tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post2932048295497278083..comments2023-10-20T08:27:40.314-04:00Comments on male pattern boldness: How I learned to sewPeter Lappinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-22201128858863240952013-05-09T21:03:16.631-04:002013-05-09T21:03:16.631-04:00Thanks, Jim. Welcome!Thanks, Jim. Welcome!Peter Lappinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-61795749063085131232013-05-06T02:01:45.794-04:002013-05-06T02:01:45.794-04:00Hi, Peter!
I found your blog while researching vi...Hi, Peter!<br /><br />I found your blog while researching vintage clothing. Your story resonates with me, as I know it does for many other commenters.<br /><br />My mother was a seamstress/dressmaker in Greece, and she brought her skills and a 1920s-vintage Singer with her to Canada in the late '50s. I don't know why she ever gave up that exquisite beast. Her last machine was a Kenmore that we were finally unable to get a replacement belt for--this might be a caveat that you should include in your advice about buying used sewing machines, the availability of parts, or lack thereof.<br /><br />Mum passed away 2 years ago and I miss her very much. I think she'd approve heartily of my interest in sewing, as she took great pleasure in her craft, whether she was making the entire wardrobe for my sister's (first) wedding, or just hemming pants for one of us "kids" (I'm now in my 50s).<br /><br />Thank you for this blog. I'm finding it inspiring, informative and humourous.<br /><br />--JimAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-73925223469593497562012-07-11T10:15:57.510-04:002012-07-11T10:15:57.510-04:00Welcome to MPB, Laurie, and thank you for your won...Welcome to MPB, Laurie, and thank you for your wonderful comment!Peter Lappinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-4099286575301627582012-07-10T13:54:13.741-04:002012-07-10T13:54:13.741-04:00I am late on this comment train but love your blog...I am late on this comment train but love your blog so much! I just started to sew again about 5 weeks ago. I sewed for a year or so 20 years ago. No skills, mainly pillows and had a little sideline sewing stuff bags for sleeping bags (I lived in camp crazy Oregon at the time). Being an avid thrifter, I have hoarded vintage patterns and sewing books the whole time, however, in anticipation of the day I DID actually sew. I started back because I needed pinch pleat curtains and my seamstress was going to charge me $400 a pair. I jut didn't have that kind of money. After reading the glorious step by step post on Textile Love and following the awesome directions in a vintage Time Life sewing book "Making Home Furnishings, I now have made 2 pairs of beautiful wall to wall floor to ceiling pinch pleat drapes. So freaking excited, can't tell you. I found your blog as I was researching the Singer 66 treadle I found in my boyfriend's garage. My Great grandma and great aunt had a sewing shop and repair business for many many years. I stayed with them a bunch, so anything sewing related gives me the warm and fuzzies. My great grandma was insanely creative. She once sewed me a doll for the living room stuffed with a full size mattress that I could lay on! My great aunt is still alive. I love going through her homemade wardrobe. She must have corseted, because the waist is impossibly thin, so with most pieces I can only look, not wear. But she would make these insane mod dresses then cut off an IZOD and slap it on there. She also made some fabulous square dance dresses that I wear all the time (I like to dress up probably more than even Cathy Lane!)She is 90 years old and sharp as a tack, and a great resource on all things sewing, plus she has a basement packed full of vintage sewing loveliness. She lives far away though. Wish me luck in getting a straight hem and learning to put in a zipper. I have a hard time slowing down to learn the basics. I want to go straight to recreating old circus costumes! Well, that's enough I guess. I have so enjoyed reading through your blog. You are so talented and genuine.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03039456823812547567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-24772693256970242542010-05-03T07:02:53.476-04:002010-05-03T07:02:53.476-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Brankahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01853151883606096742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-82922263821635255982010-03-05T22:05:29.096-05:002010-03-05T22:05:29.096-05:00Oh Peter, When I first found you on Pattern Review...Oh Peter, When I first found you on Pattern Review I thought, "Why the hell doesn't this guy have a blog?" Well, I'm not the brightest bulb in the box and it took me a while, but guess what??? You do have a blog, and I found you!!! Oh happy day!laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17174697892947430149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-39194931312074697182010-02-15T02:15:04.260-05:002010-02-15T02:15:04.260-05:00Peter! Thanks