Welcome to Sewing Land: Second Installment

Hi everyone!  Thanks for coming to check out the second installment of Welcome to Sewing-Land!

If you are just joining us, check out the Intro Post that should give you some idea of  what this series is all about.  And then, stop by the First Installment to welcome out first group of new sewists...  And now, on to the next group!!  Please take a couple minutes to welcome our new sewists, and stay tuned for the end of the series where there is a surprise waiting!

First up, please welcome Miss Pamela. 

My name is Pamela C.  I’m 33 and I live in Southampton, UK.  I have 2 children Eva (3) and Joseph (2).  I am an ex-Occupational Therapist who is now a stay at home mum. I spend most of my time chasing after my 2 kids and my husband.

 

I am totally reading her responses with an awesome British accent too... lol.  Maybe I can sweet talk her into some UK exclusive BBC merchandise??? ;)  Pamela has had a sewing machine sitting in a corner for 8 years, and decided two months ago to bite the bullet and jump in.  Pamela decided to start sewing for a very cool reason - her kids are not "standard" sized (I feel like this is a common problem, maybe store bought sizes are just lame), anyways, she wanted to make them clothes that would fit properly, which just makes me smile... she sounds like an awesome mommy!

 

 Her sewing experiences so far?  I have mainly been sewing for my children. Although I have made a bag for my sister-in-law too. I tried to make a dress for me, but it did not turn out well!

 

Here is what she has chosen to show off for us:  

 Her little man and the shorts are just both fantastic, right?  She chose this project as one of the first because she knew there were tons of pretty dress patterns out there for her daughter and didn't want her little man to feel left out. 

Her advice to other newbies?

 Just do it! Following a pattern isn’t nearly as hard as I expected. There is so much choice out there and every time you see your child wearing something you made it will bring a smile to your face.




Next up we have Hannah.  Welcome!!  Hannah hails from New Zealand and has a 20 mo old son and is pregnant with her next squish as well.  (Think of all the baby sewing!!!!)  

Hannah has only been sewing for one month.. Why did she decide to start?

 I...... decided to start so my son would have beautiful unique clothing,  I remember all the beautiful things my grandma and mumma would make me and didnt want that to get lost for my children. Not everything has to come from the mall and cost a bomb. Plus my son likes picking the fabric heh

Maybe a mini-fashion designer in the making??  So far she has been sewing for her son, niece and nephew.  

For Hannah's first project she dove into an area that terrifies me...  Cloth diapers - I have no idea why I think they must be so difficult to sew, but every time I considered doing it I cringed and ran off to find a WAHM that I liked... 

Hannah used the Babyville pattern for her diaper - and I am so impressed with this! It looks fantastic!!

Why did she choose this for her first project?

I thought if I could make these I would save so much from buying at stores or off other wahm plus I could choose the fabric!! (It also looked pretty basic apart from the elastic)

What advice does she have for others who want to take up sewing?


Just do it, make mistakes and have fun. :-) 









Our third new seamstress for today is Christy.  Welcome!!  

 

Hi everyone!  My name is Christy and I live in northern Indiana with Matt, my husband of 7 years, and our two daughters.  Madeline is two and Allison is six months.  I am a stay-at-home mom and love almost every minute of it.  Before I had my daughters I taught high school Math and plan to someday go back to teaching.  

 

Christy started sewing burp clothes and blankets about 10 months ago, but finally decided to jump into patterns after 4 months.  Her first pattern item was from a paper pattern, and after being unsatisfied with the outcome, she found PDF patterns and got hooked.  (Sounds like a familiar story, huh?)  

Why did Christy start sewing? 
Its been something I have always wanted to learn but my real motivation came after I stumbled across all of the cute children's patterns on Etsy.  I love making cute dresses for my girls. 

 

So far Christy has only sewn for her daughter, but she really wants to get into handbags and home decor stuff as well.  

 

 Christy made an awesome choice for her first PDF projects...  Tie Dye Diva has such well written patterns, they are such a great place to start!  

I stumbled across Tie Dye Diva patterns on Etsy when I was looking for a pattern designer that sold patterns in toddler and baby sizes.  I then joined the affiliated Facebook group and browsed the albums.  I choose the basic A-line because it looked the easiest and the Fair and Square because I was hoping to use it for my daughters 4 month pictures.  Thanks to a great pattern, great instructions, and a great group of ladies in the Facebook group I had a dress ready when her four month pictures rolled around. 

 

And what advice does Christy have for others wanting to take up sewing?  My advice would be to just go for it.  Buy a pattern and some fabric and give it a try.  When I first tried reading the patterns it looked so confusing but once I had my fabric in front of me and could follow along it was much easier than it looked.  I would definitely recommend PDF patterns and to join the Facebook group if the pattern designer has one.  They are so helpful!  Tie Dye Diva Patterns is a great place to start.  Her pattern instructions are very well written and easy to follow.  I also have had a great time learning how to sew with knits using Peek-a-Boo Patterns.  

Okay, please take a few minutes to welcome this group of new sewists and offer a few words of encouragement.  I'm so glad that these ladies have taken the time to give me some background so I can gush on how wonderful they are and how excited I am that they are joining the ranks of sewists who have chosen to create wonderful things!  

Thanks for checking in with us this week.  It looks like we'll have one more installment of amazing women to introduce, and then I will wrap it all up and explain what the little secret is that I've been keeping!

Thank you all for reading and keeping up with this.  It means a lot that so many of you are offering these women such positive words of encouragement!