When I was looking at sewing machines last year, I found posts from other bloggers about what sewing machines they used to be extremely helpful. I'm currently using a Janome Skyline S5 sewing machine and a Brother 1034D serger, but that wasn't always the case.
I first learned how to sew on my mother's Husqvarna sewing machine. I have no idea what year or model it was, but it's existed my whole life. My paternal grandmother (Granny) had a nearly identical model that my sister now owns and uses to make quilts and blankets. My maternal grandmother had a Singer 3102 which I used occasionally as a kid, but which I saw way less frequently than the Husqvarnas.
My childhood experience with sewing machines was mainly making doll clothes (though I preferred handsewing those since they were so small), doll blankets, and pillows. I abandoned sewing during my early adolescence, and returned to it in 2007 when I discovered the hobby that would consume my life for the next 7 years: Dagorhir.
Dagorhir is a historical/fantasy live-action combat game based on Lord of the Rings. I attended my first Ragnarok (XXII) in 2007 and loved all aspects of the game almost immediately: there was fighting with padded weapons, a thriving nightlife, a ton of friendly people, and (omg) the costumes. For Dagorhir, there are two ways of going about creating a garb wardrobe: you can buy things (either Goodwill or Etsy or independent craftspeople) or you can make your own.
Naturally, since I was a 19-year-old college student, I couldn't afford the garb I wanted to wear so I set about re-learning how to sew and made tons of perfectly terrible garb that I loved unconditionally. Poofy pantaloons, peasant tops, tunics. I remember that Butterick B4929 View B was a particular favorite of mine during that era, though I didn't follow any of the instructions. I was a "thanks for the pattern pieces now leave me alone" kind of sewist at the time.
I came and went from the community (I was in pharmacy school after all), and eventually joined a unit, ran for and was elected Coordinator for my realm, then my unit fell apart and I graduated from college and had to find that all-important first professional job, which meant scrubbing Dagorhir from my existence (or at least, my Google search results). I wasn't particularly sad to go, as the community wasn't what it used to be, so I took my randomly collected sewing knowledge and left.
When I say that my sewing knowledge at that time was random, I mean that I knew how to set in a sleeve but not how to set in a zipper. I could sew a button-hole, but I had never in my life evened a hem. I had sewn with faux fur, but had never, ever even considered using a lining. None of my seams were finished and I was continually frustrated by how crappy they looked on the inside (and eventually the outside once those seams started to fray and threads went everywhere).
I eventually found a desk job, and during the down time I returned to a blog that had inspired me when I'd first started sewing garb - Coletterie. And I began to ponder if there were other people doing what Colette Patterns did, but in a different way or with a different style. Finding and reading the archives of other independent designers became my pastime during downtime at work. I soon discovered Grainline Studio, Closet Case Files, Megan Nielsen, Miss Make, Clothing Engineer, Deer and Doe, Cloth Habit, By Hand London, Cashmerette, Gertie, Lladybird, Ginger Makes, and a ton of other bloggers who were either designing patterns to fit an aesthetic, or who were blogging about sewing and putting out tutorials about how to do different things.
I encountered the Lean Closet movement, The Wardrobe Architect, and Overdressed. I reduced my closet to 1/3 of it's former volume, then a few months later in half again. I looked at what I wore and why, and found patterns to match. I learned how to finish seams, how to properly hand-finish, how to set zippers and the importance of linings. It was a great period of time in my life, since I hadn't been learning anything for months since graduation and it was nice to gain proficiency in a new discipline.
Since work was a roller coaster - starting with notice that our grant funding hadn't been renewed in June, to the audits we still had to complete in July and September, to being told I'd have a job in the clinic I worked in (but not for) in October, to notice that I wouldn't in early January, and finally being let go in mid-March following the official closure of the non-profit I worked for. Fortunately, I had spent some time and money stocking up on the fabrics I liked to use during the Fall and early winter - mostly because I wanted to sew things but didn't have time - so now I have some materials to work with.
In the coming months, I'm planning to update my wardrobe with me-made garments in preparation for Me-Made May. I'll also be job-hunting, but I know from past experience that you can only apply to so many jobs a week, and I'll need something to fill the rest of the time.
I just finished pattern-testing Megan Nielsen's soon-to-be-released free skirt pattern (Veronika), but I haven't had a chance to take pictures yet (the area where I live has the most overcast days per year of any city in the U.S.) and frankly I'm not sure if I'm supposed to post them yet. Or at all. I am thrilled with how Version 2 turned out, and I definitely plan to post that one eventually.
What's on your sewing agenda? Did you arrive at sewing as a hobby by atypical means?
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