for sharing :)...I never thought I&#...Peter! Thanks for sharing :)...I never thought I'd be sewing myself! sometimes...I wonder why I took that Engineering degree....why didn't I like sewing then...so I could've taken some design class (project runway style) but I don't regret anything in my life too :) (except for my damn braces)....I started sewing when I had my first daughter...I guess the rest is history....it is one of the most relaxing (when not seam reaping) and productive hobby :)Liahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10444646303917064755noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-49766148365473999022010-02-08T11:42:23.961-05:002010-02-08T11:42:23.961-05:00Great post! It's nice to be in the company of ...Great post! It's nice to be in the company of another newbie, albeit one that is obviously quite talented. :) <br /><br />I finally decided I wanted to learn how to sew this past summer, just before my 30th birthday. It was something that I kept thinking about, just never got around to actually getting a machine and stuff. My mom gifted me my machine, I signed up for a local beginner class and I was off and running. I love working on projects at home, but also enjoy classes for the social aspect. I'm kind of addicted to this whole sewing bit now and like you, I wish I had picked it up earlier than I did.amberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12029076436322883513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-10042049066921165862010-02-07T21:06:58.070-05:002010-02-07T21:06:58.070-05:00Just found your blog - love it. I also bought the...Just found your blog - love it. I also bought the SEWorkshop book and have made a few ties from her enclosed pattern. I made them in cottons from Josephine Kimberling and Amy Butler. <br />My parents renovated an attic room for me when I was 13, and I started sewing on my mother's ald tabletop Singer - just because it was there. Lame, but true.Susannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-64205789811209837422010-02-06T21:08:02.466-05:002010-02-06T21:08:02.466-05:00Hi Peter, my name is Antoinette. Your blog seems ...Hi Peter, my name is Antoinette. Your blog seems to be popping up in front of me a bunch this past week so I've come for a visit. You are adorable and seem very approachable so rather than lurk for a bit I will jump right in and comment. :)<br /><br />My mom apprenticed with a master tailor in her native Vietnam, so my sister and I grew up with handmade clothes for much of our early childhood. Since she has always been very impatient, she never taught us how to sew. As an adult I bought a little machine and taught myself, but didn't get past pillowcases and drapes. About 3 years ago I took a class and then another and another and I haven't stopped sewing since! It's fun now to visit my mom and bring sewing projects -- she still tries to take over when she sees me struggling with a new technique or fabric, but she has some great tips and ideas and I always learn from her.<br /><br />I guess I don't wish for things to have happened differently, 'cause I have a much better sense of my own style now and my sewing time is used more wisely than if I'd been a sewing teen. And I love getting a chance to re-do things, like taking my custom-made 90's high school Homecoming dress and refashioning it into a more updated cocktail dress for the holidays.Antoinettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09398754886656482414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-20121500343067379402010-02-06T19:36:34.497-05:002010-02-06T19:36:34.497-05:00I don't remember not being able to sew. While...I don't remember not being able to sew. While I'm not an expert, and I need patterns, I'm a fair hand at making clothes. I instinctively know how things fit together just from the pattern pieces. Three-dimensional mind, I guess. <br /><br />When I was three, my maternal grandmother (who was a pro seamstress) stuck a needle in my hand and started teaching me chicken scratch embroidery. From there, it was doll clothes, regular embroidery, and cross stitch. My first real people clothes was around 12-14, and it was shorts. I still make my own pants, some 20 years later. I don't have a "normal" body because I have a disease that causes limbs to swell to 4 times their regular size, combined with the fact that manufacturers don't really make clothing for a 6ft tall woman, sewing has become a necessity rather than just a hobby.<br /><br />My mom taught me a little, and my grandmother a little, but the rest I've figured out on my own. I've made everything from men's shirts to soft toys for my nieces and nephews. I even bit the bullet and made pants for my brother-in-law for Christmas last year.