Giveaway Week Day 5 - Vendor Booty
Jan 24th, 2009 by Kathy
Whew, what a day. A beautiful day of sunshine (still cold, brrrr) and I’m taking pictures by moonlight.
This will be a short one. I need to get some beauty sleep for my second and final Palmer/Pletsch class tomorrow.
I’m finishing off Giveaway Week with a bang:
- My FreeSpirit rep had an extra set of Tina Givens Fairy Tip Toes panels. There are three here which I’ll split up to share the love. Long story on why the fabric is not in my shop but I adore this collection and was very tempted to just stash these away for myself!
- Moda is an awesome company all the way around. They also make really fantastic promotional materials. I’ve got a bag, 3 sets of charm squares (Bunkhouse, Urban Indigo by Fig Tree Quilts, & Simplicity by 3 Sisters), and a promotional tissue carrier.
- The pattern line up includes Stepping Up & Butterfly Town by Tracy Brookshier of Bento Box fame, Melly & Me Binky, Artichoke Collection Scrap Box, Indygo Junction Yo-Yo-Dachsund, two Pillowcase Pattern Cards by Valori Wells, and the new Amy Butler Domestic Goddess Aprons.
To sweeten the pot I’m throwing in $10 gift certificates to the shop for 10 lucky winners. I’ll draw those names from everyone that has played along and commented this week. The responses to the quilt book giveaway really got to me. I’ve savored every last one. So many thoughtful and touching reasons for your favorite blocks. And the ones related to grandmothers! (I have a whole post worth of thoughts on that, insert tears now).
To be eligible for today’s prizes leave a comment telling me how you learned to sew.
I was six years old when my grandmother taught me to hand sew. I quickly graduated to the treadle machine. I can still smell the scent of the cedar drawers she stored her fabric in. She rolled all her remnants, wrapped a piece of paper around them with the yardage recorded, and secured the paper with a pin. I would go through the drawer and look at each one like they were gold. Guess I’ve finally gotten around to doing what I was always meant to do in my life.
So, sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite. See you all on Monday with the list of winners!
I taught myself to sew! No sewing moms or grandmothers unfortunately. I remember being 9 years old and wanting to be really good at something, and ballet and piano weren’t working so well. ..I talked my mother into buying me fabric and patterns from jcPenney (they had fabric back then) and made a vest and skirt combo that I wish I had kept. 40 years later, still sewing.
I learned to sew from my mom. I watched her sew projects or mend items. I also learned some sewing in my middle school home-economics class. I sewed shorts and a little sports bag.
I learned the basics of sewing in 4H when I was a teenager. My Mother had a Bernina, which for some reason my Dad kept after she died (when I was seven). So, I didn’t really have a lot of encouragement or help when I was very young. As an adult, however, my Dad gave me her old Bernina and I am now attempting to become a quilter. I am learning every day that I love sewing! I never knew! But, I am so grateful for a Father who had the foresight to keep that old sewing machine so I know, at least, that my Mother also loved to sew.
When we were younger my mom would sew us almost all of our clothing. Our next door neighbor was a button salesman, and two neighbors down was a fabric sales man. Being a single mom with 4 kids my mom was the recipient of many buttons and fabric to make ours and their kids clothes. I watched her sew almost everyday and just picked it up over time. In the 7th grade I had to learn a new skill, and I decided to formally learn sewing. With my mom’s help I made a really amazing blanket. I collected the back pockets off of jean pants from everyone I knew, and used those for the center of each block. My mom sat next to me and watched me sew. Throughout high school I sewed a few tote bags but nothing too big. When I got married my husband bought me a sewing machine but it sat in the closet until about a year ago. Within the last year I have taught myself to sew clothing and to quilt. At the beginning of the year I got my first serger. I cant wait to see where sewing will take me. I know love showing my 4 year old cousin how to sew and embroider and take so much joy in hearing about my little sister’s learning to sew.
I wanted to make my mom a quilt for Mother’s Day after I had just had my first baby. I bought a little Brother machine at Walmart and my best friend showed me the basics of machine sewing. My first creation was the quilt for my mom. She still has it hanging in her house too.
I watched my mom everytime she sewed in lower school, and then finally in middle school took a sewing class at school. It was only after that I was allowed to play with her machine. (that and another class at Calico Corners - back when they sold dress fabrics and loads of calico!) And thus the love affair with sewing began . . .
I learned basic sewing from my mom sewing on her Singer Featherweight when I was a kid. I didn’t use a zigzag stitch until about 3 years ago when I bought my own sewing machine - the Featherweight is straight stitch only!
My mother is a quilter so I asked her to make me a quilt about 10 years ago and she told me I was more than capable of making one myself. With mum’s support, I made my first quilt and have been hooked ever since.
My Mum started to teach me as I was 10 or 11 and tried to sew an overall for my little sister from Dad’s trousers. I didn’t have any idea of pattern at this time. Now the tradition was continued by my daughter. She is 11 and tried to make a surprise: she started to sew two coordinated bags, for me and for her (I told about that on my blog, by the way). Now I teach her and keep her first creation in my treasure chest
I learned some basic hand-sewing in primary school, and watched my mother and grandmother sewing their clothes. I learned more about sewing in a girls’ College (those were the days… ) and as I didn’t like the clothes my mother made me, I started making my own during College and continued for years. I made jackets from leather and suede scraps. When I earned enough money to buy me clothes I stopped sewing and spend more time drawing and painting. About 3,5 years ago I started quilting, threw everything in a box and tried it again about two years ago. I love it now and carefully try to sew some bags and other stuff.
I regret that I have kept none of my old sewingmachines, like the Elna-I and an old Singer.
When I was a little girl, I pulled a scrap from my mom’s scrap basket and asked her to teach me to sew. It was a floral print heavyweight cotton with a blue background. I chose a pink thread and she taught me how to make a running stitch. I did row after row of stitches on that scrap of fabric, watching them become straighter, smaller and neater. I dabbled in hand sewing a bit until high school, when I was gifted a Singer. Mom again sat me down and taught me the basics, a straightforward purse/bag in a dancing skeleton print. I kept trying new skills with each project (calling mom for help) and I haven’t stopped sewing since. My grandma makes custom stuffed animals and my great grandma was a quilter, so it makes me happy to have this connection to the women in my family.
Best,
Violet
Such generosity…thank-you. I learnt to sew from my Mum, when I was a child. I kept sewing on and off, but always felt I looked “home-made”. After my second child, I tried a couple of Vogue patterns (a flared skirt and bootcut pants) with great success. This success, coupled with the fact that I had very few clothes (I wore a uniform when I worked), got me going, at least sewing “bottoms”. A friend gave me her mother’s pattern drafting book, which got me making patterns to fit. A couple of years ago I discovered Australian Stitches and then Threads, bot of which have taught me enough about fit to start sewing tops, and improved my technique so that I no longer look homemade. Now that I have found some great fabric shops, I even look designer!
Mine is also a grandmother story. Rather than rewrite it, here’s the blog post where I already wrote about it:
http://patchandi.blogspot.com/2008/10/flower-gardens.html
Thanks again for your great generosity.
Andi
I learned sewing when I was nine and wanted some new Barbie clothes. At that time my dad was unemployed and my parents couldn’t spend any penny for things not *really* needed, so my mom (who never learned to sew properly) got out her sewing machine and showed me how to thread it and how to use the basic stitches and then stayed with me for an hour or two, guiding me and seeing if everything would work out fine with me and the machine.
So it started with sewing doll clothes for a lack of money and ended up with sewing everything I want just for the fun of sewing.
I’m sorry no grandmother is involved in this story, but she was a knitter - maybe that’s why my mother never really got into sewing herself. my grandma always says the sewing gene skipped two generations of our family, as my great-grandma was a talented professional seamstress. Though I’m not a pro and not very talented I’m happy that the gene has found its way back to life!
I learned to sew in 8th grade Home Ec. class. The first thing I made was this bird which held sewing notions. I was so proud of that bird! Then we had to make a dress. I worked really hard on that dress, and the teacher allowed the student teacher in the class to grade it. I’ll never forget her name, Miss Crisp. She must have been trying to prove something to someone, because she graded all of our efforts really hard. I remember I could wear my dress and could zip it up, but she gave me a D grade. I was shattered. This was over 30 years ago. I almost gave up sewing completely right then and there, but my notions bird was entered into a county-wide school home ec. contest my the “real” teacher, and I won first place! I knew then that I would never be a clothing sewer, but a craft sewer and making a living at it. So take THAT, Miss Crisp!~~~XXOO, Beth
I took home ec in middle school and we had to make some shorts. I put the pockets in backwards so when you put your hands in they went towards your bottom. I gave up after that. Later, I got married in 1988. We were young and broke. I asked for a sewing machine and got one for my August birthday. For Christmas I made country bunnies for everyone. I became pregnant and learned to smock so I could dress my kids all fancy in expensive clothes. My first (after the shorts incident) clothing item to sew was a smocked bishop dress. I love the handwork of shadow embroidery and smocking. I want to learn to quilt this year.
I learned to sew in 7th grade home ec class. That was back when the schools had home ec classes! I remember making these awful scratchy blue shorts with a drawstring waist from fabric that I got at Zayres. The shorts are long gone but the passion for sewing still remains
Well my learn to sew story is not as wonderful as yours. I’m self taught and have only been sewing for 2 1/2 years. When I had my daughter I bought a pillowcase dress and a twirly skirt when she was about 2 and thought I could make these. I procrastinated for 6 months, joined a sewing forum, started a blog and there is no looking back now. My eldest daughter loves “making” things on the machine so I hope I am passing on some skills to both my girls.
I actually taught myself how to sew. Once day I just decided I wanted to sew and was going to figure it out. My original intention was to learn to alter my clothes, but discovering quilting sidetracked me from that.
Oh la la! I learned to sew from my mom. There were a few things that were required of us girls: sewing, a musical instrument and cooking. I still play the piano a bit but sewing and cooking…I do that whenever I can. Just thinking of sewing two pieces of paper together makes me smile! Thanks for bringing these memories back.
I learned to sew by getting a pattern and then went from there. My mum helped me figure out bias binding the first time but besides that, everything was self taught.
Although I remember watching my mother sew when I was very young, I didn’t actually learn to sew until grade 7 Home Ec class. I remember Miss. White helping me with my stuffed alphabet letters that spelled my name. What a hoot! I wish I still had those letters.
When I was in college, I worked for one of the maintenance departments for the dorms over a summer. One of the other things that the shop oversaw was the sewing and repair of the drapes in the dorms. After the summer was over, I applied to stay on through the school year and learned to use all the different sewing machines to make drapes. It wasn’t until 16 years later that I actually began to sew at home.
I learned to cross stitch when I was 7. My mom always did it and taught me. I loved doing such a “grown-up” thing. When I was in my teens, my mom took up quilting but I was not interested at the time. Then, two years ago, I told her I would really like to make blankets for my little girls. That christmas she bought me a sewing machine and everything I needed to make a quilt. After a few lessons from her I was off and running and haven’t looked back!
I was exposed to sewing by my mom and a high school home ec class. But I didn’t really take up sewing until I was 40, when my husband got me a sewing machine for my birthday. Since then, I’ve pretty much taught myself. In other words, I am solely responsible for my mistakes!
From my Mum of course:) She was always sewing something or other. There was always a quilt on the frame, or she was making clothes. Then when I was a teenager there wasn’t a lot of money to spend on pricey clothes, but my Mum would always buy me fabric if I asked. So I would sew my own clothes constantly. I had a great wardrobe!! Nowdays it’s cheaper for me to buy clothes than sew them, plus my spare time is at a premium. I reserve my sewing for quilting, and the occassional outfit for my daughter:) I am however passing down the tradition and teaching my daughter how to sew.
I learned to sew the basics from my mother but mostly I learned by trial and error. My first project was a gingham apron which I still have after 50 years. Next I tried doll clothes and I have also saved several of the dresses as well as the doll. I treasure all these fond memories and sewing is still an important part of my life. My sewing machine is a thirty year old Kenmore which still works perfectly - a nice heavy machine - I do not care for the modern plastic machines. Hope I am lucky in your drawing. This has been such a fun week of giveaways!!
What wonderful, wonderful giveaways! Thanks so much for the opportunity. My mother always made my church dresses when I was young. She was very patient in letting me help sew and pick out the pattern and fabric. She taught me all the basics and we still do projects together which is such a special time. I also remember being at my grandmother’s knee as she sewed on her treadle machine. She too had a chest of fabric which I thought was gold.
I learned to sew in the 7th grade in home ec. First projects I remember include a pair of ugly elastic waisted shorts and a drawstring bag. We also made chocolate chip zucchini muffins, and were all astounded that they actually tasted good.
I later took sewing classes in high school (this was 15 years ago, and I’m sure the classes are no longer offered). My teacher strongly encouraged me to go to a fashion design school like FIDM. At the time I was wrapped up, like everybody else at school was, in SATs and deciding which 4-year college to go to. I brushed her off, and may have even been insulted. Now, spending my days in a cubicle in a lackluster job, I really wish I had pursued a creative degree…
My grandmother also taught me to sew. She lived in Iowa and was required to sew to provide for her family. A true matriarch.
Wow! What a generous giveaway.
I did lots of “pretending” to sew as a kid…sticking fabrics and bias strips together to “make” clothes for dolls, and I crafted quite a bit growing up, especially cross stitch. But I didn’t actually start a love affair with sewing until I was an adult. I hand sewed a few things as a child, but my mother sewed me clothes (I was always too tall for store bought pants!!) and she was such a perfectionist I never got a chance to learn. The minute something looked “incorrect” she would take over. My husband got me my first sewing machine 5 years ago and I have been sewing like a madwoman ever since!
I remember learning to sew when I was around 6. My grandmother on my dad’s side came from a long line of seamstresses. Whenever I would be dropped off with my little sisters, she would help me out. My mother also knew how to sew quite well. She bought be my very own plastic sewing machine that same year. I still have it!
I learned to sew in school and loved it from the beginning. Most of my friends in class dreaded the sewing projects, but I really enjoyed them. Since leaving school I stopped sewing - until September, when after a year abroad and a head full of ideas and inspirations I bought my first own sewing machine. And now I’m looking forward every week to continuing with my projects in the little free time I’ve got.
My mother was an interior designer and had decorated many of the Miami Beach hotels in the very late 50’s, and our home always had something that she sewed up from some wonderful fabric. She taught me to sew when I was about 9 or 10, and then of course I was hooked. I was making my own skirts and looking good for a clumsy freckled face kid. Then I went to the required Home Ec class in Jr. High and I was hooked. No more clothes for me but love to make Christmas and crafty gifts all year long!! Love your blog.
It’s so funny to me to read that you posted this four hours ago and were going to sleep. I’m just getting up to start my day!
I learned to sew from my mom. She only did very basic sewing. Along the way, I have taught myself a little as well. I hope to one day have a newer machine with more variety of stitches so I can do a bit more!
My mother sewed when I was growing up, and I loved to watch her. Mainly just fixing things, but I learned a lot nonetheless. Now I have a 8 year old daughter that I homeschool. We took a week of school to do a unit study on sewing and it rekindled my passion for it. Thanks for this great giveaway!!!!
My grandmother taught me to sew.
My first project was a pillow out of a single quilt block, card trick.
I learned to sew by the most common mix. 25% watching mom for a bit 75% figuring this stuff out on my own bit
My mum taught me to sew when I was a young girl. I would watch her sew dresses for me and my sister and then in order to earn extra money she would handsew the edges of fine screen printed silk scarves (which were produced in the next village) and these would be jetted around to fine stores around the globe. I dreamed of being able to sew with such precision and travelling the world. I have gotten to travel the world, and i am working on my skills.
Thanks
My mom taught me how to thread a bobbin and hem pants or recover a pillow but that was the extent of her sewing knowledge. To this day the rest of my sewing comes from trial and error. I see something that inspires me me and then I wing it!
I’m still learning! I had two semesters of sewing way back in middle school where I made sweat pants and a pair of shorts, but that was the extent of it. Now I’m attempting to learn on my own, but I gotta say, it’s overwhelming!
I did alot of handwork up until middle school. I remember my grandmother teaching me to knit, taking a crochet class after school in 5th grade and doing a bunch of Xmas wallhangings and an advent calendar from Bucilla kits. I’m a visual learner and taught myself alot from books from the library. In middle school I started taking home ec classes. My first project was a wrap skirt with topstiched pockets. I remember making my 8th grade dance dress. I continued sewing in HS, took a little break in college and then started back up after graduation. Sewing is my therapy and I get really cranky when I can’t get my time.
What a wonderful week of giveaways. I could say I learned to sew in my high school home ec class but NOT. Horrible “teacher.” Never touched a needle and thread again until I was in my 30s and living in Japan. I took a beginning sewing class at the military rec center, mostly because I wanted to eventually learn to quilt. I got the basic sewing skills on my $199 Simplicity Sewing machine that I ordered from the JC Penney catalog. I still have it. My kids were young and I was able to make cute Halloween costumes, pjs, and simple things for them. Although I don’t sew clothes any longer I LOVE quiltmaking, and making bags, and other small and fun sewing projects.
I learned how to sew while in college, newly married and my father was dying from cancer. I wanted to make him a quilt. So bought a scrap bag of fabric for a charm quilt,borrowed a sewing machine and started to sew. My Mom still displays this quilt after 20 years. My addiction to quilting has remained strong and is now a family affair with my daughters quilting ( at times ) with me.
I am learning to sew through quilting classes at my local quilt shop, but my inspiration comes from my grandmother who evacuated Bay St. Louis, MS the day before her 100th birthday to escape Hurricane Katrina. As a young married couple my parents had a very limited income and my grandmother would drive to their home in Miami and take my mother to the big department stores to look at little girls dresses that they could never afford to buy. Then she would come home, draft patterns from newspaper and sew the exact same dresses for me. They were beautifully detailed with smocking, tiny buttons, etc. One still hangs in my closet to this day. Throughout my life she made clothes, crocheted blankets and cross-stitched for every child, grandchild and great grandchild in the family. Even though her house was flooded, ours all remained full of her handiwork. And now that she has passed, I feel more inspired than ever to continue her tradition of giving through my heart and hands.
You could say that I learned how to sew twice: once from my mother when it was for 4-H and then once on my own when it was for my own daughters. In 4-H, I learned the basics, but it was always easier to have my mother do it as she is a master seamstress. My mom is not what you would call a patient woman when it comes to sewing. Watching me make a button-hole proved to be too much and would often result in the statement, “Here, let me do it,” and Mom would finish whatever I started. Consequently, I stopped sewing for a very, very long time. When my daughters were born, we had no money and clothes consisted of garage sale specials. Osh-Gosh clothing was a splurge and one that didn’t happen very often until I noticed that one of their prints was available at Jo-Anne’s. I asked my mom for a cheap second-hand sewing machine for Christmas and went to town making clothes for my girls. And the button holes? Pretty damn good this time!
I think you know how I learned to sew. My mom had shown me a million times but she is an excellent sewist so I never needed to sew. Then I was making a quick bag to hold some toys for a swap and the bobbin thread ran out. I was forced to figure out how to use the machine on my own and the rest is history
I wish I had a great story of learning to sew from generations of seamstresses and quilters. My mom is the only woman in my family that sews, she makes beautiful things and she is very creative. When I was 15 or so, she tried to teach me and we both got frustrated and quit, or I should say I quit and she finished my project.
I have since then taught myself and I am still learning. I also took a couple of quilt classes to get me started. I am now teaching my daughter.
My mom’s always sewn. When I was little, she sewed most of our family’s clothes. Now she’s a quilter. Once in a while I’d get the urge to sew, and sew with her for a while, but I never really got into it. I also had sewing in high school way back in the Dark Ages, many years ago. It wasn’t until I tagged along to Sew Expo a couple of years ago that the bug finally caught me, and hasn’t let go.
Thanks Kathy!
I learned to sew in my junior high home ec class. Our teacher was not real good though and I probably wouldn’t have made it past the prerequisite apron project but I did fall in love with sewing. I continued to sew but didn’t have a machine so I used the machine of an old lady that ran a tavern and boarding house. The sewing machine was in the open room next to the bar room and I sewed away while brandy shots were poured and many noisy card games took place. This is a very very old bar with tin ceilings and a beautiful back bar with the naked lady and everything. I could use the lady’s machine, her name was Cecelia, as long as I cleaned and oiled it after every use. Very wise habit. She just passed away about three weeks ago.
My mom taught me to sew when I was little. She worked for awhile as a professional seamstress in New York. She always made her own clothes, and a lot of mine.
I learned to sew from a high school home ec class. I ended up taking 3 years of it. I still remember the teacher like it was yesterday and it was over 20 years ago.
