Learning to sew is an old-school skill I’ve been wanting to try for a long time. So, you can imagine how thrilled I was to open a sewing machine for Christmas. Not a hot, new gaming system or small kitchen appliance for Christmas this past year (thankfully). A sewing machine!
My Learning To Sew Inspiration
Learning to sew has been on my brain for quite some time, but I always found it to be a bit daunting. My mom liked to sew, but with five kiddos keeping her very busy while she was also juggling a nursing career? Let’s just say she didn’t get to do it often. When she did, I was always amazed, watching her work with patterns and fabrics, and churning out dresses for me and my two sisters. She would usually pick the same pattern and fabric with just different colors. Somehow, I became the “yellow” girl. To this day, I love wearing shades of yellow, so she picked well. I tried my hand at sewing myself, very briefly, when I was also very briefly in 4-H. But what 11-year-old really wants to learn to sew? Turns out, it was not me.
I cast off sewing and barely gave it a passing thought until a crazy thing happened. Our oldest daughter asked for a sewing machine for Christmas when she was 14. My mind was blown! We did not even live on our little homestead yet, so I had no idea what drew her to sewing. Turns out it was an adult skills type of class in junior high that also involved budgeting. Go figure! Matt and I decided to get her an inexpensive, entry-level model, thinking she would never use it. But let’s just say she figured it out.
Learning To Sew Stimulates Creativity
Sewing was a creative outlet for our daughter when she did her college co-ops while living in unfamiliar towns. She would come home to visit with super-cute things she sewed, like these colorful pot-holders and a matching apron.
Then she graduated to quilts if you can believe it, all stitched with just a basic machine. Like this quilt here, that I love.
And then this crazy, king-size creative quilt that she made for me as a Christmas present, pre-planned out, of course.
Did I mention she’s an engineer? Now she’s working on a quilt to give to her sister as a college graduation gift. I think it’s safe to say she caught the sewing bug. Anyway, her work has been a big inspiration to me. If a crazy-busy engineer in a master’s degree program can still find time to sew, I can too.
What I Love About This Singer Patchwork Machine
Before Christmas, I did some research at JoAnn and was a bit overwhelmed by all the sewing machine makes and models. You may wonder why I didn’t just ask for a basic model for myself and here’s the short answer. I hate wasting money, so when I do purchase something or receive it as a gift, I commit to using it. I also hate that feeling of failure that comes with giving up, so a model that costs a bit more money is motivation to keep plugging away. Plus, I didn’t want to have to upgrade to a different model in the future. This one has lots of functions and stitches, including quilting stitches. I found a helpful associate who told me it’s a very popular model with experienced sewers and novices alike so that works for me!
Learning to sew has come a long way, too, and that’s reassuring. As with learning how to garden, baking a double crumb crust apple pie from scratch, or canning fruits and vegetables, there are endless resources and tutorials available online that build confidence. I have this crazy hunch learning to sew won’t be as frustrating for me now as it was in my 4-H days.
What I’ll Be Sewing
Let’s just say I have a lot of pins saved for inspiration. I’ve been wanting to try my hand at a dress or two in the future. I’ll definitely be starting out small, but stay tuned. You’re bound to find out!
Do you like to sew, quilt, knit, or crochet? I’d love to hear about your own adventures, how you got started, and why you’re drawn to it.
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