<br /><br />I sorta wish I'd had a bit more help. I mean, most of what I know I figured out without instruction. No home ec for me. And sewing lessons are too expensive. Especially as I prepare to embark on the most complex project I've ever done--a Christening dress for my new niece--I wish I more than sort-of know what I'm doing with it. Especially as I consider doing inset lace.Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07717835382469677601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-88368906691287173222010-02-06T19:31:58.506-05:002010-02-06T19:31:58.506-05:00I taught myself on my mom's little Elna Grassh...I taught myself on my mom's little Elna Grasshopper. My dad bought it for her when I was born. The first garments sewn on it were two little sunsuits that he made for me with no pattern. I still have them. He is a carpenter and very creative, so I think I got the visual/do-things-with-your-hands skills from him. My mom didn't really use the Grasshopper much except to mend, but I sure did! <br />The first thing I made was a shift with cut-on cap sleeves when I was 12. My mom had a length of fabric which I had coveted ever since I first laid eyes on it. It was tan with bunches of yellow flowers overlaid on white fans. That fabric made me learn to sew. I had no idea what pattern to buy, so I just bought the smallest size there was. Maybe that was the first time I exhibited my inability to see my body as it really is and thus choose an appropriate pattern.<br />I have sewn every type of garment, toy, quilt, accessory that there is but mostly childrens' clothes.<br />I now have a lovely new-to-me Pfaff at home in Idaho and am using a vintage Singer while in Pennsylvania. I am a SAHM after many, many years working full time while singlehandedly raising three beautiful daughters. They are all married, so I did, too, and we are raising his son.<br />I have time now to sew, but it's hard to make myself sew for me because I've never been satisfied with the outcomes. I'm going to have to just do it and have some failures along the way. Perfectionism is paralyzing...Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06221577622794207889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-57882715812599188382010-02-06T11:47:35.731-05:002010-02-06T11:47:35.731-05:00Great stories, all. So fascinating to read about ...Great stories, all. So fascinating to read about how different people's experiences are -- with some strong similarities as well, of course. Something obviously keeps us at it!Peter Lappinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-74913258301853572182010-02-06T11:14:38.689-05:002010-02-06T11:14:38.689-05:00My mon taught me how to sew when I was in about 6t...My mon taught me how to sew when I was in about 6th or 7th grade as a way to get me out of her hair. I've been sewing ever since. I bought my first machine, a Singer, in a pawn shop while in college. Hey it was pre-internet. I have since donated that machine to the local high school and sew on a Pfaff, but I have many fond memories and hopefully it is inspiring someone else. Love your blog.UrbanJillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14426051906104670721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-87490794879676034702010-02-05T23:14:02.149-05:002010-02-05T23:14:02.149-05:00My mum taught me how to thread a machine and do th...My mum taught me how to thread a machine and do the basics. I picked up a few extra skills at school (including hand stitching) but from there on in I learned from pattern sheets. When I was sewing in the 80's the shapeless fashion was more forgiving, so my appalling work wasn't so obvious. I didn't sew for a while as I had a career that kept me on the road most of the year. I started again in about 2000 and although I knew the basics, I realised I had a lot to learn if I wanted to make the clothes I like to wear. Like you, I turned to the internet. Stitchers Guild, Pattern Review and the blogging community helped me in so many ways. I've acquired a load of books from op shops and friends and I've even bought a few at full retail. I print out tips when I see them on a blog and I refer to it all time and time again. As my confidence grew I started experimenting and morphing patterns and making things up. I still have a long way to go and a lot of things to learn. I live in the country, many miles from fabric shops and garment districts and I don't know anyone who sews, so the internet is essential on my journey.Carolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11274649006496918800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-58222692153110913752010-02-05T17:50:20.652-05:002010-02-05T17:50:20.652-05:00Peter,
