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Friday, July 18, 2014

Déjà Vu :: Thinking Back

Reposted from February 1, 2011. Feeling a little nostalgic about Where I Sew, here's a bit about how that journey began . . .

Do you ever think, “How did I become a quilter?” Or a baker? Or a crafter? Or whatever? I do, and often. I think about how before I was a quilter, I sewed. As a little girl, I liked to stitch together little doll clothes by hand. I’m not sure who showed me that I could. I remember knitting (yes!) little sweaters for my dolls. Mom must have taught me that. And in Girl Scouts, I somehow managed to make an apron, in order to earn the sewing badge. By middle school, my grandma was living with us, and she introduced me to the reality of having a sewing machine in our very own house! It was a Singer, that she bought with her own money as a young, single woman. She taught me how to use it, and encouraged me to use it whenever I wanted! She taught me how to wind bobbins, thread needles, sew straight, carefully measured, seams – all the details of clothing construction. Crazy as it sounds now, I made clothes for myself, for my mom and her friends, and even for my dad!

Fast forward several years, past the degree in Home Economics, past the days of sewing teddy bears and little Easter coats for my children, to a day in 1987. A friend, a quilter, said, “You should learn to quilt, and then we could do it together.” So I took a beginner’s class. Every stitch was by hand. And I loved the fabric – the texture and patterns and colors. I loved the needle between my fingers – something familiar, used in a new way. I loved the process. I loved creating something beautiful. And I still do.

14 comments:

  1. Our journey's overlap in many ways. I have been stitching something as long as I remember - clothes and household accessories for my dolls, crochet items to get my badge in Girl Guides, and lots of clothes. As a young family we did not have budget to buy the pretty coordinated outfits in the trendy children's shop so I would sit on the bench outside the shop and write descriptions of the outfits, then go to the fabric shop to purchase the goods to make them! Kwik Sew patterns and books were my best friend, as was my serger. Christmas dresses, Easter coats, and Halloween costumes - I did them all. I love quilting because of the fabric and, quite honestly, I enjoy simple 1/4" seams and minimal pinning. I have loved every minute of my sewing journey.

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  2. I grew up in a two-family house. My grandparents lived in the downstairs flat, and we lived upstairs. My mother's Necchi lived in a cabinet in the dining room, directly above my grandmother's Singer. I have both machines now. The first thing I remember sewing was a wrap around skirt for myself when I was 13.

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  3. You have the best blog, Deb. I look forward to every new post and often browse back to older posts to enjoy your spirited nature all over again.
    I revisit how I became a quilter quite often. It was a fantastic and abrupt change in my life. It has changed my entire perspective on life. For me, sewing has enriched my life beyond a way in which I can clearly explain to anyone but those that have known me for a very long time.
    Thank you for being a dedicated blogger...and not just dedicated, hut really good at it too!

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  4. My mother tortured me with embroidery. And I mean tortured, I was made to make these things for my 2 grandmothers and great grandmother for several years when I was little. Give my love of playing out in the dirt, I'm pretty sure some of them were pretty grubby and sorry looking pieces by the time they got handed over ;o) Put me off sewing for a looooong time!

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  5. You do create beautiful things every time, and it is clear by looking at them that you love the process, each piece is lovely in all respects.

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  6. Well no wonder you're so good at it! You had a head start : ) Nice to hear of your beginnings

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  7. I learned on my mom's black Singer sewing machine. She realized my sister and I loved to sew and bought a new Singer. It sewed like crazy. Neither of my grandma's sewed, but my sister and I sure have. I admired a friend's BOM back in 2007...the rest is history.

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  8. I used to watch my Mom hand piece quilt tops, using discarded clothes as her fabric. I didn't get it. I hated sewing and Home Ec class. 20 years ago I took a quilt class at work during my lunch. 9 sampler blocks later, all made at home with written instructions, templates and before rotary cutters. I was bit by the quilt bug. BTW what I wouldn't give to have once more day to watch my sweet Mom hand piece. Miss her sew much!

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  9. Thank you for making me smile :). Thank goodness for grandmothers, right?

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  10. Nice to know you better through this post. I remember making little troll doll clothes from felt. Then it was 4-H, Girl Scouts and making clothes for myself as a teenager. After making clothes for my kids, I found quilting in the early 90's and have loved it ever since.

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  11. I love hearing about your journey.

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  12. I've had this post bookmarked so I wouldn't forget to leave a comment. I enjoyed reading your reflections and have a very similar background in my love for sewing of all kinds, which finally led me to quilting. Everyone in my family sews and we have so much to learn from mom and grandma, and now I'm passing on this knowledge to my granddaughters :)

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  13. What lovely memories you have of your sewing journey. My journey is quite similar except the grandmother part. But I do have my grandmas old treadle sewing machine.

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  14. I have a very similar crafting history. My Grandma didn't live with us, but I stayed with her many holidays. I learned to sew with both my Mum and Grandma.

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