First I want to say thank you for all the well wishes on Baby Ally.
Which brings me to today's post. I learned to knit when I was 10 and sew when I was 14 or so. My skills progressed so that I made all my nieces and nephews who were born before my own children sweaters. I made so many of my own clothes as a teenager and my DH's flannel button down shirts when we were first married.
I hand smocked and made my oldest daughter's first Christmas dress and then later a smocked pinafore dress for daughter #2 another Christmas, with another cute dress for daughter #1. By the time daughter #3 came along, I did manage to crochet her a blanket and that was it. So through the past 20+ years I made one halloween costume for YD when she was about 10 and made a few quilts, but have not quilted even for a few years.
So I had some time today after meeting with our tax accountant, dropping off K-1's and decided to run into town to look at patterns and fabrics. I went in with high hopes and came out so depressed. I feel like I am starting over again. I look at fabric and can't picture the actual item (like I used to). I'm not sure which sized pattern to buy. I feel like I don't know anything!
I made buttonholes, I lined vests and made cuffs.... what happened to me??
So I'm going to stop sniffling and start easy, just start getting to know my sewing machine. I bought it after 9/11 and my oldest daughter has probably had it more than me because she started quilting and had so many coworkers and friends having babies.
There is so much I want to make and do and I feel totally incapable at this point....
So back to my plan...I want to try and sew something every day, just a straight line, change up the stitching, whatever.. just familiarize myself again and see if I have anything left in me.
How could I have let myself lose the skills I had?? sniff, sniff....
Grieving my Lost Skills
March 21st, 2008 at 12:53 am
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Then I had a run in w/a bad Bad BAD machine and I got so disgusted I stopped sewing entirely.
Now I have a pile of things that need repairing and I do have a different machine now but am put off by the mere thought of trying to figure it out and get these repairs made, none of which is any more than a straight line of stitches. Seams on old pillowcases that need restitching.
And to think I used to make decorator pillows for side income way before the internet. I could use some of that kind of cash now.
It's a shame really. Do post and tell us how it goes.
The last couple of sewing projects I can think of that I did was to make a giant body pillow sized pillow and smaller matching one for my living room and before that I sewed an additional three inch ruffle on the bottom of my bed skirt because my iron bed sat too high off the ground. I need to get it back in gear as I too used to make mens shirts - intricate cowboy shirts w/contrasting piping, snapped down, fancy - back in the day. They were all the rage here a while back as in retro hillbilly styling. I could have made a fortune!
Okay get us inspired!!! I, for one, need a kick in the pants!
March 21st, 2008 at 06:23 pm 1206123821
Good luck!
March 21st, 2008 at 09:22 pm 1206134568