I'm so glad you started a blog! And p...Peter,<br /><br />I'm so glad you started a blog! And perfect name for it (pairs well with your groovy flowered shirt....and the suit we last saw half of on PR Day).<br /><br />My sewing story: my mom, having recently arrived in the U.S. and newly married, bought a Singer Rocketeer secondhand (so you see where I get it from) and sewed clothes for me and my younger sisters when we were growing up -- plaid pants with matching vests, overalls, little wool capes with edelweiss trim (she was, and still is, a diehard Sound of Music fan). This lasted until I was about 10 and demanded my first pair of store-bought jeans =)<br /><br />She taught me how to thread the machine, but otherwise I was pretty much on my own. The last garment I sewed for myself, when I was about 12, was a Diane Von Furstenburg knockoff made of green Qiana -- very '70s and, I suspect, very flammable.<br /><br />Last year I thought I'd finally buy a machine for the same reason you did -- hemming pants. That turned into a full-blown case of vintage SMAD, but I'm slowing down now and trying to get more into the sewing (ha!)<br /><br />I'm so impressed that you started sewing less than a year ago....kudos to you! Strangely I think I was less intimidated by the whole process when I was younger, but I'm also encouraged by all the resources now available to beginners (or re-beginners) such as PR and newer books like S.E.W. Workshop and SEW U. (though of course like the machines, I have a soft spot for vintage books too). <br /><br />Looking forward to more adventures in pattern boldness!Johannanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-28153090032557700152010-02-05T16:44:47.466-05:002010-02-05T16:44:47.466-05:00Awww, I *did* have a sewing buddy. My friend Johan...Awww, I *did* have a sewing buddy. My friend Johanna introduced me to Burda magazine, and then I promptly went to the grocery store and bought a crappy little no-name machine for 50 Euros. I have to say, that little machine served me well, and I managed to squeeze all kinds of coats and dresses out of it, and to this day I don't think they look any worse than what I make with my fancy Husqvarna (a lucky eBay find.) But then I left Germany and with it Johanna, my grocery store sewing machine, and super cheap sewing magazines. I guess this is why I'm such a bitter and angry seamstress now. Well, that, and because of you, Peter.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-68863254368816160352010-02-05T15:25:27.408-05:002010-02-05T15:25:27.408-05:00Peter - absolutely thrilling. Only goes to show yo...Peter - absolutely thrilling. Only goes to show you that aside from brain surgery self-taught, all that stops us is our own fear. My mom sewed, badly, most of her life. She was absolutely fearless, would make anything, but it never occurred to her that she should or could ask anyone for lessons or tips or anything like that. Everything she made was two shades off being good but she did not care, really and made all of our clothing until I graduated from high school. Coats, prom dresses, skirts, jumpers, suits and dresses for herself..I think she once made my father a corderoy sport coat. Her idea of teaching me to sew was to sit me at the age of 11 in front of the electrified treadle Singer that she'd inherited from my father's mom, with a cut out skirt and pointing to the marks on the sole plate, said, "See that mark? Line up the edges of the fabric, put your foot on the pedal and sew from beginning to end. When you're done, come get me." She didn't like the result and made me pick it out...three times. I took a 5 week Home Ec class in 7th grade and a half-year of sewing in high school where my teacher taught me to make a semi-tailored jacket. It was the first time I made something where I realized when I was done that it looked 5 times better than anything my mom had ever done. Since then, I've taken a couple of classes, bought books and gotten very involved with the Internet. The level of skill out there is amazing, as is the willingness to share (and the video technology to do it with as well). So, today, with over 40 years of sewing under my belt, I'm probably 5 times as good as I was after that high school class, which of course makes me probably 10 times as good as my mom was. I taught all my kids how to use a sewing machine; the only one for whom it stuck (at least for a while) was my son who was wild to make crazy Hallowe'en costumes in high school (Samurai armor out of corrogated plastic, anyone?). Given the level of 'quality' out there in terms of retail (for everyone), it would probably do us all a lot of good if we took even one young person (of whatever gender or gender identification) under our wings and helped them make something they love. My first project was a horrible cap sleeved blouse; I've heard stories of people making depressing aprons. I think we should ask 'what do you want to wear?" and help the newbies to learn how to make that, so that they will love it and wear it and stand in front of the mirror and twirl around and smile. If we want sewing to survive and grow, if we want people to have clothing that is made well, fits well and is sustainable in the long term, I think that is the way to go.Toby Wollinhttp://www.kitchencountereconomics.