Sewing skills - a life of learning.

Last week after sewing a little dress for my granddaughter, I decided to make new drapes for our living room now being remodeled. Found some perfect fabric that actually compliments my sofa. Then the club chair and ottoman looked awful in contrast. So off to find fabric to make a new slipcover for that chair. I love sewing, fabric stores, and the whole process of creating something attractive and useful.

In this process, I realized that I have some truly valuable skills in sewing.
Sewing an outfit with a pattern is quite simple for me. I have been sewing since I was quite young....7th grade, I think, making simple clothes for myself.

Making the slipcover (in process in first photo) is a test of not only design skills but the 'engineering ' of the construction as well. Figuring out which pieces of the item to sew together first so it actually works is fun and frustrating too. I have been known to make mistakes !! Oh, well, just rip out and do over.

Today I made finished the seat cover...quite a pain of a task. Today I am putting on the trim for the bottom of the chair to make it look finished.

But now....off to lunch !

Sew what ?....well, just about anything !

Sewing is my solace, my calming mechanism, my BP reducer, if I need it.
I have been sewing since I was about 11 years old. It was a good time to
bond with my mother. I am grateful for her encouragement and patience with my early efforts.

The dress here is for my 4 year old grand-daughter. It was the first time I have made clothes for a child since my daughters were that age....over 35 years ago. It was an easy project and since I love sewing, a pleasant diversion on these blistering Ozark summer days. I hope she likes it. The flowers remind me of her personality....a bright flower.

Here are several typical things I might sew or in the case of the quilt remnant, repair.

The quilt piece below is from the 1940's I believe. The quilt was quite ragged. Some years ago, I made a pillow cover for each of my mother's grandchildren. That was very connecting for me. The old quilt was found in the drawer of my Mom's dresser when I cleaned out her home after she died. I think my mother's sister, Anna, worked on it mainly.


The seat cover (lower left) was for a friend. He needed covers for well-worn kitchen stools. This was a fun project, since he left the choice of fabric and how to design the seat cover up to me. His only requirement was that it be green ! Easy !


I love picking out new fabric and coming up with a design for the curtain that fits the needs of the project. My next sewing project will be curtains for our recently re-habbed LV. Can't wait.