J Miller

nanna-up-north,

I never had the choice of home ec in school. During my time in school home ec was for the girls and shops were for the guys.

But like your DH I watched my mom and later my wife sew and was fascinated by the assembly of bits and pieces of fabric into a garment or what ever.

I learned much more than I realized I'd learned and two years ago when I started fixing them it was really a lot easier than I'd imagined to actually start sewing. I've only made bags, whacky bags, and a couple quilts but eventually I want to take up making clothes.

I like the machines themselves as well as the sewing.

Joe

manicmike

I was taken by surprise at how interested I became, as well as the speed at which it took hold. It is probably safer and cheaper than a drug addiction (not that this was ever a possibility).
It felt very empowering to be able to follow a pattern and end up with clothes. Combine a vintage fabric obsession, a vintage pattern obsession and a vintage sewing machine obsession and you have a very content man with plenty of clothes.
Sorry, Miriam, you still haven't met one who quilts, but you never know. I really like the two that were sewn for Audrey when she was born. She still really loves them and takes the smaller one everywhere!

nanna-up-north

I think it's awesome that so many guys like to quilt. My DHs cousin wanted to make a memory quilt several years before I retired. I'd haul my machine to the church fellowship hall on Saturday mornings and help him put together the blocks of pictures. It turned out wonderful and he still quilts today.

And when I wanted to learn how to make suits, I went and learned from a guy..... he had made suits for many famous men and I loved learning from him..... most of the sewing (tailoring) was done by hand. But, he had a vintage singer for sewing seams on the trousers, etc. At the time I couldn't understand why he didn't buy a fancy new machine but now, I know the reason. I interned with him for a year and learned so much..... and he'd work on that machine from time to time..... Yeah vintage.

miriam

Glenn quilts beautifully. None of the guys who bought machines last Christmas quilted.

nanna-up-north

Miriam, they were probably getting a machine for their significant other that didn't cost $1000 or more. Maybe some were really interested in vintage. More are looking to vintage than in the past, I think.

And it doesn't surprise me that Glenn quilts beautifully. He sure makes those machines pieces of art..... I think an A-type personality.... and I've never met him in person. Being an A-type myself, I can usually identify them.... It's a GOOD THING.

miriam

Glenn is first class maybe A-type - I think he likes DOING things. NOPE those men were trying out the machines and in some cases I was teaching them how the machine works. They were eager learners. One tall gangly young man 'knew' how to sew but he sat at the end and put things through right to left. Don't ask me how that works. He said he was afraid of the needle and that was what worked for him - he came back and bought another machine a month or so ago. He said he made 500 bow ties so far. He wanted a back up machine. I set him up with a real nice old black 15 clone. He was doing the happy dance. These guys are sewing. Some of them kind of blush about it until I tell them they are not alone.

nanna-up-north

Well, it's good to hear that times have changed. I just remember the boys in my home-ec classes telling me about their dads thinking it was awful that they had to sew something in my class. The boys loved it.... carried those tote bags around like cherished items..... the dads, not so much.

Real men don't each cheesecake, real men sew!

miriam

Yup real men sew these days. I think it takes manly guts. I always tell them that. My husband made our boys learn to sew before he would let them use a saw. He figured if they got vaccinated by a sewing machine it was a lot better than getting even a tiny nick with a saw. I put on a finger guard for the kids. Wilbur is pretty unpredictable. He is very happy to 'work' on machines - screwdrivers, oil, lint, wow! My daughter said he LOVES to watch her sew things together. But when he watches he wants a front row seat.

Caroline S

Same here, Joe. But opposite situation. I already knew how to sew and I wanted to take shop classes. I really irked me at the time to be told that shop was for boys! Think of the new skills I could have learned back then.

misseva

Shop was for boys when I went to school too. But I did learn how to read a pattern and set a proper table in Home Ec. Mother made me re-do the waist band on a skirt I made because it wasn't up to her standards. Teacher gave me an A. I didn't bother to sew again until after I got married.