My mom taught me to sew when I was about 9. Straight lines. I think a square pillow was my first machine project. I think I learned to use a needle and thread when I was about 6. And had those sewing cards that sew up with shoe laces as a little kid. But really, in Girl Scouts (my mom was the leader), she and two co-leader/moms had my enire Junior troop sew our own uniforms - we made pants and a vest, a tie-dye shirt and a scarf. Kakhi elastic waist pants and a blue vest. I have sewn so many flannel PJ pants since then and always think about that experience.
My grandmother taught me to sew and knit (my other grandmother to crochet). I must have been about 8 years old, she helped me sew clothes for my dolls by hand and when I was 13 she gave me my first sewing machine. It was a basic Singer and I used it for more than 20 years before buying a fancy machine (I still have taht first machine). She instilled in me the love of creating, to use color in creative ways and to enjoy the process. When she turned 90 I made her a quilt, appliqued with symbols significant to her life. She lived to be 98 and loved that quilt. My dad loved it too and when he passed away the quilt went with him.
I owe both my grandmothers so much and miss them still.
I learned to sew in Junior High School when we still had the mandatory Home Education class. My first project was a drawstring bag, followed by pants & a shirt. When I sew now I can still hear Mrs. Petre in my head saying “you need more pins in that.” Shortly after learning I inherited my great-grandmothers Husquivarna sewing machine and was able to start sewing at home. The rest I just learned by trying patterns and making lots of mistakes.
I learned to sew in 7th grade home economics class. I have re-taught myself in the last year and a half :0) Gotta love the internet..you can learn how to do anything.
My mother (who is a quilter) taught me to sew. Growing up she used to sew up some clothes but as I got older mostly what she sewed was quilts. When I was in college she gave me her old machine, which is still what I’m using (although its starting to get a little quirky!).
I had no intention of learning how to sew, even though my mom is a brilliant dressmaker and upholsterer. Then, after I got married, she moved 1,000 miles away. I took a fabric dying class, had tons of hand-dyed yardage, and my husband got me my first sewing machine for my 25th birthday. I sew because it connects me to my mom, and I taught myself.
I don’t remember when I learned to sew, I probably just absorbed the information from seeing all the women in our family sewing. I do remember the first thing I sewed though — a yellow gingham Barbie dress. I rooted through my mother’s scraps, found a needle and some thread, cut 2 dress pieces out, Grinch style, and sewed them up while sitting on my parents’ bed. Though the dress has long since been passed along, I can still see those stitches quite clearly, white running stitches up and down the seams and little folded over hems on all the edges.
My grandmother too taught me and my sisters to embroider. each year she would get reprinted guest towels for us to embroider for my mother for Christmas, each year we got a bit better!. My mother started us on doll clothes, and by the time I was 10, I could sew easy clothing for myself. I’ve always loved fabric and colors, and ended up with quilting, each year for gifts I make silly things, pillow cases, bags, etc. Taught my daughter to sew making doll clothes, she is now at college but when she comes home she likes to sew a bit with me!
This is my kind of giveaway — all the samples! My mom can do anything, and every kind of needleart craft has always been going on at some time or other. I just picked up right behind here, and, for once, I have to say she was very patient with me. I don’t remember her getting frustrated with my learning and questions and re-do’s, etc. My earliest sewing memory, I think, is making Barbie clothes. I believe I can remember the bedroom she had the sewing machine in, and there I would stay laying fabrics and Barbies out on her bed wardrobing them. I think the dangerous part in all this was the pins that fell to the floor and got lost in the carpet — until the father was going to bed at night! Now I’m always telling my kids and any guests who come into my cement floor sewing studio - “Be sure you have your shoes on!” — I’m still dropping pins.
hmmm- how did I learn to sew?! That is a really good question! I had pleanty of older relatives who quilted or sewed but none of them actually close enough to teach me. My mother isn’t a sewer, and neither were any of my Aunts. I did take home ecconomics in Jr. High but I would not give that the credit for teaching me- I am going to have to give that credit to myself I guess. I had not really thought of this much but I did teach myself what I know, and am still learning, but then again aren’t we all?!
My mom is the best seamstress that I know. Unfortunately, I didn’t take the time to listen to much of here sewing room wisdom while I was at home. It was much easier to just ask her to make something!
When I had my third child, though, I became interested in making cloth diapers and found a group of online sewers and it took off from there. Now, it’s evolved much more into quilting, but I still love it all!
My mom tried to teach me how to sew when I was growing up. I just never wanted to learn. So when I grew up and left the house I realized what I had missed out on and when back begging for help. She of course obliged. I will never be the seamstress she is. I can however quit just as well as she can. Thank you Mom, for waiting until I was ready to learn.
My first memory of sewing is in the fourth grade. My mom had all the girls in my girl scout troop over to learn to sew. It was one of our activities that we had to do to get a badge. We made a wrap skirt that I still have. I am pretty sure that I sewed before that because everyone in my family sewed. My grandmother was an amazing seamstress. Now my mom is an avid quilter. My daughters, six and five, have a Hello Kitty Janome sewing machine. In our family you just sew.
Great topic. I enjoyed reading the stories!
As for my self my grandmother taught me how to make patterns and I tried both hers and my mothers machines just playing /both berry interesting, beautiful and mechanical/. Once my mother made me hat - 8 pieces beret and I tried to make one myself. That was it. Th?n I used some magazines and some well constructed clothes from the wardrobe and started… My parents bought me an electric sewing machine and I started to make 80% of my clothes. I soon made myself a coat. Then I discovered patchwork.
What a great giveaway - looks like I missed a fun week on your blog while I was out of town!
Both my grandmother and my mom used to sew quite a bit. I recall going to my grandmother’s house and checking out all her buttons and sewing supplies. She taught me how to cross stitch, and I spent hours making little ornaments and other decorations. My mom made most of our clothes when we were little and I used to attempt to hand sew clothes for my dolls. I think I usually ended up just tying the material to the dolls!
I only recently got back into sewing. Last Christmas my mom taught me how to use the sewing machine so I could make myself some market bags. Since then I’ve been hooked! I made quite a number of tablecloths, napkins and some clothes and then really got into quilting. Now I’d say I’m definitely addicted! Sadly enough, the thing I really missed while I was out of town last week (well, aside from my fiance) was my sewing machine!
i have a funny story: i taught myself to sew when i was 16 because (get this!!!) i wanted to make my high school sweetheart a patchwork pillow that had “PB&J” (our nickname) embroidered on it. it was a neckroll, and was made from my mom’s stash, completely handsewn, with NO INSTRUCTION (nice… needless to say we didn’t last, and i’m sure the pillow didn’t either). i graduated from patchwork pillows to those awful hippie-looking patchwork maxi dresses (think 1994 chic). i could be seen wearing one of my creations at the Garth Brooks concert in NYC Central Park in 1996… why did i hang on to them so long?! what was i thinking???!!!
I learned to sew from my mother. She taught me when I was pretty little. We would sew everything. We made tons of little pillows that were everywhere. I still sew today and love it.
My mother was never taught how to sew growing up and I think that bothered her. She had three daughters and she made each one of us go to 4H to learn to sew. Little did she know how much we would all enjoy it. I love to sew I just wish I had more time. I was honored 3 years ago when my sister asked me to make all the bridesmaid dresses and flower girl dresses for her wedding. I think that was also a gift back to my mother knowing she is the reason I learned to sew.
Smiles!
Some great stories! I learned to sew from my Aunt Billie when I was 4 years old. We made a simple pillow slip on her treadle machine. She lived hours away, so that was my only lesson. I came home and Dad surprised me shortly after with my own treadle machine and so it began. Mom didn’t sew anything beyond basic mending and hemming, so I was on my own. Although my Dad couldn’t sew a stitch, he was the one I turned to with questions and problems. His engineering mind was perfect to figure things out!
Thanks for the opportunity to win a great give away!
Jeanie
I taught myself to sew, after watching my Mom and Grandmother sew for years. I asked my Mom but before she sit down with me I taught myself (I was a little impatient.) But I still ask my Mom for help with something if I’m having a problem.
My Girl Scout leader, Madelaine Marquette taught the entire troop how to sew. She knew that we loved Esprit clothes (early 80’s!) so she found an Esprit pattern and we all made skirts. She was the coolest leader on the planet and I am so glad she taught me how to sew!
I learned to sew when I was about 9 or 10. My mom taught me how to make pillows for my Barbie. I think she wanted me to work on smaller “projects” so I wouldn’t use up all the fabric and polyfil. I guess she didn’t anticipate me making hundreds and hundreds of Barbie pillows. Thankfully, I broadened my horizons by high school. The most frustrating thing I remember about *learning* to sew was winding that stinkin’ bobbin.
You give-away is VERY generous. Boy, I hope I win. =)
I thought myself to sew a little under three years ago. I was pregnant with my first and I wanted to make her a quilt. Well I found out I couldnt quilt right off the back but I did get the sewing bug so hard and started making a ton of purses and havent looked back since! On a side note my first sewing machine was a Valentine gift from my husband. I have now since upgraded and would love to upgrade again but that first machine will always hold a special place in my heart!
My mom taught me how to sew. She had an old singer featherweight that I used. My first project was a purse made out of an old pair of jeans.
I learned to sew at about age 12 when I received a Sears sewing machine for Christmas instead of the camera I yearned for. The sewing machine came with basic lessons and I kept it for almost 20 years sewing everything from baby clothes to a cover for our 40 foot boat (don’t try that at home!).
I quit sewing for many years until our daughter got ready to leave for college last year and now I’ve rediscovered it and how much fun it is, especially with a sewing machine that I don’t have constant problems with!
Hi!
I got a sewing machine from my mother in law 8 years ago and I decided to buy some patterns and try to make some clothing. It was very hard but I did it, and of course it wasn’t perfect, but it was the way I got used to the sewing machine. Later on, I took a hand quilting class that inspired me and I started to get together with friends for hand quilting. Soon after, when I got a chance I bought myself and nicer sewing machine and since then I have learned from the internet, from books, from friends…we make workshops locally and teach each other how to make bags, aprons, book covers, or whatever anyone know how to make and it is a very rewarding experience. I am always learning something new, and blogs like yours inspire me every time I read them!
Every summer my grandmother would come for a visit and take us to the fabric store.. .we would then buy patterns and fabric for the next school year’s coordinated wardrobe. She would then sew like mad for my sister and myself during the rest of the visit. Sometimes, she would have to take things home to finish, and we would get wonderful packages in the mail. Shirts, skirts, dresses.. all carefully coordinated to mix and match. My mother had MS, and this really helped her out.
When I was in the sixth grade I decided I wanted to make my own back to school dress for the beginning of the seventh grade year. So she helped me pick out pattern and fabric, and taught me the essentials. I had been handsewing doll clothes for years. But this was big time! The dress came out well and I wore it alot. I did have to do the collar three times though… the first 2 times when I clipped the curved seams I cut through the seam line… ugggh. But I finally got it right. I then made my 8th grade dotted swiss white confirmation dress, and in college, I would spend my summer planning and sewing my next year’s wardrobe.
I do not sew as much now. I find that finding the fabrics I like is tough… and fitting. I need to take a fitting class probably. I sewed lots for my three boys when they were small… but as teens I tend to knit for them now.
I am mostly self-taught, but when I was little, my granny taught me how to sew buttons. My sister and I spent hours sewing buttons to scraps of fabric, trying x’s and =’s. When I was about 8 I made a little bear and entered it into an art contest. The little guy won 2nd place!
Thanks for putting Simplicity by 3 Sisters on your giveaway! I just love it.
Though I’m told my grandmother quilted, I never saw that, I just knew I had one of her quilts on my bed, a crazy pieced scrap quilt that I loved. My favorite aunt sewed dresses for the ladies in her small town in the 50s, to support herself. She was always at her sewing machine, and I imprinted on that. I thought my Mother was a genius because she sewed my dresses from patterns she drafted, with gorgeous linens, silks, and brocades, when I was a teenager in the 60s. I had extraordinary clothes that I loved, yet also felt like an outsider because everyone else had the same off-the-rack dresses.
Mother taught me the basics of sewing, then I took home ec in 9th grade in 1961. I loved sewing my own clothes through high school, then I sewed occasionally til I discovered quilting a few years ago. Now I make quilts, sew clothes, make note cards from small quilt blocks, and next I want to sew fabric art to hang on the wall.
My mother used to teach art, and when I was little, she volunteered in my school. She taught us stitchery using yarn, burlap, and a plastic needle. At home, even though I was in first grade, she taught me how to use a real needle and showed me how to make stuffed animals/dolls out of old pantyhose stuffed with fiber fill. (They looked kinda like potatoes or wrinkly faces.)
I taught myself to sew — I think my first project was a dress for a formal dance in high school. Luckily, I didn’t know all that I didn’t know!! I did take home ec after that, but I’ve always been one to stubbornly want to learn on my own. Now I’m older and wiser, and so much enjoy learning from all the talented people who are kind enough to design wonderful patterns (although I would very much like to learn to design my own clothing and have really been inspired by your adventure!) Thank you so much Kathy for the wonderful giveaways this week = }
I was a very unwilling student with my mom as a teenager. I pouted and fussed and generally was a brat. Then about a year ago, I suddenly became interested and basically used what I remembered from Mom and taught myself the rest. I’m not sure if my Mom is mad or glad that I like to sew now, lol! Maybe a little of both
I’m definitely not an accomplished seamstress, but I do really enjoy the process of creating. I really want to learn quilting next!
My grandma taught me to sew when I was around 8 years old. I can remember sewing on her “fancy” sewing machine, that did this little scottie dog stitch that I thought look beautiful on everything. I would make doll clothes, purses, and skirts. She was so patient and loving, when the bobbin ran out or the thread would break, she would always fix it for me to continue. I am blessed to still have my grandma as a teacher, and we still sew regularly together.
I learned the very basics from my mother and then how to make a garment from home ec in the 8th grade. And then afterward, my mother “corrected” some of what she saw as bad habits that I learned from class. After that, my mother sort of retired from sewing our clothes and I took over, even sewing for her. She’s gone now and I feel so close to her when I sew. Thanks for the chances for these wonderful prizes.
My mom taught me to hand sew when I was little, and though my grandmother was a great seamstress, she never taught me. I really wasn’t very interested either, until some years ago when my mom gave me a sewing machine and I just went at it. I’m still a beginner but I love learning new things!
I learned to sew like many other girls of my generation… in home ec class in middle school. My mother worked and didn’t sew… and we lived many miles from grandmothers and I don’t recall if they sewed or not. As an adult, my husband inherited a quilt that his grandmother made… a pink and green double wedding ring. I was so taken with the quilt, I decided right then and there to learn to quilt and have been doing so ever since. Thanks for the giveaways… and reading the other responses has been fun!
I learned to sew from my Mom when I was about 10 years old. I fell in love with it and have loved sewing every since.
My mom taught me to sew when I was pretty young…I can’t actually remember a time when I didn’t know how to sew! I do remember, however, that I honed my skills by teaching other kids to sew. My mom ran a sewing school out of her basement for a few years when I was a teenager. I helped out, teaching girls just a few years younger than me how to make skirts and bags. That was really fun, and made me an extra bit of spending money too! Now I sew so much that I forget that there are people who can’t even fix a button…hmm, maybe it’s time to do something about that!
The earliest I can remember sewing is when I was about 7. I was trying to make my doll some clothes. I remember my 13 year old brother, George, cut up one of his t-shirts and helped me make my doll some clothes. I later traded this doll and her clothes to an old black lady for a puppy. A few months later my brother died. I so wish I still had that doll and clothes. I also used to sit and sew scrap pieces of fabric together with needle and thread as my grandmother sewed on her sewing machine. Then as I got a little older I can remember making my father a hat on my mother’s sewing machine. My dad, who was an expert sewer, showed me exactly how I should have sewn the hat!
Have a Blessed Day,
Diane
I grew up watching my grandmother sewing. Several times she and my mother (who didn’t sew as much because Grandmother could sew so well!) would try to teach me. That went by the wayside because my grandmother was so good and I would just let her do it! In high school, I took a quilting class with my mother (a little unusual for a 16 yr. old but we just moved and I didn’t have any friends yet.) So that was the slow start to my sewing. Now my 12 yr. old daughter is sewing with 4-H and I have to keep up with her. SO we’re learning together!
My mother inspired my sewing (particularly by hand) but I learned how to make a garment in the proverbial middle school home ec class. It was an a-line skirt in a blue floral print. My mother loved to sew (and still does at age 80) and we were just reminiscing about the wonderful sewing room my father made for us in the attic of the house where I grew up. The room had a wall of shelves and a large plywood table for cutting. The machine was at one end of the table and he made a little platform for the foot so it was easy to reach from a comfortable stool. Indeed, my mother and I are still using the same machines as we did then, but we long for the lovely space!
I grew up on a farm; when I was 10 yrs old, my insightful mom enrolled me in the 4-H club. *S* My first sewing project was a skirt and scarf. The scarf was a square with threads pulled for frayed edges, and the skirt had an elastic waistband. Very easy project, but I remember really struggling with all the new stuff in my life; sewing machine, scissors, fabric, pins, measuring tape, etc.
Once I started tho, I never stopped. Garment sewing at first, moving on to fabric crafts, and now I’m proud to say I’m a quilter. *S*…..59 years later. I so wish that scarf and skirt had been saved.
In 8th grade, I passed Home Ec with a C+. I was just no good with it and was kinda afraid of using the sewing machine. In 2007, I bought a Hello Kitty Janome (the mint green one) and taught myself to sew by using free patterns online. It was a set of coasters. I also got pregnant in 2007, so that pushed me to learn to make quilts because I wanted to make one for my baby. I ended up making 2 for her.
i think my first time on a sewing machine was in junior high home ec. i remember learning the machine and finishing off our pillows with the “invisible stitch”. it was years later when i wanted to start sewing my own projects - first borrowing a machine (and lugging it over 200 miles home with me on the amtrak) and then eventually getting my own (the one i still use. i’ve pretty much learned from manuals, books and the web. sometimes i’m still not sure if i know what i’m doing.
My mom taught me to sew when I was a kid. I also took sewing in 4H although I could never make clothes for myself that looked good on me.
I learned to sew from my mother and my grandmothers when I was very little, 5 years old. I wanted to learn to sew by hand, to machine sew, to knite… and was all the time asking them to teach me so they had no choice.
I remember my mom with a needle, repairing my clothes, always her unique patient style. She once had a clothes shop where she sold clothes for, let’s say, big women; where she fixed the clothes so they would fit perfectly into the customer. When I was 12, I hand sew really clumsy a little bag so she could keep her knitting needles together. She still has it. But teaching me that age was hard.. you know, I always wanted to do things my way.
Until my last birthday, the 24th, when I asked a sewing machine. Unfortunately I live now in Berlin and my parents in Lisbon..I had so much time to learn from her and only now that I am away the will comes. I searched alone for a machine, bought husqvarna viking and I learned how to sew with the machine alone. She couldn’t believe the pillow covers I offered her last Summer. I used a fabric found in a second hand shop (no money to buy other beautiful fabrics so I picked a long skirt that looked barely used, with enough fabric for two pillows), cut it in rectangles and sewed them quilt wise together again. Combining the different patterns together. I should photograph them next time I fly home. It came out so pretty.
So there you go my first and my last sewing projects. I’d say the daughter of fish knows how to swim.
Well, I don’t really have a ton of memories about sewing when I was “little” because since I’m only 16, I’m still a youngin to most of y’all!
I love to sew though, and I guess my grandma got me started with making clothes for my doll. A good friend of mine really helped my further my sewing experience though.
My mom taught me to sew one summer when I was 10 or 11, when I didn’t get to go to the horsebacking camp that I wanted to go to. It was a good consolation though - I sewed a green dress complete with a sheer top layer (with plenty of Mom’s help, of course)!
Two years ago for Christmas (2006), I added a sewing machine to my wishlist for Christmas. It was funny because my husband said “what are you going to sew with a sewing machine?” (I’d never shown any interest in sewing every before that.) I responded “I’m going to sew fabric”…
Well we picked out a very basic machine because I didn’t know if I’d like sewing or not, and I’ve since upgraded to a Janome quilting companion machine. I’ve taken several classes and so far I love making items like purses instead of making clothing. This year, I’ve started my first quilt — I’m making a king size “hanky panky” quilt in comtemporary bright colors.
By the way, your website is my very favorite and it’s so motivating to me! Thanks for always sharing your sewing endeavors with fans like myself. ~ Sandra
Honestly, I feel like I’m still learning–I didn’t have anyone to teach me, and it’s been a process of trial and error, stop and start for years. I thought I was terrible for a decade, and then it turned out I just had a terrible machine. Got a new one in August, and I can’t tell you how wonderful it feels! I have a Ph.D., but somehow I feel smarter when I sew.
