Imagine this: On a regular basis you walk into your well-equipped, well-organized sewing room, enjoy the entire process of making beautiful clothes that fit your body and personality, and then add these clothes to a stylish wardrobe that serves you well for every occasion and activity.
This is my vision of getting things sewn, as I think it is for most sewers.
So why is it so rarely the reality, and why are so many of us disappointed? What does it take to enjoyably, confidently create garments, outfits, and wardrobes that work for us as a matter of course?
Well, for starters, sewing is not the paint-by-number activity many non-sewers – and even some sewers – presume it is.
Sewing your own clothes and creating your own wardrobe is a sophisticated, multidimensional process that requires several kinds of knowledge.
You need technical knowledge, of course, but you also need to know what colors, silhouettes, and styles bring out the best in you. You need to know what’s appropriate in the work and social settings you expect – or aspire – to be in. And as you come to know your aptitudes and work style, you can leverage that precious knowledge to design your very own way to get your things sewn.
I started Getting Things Sewn in 2013 to understand why I had so many unfinished projects, but it’s exploring these various, overlapping, uncharted but vitally important areas of knowledge that compels me to continue. The skills I honed as a reference librarian and book selector in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota are now serving my mission to get my own things sewn and help others do the same.
After 25 years in the Twin Cities my husband, Jack, and I moved back to our native Ohio in 2014. We settled in a midcentury fixer upper home in Columbus, just a 2-minute walk from the home and studio of my sister and photographer, Cynthia DeGrand. My dimly lit basement sewing domain in Minneapolis has been replaced by a light-filled, second-story converted bedroom.
If you’ve read this far, I think you have things you want to get sewn and nothing less than that will be satisfying. I hope you will join me in getting things sewn!
Want to send me a message? Just write to paula@gettingthingssewn.com and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks.
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