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Who taught you to sew?

Who taught you to sew?

Old 07-16-2012, 01:05 PM
  #141  
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I taught myself. Mom didn't sew, as her mother was a home ec teacher and so demanding that it totally turned her off! LOL! But I was fascinated with fabrics and "creating". So I went to Penney's, bought a pattern and some fabric. Didn't have a clue what to do with it. (I was 10 years old!) So I spread the pattern out over the fabric, cut it out, and sewed the pattern to the fabric. When I was done, I tore the pattern off. Hey, it worked!! LOL!!!! I've been in love ever since. Thankfully I've learned quite a bit since then :-)
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Old 07-16-2012, 02:11 PM
  #142  
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I first learned to sew in Home Ec. in Jr. High, but took another class at a department store when I was in high school.
Mom had an old Domestic sewing machine that I used. My sister had learned to sew already, but I never got any pointers from her because she was grown and married by the time I took the dept. store class.

The one thing I do that most people don't is sew without using pins unless I'm having to match seams. To me, using pins seems like a waste of time, plus I don't have to worry about pricking myself while sewing.
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Old 07-16-2012, 03:31 PM
  #143  
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My mom won a sewing machine with a beautiful red and white houndstooth wool suit. Her sister Lydia sewed designer clothes in Chicago and later came home to take care of their mother and sewed piece work in what we called the shirt factory. I can remember her counting up her tickets to calculate what she would be paid. My mom's good machine was a Pfaff which we were not allowed to touch. Lydia's good machine was an Elna. My sister and I had a singer treadle, which is in my sewing room now. Never was allowed to take Home Ec in high school--my dad insisted on physics, chemistry, trig, and calculus.
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Old 07-16-2012, 05:15 PM
  #144  
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I remember in elementary school in home ec, I made an apron. In high school home ec, before we could sew fabric on the machine, we would have to take plain paper and practice sewing on it without thread. In addition, my mom was a great seamstress and she taught me to sew also. She told me when she was a young woman, she would go downtown to the stores and look in the windows and sketch a dress that she liked and go home and make a pattern for it and sew it up. I was so amazed that she could do that. I have been sewing since about 12 years old and have always loved it. I don't make garments anymore, mostly into quilting now. I also do crochet, embroidery and tatting.
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Old 07-16-2012, 07:10 PM
  #145  
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When did I become interested in quilting? My Mom didn't sew very good but did the best she could. She made me skirts out of flour sacks when I was young and by Jr. high, they embaressed me. She did teach me to embroider, which I still love to do, especially, stump work and things like hardanger, etc. Mom had little time or patience to teach me much except house keeping. My aunt, Louise, taught me iron who paid me to iron my uncle's starched-stiff shirts and all their other clothes. When I entered high school, Home Ec was a requirement. We had treadle machines, mostly, with a few electric ones. I liked using the treadles best. We had to make a skirt with a zipper and set on waist band. My teacher was so strict and everything had to be perfect. My Mom picked the fabric which was ugly; and therefore, it was an ugly skirt no matter how good the sewing was! But I learned to do blind-stitch hemming, which is now great for bindings! Our passing assignment was a dress. It had a set on collar, set in sleeves, hand-made button-holes with a placket down the front, and box pleats! Again, Mom picked the material (fabric) which was cotton and bright, lemon colored. I hated it, but did a great job and got an A on the dress. Over the years, I have made a few things for myself and for my children but when I began working, I decided I would not wear "home-made" clothes again! I have tried recently to make a few things for myself but again, I rather go to the Mall. In 1968, I was 24 years old with a 1 yr. old son and a 4 year old daughter, my husband, who was in the Air Force was stationed in Germany. We lived there for 3years. One day in the BX I found a package of Mountain Mist batting which had a Rose Trellis printed on the inside of the label. I wanted to do the quilt but without a mentor or anyone to help me, I did what I could. I cut the templates out of cardboard, used and old sheet for the 16" squares and found some material to make the Rose Trellis pattern. Of course, I didn't have a sewing machine, so I began appliqueing the 18 blocks. Life got in the way. I packed it away all those years ( I am now 69) and found it about 2-3 years ago. Presently, I am working on it and have 5 more blocks to hand-sew the eight leaves on the rose pattern blocks. I plan on finishing it. So in 1968, is when I became interested in quilting and picked it up about 4 years ago. I have much to learn. The board has taught me a great deal and mostly about not having to have everything perfect. Perfection has always gotten in my way but have learned to let go of that now. I did used Connecting Threads tute to learn paper piecing which I enjoy very much... (Sorry to be so verbose but it is a story which started a long, long time ago...)
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Old 07-16-2012, 07:33 PM
  #146  
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Started sewing in 4-H with Mrs. Perschbaker when I was 9yo. But I have a pillow top of squares I sewed on my Grandma's treadle when I stayed there on snow days. Walked into my first Home Ec class in High School and told the teacher (a nun) that I didn't want another a-line skirt, I was making a wide wale corduroy coat with a fake fur lining! She said ok after I told her my experience level. Won 2nd place at a Fashion show with the coat!
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Old 07-17-2012, 08:18 AM
  #147  
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Originally Posted by quiltjoey View Post
When did I become interested in quilting? My Mom didn't sew very good but did the best she could. She made me skirts out of flour sacks when I was young and by Jr. high, they embaressed me. She did teach me to embroider, which I still love to do, especially, stump work and things like hardanger, etc. Mom had little time or patience to teach me much except house keeping. My aunt, Louise, taught me iron who paid me to iron my uncle's starched-stiff shirts and all their other clothes. When I entered high school, Home Ec was a requirement. We had treadle machines, mostly, with a few electric ones. I liked using the treadles best. We had to make a skirt with a zipper and set on waist band. My teacher was so strict and everything had to be perfect. My Mom picked the fabric which was ugly; and therefore, it was an ugly skirt no matter how good the sewing was! But I learned to do blind-stitch hemming, which is now great for bindings! Our passing assignment was a dress. It had a set on collar, set in sleeves, hand-made button-holes with a placket down the front, and box pleats! Again, Mom picked the material (fabric) which was cotton and bright, lemon colored. I hated it, but did a great job and got an A on the dress. Over the years, I have made a few things for myself and for my children but when I began working, I decided I would not wear "home-made" clothes again! I have tried recently to make a few things for myself but again, I rather go to the Mall. In 1968, I was 24 years old with a 1 yr. old son and a 4 year old daughter, my husband, who was in the Air Force was stationed in Germany. We lived there for 3years. One day in the BX I found a package of Mountain Mist batting which had a Rose Trellis printed on the inside of the label. I wanted to do the quilt but without a mentor or anyone to help me, I did what I could. I cut the templates out of cardboard, used and old sheet for the 16" squares and found some material to make the Rose Trellis pattern. Of course, I didn't have a sewing machine, so I began appliqueing the 18 blocks. Life got in the way. I packed it away all those years ( I am now 69) and found it about 2-3 years ago. Presently, I am working on it and have 5 more blocks to hand-sew the eight leaves on the rose pattern blocks. I plan on finishing it. So in 1968, is when I became interested in quilting and picked it up about 4 years ago. I have much to learn. The board has taught me a great deal and mostly about not having to have everything perfect. Perfection has always gotten in my way but have learned to let go of that now. I did used Connecting Threads tute to learn paper piecing which I enjoy very much... (Sorry to be so verbose but it is a story which started a long, long time ago...)
I loved your story, quiltjoey!
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Old 07-17-2012, 09:09 AM
  #148  
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What a great story. Would love to see a picture of your applique with the rose trellis!!!