My parents taught me the basics of hand- and machine-sewing. I used to buy plush toy kits (precut fabric and everything except stuffing included) and just sew and sew while I listened to the radio. When I was about 10, we had to design and make something in Home Ec at school. I spent forever on my project - a pair of child-sized faux-fur-lined white satin mittens (maybe that’s not very practical, but they looked so pretty!). At the end of the school year I couldn’t believe it when I found all our projects in a pile of trash to throw away! Luckily I found and rescued my mittens before it was too late - I still have them somewhere.
I learned to hand sew at about 6 because my mother needed me to do all the mending of our clothes and undergarments. Then a neighbor “gave” us a sewing machine when I was 9. About 3 months later, she came knocking on the door and took it back stating that she “lent” it to us. My mother was so crushed with the neighbors behavior and my losing the machine that she saved every penny and went out and bought me a Singer. That Singer moved with me for 24 years until last year when I moved to the Midwest, and I gave it back to my mother to hold and use. I loved that machine.
I used to sit on my Mom’s lap as she sewed at an old black Singer. That machine fascinated me! When I was 5, she taught me to crochet; knitting and embroidery came a few years later. When the nation’s bicentennial came with its resurgence of handcrafts, Mom jumped on the bandwagon and took up quilting. Sandpaper templates, scissors, ditsy calicos in 1970’s colors, hand-piecing, hand-quilting—-that’s how I learned to do it! (At 15 yrs. old). I traipsed through many a fabric store with my Mom. I handpieced, handquilted several quilts over the years—I was the oddball amongst my high school/college crowd of punk rockers and reggae disciples, but I kept on despite rampant ridicule! About 8 years ago, I took a machine-piecing quilt class—what a BRAVE NEW WORLD . Rotary cutters, rulers instead of templates, machine-piecing, and SPEED! Wow—like a druggy waiting her whole lifetime for the ultimate high, I was HOOKED. I love sewing. Love. It. The color, the feel of the fabric, the sound of my sewing machine. Ahhhhh. I still shop for fabric with my mother, my two bratlets in tow. And, much to my great delight, my 9 y.o girl has her own grown-up sewing machine (not a toy), fabric stash, and first quilt exhibition under her belt. Sorry for the long post—but you asked for it!
take care, and big hugs!
I taught myself to sew with the help of “Bed the Rules sewing” about a year ago. I love it!
I bought a sewing machine to use on my scrapbook pages, but figured I should use it actually sew something with material so I bought a pattern to make a purse. Only I couldn’t figure it out. I got frustrated and was stomping around saying “this is stupid!” (any time I can’t do something, it must be stupid) and my husband tried to help. I was looking at it saying “no look, you can do this, it’s easy. It’s so easy that *I* could do it.” He paused and looked at it some more and said “no seriously, I COULD do this” 3 days later I had a purse.
My husband taught me to sew.
He’s still way better than I am.
I taught myself. I think it is one of the few things I’ve ever learned almost completely by experimentation. I’ve spent a lot of time in school and classes and I guess I don’t often trust myself to just try things until they work, but I did that with sewing. Every time I had access to a machine I would learn a little bit more and try a little bit more. If something didn’t work, I’d try it again. I am by no means expert at this point, but I enjoy the learning process.
My mom tried to teach me AGES ago….I started sewing on my scrapbook pages, then I decided to make some pillows. My mom was SO proud!! I THEN decided that I could make a pair of pants…from there it was all down hill lol. Been hooked ever since! LOL
I took home ec in high school and that was when i learned ot sew. i never touched a sewing machine for years. i decided in my late 20’s that i wanted to learn to quilt so i took an adult ed class locally and that was it. i was hooked. now it is my getaway, my relaxation time. my girls are learning how to sew now and it makes me happy that they enjoy it so much!
Self-taught. I hope there isn’t ever a final exam. I’d hate to ever have to justify my methods.
I had a great home ec teacher in 7th or 8th grade…didn’t sew again until a couple years ago…was able to pick it up again with no problems. I love it! I’ve just started my first quilt top.
I´m a classic “learned to sew with grandmother” .
Actually was my great-grandmother. She made weeding dresses, was a very talented woman. I used to spend all the summer hollidays with her and I learned from her everything I know in what sewing is concerned.
I has about 7 years old when I learned to operate a sewing machine.
I really miss her!
My mom has sewn for ever (at least to me!) When we were little she would always sew our Christmas and Easter dresses; our Halloween costumes; toys; doll clothes; etc. I would spend HOURS just sitting watching her at her machine. I never had the urge to do it with her but I would never leave her side while she was at her sewing machine.
About a year and a half ago I got the urge to do what my mom has always done. So she taught me. Last Christmas she bought me my own sewing machine and I haven’t looked back!! Except to look back and remember the hours and hours of my life spent with her first watching her and now sewing along with her.
My Mother, too, introduced me to sewing. First by hand; with needle and thread I made my first thing… a tiny stuffed mouse. As a small child, I loved everything tiny and miniaturized. Mom helped me create clothes for my tiny mouse as well. I then learned to work with her on the sewing machine. I had to sit on her lap and she used the knee pedal as she helped me guide the fabric. I never stopped and she never stopped teaching. With years and experience, together we made my wedding gown. Today she is 86 years old and loves me to bring her whatever projects I’m working on when I visit. She can no longer sew but still loves the art.
The first thing I ever sewed was a tiny waldorf doll for my son. I think this was around 2000, and I did it by hand. After that I bought a second hand machine and have mostly taught myself. I took one lesson at a local shop to learn how to properly thread it. I love sewing, and only wish I had a craft room or area in my house that I could leave it out in all the time.
I learned from Home Ex class, 7th grade, hamburger pillow. When I got married, my husband still had his home ec made hamburger pillow from a school 4 hours away from mine. Did they all do this? They were awful! I did a lot of sewing for my oldest son, now 19, and quit for some time. Now, I’m teaching my 11 year old and she loves it. Over the last 5 years that I’ve picked it up again, I’ve learned to always ask for others advice, learning something new or getting the pleasure of hearing their stories. The fabric counter lady in her 70’s, a friend’s grandmother, a friend who recently learned and made a full size quilt as her first project! We all have something to share with each other!
I taught myself all the sewing. I started with barbie clothes, softies, then long skirts (modern then) for myself etc. always discovering new solutions. When I started patchwork and quilting, I did decide to take a course with Rietje Spoel after a few years, for better techniques. She gave a lot of tips and tricks which I still use today. My mother was able to sew very well too, but she died too young, not being able to teach me. So I guess it is in my genes. My daughter makes all kinds of softies too now!
Have a lovely weekend!
My paternal grandmother taught me how to sew when I was very little — maybe four years old? — , but I didn’t become obsessive until 3rd grade, when Santa Claus brought me a sewing machine and one of my maternal aunts gifted me with a giant box of fabric, trims, thread and patterns. Unbeknownst to me, she had just been diagnosed with end stage breast cancer. She was antsy to pass down her passion for sewing, but her own daughter was too young. She was an aunt I’d never really connected with before then, but we developed a pretty great relationship in her last 2 years as a result of my grade school self feeling as though, for the first time, somebody really “got” me…all as a result of that box of sewing goodies, which remains my favorite Christmas present ever!
After watching my mom sew many of my clothes I wanted to do the same thing and started out on her old treadle machine and eventually graduated to the real deal. By junior high home ec I was making many of my own clothes.
I suppose I learned from watching my mom sew when i was little. I don’t remember her ever sitting down with me and teaching me, but I seem to have picked up a little from her. In college, I took a costume construction class which taught me a few more fundamentals but then I didn’t sew again for a while. My mom gave me her old machine and I just started playing around with it and reading books, blogs, and tutorials and picked up the rest that way!
My mom used to let us play around on her sewing machine when we were young. I must have been 7 or 8. I still can’t believe she’d let us go unsupervised and her sewing machine lived to tell about it. We used to take her scraps and sew sraight lines around them. Mom would make all our clothes, so eventually I wanted to make my own clothes. I think I started with elastic waisted shorts. Over the years I’ve sewn lots of clothes and dresses, my prom dresses, some baby clothes, baby quilts, and most recently I’ve been quilting like a mad woman. I love to sew. I’m happy to report that all four of my moms girls still sew! Thanks to mom!
My step-mother taught my sister and me how to sew. We had a hand-me-down machine, and they bought us each a few yards of fabric, with the intention of making a quilt. I stuck it out longer than my sister, but still only ended up with a bag of squares. Recently, I decided I was going to learn to sew, so I upgraded my machine and spent lots of time at it! Several misshapen items later I ended up opening my shop, which has been my motivation. Now I try to sew at least a little bit everyday!
my first “sewing” was making a sit-upon in girl scouts. but that was chunky yarn and a plastic needle. in junior high i learned how to use a machine in home ec. class and made a wonky pillow. ten years later i bought an old sewing machine on a whim and have been teaching myself ever sense
I also learned to sew (and crochet and knit) from Grandma, but just the basics. The rest I taught myself, through books, blogs and trial-and-error. I’ve learned plenty just from you, Kathy
Unfortunately, Grandma didn’t have a stash for me to admire; my love of fabric and the artistic side of sewing developed on its own.
I really haven’t learn to sew all that well yet, but I am trying to teach myself now. I am almost finished with my first quilt and it has taught me a lot.
This giveaway is great….thanks!!!!
I wish I could say that I learned from my Mom. The truth is that growing up everytime my Mom tried to show me how to use the machine I got frustrated and we never got too far. When I was 30 I took a clothing construction class at the local college and that’s how I really learned to use my sewing machine. Since then, its just been practice and tutorials off of the good ole internet!
I took a couple of home ec. classes in HS, and learned the very structured follow the rules for patterns way. After I had kids (a few years later) I started craft sewing and such and while I still know how to cobble together clothing…my fav. by far iscrafty stuff!
I “learned” to sew when I was little. After getting some lacing cards, I moved on to felt clothing for my troll and Barbie. Then in 7th grade we made a nightgown and apron in home ec class. One summer a friend and I took sewing lessons once a week at a wonderful woman’s house. But I really learned the most while living across the hall from a very talented designer/seamstress in Miami. Anytime I had a problem or question all I had to do was “knock” and Sandra came to my rescue. She was wonderful and I learned so much. I also got the Voque sewing book back in the 70’s from my talented grandmother who painted and quilted, and I still treasure it today.
Here’s to all the women who inspired me!
My mom tought me to sew. (She’s a teddy bear artist and sewed a LOT of my clothes when I was little as well as toys and repairs!–She’s always been suppotive of ANY creative thing I showed interest in!)She taught me to thread a needle when I was about 8 (I didn’t want her to show me more I insited I already knew!)so I made lots of funny awful things for my dolls never with a pattern, despite my moms best efforts (and gifts of books&offers of patterns) to encourage me to learn more. When I was about 13 I asked her to teach me to sew on the machine And she sat me down at her old Kenmore (it broke needles like crazy!-bad tension)with the manual and so I sewed a little here and there, got my own machine for my 16(?) birthday…mostly sewed patches and altered a few clothes…It wasn’t untill after I had kids that I really started to love sewing! Now I can’t imagine not sewing!
My grandmother taught me to sew as a teenager on her 1963 Singer. It was the one thing I wanted when she passed, and today I’m still sewing and quilting with her machine.
Oh my gosh there are a lot of people here!
The first time I learned, I was in my 7th grade home ec class. The class is most remembered for the guy who tried to pants all the girls when the teacher wasn’t looking.
I didn’t pick it up again until about 5 years ago when I wanted to make some things for my home. I borrowed a friend’s machine (Sarah’s, actually!) and gave it a shot. When we moved to Phoenix I bought my own machine and started sewing in earnest. What was amazing was how much I *did* remember from 7th grade home ec and from my mom, who was an avid sewer. Much more had sunk in than I had ever imagined. That combined with my strong skills at following directions have taken me a long way. Next up will be learning to draft my own patterns.
I watched over my grandmother’s shoulder from the time I was old enough to see. She reused so many old, beautiful clothes and jewels to dress my dolls like queens. Although she passed away before she was actually able to teach me, she started the sewing passion in me. My mother never picked up the craft (was too busy raising us nine children) so I just took off on my own as soon as I could safely use the sewing machine.
Your themes/questions this week and prizes have been a gift by themselves.
My mom taught me to sew when I was around 7 or 8 years old. We started with drawstring “overnight” bags and moved on to a night gown. Looking back I am impressed my mom was fearless enough to let me and my brother who is several years younger use her sewing machines! Eventually sewing moved to the back burner in favor of other projects but now that I am older we both have a renewed interest and she is still the one I call when I can’t figure out which way is up!
I learned how to hand sew back in fourth grade when my class won a trip to stay overnight at Sutter’s Fort in Sacramento, CA. We all had to choose a person that had lived at the fort at one time and research them and dress up as them. One of the things that we did to dress up as them was to sew a monogram of the person we were pretending to be’s initials to put on wool bags we’d be carrying around. The next endeavor was when we hand sewed a quilt block for girl scouts to put on tshirts. When I was in high school, my mom worked at a quilt shop and I took a quilting class. I had never used a sewing machine, yet my mom was confident I would just pick it up. She even had me buy a Janome sewing machine before going off to college. I’m pretty sure I was the only freshman in college back in 2004 with a sewing machine in my dorm, since I still only know a couple people my age that sew. I’ve never had formal lessons, or had anyone really tell me how to do anything in particular, so I guess you could say that I taught myself (just as I did with knitting as well).
My mom taught me how to use a sewing machine and make a straight stitch, but everything else I know was self taught. If you look around my house you can see things in every room that I have sewn, and my husband really can’t figure out how I learned to do it all on my own. I guess I just really wanted to learn, and there wasn’t anyone around to teach me.
I learned to sew some basic things on a sewing machine from my mother. She pretty much only sewed very simple items or made repairs. I think I really picked up most of my sewing skills from my junior high school and senior high school home economics teachers (THANK YOU!). I’ve been sewing ever since, I started quilting about 10 years ago. I just love quilting. Thanks for sharing your give away!
My Nana taught me to sew when I was little, probably started around age 4 or so- I wanted to sew doll clothes for a new doll she gave me for Christmas. Been sewing ever since and every time I sit down at my machine I think of her…
My first sewing adventure was felt clothes for my troll doll. I had the best dressed troll around. But my real sewing was taught to me by my grandmother (of course!). I’d make something in home ec , before I turned it in it had to pass Mama’s muster. More times than not I’d have to redo a puckered sleeve or some messy hand sewing. I was never pleased to have to redo it but of course she was right and it was always better! I’m afraid the hand sewing part has never gotten any better.
I, too, learned on a treadle machine but it was at my Great-grandmother’s one summer when I was 10 or 11. I spent a week with her each summer in central Minnesota and she let me play with her treadle machine. The only quilts she had were 2 old, heavy ones made from pieces of men’s suits of wool. They were tied with awful orange/red yarn. Long after she died my mother found some quilt squares that no one in the family could remember ever seeing. We think they were made by my Great-grandmother Anna long ago. The fabrics are from the 1940’s and she used the churn dash block. I want to make pillows of them for all the great-grandchildren. Guess I should do that soon-we are all in our 50’s now!
I think I was 10 when my grandmother taught me to read a pattern. We then bought the yardage, zipper(if needed), and thread. Then at home we would layout the pattern and cut the fabric. She would do the sewing, and I would have a new dress! I miss her so!
As with most things crafty, a) I taught myself b) during a very stressful period of my life. I’d tried sewing before but I really figured it out during my second year of law school. Since then the sewing has often kept me from going completely insane. It’s always so soothing to work with my hands and have a finished product at the end of it.
I was forced to learn to sew!! I had gone to college 3 hours from my hometown and since I was only seventeen I was homesick and wanted to go back home to my mommy. I was afraid she would say no since she had spent a lot of money to have me there, but when I finally found the courage to tell her, she said “well, if you don’t like it there and you’re sure Economics is not for you, okay, come home.” I knew it couldn’t be that easy, she had a plan. She said I wasn’t going to waste my time at home all day and that I would take sewing lessons (she loves sewing, I wasn’t a fan) and since I wanted to stay home, I did. I LOVE to sew now!! I’m glad I chickened out on college!!
My momma taught me how to sew. I’m not sure what age I started at, but I’ve always been fascinated by it. I do know that she taught me to smock at around age 6 and I have the same passion for it that she does. I joke that I think it’s genetic, but I loved watching the soft glow of momma’s sewing machine at night. I was just sure she had a magic wand tucked back there somewhere.
I just hope that I’ll be able to pass this along to our children someday.
I learned to sew when I was probably about 7 on my om’s machine. She was a sewer and made us clothes, so I’m sure I wanted to learn to do what she did. I remember sewing for $ when I was only 11 or 12 and even deconstructing a favorite shirt and making a copy. I want to get back that kind of enthusiasm!
I think I started sewing when I was 13. I started spending my spring breaks sewing with my grandmother. While we lived in the same town and I saw her twice a week already, our time spent sewing was special. It was just me and her. One day we spent shopping for the pattern, fabric, and notions. We spent the next morning cutting out all the pattern pieces. We had our ritual lunch at the little restaurant a few blocks from my grandparent’s house. Then we would come back and sew up a storm. The next couple days were spent sewing, fitting, ironing, and serging. After spending a grand week together, we had a lovely dress to remind us of the wonderful time we had together.
I taught myself to sew at about 7 years old. Both my mom and grandma had sewed, but were no longer sewing when I learned, but I had all of the supplies to explore. I’m 37 now and still sew almost every day.
I think the first time I sewed anything was in Girl Scouts. I was probably 8. I don’t really remember what we made, but I certainly have a memory of sitting at a machine. In high school I took Home Ec and learned how to sew for real (I had wanted to take shop, but my dad said Home Ec would suit me better so I got vetoed). My junior year of college I had some seriously ugly furniture to cover so I jumped head first into making slipcovers for it and have taught myself all of the other skils I’ve developed since then.
When I was young — maybe 5 or 6 years old — I received my first sewing machine as a gift . . . it was a kids’ sewing machine that sewed with glue rather than a needle and thread. What a mess! I can still remember the smell of that glue. Fortunately, my mother soon let me sew on her real sewing machine. Mom tried to teach me to sew, but neither of us did well in the teacher/student relationship. I learned just enough to understand the basics, and she allowed let me play around on my own. In college I realized how much ready-made home decor items cost, versus making my own. So my parents gave me a sewing machine and I’ve been sewing ever since!
I taught myself to sew. I bought my Janome sewing machine and then went to the bookstore and found 5 quilting books on the clearance rack for $1 each. That was 8 years ago and I have sewn every day since!!! So much fun and joy making things. My husband and kids are still fascinated with what I can do.
My mom taught me to sew when I was probably 12 years old. I don’t really remember what I sewed (probably a pillow!), but she then re-taught me in college, and I made pillows and pajama pants. I have recently picked up sewing again, and all of her lessons are coming back to me, and they are priceless!
I was about three when I learned some simple embroidery and not much older when I was allowed to sew a few seams on mom’s big machine.
What is just as sweet as the memories of learning to stitch and sew are the memories of sitting with my Great Aunt’s sister who did the most beautiful handwork I’ve ever seen. She was such an inspiration and truly the reason I wanted to learn to stitch!
This is an awesome question. Thanks for bringing back such fond memories.
My mom taught be how to sew. I’ve been sewing for as long as I can remember. The first sewing project I remember is making a pair of shorts for a friend’s birthday when I was in first or second grade. My mom helped me, but I’m sure that couldn’t have been the first time I sewed.
I learned to hand sew first - at about 4 years old, then when my Mom felt we knew enough about needles and scissors, we were allowed a few sewing sessions on her treadle sewing machine, then when she got an electric sewing machine - my sister and I got her treadle. I remember sewing barbie clothes on that treadle. When I had Home Ec. in Junior & Senior high school, the teacher wasn’t really a sewer, so couldn’t understand how my friend(who started the same as me) and I knew how to do things and finished projects faster than others.
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t sewing. My Mom started with teaching me embroidery. I can remember her tirelessly undoing my knots and rethreading my needle.
In 7th grade I took sewing in home-ec and we had to make an outfit for ourselves that we would model, so I chose to make a long sweat shirt with a matching tube skirt. It was so ugly I brought it home and gave it to the dog for a bed. LOL
To this day making clothes scares the heck outta me and I just don’t do it. I sew lots of doll dresses though, I suppose that counts for something
What a great giveaway!
When I was younger, my mom used to sew a lot, so I practiced with her a little bit. I remember trying to sew (and by sew, I mean staple) dresses together for my barbies. When I was a little bit older, maybe 9 or 10, my mom enrolled me in our local 4H. It was during this time I learned how to really use a machine, press fabrics, and use a serger. I remember these times vividly and wish I had continued longer with it. When the teenage years came along, I deemed 4H uncool to participate in anymore. I started sewing again in college when my mom bought me a used sewing machine for $20 at a garage sale, and I’ve been sewing like crazy ever since!
