As a little girl, I dreamt of being able to sew beautiful things. Unfortunately, I wasn’t a quick study, to put it kindly, and my visions of sewing fabulous things ended before they began. With the exception of a Junior High Home Ec class apron which was tossed in the trash as soon as it was graded (I was given a very generous passing grade!), I’ve limited my sewing adventures to square pillow covers and the occasional rod pocket curtain, but I’ve always been in awe of those who can REALLY sew…it seemed like magic, transforming cuts of fabric into useful and beautiful things.
A few years ago, I decided it was time to really learn to sew. At 5’10”, I was sick of not finding clothes that fit my body, regardless of how much money I was willing to spend–hello, 36″ inseam! (And spending money was no guarantee of quality…companies specializing in clothing for tall women must think we don’t care about good fabrics!!) So, I started treated my sewing as something more than a “someday” thing and started learning (no legacy knowledge means I was starting from scratch…thank goodness for the internet!!). I set up my space for my sewing to be a priority, not an afterthought, and I kept learning. I’ve learned I need a broad shoulder adjustment, a full bust adjustment, a longer rise, and, of course, a longer inseam. I’ve learned to use the words “drape”, “weight”, and “recovery” appropriately in sentences and I recently got myself a coverstitch machine to help me get the finished look I want in my garments.
I’m having so much fun, despite the various “fails” that are part of learning. My family gets me-made gifts all the time, my friends get me-made gifts all the time, even the people I exercise with get me-made gifts…all in the name of sewing more and learning more. Along the way, I’ve become good enough at the foot pedal to get paid to sew for other people here and there while I continue to improve my skills. My dream is to be competent enough to sew an entire wardrobe I’d gladly wear. In the meantime, I’ll be here, making progress one seam at a time.
If you’d like to follow along, check out my posts by clicking “posts” in the menu and you can see what I’ve been doing. Otherwise, you can follow me on Instagram “seamsbyerin”.
(And, if your curious, at any given time, I share my sewing room with a few of our cats and three dogs!)