I lived at home; Mom had this massive island counter that I took over for days at a time) and miss those days, I guess.
I wasn’t that successful in 4-H as a child. My sewing always left something to be desired and I couldn’t color coordinate then to save my life, but the influence of English style (circa Jane Austen; seen in all those movies) got me back into it in the early 1990s. Plus, we lived in the country and what else is there to do way out in the boonies? (It was a wonderful place to live, but I do prefer my suburbs nowadays.)
Anyway, between the writing (BIW is this week) and the pillows and my dashes to IKEA (those 3-dollar drawer organizers are worth their weight in gold, I swear), it’s going to be a great summer.
Anyone else feeling crafty? Whatcha working on?
{ 3 comments }
If you’d told me I’d ever sit down at a sewing machine again after the botched 4-H projects, ever pick up a paint brush after the pathetic art class attempts or countless other craft stuff, I I’d have told you to take your medication.
But I got sucked into scrapbooking and now I’m quite good at combining patterns, doodling. painting and yes, even sewing on my pages. My mother was astounded to see me make little books out of flip-flop sandals just by following a page of instructions.
The secret is to stop caring. Once you aren’t afraid of a mistake, it all works out and you have fun in the process.
Julie,
Great comment! I wholeheartedly agree with the freedom to make mistakes and to just immerse yourself in the process.
I also find lining up edges of fabric and running them through the machine to be quite soothing (even pinning the edges together is soothing). After fifteen years of words and words and words, I am enjoying my more tactile experience immensely.
Cheers!
YEA FOR NEW PATIO PILLOWS!!!!!!!!!!!
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