It never occured to me I couldn’t sew. I did have a class once at a local sewing machine shop. My mom must have taught me young, but it was a part of life and not terribly monumental. In HomeEc I was terribly offended that they started us out with paper and empty needles - HE-LO-O! I took a few shots at apparel but they went horribly horribly wrong and so now I know that quilting is my thing - straight lines are my friend.
I learned to sew from my mother as soon as I could hold a needle, also on a treadle machine (what fun!). She taught me to be very careful with both the hand sewing and machine sewing (I was very familiar with the seam ripper!), and since I grew to be quite tall, knowing how to sew helped a great deal during the time when our skirts had to be the exact right length!
My Mom taught me to sew too! Popular answer, I see. It was when all the Loony Tunes prints were popular (I was in middle school then) and the first thing I made (after a tote bag) was a pair of Tasmanian Devil shorts and a T-Shirt
I can’t really remember when I learned to sew by hand, but I must have already known in 4th grade because we made a bunch of funny little stuffies for Children’s Hospital or something? That doesn’t really sound like something that would be allowed today. They were really wonky with stuffing coming out of them. I think we drew faces on them with those fabric crayons you iron on to set. I really got into sewing garments in high school when I took a few years of clothing construction. Their sewing machines were way better than my mom’s, and they had a juki interlock! I seem to remember sewing lots of complicated Vogue pattern wool skirts with kick pleats and even a wool coat with a lining! I haven’t sewn anything that fancy since. My daughter still plays with the two dinosaurs I made in 10th grade!
Learning to sew has good and bad memories for me! My mother is an expert seamstress and when I went to visit her one summer(I think I was 8 years old), she obviously had no idea that I would be such a klutz-or how to start with an “easy” project-for she had me make potholders for the women in the family…3 layers,quilted,machine-binding(how to get the front to match-up with the back?!)…the whole shebang! Many,many tears and of course me thinking that I would NEVER want to do this again.
My good memory is with my step-grandma. She lived in an old farmhouse with a HUGE floor to ceiling cabinet/cupboard/worktable set-up. Behind the cupboard doors was her whole sewing table and chair with drawers filled with fabric and the walls covered with her other sewing supplies. I don’t specifically remember sewing anything there but I spent a lot of time pushing the peddle for her and “exploring” her notions. A very comfy feeling. Out of that are came treasured quilts and pillowcases, bean bags, pajamas, and clothes.
Anyway, I’ve overcome(mostly)my sewing fears…but I STILL have not made myself a potholder!
Thanks for the giveaway!
Tricia
Hi, My Mom was a sewing and she helped, I took sewing at school, was taught by a friend in 7th grade how to knit and I taught myself to quilt. Thanks for a wonderful giveaway!
My mom taught me to handsew when I was five or six. She was an avid sewer at the time (sewing most of my dresses) and I think she mostly wanted me out of her hair while she was working, so she set me up with a needle and thread and some fabric scraps. I was always making homemade, handsewn pillows after that.
My Mom taught me to sew. I never loved it though until this past year, then it really became a passion. My mom made my prom dresses(store bought ones aren’t long enough!), and almost all my clothes until I was in Junior High. I hope I can do the same for my kids, except they won’t want to wear anything I make them, but I’ll do it anyways.
I had a few failed attempts to learn to sew before it actually stuck: Grade 9 home-ec (where I made one pajama top in the whole term), a vest class at a local fabric shop (where I used the wrong seam allowance - what the heck was a seam allowance anyway - and it turned out 4 sizes too big), and attempting to make my boyfriend (now husband) a Christmas stocking. I finally took a 6 week course at a quilt shop and it stuck. I’m addicted!
My mother converted the large closet under the stairs into a sewing space. That is where she taught me to sew. I was no easy student! She would help with the hard parts… and she still does!
I first learned to sew about 5 years ago, I was shown how to sew when I was young but never picked it up. After working as a design assistant, I decided I wanted to learn how to sew and take fashion design. I took a year before attending Fashion school to teach myself the basics, I then ventured into the world of industrial sewing
I taught myself from a book as part of an assignment during grad school. We were to complete a “self-directed learning project” and I sewed 2 pillows and a skirt to show off during my presentation. Sewing brought back the creative outlet I had when I was younger and did a lot of drawing and painting. It’s so fulfilling now!
My grandmother taught me how to sew (by quilting) when I was 10. She started me off on a crazy quilt. I ran out of time the night before I was supposed to go home though and didn’t finish my little 12″x12″ sampler. The next morning I was surprised to find out my grandma went ahead and trimmed, quilted, and bound the sampler for me so that I had something to take home. It is one of my fondest memories of her. After she passed, I inherited all of her sewing materials and tools. I use her rulers and rotary cutter every time I sew.
While my mother learned to sew from her mother and sewed a vast wardrobe of Barbie clothes for my sisters and me, I learned to sew in 7th grade home ec. Our class sewed a tunic. I can still see the tunic and wished that I had kept hold of it. A yellow crinked cotton which I embroided on the yoke. I started sewing again when I got pregnant—home dec and quilts. Nine years later and I’m starting try clothes once again. I love my two Amy Butler Cabo Halter top and I’ll be sewing up a number of her patterns for spring this year!
I don’t ever remember not sewing! I have hand-embroidered pieces from when I was six, and I remember waiting to turn eight so I could use my mom’s machine. I had a great middle-school home ec teacher who let us sew anything we wanted, so with her help my skills really took off. My stash is testament to the love of texture and color that we all share.
My mom tried to teach me to sew when I was young, but I don’t think I possessed any patience. After a home ec class in 7th grade, where we made stuffed animals, I fell in love with sewing and my parents got me my own sewing machine. At which point I promptly lost interest with sewing. About 14 years later, for no particular reason, I got out the sewing machine and started sewing. Some things came back to me from home ec, some things I figured out from books, and some things I figured out through trial and error. I’m still learning to sew, but I don’t think I’ll lose interest or patience this time.
I learned to sew the summer after my first year at college. My mom hurt her back and needed taking care of, so I couldn’t get a job. Instead, I taught myself to sew to pass the time. That summer, I remember making 4 wrap skirts, a patchwork quilt, and 3 or so of those cute little apron tops I used to be able to pull off wearing
It’s so long ago I can’t remember anymore, just bits and pieces:
Big cards with holes punched in where I first learnt some basic stitches, little cross stitch kits that amazed me, my book “busy bees” that taught me even more skills, breaking a sewing machine in textiles class at school, being encouraged by my textiles tutor at college… I’m still learning now - there’s so much I don’t know how to do or haven’t tried yet! Ask me again in 10 years and I’m sure my answer will be even longer…
Wow! I learned how to sew from my mother, who at one point even made my father a suit. I’ve picked it back up in the past two years, and love looking at everything on your blog!
As with so many others, my mom taught me to sew. She made barbie clothes to match her clothes, outfits for her children. I remember being fascinated. I did hand sewing first when I was about 6 or 7 then in girlscouts, (she was one of the leaders), we made a skirt and blouse. I still remember the bright pink paisly fabric. In 7th grade, we had home ec. I already could make a simple skirt so I talked the teacher into letting us make stuffed animals and I made a Raggedy Ann doll complete with hand embroidered face, and yarn hair and all her clothes. I got an A in that class. When I was 18, I got my sewing machine, which I still use 32 years later. I still love to sew. Thanks for the giveaway!
I learned to sew uneven hand sewn pillows first. Patiently taught by my mom and my grandfather (he was a tailor). I remember being really excited when I was finally allowed to learn on the sewing machine in the corner of my mom’s bedroom!
Just like many of us from my generation, I learned to sew in Home Ec. Although my mother owned a sewing machine, I only remember frustrated exclamations coming from her when she used it. She was an artistic and crafty gal, but sewing was not her thing. I picked it up later only for utilitarian things - curtains for the baby’s room and such. Now, with the variety of incredible fabrics out there, I’m hooked! I’m learning all over again and loving it!
I just recently taught myself to sew and knit. My grandmother made me a blanket when I was a baby that I loved until it turned to a rag and then she made me a new one. I still have both tucked away in my cedar chest. My mom knit matching sweaters from my sisters and I when we were young. Now I have children of my own and suddenly got the desire to make things. I wish I had started earlier, I love, love it! I want to make them each a special quilt and knit blanket this year.
I wish I had a lovely story such as yours and the many other about how I learned to sew, but I don’t. I have many fond memories of my grandmother with whom I spent a lot of time; she was a gardener but not a crafty person. My mother sewed many of my and my sister’s clothes when we were young, though she was too busy and perhaps too impatient to teach me. I began in grade 7 economics class and I was hooked. I don’t even remember my first article. However, by grade 10 I was ordering fabric through a mail order company, as we didn’t have much in small town Nova Scotia where I lived. I do remember one particular ’smock top’ that was all the style then (~1973)that I absolutely loved. It was made with red and blue coordinating prints that would now be called retro. In grade 12 and through university I was making most of my clothes. I even made my own wedding dress the weekend before I got married!
My first quilt was at the age of 25 and it was a Sunbonnet Sue baby quilt. Since then I have moved on to mostly art quilting and I don’t make much clothing anymore.
I learned to sew in 4-H when I was 10. My mom has always been a seamstress, but was afraid she might teach me backward, as she is a lefty and I am not
Whenever I’m sewing garments - I usually call her up at least once to make sure I understand the instructions. I have many fond memories of sewing with other girls and that group of ladies when I was young.
Thanks for sharing Kathy!
My grandma always had a sewing machine but nobody ever taught me. I just got the bug when pregnant with my second daughter and my husband bought me a Singer from Target. Couple years later and I’m still sewing. Some day I will upgrade my machine and take some classes.
I first learned to sew by handsewing a couple of basic square pillows. Then my Grandma taught me how to make pajama pants on the MACHINE. I made a couple pairs, but the machine was in bad need of repair, and I was a poor high school student. So I had a little basic info from my Grandma, but I’ve basically taught myself to do what I can do now after buying a new machine over a year ago.
This is an awesome giveaway, by the way!
My mom was an artist of many different kinds of mediums. She taught me to sew because she was tired of hemming my pants! And because I am only 5′3″, all of my pants had to be hemmed so I very reluctantly learned the very basics of a sewing machine. When mom passed away two years ago, I inherited all three of her machines. I didn’t learn to love sewing until last year. I am a knitter first but decided one day to pull out some fabrics and start making an Amy Butler quilt. It was an adventure from cutting the fabric, running short on the fabric, to having the opportunity to quilt it myself on a long arm. I haven’t looked back since!
my mom and I were just talking about this. she was asking if she had failed me as a mother since she hadn’t taught me to knit, tat or crochet. I reminded her that she had taught me to sew and that was a huge skill that I have used throughout my life, for clothes, hobby and art. I remember sewing barbie clothes and stuffed animals. My mom set the example and sewed most of our clothes growing up. She also commented that most people sew now for fun or having something more unique, rather than for saving money, which had been her reasons. Considering how much I have spent on fabric in the past, I would agree with her
I also sewed in girl scouts and home ec in school. it’s sad, because most girls today (I teach middle school) do not have ANY Of these places to learn these skills.
thanks for letting me share
When I was 8 years old, my mom signed me up for the local 4H club, and the first thing I made for the county fair that year was called a Pert Skirt…made of white cotton with blue flowers, and it was simply two squares of fabric sewn together at the sides with an elastic casing at the waist. That was all it took for me to want to do and learn more. Between my mom and my two older sisters, they taught me how to make button holes, set in zippers and later when my mom had her own quilt shop, she taught me all the latest techniques in cutting and piecing beautiful works of art. I’m a forever seamstress!
I read a book about it. I have a weird knack for learning things from just reading about them. After that I just learned and got better and better at sewing by trial and error.
I have a grandmother who is an excellent seamstress, but I never took advantage of learning those skills when I was younger.
My wonderful mother taught me to sew on our old, old (1930s, and I’m only 31 years old - she has since gotten a newer one, BTW!) and I still have many of the doll clothes I worked so hard at sewing for my Barbies and stuffed animals and other dolls. So much fun, and it is a skill I am so glad to have learned when I had the time and drive to practice, practice, practice!
My Mom used to sew a lot of our clothes. She would make coordinating dresses for my sister and me. I don’t remember this but she told me that when I was little I would sit in her lap for hours just watching as she sewed. She was always amazed that a small child would just sit and watch for so long. I made a few things with her as a child but didn’t ever sew much beyond that until last year. I had a strong desire to learn how to make quilts. So I went out and got a machine and started sewing! It is nice to have this connection with my mother. It is a history that ties me to her, to her mother, to her grandmother, etc. Not long ago I have too many projects going so I took them to Mom’s house and we sat at the same table sewing. It was a simple yet awesome experience. In this fast paced, computer driven world it is nice to have a quiet hobby that so strongly links me to my family.
I learned how to sew from my mother when I was little. Unfortunately I didn’t have any interest in sticking with it back then, but as a result it felt very natural once I got back into it. I’m so pleased my mother taught me because now I’m not scared to dive in and try things now!
What a great memory you have of your grandmother. No one in my family sews …. I don’t know where I got the “bug”! I taught myself about 3 years ago. It was tough. I ended up taking a class where we learned how to make pajama pants. Let’s just say I have A LOT of pajama pants now.
I didn’t have anyone in my family who sewed so I learned in 7th from my Home Ec teacher. After making a stuffed frog in class I tried to make a pair of shorts for myself. Somewhere around the zipper installation I cried uncle and gave up on sewing for years.
It was my intense love for all things “pioneer” (I also mentioned my childhood Laura Ingalls obsession on the quilt book giveaway) that really pushed me into sewing. I think it’s in Little Town on the Prarie that the Ingalls get Ma a sewing machine :]. Grandma mostly taught me, both hand and machine, though my mom would teach me when she got her machine out.
Grandma also taught me things like how to crochet (though I did take a class to improve my skills), how to make homemade paper, all sorts of crafts. She loves that I am so into it now!!
My Mom sewed all our clothes when we were young. We lived in a small apartment and the sewing room was the dining room. We had a shag rug and we were constantly stepping on pins. My Mom would give me and my sister scraps and buttons to sew on. On holidays we would always make aprons for my Mom. I started using her Antique Singer Featherweight to sew patches on my pants in the 70’s. My Grandma was an excellent sewer and gave a class at my grammar school when I was in 5th grade and we made a-line skirts. That was my only formal lesson. I kind of gave it up for years except for crafting until I had kids. I am still not the seamstress my Mom and grandma are and was. But I can still call on my Mom for help or a lesson. Tomorrow she is coming over to help finish a dress that is all cut out that I am afraid to finish because the fabric was so expensive and I don’t want to mess up. Luckily she will be there to help me. I still have some of the dresses my Grandma designed and sewed in the 60’s and 70’s. They’re a little tight, but I am excitedly saving them for my daughter. Our favorite machine is still the the Singer featherweight that was my Grandma’s!
I sewed a little with my mom - very little, actually. She could sew but she worked full time and just didn’t have the energy at the end of the day to take on more projects. A few years ago a friend helped me pick out a simple skirt pattern and taught me the basics, and I bought a nice sewing machine that wouldn’t frustrate me. I still consider myself a pretty basic sewer, and I’ve found the internet to be invaluable for information and tips.
My grandma taught me how to sew in 6th grade. It wsn’t super easy, she didn’t speak any English and I don’t speak any Chinese, but it was a great bonding moment and I loved the time that we spent together around the sewing machine.
My Mom taught me basic mending when I was in first grade. She taught me to use the sewing machine in 6th or 7th grade. It was a lot of fun and I bacame quite proficient at using the seem ripper as well.
During this time, I learned more sewing and quilting from my grandmother when we went to Louisiana during various holidays.
I don’t specifically remember learning to sew from anyone, just sort of doing it. I remember making a skirt in high school out of a pillow case (bottom hem already done!). My father’s mother and my mother were/are both avid sewers and crocheters, so it’s definitely in my blood. Gradually, I bought a beginner sewing machine and started making curtains and things for the house, but clothing has always been very intimidating. I can hide a flaw in a housewares item pretty easily, but clothing seems much more difficult to do that with. I started quilting ten or so years ago and am just now really getting into feeling like a “real” quilter. I’ve seen a few things in the J.Jill and J. Crew catalogs lately that I think I want to try making for myself - clothing pieces - wish me luck! (I’m going to look for the pattern fitting class near me, too, because I am larger than a b-cup and see that’s often a problem with garments fitting.)
What a nice little stash! Well, I learned to sew the hard way…by myself! My mom is really not into anything crafty, so I read books and accosted complete strangers (just kidding). It was really difficult, but I’m so glad I did. Now I sew every day!
I learned to sew from my mother. She bought me a toy sewing machine (that worked by the way!) when I was in first grade. I started out making doll clothes and then graduated to making clothes for myself and for her. Eventually, my clothes were made out of necessity, as my father didn’t understand the junior high schoolers need for lots of clothing! I quit once I was in college but started up again a few years ago with quilting. I “Quilted for a Cure” — volunteered to make quilts to support breast cancer research and have been “re-hooked” sewing all kinds of things ever since!
I learned to sew in a high school class. Thanks, Mrs. Sjordal!
When I was in 2nd grade, our class (with the help of some of the mothers) assembled a quilt that was to be raffled off in an attempt to raise funds. Each kiddo in the class helped stitched the blocks together.
But I really wanted to learn how to sew with a sewing machine. When I was 18 and very newly married, my husband at the time and I had gone to a flea market where I bought my first Singer sewing machine for $40.
I sat down and taught myself. It wasn’t easy. There were many tears.
It has paid off, though. I find a lot of joy in creating with sewing and fabric. I’ve made quite a few quilts and a LOT of clothes.
I heart sewing…..for sure!
The summer that I turned 9 my twin sister and I took 8 weeks of lessons at the singer sewing store in our hometown.
We made many things but, the one I remember was a yellow knit sleeveless jumpsuit. I thought that I looked really cool, in retrospect being 5′6″ by the age of 9, I looked more like a banana.
I leanrt to sew when I inherited my grandmothers sewing machine. I bought a pattern and had a go…it was a few years later that I took up quilting and I’ve never stopped ;o)
Woowee! Look at all the comments!
My mom taught me to sew on her old blue/green Singer - it was the 70’s and she made herself pants out of double knit! She was always busy and frazzled from having 3 kids and working as a teacher, so she insisted we make our own fun, rather then set up things for us to do. So I made my own doll from blue doubleknit! Just 2 gingerbread man shaped pieces of fabric sewn together and stuffed (without turning the seams to the inside!) I was quite young…8? BUt my need to DO something, and the belief that I can do it myself has continued til today.
I wish I had a fun story about learning to sew. I had a little instruction in Jr High when our TLC (Technology, Life and Careers) class did a small home ect unit. After making a complete mess of a pot holder, I decided I could not sew. Fast forward 10 years I was a poor young mom, and I wanted my baby to be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. All the store bought costumes were so expensive, so I bought a pattern and some fabric and spent the weekend at my mom’s house (she had a sewing machine) That project gave me confidence, and now even though I have no formal sewing training I sew almost every day and love it!!
I learned to sew by watching my mom. I can’t even remember the first time I sat down at the machine because it has always been a huge part of my life. I remember getting my first sewing machine at 9 and being the happiest little girl! Some of the first projects I remember making are a stuffed animal pig and a long skirt made from kitty-cat fabric. What fun memories! I hope to instill the same love of sewing in my kids some day!
I learned to sew in college, from a roommate. She taught me some basics.
Then I had another roommate whose father had owned a quilt shop. I really learned the most from her. We started a business making and selling baby hats…. lasted for a short while and was fun!
I ended up trading that woman a bread maker I had received as a wedding gift for her old workhorse of a sewing machine. I still have that machine (though I did get a newer one a couple of years ago). It’s great.
I pretty much taught myself. My mother is an excellent seamstress and was always more than willing to teach me, but I could never “get it.” I remember making a simple doll nightgown for my (then) baby daughter’s doll and getting so frustrated I couldn’t finish. My mother finished it for me. Then one day I was in church and noticed the cutest little dress on a young daughter of a friend of mine. I asked where she got it and she said she had made it. It thought, “OK. That’s it. I KNOW I can do this!” So I did. It was as simple as that. I bought a pattern and fabric and got started. My mother was always around with tips and pointers but I just did it. I started out with sundresses for my daughters when they were little, moved on to skirts for myself (a whole new world opened up when I figured out how to insert a zipper! Yay!) and the rest is history. Now I can make just about anything but I have to have a pattern. I guess I had to have the right motivation to get me going. Shallow as it may be, I wanted my daughters to wear cute stuff that I had made myself. Shallow? Maybe. Honest? Yes!