Originally Posted by quiltjoey View Post
When did I become interested in quilting? My Mom didn't sew very good but did the best she could. She made me skirts out of flour sacks when I was young and by Jr. high, they embaressed me. She did teach me to embroider, which I still love to do, especially, stump work and things like hardanger, etc. Mom had little time or patience to teach me much except house keeping. My aunt, Louise, taught me iron who paid me to iron my uncle's starched-stiff shirts and all their other clothes. When I entered high school, Home Ec was a requirement. We had treadle machines, mostly, with a few electric ones. I liked using the treadles best. We had to make a skirt with a zipper and set on waist band. My teacher was so strict and everything had to be perfect. My Mom picked the fabric which was ugly; and therefore, it was an ugly skirt no matter how good the sewing was! But I learned to do blind-stitch hemming, which is now great for bindings! Our passing assignment was a dress. It had a set on collar, set in sleeves, hand-made button-holes with a placket down the front, and box pleats! Again, Mom picked the material (fabric) which was cotton and bright, lemon colored. I hated it, but did a great job and got an A on the dress. Over the years, I have made a few things for myself and for my children but when I began working, I decided I would not wear "home-made" clothes again! I have tried recently to make a few things for myself but again, I rather go to the Mall. In 1968, I was 24 years old with a 1 yr. old son and a 4 year old daughter, my husband, who was in the Air Force was stationed in Germany. We lived there for 3years. One day in the BX I found a package of Mountain Mist batting which had a Rose Trellis printed on the inside of the label. I wanted to do the quilt but without a mentor or anyone to help me, I did what I could. I cut the templates out of cardboard, used and old sheet for the 16" squares and found some material to make the Rose Trellis pattern. Of course, I didn't have a sewing machine, so I began appliqueing the 18 blocks. Life got in the way. I packed it away all those years ( I am now 69) and found it about 2-3 years ago. Presently, I am working on it and have 5 more blocks to hand-sew the eight leaves on the rose pattern blocks. I plan on finishing it. So in 1968, is when I became interested in quilting and picked it up about 4 years ago. I have much to learn. The board has taught me a great deal and mostly about not having to have everything perfect. Perfection has always gotten in my way but have learned to let go of that now. I did used Connecting Threads tute to learn paper piecing which I enjoy very much... (Sorry to be so verbose but it is a story which started a long, long time ago...)
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Old 07-17-2012, 06:06 PM
  #149  
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Originally Posted by denveremerson View Post
I loved your story, quiltjoey!

Thank you. Life was not always easy but then most peoples aren't. I have learned to love my life especially when I turned 18 and got married to the best man in the world... He and his family taught me what a loving family really is...
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Old 07-17-2012, 06:08 PM
  #150  
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Originally Posted by rrhaigh View Post
What a great story. Would love to see a picture of your applique with the rose trellis!!!
I will try to post a picture of the block. Remember it is very elementary... Hope to get it posted in a day or two on this thread...
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