make me talk in January - round 5

siljamus said: Day of your choice - What do you love about sewing?

I think I'll be ruthlessly frank about how much sewing I do and what I like about it. So:

1. I love theoretical sewing. It's enjoyable to imagine things to sew. Do I actually sew those things? Not very often. But the whole "What fabric would I use? Is there a shape I want to create? What would be a flattering dress for my body type that uses this new trend?" part is fun.

It's like that stage of fic-writing where you just go through your idea for the fun of it. In fact, I'd guess it's the same part of my brain that gets all giddy about it.

(I would probably sew more if I lived in an area with less access to well-stocked and inexpensive thrift stores. I would also own less fabric, given that some of my fabric stash is in the form of thrifted items that are made of fabric that I view as re-usable.)

2. I like to take existing garments and tweak them just a bit so that they work better for me. Sometimes that's as simple as inserting some elastic inside a waistband--thank you, women's garments, with your tube-like waistbands that allow for that possibility. I've shortened sleeves (ugh, 3/4 sleeves look terrible on me and bunch up inside jackets), altered hemlines, adjusted darts, slimmed down wide-legged, trousers, made buttonholes for tops that would otherwise be too low for wearing in front of teenagers... a whole variety of things. If I take something that I stopped wearing and make it more wearable again? Or I find something at the thrift store that is almost just right, and can be turned into just right? Yeah, that's pretty cool.

3. There's something amazing about taking a flat paper pattern--whether it's one I've bought or something that I've traced from an existing garment that I like, or whatever--and a flat length of fabric, and turning that into a three-dimensional garment for my 3D body.

4. Speaking of that body: if I sew something for myself, I can make adjustments to the fit as I go. Going by that fruit classification of female body shapes (pfft) I have that classic "pear" shape. When I sew, I change the seam lines from the waist through the hips to allow my not-lying hips to fit.

(If 'full' hips are the kind that don't lie, does that mean that my very petite bustline DOES lie? Lying or not, I can also do adjustments to take away some of the excess fabric at the bustline when I sew. It's a pain to figure out, but the end result looks better.)

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Like a lot of women from her generation, my mother grew up with a sewing machine in the house. Her mother made garments from feed sacks--that was a Depression-era staple. The first sewing machine I ever used was a treadle machine; she saved it from the dump, I believe. It was good for learning to sew because it went slooooowly compared to an electric machine.

My sister has taught her children to sew: boys and girls alike. They've made some great projects for each other for Christmas over the years.