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how I got into crafting and sewing specifically. It was definatly the influence of my mom, who was a seamstress for years (professionally - Janzen) before we kids were born (and then non-professionally as we grew up). I can’t say I remember my first sewing experience, but I had my first real sewing machine at about 8 years old. I didn’t sew on it much, wasn’t that interested…but the interest came later as the world of sewing opened up before me and I learned there was more than sewing clothing out there.
Could you tell me a little about the lights you use for your night-time lighting? I am looking for some “studio” lighting for my basement craft room and this looks like just what i’m wanting to do. Maybe you’ve posted about it before…?
I learned to sew in Home Ec and with a little help from my mom. I never took to it much although I kept sewing on little things off and on through high school and college. Fast forward ten years later with a baby due in a few months and I took it up again. This time it has stuck. I have been learning more by trial and error and lots of research. Thanks for providing so much information on your site.
I don’t remember when I learned, but I suppose it was from watching my mother make oodles of dresses for my three sisters and me, a neighbor, the babysitter, her mother and various others. Somewhere in there it stuck!
Wow, Kathy, you are so generous. I would just squirrel away all that stuff for myself and call it a day! :0)
I taught myself to sew, starting with quilts and bags, and eventually branching out to kids’ clothing. I just love the rhythmic feel of the needle going in and out, in and out of the fabric, whether it be by hand or machine. But my mom did sew us clothing when I was a child, and I still remember the white eyelet sundresses she made my sister and me, and how I wore it in our school production of Chicken Little. I was the narrator, and that dress just made me feel like the most glamorous, fashionable starlet. How I wish I still had that dress.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane, hope you have a great class!
I learned to sew from my mother. She would make my swimsuits, Halloween costumes and holiday dresses. I got a child’s sewing machine (small plastic) for Christmas when I was 6, and she showed me how to sew outfits for my rag dolls. I graduated to learning how to read pattern instructions and sewing sundresses for myself. Oh how I loved going to the cloth store and picking out the calico prints! (I was Laura Ingalls at heart).
i wasn’t allowed to date til i was nearly 19. we lived out of town as well so there wasn’t alot else to do but ride my horse. at the same time i loved thrift stores and fashioning my own clothes. so i taught myself to sew on my mother’s machine. i believe i started at about 12.
My grandma let me “help” her sew when I was a preschooler. I didn’t really learn how it all came together until the forced home ec classes in jr high. And I never felt the need to sew until I had children of my own.
I learned to sew in school.
When I was in my 20’s I fell in love with antique quilts and started to learn how to quilt…and the rest is history as they say.
I took techinque classes and from 2 of my favorite teachers I took private lessons to learn to make the quilts I wanted to make.
Best thing I ever did.
Kathie
I was born into a family of seamsters, and started sewing at age 4, in my grandma’s sewing room. I remember being at her machine with the foot pedal propped up on a cardboard box. She had little scraps that I got to sew together for a doll quilt. My mom must have loved the memory too, because when I was pregnant with my first, she bought him his own machine, a 19040s black singer in a beautiful cabinet. He is four now and LOVES sewing! He loves his own machine best, but also loves getting to use our computerized machines too!
My love of sewing never faded, and I worked my way through college in the university costume shop. I learned about period costumes, improved my construction skills, and began designing costumes. As the manager of the costume shop, I was responsible for teaching the new student employees how to sew. And that started my love of teaching sewing!
I learned how to sew in Home Ec in junior high school. My mom didn’t sew much other than repairing seams and replacing missing buttons. I received the only “F” I ever got in 7th grade Home Ec and I was sure that not only were my dreams of becoming a domestic diva crushed but also that I was never going to sew again after that. Years passed and I received a sewing machine for a wedding gift so I spent many years making clothes before I tried quilting and now I can’t imagine life without sewing - go figure
Rita E in AZ
I learnt to sew at age 14 when I started making my own clothes with the help of my mom. Since then I have not looked back and I try to sew every day! I hope that one day my children will enjoy making their own clothes and at 2 and 4 they already share their own sewing machine. Thanks for the giveaway I love your blog xxxxx
I am still teaching myself how to sew. I borrow books from the library and search the web for ideas and inspiration. My mom knos how, but she has never taught me. I wish I had some formal training- but I love learning as I go.
~Shawna
I would love to say that I learned from someone like my mom or grandma, but I can’t say that. My mother hated sewing and my grandma had lived 900 miles away from me my whole life. I learned to sew on my own. When I turned 25 I had this sudden desire to sew. I wanted to make my own clothes that would fit me right, and that had the details I wanted, and that were made out of the fabric I chose. I was sure I could figure it out. So, I bought a beautiful little Singer Featherweight on Ebay, and when it got to my house, I dove right in and made a simple set of curtains, a queen sized quilt, and started a dress for myself that I never finished because I had no one to help me on the sleeves and I just couldn’t figure them out. I bit off more than I could chew and then I turned chicken and didn’t sew much of anything else. Two years ago, I asked for a new sewing machine for Christmas and started small with easy little girls skirts and moved up to dresses. I now make clothes for both of my girls and myself and I have loved every second of it. I am so glad I asked for a new machine, otherwise I would have never known how great it is to wear something I’ve made. (And no, I have never finished the dress, it’s way out of style now.)
My Oma taught me to sew (by hand) and knit when I was younger, probably about 6 as well. I can never remember a time when I didn’t love to ‘play’ with fabric, making doll clothes, small purses, bags etc. I always say I learned my love of sewing/quilting and all things fabric from my Oma. She is 80 yrs old and still does a bit of sewing every day. In fact while writing this, my stomach squeezes up and I wish I could visit her more often and talk fabrics, patterns etc with her. (She lives across the country.) She is an amazing woman who can make something out of almost nothing.
My love of sewing really blossomed in high school though, when I was taught the ins and outs of following a pattern, fabric types, fabric weaves etc. I think I will probably continue learning new things for the rest of my life.
I learned to sew with the wonderful help of my hubby! He is great at reading books/directions and then explaining things. He taught me the gist after reading through a few things and then I have just run with it from there.
He would never sew but he is a great teacher!
Hi,
When I was little my grandmother sewed but never taught me. When my mother passed away a found a stack of quilts made by her and from her family.
I took my first quilting class 4 years ago and havent stopped yet. I love to sew and quilt but never have enough time.
I love your site and check it daily. Thanks for all the insperation.
Sincerely, Toni
UP Quilter
I learned to sew back when as a child growing up on a farm in Kansas. My sister wanted to join 4-H and I wasn’t quite old enough to join but they let me anyway! My first project was an apron, of course. Many Barbie doll outfits and simple tops and dresses were some of my first projects. My mother was my best teacher but I also remember taking “home ec” as a high school freshman.
I too learned sewing in 4-H! My mother was my teacher. I still remember the blue dress with reversible vest that I made at some point (some of the fabric of which made it into the Jacob’s Tears quilt my mother made me). And I won a gold medal for a demonstration I based on a failed sewing project entitled: “Learning by my Mistakes”. But I didn’t LOVE sewing until just the last few years–rediscovering it as a mother of small children!
Well I’m new to the whole sewing world and am teaching myself with the help of my aunt when I give her a call. There are so many things I want to do with my sewing! valerieann118atmsndotcom
My mother and grandmother taught me how to sew over many years - starting when I was only three. When I was in high school and college, I stopped sewing, but my interest was renewed with the birth of my first daughter. Since then, I’ve been teaching myself all things in between that I didn’t learn the first time. I still call them both though when I’m stuck, and they always have the answer!
My mother had taught me some basic sewing, like sewing on buttons, when I was fairly young. But the summer before I was a senior in high school I went to a fabric store with a friend and she told me how easy it was to sew. I picked out a simple pattern and took it home. It sat for a while, but then later in the summer my grandmother and aunt came for a visit and they walked me through the entire sewing process. My mother had a sewing machine but hadn’t used it in so long that she couldn’t remember how to thread it!
When I was a teen, my youth group leader/mentor said, “You need a hobby.” What better hobby to introduce me to than her personal favourite - sewing. She took me shopping and helped me pick patterns and then walked me through my first couple of outfits. I’m not much of a garment sewer now, but L.O.V.E. quilting.
I learned to sew from my mom when I was very young, and again from my sewing class in junior high (we made potholders, aprons, scrunchies). My interest in sewing renewed recently when I started working again and started quilting because knitting blankets takes too long!
I learned how to sew from my grandma. She used to make most of my dresses and jammies, and she let me watch her sew when I was little. I was able to learn more/again in 7th grade Home Ec., and I really honed my skills when I got my first sewing machine soon after I was married and I started making simple block quilts.
My mom taught me how to sew when I was about 8 years old. She did it to get me out of her hair when she did piecework in the next room (she sewed parka type jackets). Unfortunately, she hates to sew! So, she lost patience with me after a few months (and looking back she didn’t have the skills to be a teacher in this department) and I didn’t pick up sewing again until 1999, when I was 29. With a cheapo internet sewing machine purchase, I re-taught myself out of a book and sewed a pillowcase. It was empowering!
What wonderful memories you have brought up
My mama taught me to sew starting when I was 3 yrs old. She would let me sit in her lap and guide the fabric while she worked the pedals. She was a profession seamstress so it was a daily activity at home. Thru the years she helped me make clothes, quilts, curtains, doll clothes and more for my 5 children. I now use my sewing to earn my living, as she did. I am more than thankful for her talents she passed along.
I’m teaching myself to sew now, at 39 years old. I was inspired by my wonderful next door neighbor - she was an artist, ceramicist and awesome quilter. She lent me some books to start me off. Wish me luck!
Some of my earliest memories of my mother are of her sitting at her sewing machine, set out on the kitchen table after dinner. My father was a long distance trucker during those years and her lonely evenings were spent sewing beautiful clothes for my sister, brother and me. She made all her own clothes, too. I was 12 before I had a “store-bought” dress.
I don’t remember any actual sewing lessons, just learning by watching and of her letting me sew, and helping me out when I needed it.
My mom continues to sew, so do I, and my two daughters are carrying on the tradition.
Lorrie
My Mom taught me to sew 3 years ago. First project was a pillowcase.
I longed to learn to sew, but my Mom said I had to wait until I took home ec (yes, I am that old!). My Gram taught me to hand sew, gave me a bunch of her scraps to create doll clothes of my own design. I mentioned to my paternal Gramp that I wanted to learn to sew on a machine. He and my Mom didn’t always see eye to eye, so he gifted me my Gram’s treadle. She had died when my Dad was 7 and the machine had sat unused since. I was honored and over the moon. I sewed everything I could get my hands on and still treasure that machine today. Thanks for letting me go down memory lane. Have a fantastic weekend! (It is snowing here now in SE Wa.)
I learned to sew in high school. My sister said she’d teach me but didn’t really pay attention to what I was doing. The dress came out horribly and I was so sad. I then made two skirts alone that I really liked. I stopped sewing for a long time and picked it up again about five years ago. I’ve absolutely had a wonderful time at it.
My mom taught me to sew when I was little (7 or 8), but she’s a big rule-follower, and quick to take over when someone isn’t doing something “right”. I learned good basics from her, and my best friend’s mom let us be creative on her sewing machine and just make things how we wanted to. The combination lead to some nice products, some creative products, and some things that fell into the category of “other”.
I’m still learning how to sew:) I actually took a few courses locally, but I am also using blogs and tutorials posted on the internet to learn new techniques!
My mother and grandmother both sewed but believe it or not it was my father who taught me. It started with the basics of mending a large beloved stuffed clown. When the time came to peg my pants in middle school it was my father who taught me the basics on the machine. When it was time to start quilting in high school, it was my father again who ripped out a page of the phone book and explained how I can sew directly onto the paper and when I was done all my rectangles would be the same size. My mother was there for answering questions and what not but really it was my father who taught me to sew.
my grandmother also taught me to sew. she used to make all of her pajamas, blouses and pants,and i can even remember when she had really extraordinary beaded house slippers that became so old that she had to stop wearing them. instead of pitching them she took all the beads off and made my best friend and i (we were about five years old) little zipper pouches and used the beads to embroider and decorate them personally for us!
Although my mom was a seamstress I actually learned via a class on making aprons!! Now we take a tailoring class together and I am showing her some new techniques. Sewing has definitely brought us closer together
I found an interest in sewing so long ago that I can’t be 100% sure where it came from. I think it may have been hand sewing in girl scouts. When I was 12 I asked my mother for a sewing machine for Christmas. I had never sewn anything in my life on a sewing machine because we didn’t have one. I got it and figured it out on my own. I have been sewing ever sense.
My sewing story has come full circle! When I was a kid, my mom used to spend hours in fabric store and I remember dreading having to go. How boring it must be for my mom to dig through piles of vintage stinky fabric! Then, when I was 8 my mom taught me how to make my first little bag, then a pillow, and then 4H with pillows and clothing and all sorts of lovely things! Now, I wish that vintage fabric store was still around and I’m even thinking about opening a store of my own!
Although I have no memory of this, my grandmother has a few quilt blocks I insisted on piecing at age 4 or 5. As you can imagine, the workmanship is “amazing.” I really remember the sewing lessons that began at age 9 when I started sewing 4-H projects. My mom was my teacher, and I’m amazed we both survived it. I did solely garment sewing until about age 25, when I began quilting. I now have an almost 7-year-old who is very interested in learning to sew. I’m not sure I’m ready for that yet!
I came from a family of sew-ers on both sides! My mom worked in a fabric store all through high school and beyond (and still has fabric in her stash from those days…in the late 60’s!!). I have many photos of myself as a baby all decked out in gorgeous outfits she had sewn for me. So I learned on her trusty singer with lessons that were sometimes mostly getting her to do the hard stuff for me ( like most all of the prom dress she somewhat foolishly agreed to “help” me with). I’m on my second sewing machine and make clothes sometimes but have fallen in love with quilting. But no matter where it takes me, the journey started with my mom. Thanks mom!
I taught myself to sew at age 30 (from Threads magazine, mostly) after almost flunking out of home ec in 7th grade (thank goodness for cooking!) Now it is my favorite thing to do!
As I moved out of my parents house I decided I would need a sewing machine of my own, so I went to the shop and bought a very good and expensive one - but I coulden’t really sew. I just started and learned as I went and now I am in love with sewing
I remember doing a little bit of sewing in your average 7th grad home ec class, but I just dabbled here and there with my sister on my mom’s old kenmore machine. But, as for handsewing, in 4th grade, we had “day on the prairie” where we made pouches out of felt folded over and stitched up the side to hold our beads for trading. I loved it so much, that I started making pouches all the time. I even was seen stitching on in church:)
I started teaching myself to sew on my mother’s sewing machine when I was nine because when shopping for school clothes, I wanted the fabulous stuff, but had to settle for the practical stuff. Yawn! By the age of twelve I was wearing clothes that blew my teachers away and that has been my story for the last 35 years. It really taught me that out of strife (oh, poor little junior high me!) comes benefits galore, as I’ve sewn for a living most of my adult life.
I have a whole post on crafting influences:
http://kleiosbelly.wordpress.com/2008/12/09/influences/
I learned to sew from my mother, who made a lot of our clothes when we were children. She made my sister’s wedding dress — that is some serious sewing! I have been afraid to venture into clothing, am hoping to start with pajama pants soon, but will have my momma to turn to when I have questions.
I learned to sew from my mother. She learned to sew from her mother and grandmother who were seamstresses during the depression to help pay the bills. She made our clothes (3 daughters=sometimes matching outfits), our doll clothes, our curtains, you name it. She did the same for my children until she couldn’t sew anymore. When she moved to assisted living I brought all her sewing stuff home…the trunk that came over from Italy that held her sewing supplies, the lace and trims kept from her grandmother, her buttons, ribbons, fabrics, sewing machine…the woman was a saver! I don’t know what I’ll do with it all, but every time I use a bit of lace or buttons, I’m so happy I have it. When I visit her with something I’ve sewn she runs her fingers over the fabric and knows the stitches were made with love. She doesn’t remember much, but we can always talk about the things she’s made over a lifetime.
Sorry for such a long comment, you really touched a soft spot I guess!
My, My! What wonderful stories - I need to plan a little block of time to read all of them! And that looks like a *fantastic* giveaway - thank you!
So here are my stories:
Of the 3 sisters, I am now the best seamstress though I haven’t sewn much lately. I think my first “sewn on my own” garment was a pale green polyester cowl neck top worn in my 7th grade school photo. 
My mother sewed everything when I was little and I learned from her. Think 3 matching raspberry colored brocade bodice/velveteen skirt dresses for my sisters and I made from a brocade dress that Mom reused the fabric on….or the reversible purple/yellow capes for Easter one year. Mom kept many of these items and some of them have been worn by the granddaughters. In fact, Christina (my nearly 4 year old) was just loaned the turquoise velveteen jumper with a Raggedy Annie pocket on the front that Mom made for my youngest sister when she was 4.
I also have a memory of sitting on my Grandma’s knee while she pumped her treadle sewing machine in the corner of the dining room of her house. I must have been quite small but I remember going up and down as the treadle moved.
Thanks for the chance to share some precious memories!
I have taught myself to sew. I did take a class in high school but the shirt I made was just plain BAD! I’m still learning something new every time I sew but I guess that’s why we are here. To learn something new everyday!
What a great giveaway, Kathy!
Well, I first learned to sew when I was twelve. My mother insisted that this would be a life long skill I should know. She dragged me to a sewing class at the local fabric store, and I loved it! However, I never touched the machine again….UNTIL…one year ago when my husband wanted to get me enrolled in art classes for our anniversary. However, he accidentally got me enrolled into a NUDE art class. Eek. Not quite my style, so I suggested maybe a sewing class instead. I took two classes, and my life has not been the same since. *grin* (Then I got my mother back into sewing, and she is in deeper than me!)
Although I took home ec and did a little bit of sewing when I was younger, the year after I got married, my mother bought me a sewing machine for Christmas. I really just started playing around from there. So, I am mostly self-taught! But, I would really like to take some classes.
And, thanks for the giveaways! This one is really cool!
What a great giveaway!
I don’t remember how old I was but my doll needed new clothes so I started stapling fabric together. My mom, who had been sewing all her five daughters’ dresses my whole life was not happy that I chose a stapler, so she taught me to sew. We made a little dress for my doll and a quilt for her cradle and I haven’t stopped since! I worked in a quilt shop to get through school, in a wedding dress shop doing alterations, and even majored in Home Ec in college. Now I love to sew for my daughter and she even gets to wear dresses my mom sewed for me.
My mother taught me - in the summers, after Christmas, in that looooong time before school went back. My sisters and I would take turns, knowing whatever we could make would be in the February local agricultural show, where it would (usually) win certificates and a dollar or two in prize money. And after that, we’d have a new wardrobe.
I was allowed to play with my Mother’s Sewing machine even when I was really young. I dont remember how old I was. All I know is that my sister and I screwd up my Mom’s machine regularly. She never did complain that she needed to get her Phaff tuned up. We sewed puff quilt blocks and barbie and doll clothes. Later I took sewing in home ec. I am really greatful that I am able to sew. It has saved me alot financially and mentally.
Although I did successfully pass 7th grade, which included home EC and a sewing project, I really feel like I am just now really learning how to sew. I have read a lot — books, blogs and had tons of trial and error, lots of seam ripping, all the time having a blast. I must say, however, my inspiration has come from all of the craft blogs I love to read which of course includes your blog and all of the beautiful fabric being designed these days. Thanks for the opportunity to participate in this great give a way.
I can remember watching my Mum, she had what at the time was considered the newest whizz bang Singer sewing machine. I would cut up scraps, arrange them, pin them together and eventually I was allowed to carefully sew them together. I was never really that interested until I finished high school, suddenly I had a whole summer before University started, little money and no clothes… I brought some fabric, a pattern and I was hooked.,
I learned to sew from my mother and grandmother, both of whom sewed clothes and Barbie outfits for me. I’ll never forget the Christmas when I was 10. My brothers received a pony and a bike, and I had the good fortune to receive a Singer sewing machine!! You can’t top that with a Lexus.
When my oldest daughter was 3 years old, my sister made her a beautiful quilt. I decided right then that if my sister could do it, I must be able to do it too. I taught myself to make quilts, by looking at what she had done and many calls on the phone to her. My sister has since become a scrapbooker, claiming that she can only do one hobby. My daughter is now almost 17, and I am still sewing and experimenting with fabric, making useful things for my family and sometimes completely silly things just to make us laugh.
I took Home Ec in 7th grade, but I never really caught on. About 3 years ago I decided I needed a knitting needle case for my double pointed needles, so I looked up a pattern, pulled out my (borrowed) sewing machine, bought some fat quarters at Jo-Ann’s and went to town. All the techniques I know I learned either via books or the internet.
How delightful!
I’ve recently signed up for an online quilting bee and the first set of fabrics just arrived. Exciting!
