A Needle Pulling Thread.
I’m teaching myself to sew.
I have a sewing machine, a hand-me-down from my step-mother-in-law, but I’ve never used it. In my entire life, I’ve sewn one seam of stitches. That’s it. No more.
My mother made a point of not teaching me and my sister how to sew. She didn’t want us to feel like we had to do traditionally female domestic chores; it’s the same reason she didn’t teach us how to cook.
Luckily, we’re both bright enough and have learned how to cook. And now I want to learn how to sew.
I’m starting with the easiest skirt ever, a simple a-line with a drawstring waist. I’ve got it mostly completed, just need to finish the hem, but OH! SEWING IS FUN! I had no idea!
And more importantly, sewing your own skirt for your own body? Kind of makes you not hate your body. Because the skirt can be made to fit; the skirt needs to change, not the body. And it’s not like I have to make some kind of insane alterations to the skirt to make it fit. It’s just small adjustments here and there.
So, every time I’ve stood in a dressing room trying to figure out why nothing seemed to fit and blaming my freakish, lumpen body?
I’ll be damned if it really wasn’t the clothes that were the problem.
Between this and the miracle pants, I think my clothing situation is looking up.
Hope you have fun sewing! I used to love sewing throughout high school, but I’ll be honest, I am not that good at it. So I stopped, but every now and then I will wish that I could make a dress that fits PERFECTLY. every girls dream, right?
That’s one of the things I love about sewing, being able to alter a pattern so it fits me. I also like being able to change small details, like necklines, sleeves, hems, and pockets. Those are the things that give a garment its individuality. And the more you sew, the better you get, and the braver you are about trying new ideas.
Sewing is excellent. Today I was all pouty and mad because I haven’t been able to find jammies that were even close to fitting me, and it’s cold in my house. So I went to the fabric store and got yards and yards of cotton flannel. I can not only make them fit perfectly, I will make them reversible (twice as warm!). Red on one side, with spaceships on the other. You can’t find that in a plus size, I’ll tell you what.
I’ve always really, really wanted to sew, but I’m scared of it. Plus impatient. Knitting, though, I can do and have started to love again, and will someday use to make something more than a scarf. Really.
Post a picture of the skirt, I’d love to see it!
I think I must have some sort of sewing block in my brain or something, because my husband went out and bought me a sewing machine earlier this year, and I still can’t figure out how to use the darned thing!!!
I think you’re right, GWC: it’s the clothes that are the problem, not us. (Not to mention designers that think if you’re fat you’re also 10 feet tall, but that’s a rant for another day.)
Rock on with your sewing: and make sure you post pics, so people like me can live vicariously through you.
In the meantime, I’ll just get on with my crocheting…. 
Amanda, one of the things that I’m trying to keep in mind is that I don’t have to be good at something to enjoy doing it. So, even though I’m supremely *not* gifted in the fabric arts, it’s fine, and I’ll wear my slightly off-kilter skirt with pride.
vesta and alphabitch, if I get stuck, I’m going to expect tips since you both sew. Just be forewarned.
superblondgirl and nuckingfutz, I’m impressed by anyone with the patience to knit or crochet. I don’t mind crocheting though I’m glacially slow, but knitting requires so much concentration from me, I think it actually increases my feelings of stress instead of relaxing me. To each their own, huh?
GWC - two tips I can give you right off the bat are: 1)measure twice, cut once (can you tell I’ve done carpentry too?) and 2) use really cheap fabric to make a test garment when using a new pattern (I use old sheets that are ready for the rag bag). You can cut the pattern out of this old fabric, baste it together, try it on, mark alterations on it, take it apart, and transfer those alterations to your paper pattern (and I keep the test garment, just in case my size or proportions change, so I can make additional alterations if necessary). If I don’t have any old sheets, I hit the thrift stores, I’ve found queen and king size sheets there for a buck quite often.
vesta’s tips are good — test garments are a great idea for trying things out. I use old sheets, and I buy lots of ugly fabric on the sale table just to use for trying out ideas or testing the fit on a new pattern. One of the best things you can do, though, is take a beginning sewing class. And read through one of those all-purpose sewing books (Vogue Sewing is pretty good, but there are lots of them; frequently on remainder tables and at yard sales — collect them all!). It helps to know a little bit about the characteristics of different fabrics, the geometry of patterns, and how to do simple alterations to the patterns themselves before you start. Threads Magazine has lots of great tips - I think you can find it online.
I didn’t get very far on the jammies last night; I got sidetracked moving my sewing room from the very cold small dark room upstairs into the nice (and empty) bedroom downstairs.
Having a good workspace also makes a big difference, especially if you’re like me and tend to wander off in the middle of things. Fine if you can close the door and walk away, but a bummer if you have to move it all every time you want to, say, eat dinner.
hi