So sew me!

What do these two fabrics have in common? They are both going to be used by yours truly to make a bag in my very first sewing class at Spool! I'm so excited to be learning how to sew. I sort of knew the basics from watching my mother and grandmother make things, but I've never sat down to learn how to use a machine and all the technical terms that come with being a sewer. Tonight, we cut our fabrics, cleaned them up (including cutting off the selvage), learned how to thread the sewing machine and maneuver it, and we created a seam allowance.

Some of my friends have been surprised to see me launch this blog, along with the one I have at Examiner. Even though I took a bit of a sabbatical as a young adult, I was a pretty creative kid. I used to design and hand-sew clothes for my Barbie dolls out of scraps of fabric from whatever my mother was sewing. I also loved making jewelry; my favorite project was making macrame-style bracelets from embroidery floss. But somewhere around late middle school, I decided I was going to become a lawyer, and suddenly, there was less encouragement for my creative pursuits and more for the academic ones. When I was in college, many of my closest friends were art or theater majors, but I rarely got involved in their art projects because I think I felt like I couldn't be both a lawyer and a crafter. I was going to be a career woman, and something in me feared the idea of straying from that path. I can't put my finger on how I got that idea, but it was my husband who actually opened my eyes to idea that I could make my own path. You see, he's always had a deep respect for this lady and he informed me that she was a model and a wall street trader before she brought her creative talents to the mainstream. (Plus, she was the product of a women's college, just like me!) It made me realize that it IS possible to "do it all," even if you don't end up having a multi-million dollar corporation as a result. (I'd settle for just being an editor in her crafts department, thankyouverymuch.)

I do think Martha would be proud that my first sewing project involves her latest obsession: faux bois. But no matter where my path takes me, I'm truly hoping that it will be one that is full of fun and creativity, even if the things I make don't go any farther than my friends and family.