I’m learning to sew right now, bit by bit. I took a home ec class in sewing long, long ago, but not much of it stuck with me. Years later, as a young wife and mama-to-be, I spent my first freelance check on a simple Brother sewing machine. 14 years later, I am still plugging along on that one, but that baby I was expecting is a 13 yr old girl now (with 5 brothers and sisters behind her) and she is a much more accomplished seamstress than I! I’ve managed a few baby blankets and some please-don’t-examine-them-too-closely doll clothes, and a set of crooked-seamed curtains.
I learned to sew by my mother. I taught myself to sew by ruining the tension on my machine. Great giveaways Kathy!
I learned the beginnings of sewing from sewing quilts with my mom. As an adult, I took a workshop class at a local fabric shop and learned how to read garment patterns. And, I’m always learning new tips from my mom and great blogs like this one!
Thanks for the great giveaway opportunity!
I was also 6 when I learned to sew. My mother decided she should teach me after I cut up a bunch of lovely fabrics trying to sew on my own. My first dress was a red courderoy jumper. Great memories.
My Grandmother made all my clothes when I was younger-without me even being around her. We were a Navy family, so not much money, but lots of “can do” encouragement from my parents, my mom sewed some, and I “absorbed” laying out a pattern on fabric from her, and made some of my own clothes in high school. After marriage and a baby, I wanted to make baby clothes, so my husband gifted a sewing machine to me, and now, I sew, quilt, and teach a 4H sewing project group. Creating has become my passion. Thank you for the give aways, and love your patterns!!!!
I asked my Mom for a sewing machine when I was in High School and I think she thought it was a passing fancy. I finally got one for my Birthday/Christmas present after I took 2 yrs of sewing as an elective in HS (I was the only one to take Sewing II, LOL). Other than what little I learned in HS I am self taught. Even though I have been sewing for 15+ yrs I still learn things just about every day!! Now, crocheting…I learned that from my Grandma who is now passed and treasure that memory
My mother taught me how to sew so I would give her a few minutes peace to do her own sewing! She would give me all of her fabric scraps and I would sew them into quilts for my stuffed animals. We used to listen to records while we were sewing. I had a couple of sesame street records and we used to listen to them over and over again. looking back at it now i have to laugh when I think about what she had to put up with just for a few minutes to work on her quilts!!
I learned to sew from my mom. She used to sew these traditional german dresses for me (the kind with the aprons?) Well, picture me at 8 years old with coke bottle glasses, white blond hair and green, white, blue and red dirndle dresses on with knee high socks. Fashion statement or what? Well, I was lucky enough that I got to help make the apron, and she would show me how to sew around the edge of the aprons. She had a newer machine that had a few fancier stitches, so I could choose the fancy stitch to “drive” around the apron with. That led to making square blankets for my doll buggy (it was a navy blue pram style) which I would lovingly adorn with holly hobbie and raggedy ann and andy fabric. My cat would snuggle in that pram and would love to have one of my blankets tucket around her. Oh my gosh, what a trip down memory lane!
Hmmm, let’s see I was inspired to learn to sew from 3 wonderful woman! My mom (who designed a few patterns for Vogue when I was just a little thing), and 2 of my 3 grandma’s. My grandma S. always had her fabric stored in an old dresser (the kind that had an upper cupboard area that had doors on it… it was originally used to store lady’s hats! Super cool!) and was a constant semstress in my behalf! Gramma C. was a quilter, and so I learned to do my first hand sewing from her! Mom although sewed wonderfully, didn’t have a ton of time to sew any more and because she did know lots of short cuts… didn’t want to teach me them because she was sure the teachers at school would be ticked off that I was taking so many short cuts! I love to sew, having 3 daughters of various shapes/sizes I’m always being called on to sew for them, (I made all their wedding dresses) and I love it! Now we have a little granddaughter… and I’m having a wonderful time sewing for her too!
Sewing is just another way to express myself. Even if I don’t get picked, thanks for all your sharing and sweetness, I’m sure you will make a ton of people’s day which might be an otherwise dull Monday!
As long as I can remember my mom always sewed our halloween costumes. I remember going to the stores and pouring through patterns deciding what I wanted to be. I also have a strong memory of my father sewing up a shirt for me one night when my mom was at work. I pretty much learned from both my parents as I grew up and every few years I try a new task. In HS I sewed a dress for a theatre project as well as curtains for the risers in our black box. Now I really just want to sew up some things for myself to wear, items for around our house and learn to make wonderful quilts. That’s not too much to ask is it?
I learned to sew in home ec class in eighth grade. Our first project was a baby quilt and the second was a sweatshirt with a zipper. I had to rip my zipper out so many times to get it right that there ended up being a hole in the fabric. I can still remember leaning over and stretching my hand way up in the air and calling, “Mrs. Everson! Mrs. Everson! I need help with this!” Then I didn’t sew anything until after I got my Master’s Degree. I bought a Kenmore machine for $99 and easily caught on to reading patterns. Now I can’t imagine never sewing.
I learned a few basic sewing techniques from my mom growing up, but it just didn’t click. A few years ago, a friend made me a quilted bag, and that was it! I had to learn how to do that! She gave me several lessons, and I was off. I have enjoyed every little minute at my sewing machine, except for when I screwed up a supposed to be Easter skirt. Ah well, better luck next time!
I learned to sew when my older sister took home ec in high school. We got a sewing machine then and I could not wait two years to learn at school so I taught myself! The first thing I made had a perfectly set zipper….with the pull on the inside!!!
I officially learned how to sew in Home Ec when I was in the 9th grade but I “helped” my grammy make my Barbie a little quilt years before that.
When I was a junior in high school I took a fashion design sewing class and that was enough to convince me that I didn’t want to major in fashion design for college. I stuck with sewing things like throw pillows after that.
A couple of summers ago I took my first quilt class.
OH my….I had totally forgotten about who taught me to sew! This was a really good question for us to post on…..my MOTHER! I think it was because it was always there…she was a Fashion Institute of Tech grad, NYC, and for this reason, I grew up with TRUNKFULS of fabrics, buttons, trim, patterns….they were always there. I loved going into those trunks (they were huge!). So even though it was always around me, in language and watching, I could not follow her instructions! I am a math/logical person and she was intuitive, so I didn’t learn to sew patterns from her, but I’m sure sewing came easy to me cuz it was in there already.
And by the way…..I would LOVE all those items….I would love even just ONE of the items!
Rural living forces you to sew;) I grew up on a farm and of course my mom and grandmother sewed. Then you HAD to sew in home economics. I just never stopped, I loved 4-H and the 4-H fashion shows at the fairgrounds put those Victoria Secrets Fashion Shows to shame! HA! Then I realized I could make a new outfit at night and wear it to school the next day and when I made the overalls with racing car patches I thought I was so cool, except I got picked on. Then came the prom dresses and then my wedding dress and putting the final touches on it 2 hours before my wedding. Sewing is just part of my life, my relaxation and the fun of hunting and gathering fabric and sharing all the sewing fun.
Oh, what a fun and sweet question. Sewing runs in my mother’s side of the family. My grandmother actually used to work for the Pendleton wool company, sewing. My mom always made us little holiday dresses (one still had a pin stuck in it, which was discovered at church. It hurt.). When I was about 13 my mom made a sewing table for me and my sister so we had our own machine. I mostly made tube dresses for my Barbie dolls. Much later on, she bought me a lovely Janome machine and I’ve used that to sew quilts for both of my sons (one on its way and another almost 2). So, I hope it’s something that I keep passing on.
i learned to sew making pillows for my barbies. dozens and dozens of little pillows…
I taught myself to sew when I was about 8 or 9 years old. Starting hand sewing doll clothes. My dad bought my mom a sewing machine when I was in high school. She never used it, but I started using it. Never took sewing in high school because I didn’t want to walk outdoors to the building up the hill where home ec was taught. Also, part of the sewing class requirment was to model your outfit on stage. No way! So I just bought patterns and borrowed books from the library and was so happy as an adult to finally enroll in classes and learn better ways of doing things. I am so grateful for the internet and all the generous, talented people who offer so much advice. Thank you!
I stumblingly taught my self. and then, asked for a bit of help from my lovely mother in law. I still have to ask for her help now and then!
Hello, I, too, learned how to sew from my Grandma. As far back as I can remember we (my little sister and I) would go to Grandma’s house for a week or two in the summer time. When we got there, Grandma would take us (including our cousin who lived near her, who was in between my sister and me in age) on a trip to the “5 and dime” to get patterns and fabric. Every summer the three of us would have some sort of matching outfit or bag. We probably did that for 15 years. Grandma would show us how to do a certain stitch or sewing trick and watch over us as we did it. She was incredibly patient with three goofy little girls! To this day we all still sew, some better than others, but we all are much better people for having learned the craft of sewing from Grandma. My Grandma is almost 90 years old today and just made my 1 year old daughter a Raggedy Ann doll! Sewing is in our blood, thank God!
Cheers, Jennifer
my mother is an excellent seamstress and quilter and she taught me to do those things and also needlepoint and cross-stitch and knit when I was quite young. knitting really stuck, but my grandmother gave me her sewing machine a few years ago when she realized she wasn’t using it and I’m slowly getting back into sewing as well!
At age 3 and 4 I used to play under the dining room table while my mom and grandma were sewing. They gave me scraps and a needle and thread to make clothes for my dolls (very primitive clothes!) I received a toy sewing machine for Christmas when I was 4 that used glue to stick material together! It was so frustrating, that my mother gave in and taught me to sew seams on her own machine.
I learned to sew on my own, a little project here and there. Instructional books and online help were really a bonus. My mother did teach me to crochet which I still practice today.
I spent a life time watching my mother sew, but never had any interest till my son was born.
Then it was the same as making pies…I just started doing what I had always seen her do…plus some trial and error of course.
Now it makes me happy when we see each other and get to do a project or have a friend to scout out the fabric stores.
My mom was a seamstress and taught me. One of my earliest memories is being fascinated with the button hole maker. Every time I would hear it, I would run in and crawl up in her lap to watch. As I grew older, I would still go to her when I heard it and she always put her arm around me and we watched. A nice memory I had not thought of in years.
In my mid twenties, I was a tax accountant and had a client who owned a dress shop. When she decided to go out of business and could not afford to pay me, she offered me her Pfaff sewing machine in trade. That got me started back and has been something that I have enjoyed thru the years.
And if they do, squeeze them tight and they won’t bite tomarrow night!.
My maternal grandmother used to tell us this every night when we would stay at Grandma’s for the summer. She was a professional drapery seamstress out of the Roseburg OR area. There were always lots of scraps of fabric to play with. However, since her sewing machine was her source of income, we were not allowed to touch it. (Especially after she had discovered that her grandsons had been regularly disassemblying and reassemblying it whenever she went out to hang the laundry, lol) She would thread needles for us all day long and we would make “potholders” with 3 inch stitches and two layers of drapery lining. I was amazed that she still had them at the time of her death (1902-1991). My mother sewed our clothing forever. When I was 10, Mom and Dad and my Aunt and Uncle went to Hawaii. Mom made a complete new wardrobe for her and sister. I guess I got in the way, because it wasn’t long before I was the one sitting at the sewing machine. Mom was a little frustrated at first because I could not eyeball a 5/8″ seam, so she had to dig out the seam gauge. At 52, I still use one. Mom cut, pinned and did all the hard stuff. I got to make the sewing machine GO. The next year I made 3 dresses for spring of my 7th grade year. Wore them all of 3 months before I grew out of them. I made most of my clothing from then on, including prom dresses of chiffon and taffeta. I also made my Aunt’s wedding dress when I was 17. I made my wedding dress when I was 22 and all my children’s baby stuff (the first one anyway, lol) I also made all my daughter’s prom dresses. I missed out on making her wedding dress because she got married by the JP in Texas while I live in Oregon. My first quilt was made when my 2nd child (son) was an infant. My mom was slow in getting his grandma quilt finished and baby was getting cold. So I dragged out my scrap bag and cut a square of everything I had, no matter what it was. Lots of dissimilar fabrics. Satin, corduroy, velvet, light cottons, heavy cottons. No double knits though. lol. Son wore that quilt out. It looks hideous, but he loved it. Still does and talked me into a replacement that I finished his senior year. His wife now uses that quilt while he is in Iraq. My current love is quilting, but I still like garment sewing and making doll clothes. I have my mother’s 1957 Brother and could have had my grandmother’s black singer, but wasn’t at the point in my life where I realized that I needed more than one sewing machine. I now have several working machines and my DH has started collecting non-working vintage machines that he likes to get running again.
Both my mother and grandmother sewed, but I didn’t learn from either of them. I learned to sew from a neighbor who graciously taught all us neighborhood girls to sew in her garage one summer. The first thing I ever made was a wrap-around skirt from strawberry shortcake material.
i asked for a sewing machind for my 30th birthday and didn’t take it out of the box until i was 31. i slowly taught myself to sew and made all may girlfriends aprons for their birthdays that 1st year. now i am on the hunt to get a new, fancier machine. i guess i can say that i am hooked!
My mom got me started.
From there I have learned from school, my grandmothers, an aunt, and trial & error.
Wow, what a response to this post. Mom was always sewing something whether it was a dress, a Halloween costume or a dance costume for recital, and she continues to be a true inspiration to me. I suppose I did a bit of hand sewing when I was a wee mite with doll clothes and the like, then Mom taught me some of the fundamentals on the sewing machine when I was 8 or 9. We had a class in grade seven and eight where we were taught the basics of cooking, baking and then sewing. It was a lot of fun, I remember one of the projects I chose to make was an off the shoulder top in a yellow knit material. I haven’t thought about that is a while, that certainly brings back memories. There continues to be such a sense of accomplishment for me when it comes to creating something, whether it be sewing, knitting or cooking. Thanks Kathy for providing the inspiration and materials to continue on this wonderful road!
I learned to sew from my grandmother and mother one summer when I was eight or nine. I made a pillow. I sewed off and on over the years, but never consistently, until I became pregnant with my son. I wanted to make him a quilt, so my mother gave me my grandmother’s stash. I haven’t stopped since.
I learned sewing from a friend in 2007 when I was pregnant with my son. She is a passionate quilter and showed me how to sew by helping me make a baby quilt. I didn’t have a sewing machine then so we would meet once a week at her place. It was a great time. So I got my own sewing machine and am still excited about exploring my possibilities beyond quilting.
Hi Kathy, how wonderful for you to share even though you were so tempted to stash it! I learned how to sew when I was 6,7,8 or so. My mom taught me to sew a straight stitch while making dishtowels. I remember this, she doesn’t!
I took lessons from my cousin in my 2nd year of university. She had made a baby quilt for another relative and I knew i just had to learn how to do that. Now I am teaching my seven year old daughter!
My mom sewed as I was growing up. It was generally assumed that if I were patient while she sewed, I would have full access to her fabric scraps and machine when she was finished. It was so great to spend such time with her, and amazing how much you can learn by watching. Ever since, I’ve been either figuring it out on my own, or taking classes, reading books, studying patterns.
4H for me too. I may have learned a little sewing before then, but 4H is what I remember. The first project I remember was a rectangular apron in a print with classic harvest gold, yellow, and dark brown. The first few comments were so interesting, I’m going to go back now and read them all!
When I was a little girl I slept under a quilt my mother made out of scraps from clothes. When she would tuck me in at night I would point to a patch and she would tell me what garment it was from. A lot were from her maternity clothes and my and my brother’s baby clothes and my grandmother’s clothes from before she went into the nursing home. Every patch had a story and I felt like I was wrapped in a warm hug every night. I started keeping patches from my worn out clothes and when I was old enough, maybe 8, my mom taught me how to sew those patches together. She finally finished that quilt for me when I went off to college.
I learned to sew from my mother in law. She taught me how to make my very first quilt. I made it for my mom and dad. That was 8 years ago. I need to make her a quilt one day to say thank you now that I think about it!
Like so many others, my mother taught me how to sew, first by hand when I was about 7 or 8. She also taught me to knit about that time. I loved all of it right off, and still do. The summer before I went into the 7th grade she helped me make all of my school clothes for the coming year. Funny thing…I had to take sewing in 7th grade. Our first project was an apron. When I told my teacher that I wanted something more challenging she asked me what I had sewn and I told her. Well, I still had to make the apron, but after that the sky was the limit. Although I don’t do as much sewing of clothing as I used to, my sewing machine and I meet almost daily to create happiness and joy;)
I took a sewing class when I was about 9, but never tried again. I’ve just recently caught the sewing bug and have a new machine, some books and patterns, and am taking some quilting classes. I continue to be inspired by the sewing and quilting blog community.
Over 300 comments - incredible! My grandmother sewed as well as my mother, so I learned to sew by watching them, and by their helping me along the way. I began creating doll clothes and sewing them by hand when I was probably 6 or 7 - I did not use a pattern, just made my own as I went along. My best friend from Kindergarten just told me this week her mom always told her I was talented - I never knew that until now!
I learned from watching my mom and being an Historical Interpretor at Catoctin National Park in MD from age 11 - 18. By the time high school came around, I was making three piece suits and overcoats ~~ no aprons for me. My mom still pieces and I finish her work ~~ old and new.
What a generous giveaway!
My lovely mother taught me to sew. I was 4, yes 4, when I got my first sewing machine. She used to sew on her “big” machine, as I called it and I would sew on mine. I just made small blankets and doll clothes for years. When I turned 8 I got to use the “big” machine. The first piece of clothing I made for myself was a pair of green multi-colored shorts and I sewed the legs together! How do you do that? Well, I did. I fixed them with some help from my mom and have really been hooked ever since. I have sewn clothes for other people since I was in Jr. High and I made most of my own clothes through high school. Belive it or not, my friends thought it was cool. It was the late 70’s and 80’s. I also knit and crochet as well. Through the years, I have stopped and started my crafts, but I have never given them up completely and I never will.
I truly love crafting and hope to pass my love down to my daughter. Thank for letting me enter. Angie
I’ve always hand sewed thing and I think my mom taught me. Little thing like buttons onto shirt and my fav pair of socks with a hole (I wasn’t ready to get rid of them just yet). But now at the rip age of 34 I’m teaching myself how to sew. I bought a sewing machine about 2 years ago and now I’ve just pulled it out. I’ve found so many things I’ve wanted to make but start a pillow for starters….and just to make sure I have this bobbin thing right and to make sure I can sew a straight line. Wish me luck!!
I started out quilting by watching my mom. From there, once I started my own family, I gave clothing a try. I laugh pretty hard when I look at the first dress I tried making for my daughter. I wasn’t following the pattern too well. You have to start somewhere. Things have only improved and I can’t get enough of it!
My very first sewing project was to hand sew a little pink pillow with lace trim. I think I was about 8 or so. My mom took me to the fabric store and helped me pick out supplies. I just kind of figured it out as I went along since no one in my family sews. Finally, when I was a sophomore in high school, I got brave enough to take a real sewing class at a local store. I went on to make all my own formals and lots of clothes. Then when I went to grad school, I discovered quilting and found my passion.
I learned to sew with the help of my Mom and by trial and error. My Mom sewed for me as a child and up until I was 18. I never had any interest in it until about 2 1/2 yrs ago. So while living in FL and my Mom in AL I bought a sewing machine and got started. I knew more than I thought I knew, I guess just by being around my Mom growing up. But I spent hours on the phone with her as she explained things to me and walked me through the steps. I’ve actually scanned the ‘guide sheet’ from a pattern and emailed it to her so she could see what I didn’t understand! From there, I picked up the rest by trying new things, googling on the internet to look for answers to my questions and of course still asking my Mom! I have truly discovered my passion!!!!!! And it feels so good to have a passion in life. It’s hard to see how I went this long without learning how to sew. I wish I’d done it years ago!
I don’t ever remember learning to sew. I just know that when I was about 5 or 6 my grandmother dug out my mom’s old singer child’s machine. This wasn’t a treadle machine, but it made stitches only when you turned the wheel by hand. I remember spending hours making doll clothes for a couple of tiny dolls I had.
rsgrandinetti@yahoo.com
Well, I grudgingly learned to sew from my mother. She was a young single woman of the late sixties and designed and sewed beautiful clothes. I still have a lovely green velvet coat that she made for me and that my daughter wore as a toddler. I attempted sewing many times through my youth/teen years and always hated it. So frustrating! I learned to love sewing in my late 20’s when I taught myself quilting. I quilted for years, but once my daughter was born, my projects became much smaller in scope! My mother still laughs at my love of the sewing after all the years of complaining and fits I put her through when trying to sew! I guess I just had to do it my way!
i had a wonderful teacher ms sanden in high school who taught me everything i know. she was amazing. i learned everything from weaving to tailoring to pattern alterations. recently when i pick up sewing again, i realized the knowledge i learned years ago has made mw a better sewer today.
