We are opening a new FabFabrics Store on Zazzle
I spent a lot of time sewing throughout my life. It was a mysterious satisfaction to take material and make it into a designer suit or dress or pair of pants.
I had great teachers. My first was a woman named Lydia, who came to our house to help my mother take care of my comatose nana. Missing my Nana, Lydia noticed and taught me how to make dresses for my dolls and potholders for my mom.
In high school, I took a sewing class with Sister Theresa Clare, (if my mind serves me). She taught us to sew with purpose, participating in a fashion show. We not only learned how to properly sew our seams and zippers, we learned how to walk like a model! I remember gracefully taking off my jacket to confidently show the beautiful inside lining. We were mighty proud.
After high school, I joined this sister’s convent in Los Gatos, CA. It was a challenging and transformingnexperience. Sewing was an undercurrent active skill. We were taught to sew all the skirts, bodices, capes and even head pieces, many times by hand, … again, ”properly”. Pieces were inspected by our superiors. If it did not meet high standards we were asked to tear out the stitches. and start again….. without complaint, mind you most all of the material was black wool.
Five and a half years later, I completed my life in the convent. I married a year-and-a-half later. A few months in our marriage, we bought a sewing machine from Montgomery Wards. We both worked but I found time to , make my husband shirts, pants and ties. I’ve always artistically thrived.
Soon, I was making maternity wear, then infant wear, then toddler wear. In fact, I made many of my son’s clothes until finally, in 5th grade, he pleaded with me to buy store bought. By then I was more than happy to comply. My husband and son joined a KungFu club and I made their kungFu clothes. I made ”Big Shot” ties for my husband when he became an Inhalation Therapist (today called a Respiratory Therapist). Sewing has always been a creative, peaceful, happy past-time for me.….and now I am rewarded with creating the designs for what we called yardage, some 50+ years ago.
The fun thing is that the fabric designs @Zazzle.com offers our customers a template to make any adjustment to the sizing or direction to the pattern design. If you like it as is, you just make your purchase, but if you are feeling like you want to collaborate and make it the way YOU want it, you hit the CUSTOMIZE button. Easy as that!
