Sewing

And then, there are all of the things I sew by machine. I've made countless items of clothing for myself and others. I make shirts and blouses and skirts and pants and blazers and jackets. I've even made several pairs of jeans so I can have a pair that fit the way *I* want them to! The most complicated piece was probably my prom dress in Grade 12, as seen here. The dress is lined and has boning, which is what made it complicated. The way it drapes over my shoulders with layers of fabric was also tricky to get hanging right, especially since one of my shoulders slopes ever so slightly more than the other.

During University I would sew for anyone who needed sewing done. I took on everything anyone ever brought me, for a fee. I made my spending money doing odd sewing jobs. Countless jeans saw bright patches - amazing how many knees get ripped out of "my favorite pair of jeans ever!" I'd also like to note that the most common spots to mend were knees, butts and crotches. I also did pant and skirt hems, button replacement, zipper replacement and I added an inch of colorful fabric to the sides of many pairs of jeans that were getting just a little too tight (when that was in fashion anyway). My favorite job was designing and creating a book bag for a guy. He had this gaudy brown twill fabric and wanted a bag with a shoulder strap. It turned out exactly how he wanted it, so we were both happy.

Recently, I made a bridesmaid's dress. That was fun because it was for a friend of a friend who doesn't wear dresses, but this one looks really nice on her. It was also fun because the pattern turned out to be exactly the same pattern as a dress I made for Christmas 1998! It is a sleeveless dress with an empire waistline made of navy blue crepe fabric. It is decorated with a white band of crocheted lace around the waist. The neck is a simple round neck with a keyhole opening in the back. The skirt is a full skirt that reaches her ankles.

I sew more than just clothing. I made a quilt once. I made it in the summer of 1992. It's still on my bed now. I had never quilted before and I just went to the library and looked up some quilting books, found this pattern, fell in love and went for it. I designed the color scheme. I have always been fond of rainbows. Most people thought it would be too bright and therefore, gaudy, but I simply love it! I believe this design is called "Star of Bethlehem". There are 800 diamonds in it!

Creating the Star There is a trick so you don't actually cut out 800 little diamonds. You really only cut out a strip of each color, sew them together and then cut that into strips the other way, re-align them to form the pattern you want and then sew them together again. The hardest part is getting the eight diamonds in the middle to sew together at a point that will lie flat. Quilting it hides some mistakes though, which is nice. I finished it in one summer. I did the piecework by machine and the quilting by hand, working every night after work until 10:30 or so. That is why I haven't made another since! It took a long time. But I will make another one some day. I want to make one with Delft blues.