My mom sewed clothes for us and other things when I was little. I don’t remember her teaching me. But I remember her helping pick out this pattern for Home Ec class in 7th grade. Everyone else was making those letter pillows, but I wanted to do palazzo pants. After that, I didn’t sew until my husband and I bought our first house and my mom brought over her old machine for me. That was only 5 years ago.
I learned how to sew in home ec class at school. My mother owned a sewing machine but never used it, but she was happy to support my crafting habit. Thanks Mom, you were the best!!
I started teaching myself to sew about 7 months ago at the age of 41. I love every single minute of it. My mother did not sew, I don’t know anyone who sews, yet something inspired me and I have not looked back. It is like a little secret when I shake my head humbly (very humbly with these beginner’s projects that I am nonetheless fiercely proud of!), and say, “oh that? I made that!” I continue to amaze and thrill myself with the entire process. I keep wondering: Where has sewing been all my life?
I gave my 2 year old daughter a Big Bird plastic pretend sewing machine so she can sit near me at her little table with her scraps and go “bang, bang, bang!” (her delighted exclamation at the sound of the machine!) along with me. I look forward to sharing my new passion with her over the years and building a new tradition together.
I learned to sew in high school home ec class. I didn’t really get into it until recently, though.
I don’t quite remember how old I was, but I learned to sew just a little bit from both my grandmas. However, the real learning came from my summer babysitter’s mom - she helped me figure out how to make a cute bag for my 4-H project that summer. And she didn’t let me cheat by having her do the work (unlike some people) - I remember that bag was horizontal pink stripes, and discussing the need to line up the pattern, so that both pieces were cut the same and could be line up together.
I learned how to sew in home ecomonics class when I was in 7th grade. I remember making a skirt, it was hideous. I swore never to sew again. Fast forward to 2 years ago when my sister refused to make me another bag. She showed me how to thread my sewing machine. I relearned the basics, and I’ve been hooked ever since!
Tough love is exactly what i needed!
I learned to sew on a machine a year ago. My co-worker gave me her mom’s Kenmore sewing machine, never used! I read the manual. My friend’s sister gave me some pointers. Then I bought a sewing book and went on the internet. I found a good zippered pouch tutorial on the internet with great pics and that was the first thing I sewed. The most recent thing I sewed was a purse, which I also got instructions off the internet.
I wanted to make pillows when I was about 12 years old. The schools took out Home Ec right before I got to 7th grade, so my sister got to do all the fun stuff (she hated it) and I missed out! My mom helped me with sewing on her Singer. In college I graduated to making a pillowcase and duvet cover. When I became a mom, I took a beginner’s quilting class with other moms just for the social aspect, and I was hooked! I recently got out a quilt I designed and started about 8 years ago and I’m determined to finish it soon. I’m currently enjoying home decorating projects.
My mother taught me to sew when I was about 7 years old. Her old Singer was in my room and when she was working on a project I’d sit and watch her. I can still hear her voice when I sit down at my sewing machine and I wish she was still here to share in my newfound love of sewing as a 35 year old woman. I have so many questions I would ask her. Instead I have her picture mounted over my machine so I can feel her loving support as I try to master a skill that was second nature to her.
I vaguely remember my mom sewing very basic items to put in my Barbie’s house when I was little, but never really showing me how to do it. Then my brother dated a girl who was into sewing handbags and making her own clothes. She sat down one day and showed me how to set the machine up and then I hit the internet looking for tutorials on how to make handbags, etc. I taught myself basically everything I know. I’ve currently taken up quilting. It’s so much fun!!!
I learned to sew on a big black monster my Mom had. It bit my finger. But, I got it back. I didn’t stop sewing. Yup, I’ll show that big bad machine who’s boss. I was 9 or 10 at the time. I bought my first machine at a garage sale. Weighed as much as I did. Then for graduation my parents bought me a little baby Sears Kenmore. I had that thing for 15 or so years. My husband bought me a low end New Home (I needed something a little larger). Now I’m a Bernina Girl all the way. I have learned so much and made so many different things- now I’m mainly a quilter. But, with all of these cool new fabrics, I’m thinking I need some camp shirts. I’ve been sewing/quilting a long time and still love it!
I taught myself to sew. My first “project” was a tote bag made out of the ugliest fabric I have ever seen. I never used a pattern, but had a good time making stuff up. That is how I still sew!
This is such a great giveaway-thanks for the chance to win–
My Mom sewed things when I was younger, but just taught us the basics- hemming and buttons. My grandmother was the seamstress in the family. I have so many little flannel and cotton nightgowns that she made for me growing up, and my most precious of all- the quilts she made me. I have been taking classes to learn how to sew and quilt. I also read a lot of books…and blogs!
These comments are fun to sift through. Although my mother is crafty and talented, by the time I caught the sewing I was across the country with many miles separating us. (She did, however, teach me to knit when I was a young’n.) I taught myself to sew by buying a sewing machine and pouring through several books–a whole lot of trial and error thrown in as well :). My methods are a combination of “proper” techniques and short-cuts that I have devised that I am sure would make many seasoned sewists cringe. But the most satisfying of has been sending off my first full size adult quilt (lovingly with mistakes and crooked seams and all) to my mother who lives many miles away. In that way, I am still able to remain connected to her and the craft.
I first sewed an apron in middle school for home ec, with my mother’s help. I think I hand-sewed very basic 20″ long curtains for my window when I was 17. No more sewing until I attempted a jumper for my first niece born 12 years ago. None of these experiences really fired any interest in sewing. Then when I was in medical school away from home during a family practice rotation, I was strolling down the main street of the tiny town I was based in. A woman had opened a new quilting store, and was desperate for customers. I stuck my head in, and she almost dragged me in, and offered to teach me how to sew, generously using her (probably very expensive) machines, and letting me use some of her scraps. I did eventually buy some fabric from her, and that was the start of a serious obsession with fabric and quilting. I borrowed my mother-in-law’s bernina mini-matic and started piecing; eventually got a basic kenmore when I moved away to Indiana for post-graduate training. Met the Amish community there (how lucky was that?!), and fabulous quilt stores in the area which really fueled my love of quilts and fabrics. Mostly self-taught, have never attended a sewing class due to difficult scheduling. Recently, have branched into craft sewing, fueled mainly by this website and blogs referring to it.
I have really enjoyed learning how to put the notebooks together, and most recently the mailsack. This week, I’ve made 5 mailsacks in various sizes and some with boxed corners for specific applications. Your post on interfacing was incredibly helpful and probably made it possible for me to really enjoy these projects as it wasn’t the weak link in my project (which I can see it easily could have become). Thank you so very much for your general friendliness, generosity, and inspiration. Bloggers like you have really allowed my crafting/quilting creativity to take new directions and continue to be fun & passion-inducing!
my mum and grandma always sewed - always knitted… but I was ‘daddy’s girl’ so I hammered and cut wood and fixed cars and learnt how to solder so I could fix the tv…. until 7th grade when they MADE me take sewing at my posh girl school. I hated making an apron, and learning how to make placemats and heavens forbid a dress for the end of year dance (it was black taffeta and ever so mod in design!)…. wind forward about 10 years… I’m a working professional that has travelled the globe … and I get this itch… just got to sew and knit and quilt and ….. so my mum and my gran taught me it all… and what they couldn’t i went to classes… and now I can do it all - well, a lot of it - fix the car and make a pretty dress.
I learned to sew at many stages of my life. My first sewing lessons was from grandma when I was in kindergarden. She had a room in her house that was literally surrounding by stacks of fabric, and a small area for her machine. She would teach us little things. Then in highschool I went back to grandma to learn how to make Sun dresses for a trip to Hawaii. I learned then how to read patterns. Now at present day I have been learning from my sister Irene when I visit her once and year. I also have learned tons on my own and online. Tutorials have been WONDERFUL tools to learn on your own. Im so thankful that people are kind enough to post these tutorials. :):)
I can’t pin point an exact age or time that I learnt to sew. I just grew up watching my mum sew. I watched and learned and tried the things I had seen her do, so with much love and paience on both our behalfs I learned to sew. But the thing I learnt most it to love to sew and the passion behind the creativity I got from watching mum sew.
I love reading these stories- I never dreamed how similar others’ stories would be to my own. I also learned from my grandmother on a treadle maching! Momo (my grandma) said that the electric machine went waaay to fast for me, so the treadle it was. Every summer she would make a bunch of clothes for me to wear the next year, but she had some kind of wild ideas about color and pattern, and I was reluctant to wear those clothes to school. So I asked her to teach me so I could make my own. Then guess what- my creations turned out with very similar wild colors and patterns! Now I love making dress-up clothes and halloween costumes for my son as well as the neices and nephews, and hopefully someday I’ll make them for my own grandkids. I even have my own treadle machine that I occasionally use. But I won’t expect anyone to wear my wild creations to school!
My mama can’t sew on a button, lol! But…the lady who lived behind us when I was about 9 had a sewing machine and let me run some cloth through. I was hooked! After that I started cutting up everything I could lay my hands on and making whatever I could by hand!
I taught myself how to sew when I was a girl. My older sister had a little Singer machine that I coveted so I would sneak into her room when she wasn’t home to make clothes for my stuffed animals. I didn’t always have fabric so I used paper a lot of the time.
Then, when was in middle school I took sewing as my ‘elective’ course, and never looked back. Some 30 years later, I still sew like crazy and am always trying to learn a new technique or trick to add to my repetoire.
Thanks for the great giveaway! Somebody will be very happy on Monday!
My mother taught me how to use the sewing machine at a young age.
Several years later I found myself with a lot of extra time on my hands and a desire to create. So I borrowed a machine, bought a basic sewing book, and have been creating ever since. I feel lucky to have a mom that passed along such a gift.
I finally learned to sew in junior high in home ec class. I fondled every scrap of fabric we had in our house up until that time. My favorite bag of scraps was in my mother’s closet. Inside the bag were the beginnings of a dress she tried to make for me when I was very small…it still had pins in it. She gave up and stuffed it in a sack. Because I didn’t know how to sew, I would cut up socks to make dresses for my Barbie dolls. Learning to sew was soooooooooooooooooo fulfilling!
I wish my grandmother had taught me to sew, but she lived several thousand miles away. On the other hand the site of her sewing table tucked into the front entryway that was NEVER USED (everyone came in the side door) did make me want to learn. I learned through school and my best friend who was taught by her grandmother (who made her rip out TONS of stuff until she got it right so maybe not being taught by my grandmother had some benefits?).
Oh my goodness. This is the best giveaway I have seen.
I taught myself how to sew. Or am teaching myself I suppose would be the correct way to say it. I still haven’t sewn clothes and have made only one quilt. I love all the stories of everyone and their grandmothers teaching their mothers and their mothers teaching them. My family is craft challenged though and the word sewing machine sends shivers down their spines. Luckily for me there is the internet and a plethora of sewing books out there that has guided me in this fantastic hobby.
I have to say that I don’t recall exactly how I learned to sew. My first sewing memories are of making Barbie doll clothes with my older sister and a couple of friends. We did this all the time at our baby sitters. We moved between 3rd and 4th grade so it was sometime before that. So I must have been 8 or 9 years old. Later, on a visit to my Grandmother’s house (she lived in Arkansas and we in NY) she taught me how to hand sew a nine patch. She also taught me to use a thimble and I still can’t sew without one today. My mother was not much of a sewer but did have a machine which I used after learning to sew on one in home ec classes. So that’s about it. Some great responses and an interesting topic!
As a tiny baby, my grandma would set me in her lap and I would watch her sew. It was how she babysat when she had work to do! When I got older she would hand me a piece of striped or plaid fabric and have me practice sewing down the lines. Once my lines were straight enough, around six years old, we started making pillows. I must have made thirty pillows that first year! None of them were too square and I was more interested in make “huggy-ble” pillows that were nice and floppy, than in making pillows that were esthetically pleasing. Grandma soon decided it was time for me to start quilting. She would take me to her Women’s Club where she and other cute little ladies would swap quilt squares, sew and gossip. On those days I had five to ten wonderful teachers and my grandma got a break from child care! I made my first quilt at the age of seven and have been hooked ever since! Grandma and I still sew together when I’m visiting from out of state. I’m expected to bring home a sewing project, the latest gossip, and square or two to swap!
I am just drooling over this lovely give away! What a pile of sewing delight!
My mother taught me to sew. I remember so well the day my friend and I picked out a pretty red fabric and she whiped up skirts for us both. I also remember the jeans she made me with the rainbow trim at the waist when I was a bit bigger and HATED!
So far my kids love what I make them and that is really nice!
~Emily
My aunt, known to you possibly as P.Mookie, taught me to make pillow cases. Books and the internet have done the rest. I’d tell you more but I have to make breakfast for the kids!
Every woman in my family either directly or indirectly has influenced my sewing. My Grandma taught me to sew by hand when I was about 6. My mom still laughs and shakes her head when I thread a needle: Lick the thread, lick the needle. Just like Grandma. My Aunt Bea quilted beautiful, beautiful quilts by hand as I watched. Mom, a florist at the time, taught me about color selection and balance. My Mother-in-law taught me how to sew from a pattern. I am blessed to still have my Grandma who is anxious to teach me how to upholster and how to sew on My Husband’s Great Grandmother’s treadle machine. I have so much to learn, so much to sew!
I learned how to sew when I was 8 years old in a 4-H sewing class. I went weekly to the house of one of the other girl’s, and her mom taught us how to thread our machines, read patterns, do measurements. I hauled along this really old sewing machine that weighed far more than I did.
After all the practice, then we did a field trip to Walmart to look at pattern books. We all had to choose something to make. I made a skirt that was so cute, the only problem is I didn’t think ahead about the fabric choice very well. The skirt I put into the county fair was too sheer once strong light hit it. Although did win a ribbon for it though, but I never was able to wear it out in public.
I learned to sew from my mom a long time ago and never really became interested in sewing again until 2 years ago. Around that time a friend asked me if I was interested in a sewing machine as a wedding present, and I said I had been thinking about giving sewing a try again. So I got the machine and have mainly used it for making quilts and a few small projects. I love sewing and am eager to learn more about making clothes.
these glimpses into people’s stories (through these comments) has simply been a beautiful start to my day. (thank you for asking for such meaningful responses to your giveaway posts.)
i learned to sew in 4H when i was 10. my mom did help me with my long elastic-waist skirt and coordinating drawstring bag. i wish i had them still as i loved them both so much. the skirt made me feel very laura ingalls…
My roommate in the early 1980’s taught me how to sew. I needed white uniforms to work in a hospital and at that time all that was to be found was polyester double knit - yuk!
I am self-taught. My mom wasn’t much of a sewer and didn’t have any interest in teaching me herself. But she did encourage me as I struggled along and never said no when I asked for money for fabric, patterns, and notions. And most importantly, she never made me wear my early and often hideous attempts at garments .
My Mother taught me to sew when I was about 6. She started with some hand sewing and then taught me how to use a sewing machine. I rememer her having me practice sewing straight lines on paper (without thread) for a long time and then on fabric. I remember having to go over the line I had just stitched again because it was not straight. My Mom taught me how to read a pattern and how to make garments. I am always amazed at the people I meet that can’t read and follow a pattern, I really don’t think it’s that hard. Later the skills she taught me helped me get a job working in a theater costume shop, so I could pay my way though college. I will always be greatful for the skills and tricks I learned from my Mom and in the costume shop. Thanks for the give away, I would love to win.
i leaned to sew a little from grandma and my aunt but most is self taught with a lot of experimenting!
I don’t remember who taught me to sew. Probably my mother because by the time 7th grade home-ec rolled around, I already knew. In that class we made an apron. They were painfully simple and not particularly effective as evidenced by the flour on people’s shirts after the lessons on baking that followed the sewing module.
I was taught to sew in home economics at school but I was dreadful and my teacher felt so sorry for me she would take my work home with her and do it herself and bring it back next lesson, instead of feeling happy this actually made me sad because I so desperately wanted her to show me how to do it myself and I wanted so much to improve. I felt like I was a lost cause, however, years later I was doing a Fine Art degree and I decided to give it another go, reading books and tutorials online gave me confidence just to go for it. I’m still learning and trying to perfect my technique, I get so inspired by blogs like this which remind me I’m not alone and I keep telling myself practice, practice, practice and one day you will get there.
My Grammy taught me to sew when I was a little girl.I never really wanted to sew growing up.When I was pregnant with my first daughter(20 years later) she taught me again.We made a Waldorf doll together. She was an excellent seamstress.I think of her now everytime I sew.
Thanks for the great contest!
Wow, this would be awesome. My mother taught me to sew. I remember making “pockets” with a little girlfriend on my mom’s machine. I also made a doll quilt for a talent competition with her. My first quilt! Thanks for the awesome giveaway.
I had to take home economics in Grade 7 and part of it was sewing. The teacher I had was crazy and I remember ripping out more stiches than actually learning to sew. Didn’t touch a sewing machine again until I was living with a boyfriend in some small town, couldn’t find a job and was bored to tears. Had my mom send her old sewing machine and made a duvet cover. Just kinda took off from there. Took a few lessons as the years went by, but I found patience and the ability to learn from mistakes to be the best learning tools.
I learned to sew from my mom, who is a Home Economics teacher. I remember as a child sitting along side of her sewing machine pulling pins out for her right before they reached the needle. I would arrange her pins by color on her pin cushion. Over the years we’ve made pajama pants, a tshirt quilt from all my high school tshirts, and now we’ve started the tradition of sewing every year on the Friday after Thanksgiving!
I learned to sew from my grammy, she is no longer with us but what memories I have everytime I sew.
Thanks,
Lori
sweet23tea@yahoo.com
I learned the basics from my Mom. She made most of our clothes. She let me just experiment with the sewing machine. I made a quilt top when I was around 9. When I look at it I see the different fabrics that our clothes were made out of. Thank you for the give aways and your blog, it is one of my favorites.
I learned all the sewing basics in school (then it was obligatory for girls to sew, knit and crochet in school) - and I hadet it !
The teacher was awful and we had weeks to finish something. But some years after school I retook it and since I have never really stopped ;-))
Thanks for the gife aways
Growing up, my mother was always sewing us girls Easter dresses, doll clothes and the like. As my sisters became teenagers they began sewing their own clothes. As the youngest of the 4 girls, I of course wanted to keep up with my sisters, and learned to sew too.
My mom’s sister taught me to sew when my brother and I used to visit at her home on weekends in elementary school. Sewing and baking were her hobbies - small wonder that I’ve grown to love these as well! She’s made all sorts of wonderful quilts through the years, I believe she’s the one who inspired me to try making an entire quilt out of 2″ by 2″ squares, BY HAND.
Ah, twelve year old me. A little nuts back in the day.
In highschool a friend who knew how to sew taught me what she knew. We figured out how to make some hippyish/laura ashley style dresses and some crazy hats. We would show the stuff we made which looked horrible on the inside to my grandmother and she would tell us how to do it the right way. I kind of put sewing on the back burner until a few years ago and am now trying to really hone my skills. Thanks for these great giveways.
I used to play by my mom when she was sewing or crafting for as long as I can remember. I loved to “organize” her trims and going through her button tins (one for whites and one for coloureds) was a favourite pastime. I made barbie clothes by folding a rectangle of scrap fabric in half and cutting a slit for the neck. A fabric belt tied around the waist kept it on. (Sometimes the dresses were quite racy if the neck slit was a bit too long!) She started me on handsewing and embroidery projects but I don’t remember when. It just seems like I always did them. I do remember graduating to the machine when I was 8 or 9 - then I could quickly whip up a side seam for Barbie’s dresses. I would help here with my own clothes by gathering, basting etc. A memorable early project was a simple patchwork quilt for my bedroom. My mom still has that even though I sewed in one of the squares wrong side up!
You have a lovely site - thanks so much!
I come from a line of women who sew (passionately) but my mother never taught me to sew! Can you believe it???? I took a class in middle school and never touched a needle again until I was in my mid-20s. Saw some quilts. Fell in love. And, like every crafter I know, uttered the words “I can make that.” Went to my first full-blown quilt show while visiting friends in Dallas and have been crazy-hooked since! (the less than interesting details….I finally took a class to have a basic understanding of quilting lingo.)
I joined a 4-H club and took sewing, crafts and cooking
I learned some at school, but that is such a long time ago I don’t remember much of it. Now I’m trying to teach myself - with the help of the wonderful internet. So many resources out there
I am a little self taught. My mother sewed when I was young I dont remember to much of that. She passed away I wanted to learn to sew as i got her machine so I took sewing classes at a Fabric store in Portland Oregon. I sewed for my 2 girls and have now learned to do quilts. I am or have taught both my girls now to sew some.
Thank you.. Terri
I learnt to sew in Grade 1 at school in the 1950s. It was a one teacher school in country Queensland, Australia. It covered eight grades of school and had about 20-25 farmers’ kids. Some kids rode horses to school, and some rode bicycles and some of us were driven by car pooling parents.
Miss Stolzenberg, a local farmer’s daughter came to teach the girls to sew. She started us on burlap bags with wool in a darning needle.
By Year 2, I had embroidered a tortoise on a baby bib that won a prize in the local Agriculture Show, and a fine linen sampler.
As a teenager in the 1960s, my sister and I sewed a lot of our clothes. The new fashions (like Mary Quant shifts) were so easy to put together, compared with the detailed tailoring of the 1950s.
Now that clothes are so cheap to buy, we put our sewing skills to creative use in patchwork and quilting!
My mother sewed while I was growing up, yet she just didn’t have the time or patience to teach me. She sewed and made our clothes out of necessity so I guess I viewed sewing as work and a chore not something to be enjoyed. Now, in my 50’s I’m teaching myself to sew and quilt and loving it. It’s not a chore at all, but so satisfying to take fabric and create something for my home, my family, or my friends.
I learned in a quilting class (in french) in Luxembourg, which was when I first moved to europe. I loved it and bought a used machine. I had already done hand sewing with my grandma when I was young, but this was something new. After that class my french mother-in-law helped me extensively. When I moved back to Texas, I awoke my mom’s sewing desire and now we share this wonderful hobby! I love that this same ability has somehow been transferred from my grandmother (who sewed all her 4 daughters’ clothes) to my mom (who sewed all my clothes growing up) to me (and I do a few clothes for each of my kids, but wish I had time to do more!) Great week Kathy!!
I learned from my mother. Gee, that was a long time ago. I learned to sew on a Singer treadle machine. I made this awful lavender blouse for my Home Ec class on that machine. And I remember making my sister a pair of wild patterned hip huggers. I don’t sew much anymore. Don’t know where the time goes. I have so many crafts that I am into now that I find I don’t have time for any. Must be something wrong there.
I just found your blog this evening from the Craft Apple. I love it.
Lynn
I have always been crafty even as a child. Unfortunately I was not raised in an environment that encouraged such things. I would make do with found objects…….I know sob story right? :0) When I was 21 and newly married my father, who had not been in my life very long gave me an old Singer still in the beautiful wooden cabinet as a gift for Christmas. I LOVED it and still do. I SLOWLY taught myself to sew over the years. I even got a job in a fabric store to learn more and for the discount! Years later a friend gave me a matching machine and I now use them as nightstands & I sew on a machine my husband bought me. But I love my original one & think about using it again from time to time.
My mother taught me to cross stitch when I was about 7 or 8 and I’ve been sewing (off and on) ever since. Sewing on a machine still kind of intimidates me, but we’re becoming friends slowly. ^_^
I learned to sew from my mother when I was about 12; I don’t recall where she learned. I had to take Home Ec and sewing was a required class. I already knew it all and didn’t learn anything; oh well. I was making a lot of my clothes which I liked because no one would have the same outfit I had. I liked being original and having it fit the way it should and choose pretty fabrics and trims. I am 54 and I have been sewing for, OMG, 42 years! My paternal grandmother sewed “everything” and could also crochet “without looking” which just astonished us young children. I have taught my daughter some sewing basics and she has never had much interest but she is very artistic with pen and inks and watercolors. Sewing is my art.
My Mom taught me to sew when I was about 10 years old. My grandmother worked in the weave room of Dan River Mills in Danville VA and we would go to the outlet store there and she could buy bundles of remnants for 1.00. I thought these were like unwrapping presents - you never knew what you were going to get but there was always something wonderful inside. I guess I inherited the fabric gene from her. She is 85 and still hand piecing quilts today!
So many lovely stories — I learned to sew in the 10th grade. At first I hated the idea of giving up my Saturday afternoons for ten weeks to learn how to sew. By the second week I was hooked and haven’t looked back since. I made my prom dress the next year and when I got married 20 years after that first class, I had also sewn enough and learned enough to make my own wedding dress. Today I sew little things because I only have little time. There’s nothing more pleasurable than spending an afternoon choosing fabric and planning what I will sew next. Pink
Hi! I was self taught and I enjoying it so much!=)
I learned to sew in Junior High Home Economics class with Mrs. Garrett. The girls all took Home Ec while the boys took Shop. Nothing like putting kids in their proper places! (We were free to choose which we wanted to take, but everyone fell in along gender lines). I had tried sewing much earlier than that, though, because my mom sewed all the time, as did my grandmother. When I was little my brother and I had coordinating outfits for every holiday. I hated dresses, but my mom sewed them anyway. I remember my brother and I always hanging out on the bean-bag chairs at the fabric store while my mom shopped. I used to beg her to make me clothes out of fake fur, but she would never do it. My grandmother was more adventuresome. Once, in the early 70’s, she made me groovy, shiny, super-synthetic pink PJs with purple and gold trim. I thought they were the fanciest, most grown-up PJs ever. But I digress (a lot). Even though the only sewing lessons I had were that year in Junior High, there must be something in the genes because now here I am, making skirts and dresses for my little girls.
I learned in junior high school home ec class. One project I completed (with my mom’s help) was a two piece bikini- it was so cute- but it was not sewn very well. Without the help of my mom, I would have never gotten it completed. That was a long time ago, but sewing still makes me feel like a teenager!
I learned to sew in Mrs. Laird’s Home Ec class. My mother made me not only pick out the pattern, but after I made it and it turned out badly, she made me wear it. I hated the dress and was embarrassed. I washed it in hot water so it would shrink and then it didn’t fit me.
I didn’t sew again until I was expecting my first baby and wanted to make a quilt for him.
My grandmother taught me when I was about 5 years old. I used to watch her sew at her old Singer which I received after she died in 2001. Her quilts were very simple, mostly nine patches and string quilts, made from leftover clothing remnants - very special. I began by making Barbie clothes by hand, then I took sewing classes in Home Ec in Middle School. I have taken many quilting classes at various quilt shops over the years and read everything I can on the subject. I need to sew like I need to breathe. Thank you for your blog, it’s full of inspiration.
My mother sewed on a treadle, though by the time my sisters and I were old enough to learn she had an electric. I remember the piece goods shop was a regular on our weekend rounds, along with the mall and the grocery store. My mother was quite good, but I never had the precision to sew well as a youngster. I’m no master seamstress now, but I do take pleasure in the care and precision that handicrafts take.
My first sewing experience was in home-ec when I was in middle school. I didn’t have my own machine so that was about as far as I went. A few years later my maternal grandmother (Grannybelle) passed away and unknowingly to me left me her 1970’s Singer. I was beyond touched and begin sewing as soon as we got home. I loved going through the drawers and reading her notes and just using the same things she has used to make my mother’s clothes. It touched me beyond words and opened a whole new world. I have been sewing just about every day since, 10 years later.
My grandmother taught me to hand sew when I was 3 years old. She and I Made doll quilts and pillows day in and day out. I remember vividly the craving for fabric and thread even back then. I would get to her house and beg to sew. I was hooked. When I was 7 I got my first little sewing machine, my first project was a little polka dot bag for my grandma. I remember being so proud, I even stuffed it with cotton balls to make it look like they do in stores.
Oh I live your learning to sew story…..
I learned from my mother and sisters - we would haul out the Janome and take over the kitchen table….. my sisters would make bubble skirts and hair scrunchies (it was the 80’s!) to sell to friends at school, and I would make clothes for my dolls…..
I also had a fabulous textiles teacher in high school who taught me things that all came flooding back after I took up sewing again 10 years later!
Now, I learn from the internet!
Thanks for all the giveaway opportunities Kathy!
Leah xxx
My mom taught me to sew. It started when I was 4. I remember she used to let me push the material through but what I really wanted to do was use that pedal! Now that I have my own sewing machine and my own shiny pedal to push–well–PEDAL TO THE METAL!!! I love to sew and my mother was extremely patient. For that I am truly grateful.
Thanks for the chance to win!
Kelly O.
I learned how to sew by reading sewing books and the internet. My mom sewed a little but I was always intimidated by the sewing machine because my mom would always tell me if I weren’t careful I could sew my fingers. I wish I got over the intimidation sooner. I love sewing now. I would sew 24/7 if I could.
Sis and I learned to sew during summers with my mom on her old singer sewing machine. She let us make our own pajama pants using fabrics from her stash. She taught us to lay out fabric, cut the pieces and sew on her machine. Remember those times fondly, especially proudly wearing pajama pants that we made ourselves.
I started to sew when I was 9 and joined 4-H sewing. The instructors were volunteers and my mom was one who spent countless hours teaching me and my friends the art of sewing. I have left and come back to it throughout my life. Gratefully I am in a “come back” phase. I have enjoyed the challenge of learning to read and understand new patterns, love the creative juices flowing through me, am thrilled by the array of fabric that there is, and blessed that I get to do all of my creating on my very own machine. I grew up using one of my mom’s, always came back to hers and now I get to learn more and more of what my very own machine can do every time I use it. Life is GOOD!
My mom came from a family of 11 kids, and she has always sewn (they had to!). I learned from her when I was about 12. My first project was a little spaghetti-strap tank top, made of a lightweight white fabric with tiny purple flowers. In the front, it had an inset of lace, and my mom let me use some lace that was leftover from her wedding dress! Man, I loved that little shirt! My mom recently sent me a box of random scrap fabrics, and there was some of that same fabric in it! 30 years later!! Now I’m wondering, should I make something for my daughter (almost 3), or save it for her to learn to sew with?
i taught myself to sew last year when i started blogging.
I learned to sew when I was middle school age in a church girls club called Calvinettes. We could earn badges for different things and I earned my sewing badge. Very basic stuff. Then in high school I took three years of home ec, the first semester was sewing and the second semester was cooking. The first year was required but the other years weren’t so only those who were really interested took the class, by the third year our teacher let us make what ever we wanted. I sewed a lot of my own clothes in high school and sewed for my children when they were young. I don’t sew garmets much any more, what little time I have for sewing is spent on piecing quilts.
My older sister taught me to sew. Since she was the oldest girl, she was taught how to knit, sew, cook, play the piano, etc. My Mom was too busy by the time the rest of us came along, so my older sister passed on her knowledge.
I also learned to sew from my beloved Grandma. She first taught me by hand with little projects and then she would let me have a go on her old Singer. It is one of those old balck ones (featherweight?)that sits on it’s own base. When you raise it up from the base there is a little note that says, “for Maureen” that she put there before she died to make sure tht I ended up with it. The smell of it when I sew with it still takes me back.
I taught myself to sew and to crochet.
Thanks for the great contest!!
As fas as I can remember, my mom taught me how to sew. She’s an elementary school teacher and when I was in daycare she sometimes let me come over to her class (from the neighboring building) for the day’s craft lesson. So I learned to hand sew and later when I started school, I also learned how to use a sewing machine.
I learned to sew from my mother. She had five children, and there was never a lot of money floating around, but I don’t think that had anything to do with her passion for sewing. She made clothes for herself, clothes for me, curtains, table cloths, pillow covers — her handiwork was all around our house. She had three footlockers that were dedicated to her sewing stuff, and I spent many a happy Saturday afternoon with her at the fabric store, acquiring the contents of those footlockers — patterns, fabric, interfacing, lining material, buttons, zippers, hooks, thread. I don’t even remember how old I was when she first helped me make a garment for myself — I’m guessing around eleven or twelve. Long before that, I would hang around while she was cutting her patterns, and follow her into her sewing room, and ask questions about notches and darts, flat feld seams, fitting sleeves into armholes, and turning waistbands. She totally encouraged my love of fabric, and she taught me not just the skills of sewing but the pleasure of making something with your own hands. I am a quiltmaker and these days I hardly ever make clothes for myself — but my own home is decorated with curtains and pillowcovers and tablecloths that I have made myself — sometimes from the contents of those footlockers, which I inherited when my mom died.
My mom taught me to sew when I was very little, but I foolishly gave it for many years. I started to sew again last February, and I’m loving it. Thanks so much for having this giveaway:)
I would always watch my grandmother cutting her fabric for clothes or for a quilt, then I would watch her sew the pieces together. She never got angry when I would ask too many questions and would let me “help” sometimes. My grandmother taught me to sew when I was probably about 9. She taught me to sew simple clothes for my Barbie doll. Together we made dresses, skirts, tops and a blanket and pillow for her bed. When I was comfortable with the basic straight stitch and with using her ancient sewing machine, I was ready to try sewing my own clothes. It was because of my grandma’s patience and love that I’ve been sewing for myself all these years and then for my daughters. I can’t wait to teach my oldest daughter how to sew. Even after all these years, I still love to sew and I think of my grandmother fondly each time I sit in front of the sewing machine. I know she’s smiling down on me.
My mom sewed most of our clothes when we were younger and watching her it seemed so easy. My first attempts at around age six were doll clothing and I remember feeling terribly frustrated because they did not turn out as I had expected. I stuck with it though and by high school was making many of my own clothes. My proudest moment back then was when one of the “popular girls” asked where I’d gotten a particular skirt and I told her that I’d made it. She wanted me to make her one too and soon I had several other orders from other girls.
In my college years I sort of gave up sewing but in my late twenties rediscovered my love of sewing when friends and eventually myself started having babies to sew for.
I learned to sew at 10 by taking a 4-H project. I will never forget the horrid thing. We had to make an elastic waist gathered full skirt and a 36 inch square fringed scarf to match. I chose bright red broadcloth and it was HORRID. Luckily my mother made all our own clothes and I realized there was life beyond that horrid project and by jr. High was making all my own clothes too.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
I learned to sew from my mother. I also took Home Economics in school. Those of you my age will remember that class. My mother has always sewen and I caught the bug from her. I learned on her treadmill sewing machine from Sears. I sewed a lot of my children’s clothes when they were young and now I sew mostly quilts.
I learned to sew from my aunt. My early accomplishments included clothes for my Barbie doll. I was a slapdash sewer then - eager for the final product, not so worried about my seam width. I’m a bit more careful now!
I grew up watching my mom to sew……everything. It is one of my strongest childhood memories - walking in the door from school and seeing her at her machine in the dining room. What a comfort it was. She made clothes, costumes, reupholstered, you name it. I’m hoping to pass that on to my girls …. nowhere near the talent or volume yet - but we’re working on it.
I learned to sew first from the neighbor lady across the street, then in 7th grade home ec. I haven’t stopped since.
I learned hand sewing/mending from my mother. But I was fascinated by her friend’s sewing machine. One Christmas Santa brought be a little plastic sewing machine and I was over the moon.
It didn’t stick until 8th grade when I took home ec. I got a real sewing machine for Christmas that year!
I did not take up sewing until after my grandmother had passed. I think I was intimidated by her expertise. I took a sewing class in Jr. high and we made a t-shirt. I was so mortified with my results that it was 20 years before I touched another sewing machine. I so wish I could have all the advice I know she would have given me. Everytime I look up how to sew something it reminds me of what I missed out on!
Love your blog,
Jody
I first learned to sew in High School and wasn’t too interested, more frustrated than anything. After my first son was born I sewed up some receiving blankets and simple items. Over the years I developed an interest in quilts and have been hooked….I love piecing fabric together to make something beautiful and useful. I am expanding my horizons and making totes and more things for around the house. It’s wonderful to look around the home and see items made with love and care. I’ve been enjoying your blog for some time and really appreciate all your tips and awesome posts. Blessings, Heather
I come from a long line of sewers. Both of my grandmothers clothed their children, one entirely on a treadle sewing machine because she lives in a tiny village in Mexico with no electricity! But it was my mom who taught me how to sew, starting off by hand, making pillows and blankets for my dolls. I remember looking thru her scrap bags & boxes, looking for the shiniest, fanciest bits. But my favorite lesson-related memories have to be listening to her heavy Gingher scissors cutting through fabric - the sound was so soothing. Just this past birthday I got my first pair of Ginghers from my spouse - a truly thoughtful and treasured gift!
Not sure if it’s too late. I learned to sew when I was little (my mom would sew us our halloween costumes and outfits from time to time, including a prairie girl dress for a play I was in!) and we took a sewing class at a local store. Then I didn’t sew again until last year when I took a class at the local adult ed center which was great. Even then it wasn’t until recently that I really got into sewing, but this time it was because we just had a baby–now things are back to normal and there’s too many great fabrics out there!
I was raised in the microwave generation where nobody had time in our family to actually *make* something-it was way too much work! Ever since I got married I’ve been into DIY projects and when I had two daughters and found out I was pregnant with a third little girl I started looking at the fabulous world of girls boutique clothing online that I could NEVER afford I thought to myself, “You know, I bet I could make that!” So I asked for a sewing machine that I was gifted for Mothers’ Day almost two years ago and with the help of google and that lovely word “tutorial” I’ve scoured the internet looking for lessons on how to get started sewing. Actually, your water bottle carrier was one of the first things I bought the materials to go out and make!!! So I guess I taught myself with the help of Google University and thoughtful bloggers who have posted valuable tutorials along the way.
I learned to sew by watching my mom, aunts and grand-mother sew. The very first thing I ever sewed was a small bib for one of my cousins. I sewed it by hand using scraps of fabric and yarn en embroydered a small duck on it. But I only go my own machine ten years ago at age 26, after having my sun because I wanted to sew for him.
when i was young, my grandma gave me one of those preprinted kits for making barbie clothes….between my mom and my grandma, i learned a little bit about sewing (i could mostly sew straight lines - think potholders) but when i was pregnant with my second baby, i finally was able to take real sewing lessons…my grandma was always going to teach me (she was wonderful - she always made our halloween costumes and baby and doll clothes) but she never got to before she passed away) and i know she would be so happy to see me sewing now
Both my Mom & my Grandmothers did a lot of sewing …so i guess i grew up knowing the language. However in eighth grade i had home ec and made a lovely pair of colottes (sp), apron and a bag…and i’ve been going ever since!
Don’t know if it’s too late, but I’m going to chime in anyway. I learned to sew thanks to a wonderful ex-boss who, as luck would have it, was also a quilter! It was my first exposure to quilting as well as sewing–I’ll be eternally grateful to her and to our small quilting bee, meeting once weekly to watch “American Idol” or some other nonsense, enjoy one another’s company, and sew! Thanks for the trip down memory lane…
The classic way - creative mama. One of my first projects was a tunic made with fabric I batik-ed myself, lots of orange-brown turtles. I was sooo proud.
My sweet grandmother instilled my love of sewing. She used to make most of my clothes for me. I would get a big box of spring clothes for my birthday in April. I remember she would make me try things on to see if they would fit, but I couldn’t look!
She would sit me down at her treadle machine and we would make Barbie clothes together. I have a little business making bags and accessories - I recently used a treadle machine and felt pangs in my heart - I felt like that 8-year old girl at Grandma’s machine.
I really enjoy your blog and your style!
Robin
I think that I was 7 or 8 when my mom enrolled me in a summer sewing class - we learned to make a nine-patch pillow! The pillow is likely long gone, but 18 years later, I’m still sewing and making quilts, clothes and anything else that strikes my fancy - I actually sew more than she does now. I’m so grateful that she decided that I should learn to sew.
Abby
How did I miss the rest of the giveaway days? My mom taught me to sew on a machine when I was about 8 years old. One of my first projects was a pin cushion that was just recently replaced by one I made her last mother’s day. (I’m 42!) My favorite memories of sewing were when my grandmother would move her dining room table, get out her quilt frame and my grandmother, great-grandmother, mom, aunt and the cousins would do some quilting/tying. I am so grateful for those generational ties.
My mother taught me to sew by hand and then on the machine when I was about 9 or 10. I had a not-so-positive experience in Home Ec. trying to make a wallet with lots of bias tape. After that, I gave up trying to sew for a long time. I picked it up again four years ago and figured most of it out myself with help from Mom.
i learned to sew in a high school home-ec class. sad but true. my mom was not crafty at all but my grandmother was.
I learned to sew when I was ten and my mom helped me pick out a pattern and fabric for a pair of shorts and a top. I grew before I finished them, so my mom had to extend the length of both with a black stripe so my stomach wouldn’t stick out the bottom.
my mother-in-law taught me to sew when i was 21 and pregnant and wanted to make my own crib skirt and bumper
I sort of learned to sew on my own…growing up, my mother made clothes; for me and my brother and also herself (but I don’t think for my dad). But by the time I would have been interested in sewing, she pretty much was buying all the clothes for our family. She did buy me a few embroidery kits (which I LOVED doing) and my aunt taught me how to crochet and knit but no sewing. I really didn’t get into sewing until I was about 25-26 years old (1995-96!) and I asked my mother for her 1970’s singer. I got it refurbished and tuned up and when I finally went kaput last year, I got a viking (with an INCREDIBLE buttonholer!!!!!). I also knit quite a lot and it has helped that have a bit of sewing knowleged when finishing sweaters. I usually don’t do anything more complicated than straight seams, but I do want to start making shirts for myself!