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-24666503048760417192010-02-05T15:01:48.436-05:002010-02-05T15:01:48.436-05:00Well you know a bit already about how I learned! ...Well you know a bit already about how I learned! But it runs in the family too; my grandmother was a floor supervisor in dress factories and she was really skilled (I think her old industrial is still in the basement of her house.) She would bring home cuts from the factory and make them up for me so I was able to wear the latest styles before they hit retail stores. My mother is as equally and sewed most of my clothes when I was a girl and I loved loved loved looking through pattern books and picking out the fabric. I was taught a lot of things by my mother and grandmother but I've also taken plenty of classes, everything from Home Ec as kid to Cynthia Guffey to Susan Khalje as an adult. Now I'm really into couture techniques.phyllishttp://coudremode.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-84242559130089214112010-02-05T14:54:32.942-05:002010-02-05T14:54:32.942-05:00Wow, so many great stories. I guess I should be g...Wow, so many great stories. I guess I should be glad I never had an ancient sewing nun in my life, LOL!<br /><br />I think one of the things I love about sewing is that the more you do it the better you get (which is true of most things I suppose) and you really CAN teach yourself -- and this is NOT true of many things. Tennis, comes to mind for reason...<br /><br />The Internet has also made it possible to find a sewing community and to connect with others regardless of location. I sometimes forget how new it is and how different things were only a decade ago or so. Of course, there were books...and stone tablets.<br /><br />I'm inspired by all of you, and I'd just say, keep sewing!Peter Lappinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-56547803427631944582010-02-05T13:38:59.867-05:002010-02-05T13:38:59.867-05:00My first machine was this same Kenmore model too! ...My first machine was this same Kenmore model too! My dad worked at Sears so we have several of these old Kenmore machines in the family. I agree it's a trooper (although I've moved on . . .) When I got my fancy new machine I thought about getting rid of it - but my Dad was horrified at the thought. He said "Are you crazy? It's metal, not plastic! It has a good strong motor. It was made in Japan!" I still have it.<br /><br />But I could swear the feed dogs dropped! Do you have the manual? I can scan mine if you don't . . .it's got a hilarious cover illustration.Cynthnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-37892015480847455392010-02-05T12:51:49.073-05:002010-02-05T12:51:49.073-05:00I just came across your blog via Selfish Seamtress...I just came across your blog via Selfish Seamtress and love it! I have just started sewing and your advice to find a sewing buddy is great. I am really going to try and make garments that fit my unusual figure that I will love wearing. I took a sewing class at Jo-Anns, and am trying to figure out the rest myself. I find adjusting patterns to fit and finding good fabric to be the biggest challenges.Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18362733965636625696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-42727542565170009432010-02-05T12:51:46.667-05:002010-02-05T12:51:46.667-05:00Good post. I learned to sew 3 years ago, first wi...Good post. I learned to sew 3 years ago, first with patchwork quilting. After a miscarriage, I needed something to focus on. I made valances for the office and a few other rooms in the house. Then I got pregnant with the baby, #4, and started on maternity tops and baby clothes. Now I flip back and forth between quilt tops and clothes. My grandmother and great aunt both sewed beautifully, my mother sewed, but I resisted taking home ec. No one ever really showed me how to sew, but I understood some from watching them back in the 70's. My grandma did teach me crochet in that era, though. I am self-taught from internet, books, asking other bloggers, my mom and MIL, friends. I have lots of UFO's, but oh well, I will eventually finish or modify some. They were inexperienced mistakes, wrong fabric, etc. It keeps me sane as a mom of 4. I look forward to the few minutes I get to sew.Myrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16163175961766563965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-29900281031175909872010-02-05T12:35:50.131-05:002010-02-05T12:35:50.131-05:00I love this post Peter! I also am mostly a self ta...I love this post Peter! I also am mostly a self taught seamstress as well. I started sewing when I was a little kid, making barbie and doll clothes and such. My mom and grandmother taught me a few things and I did take a 2 sewing classes in high school. After high school, I didn't touch sewing until I was finished with college and my parents gave me a cheap little sewing machine for Christmas. Since then, I've tried to get more involved in the sewing community online and have rediscovered a fanatic love I have for sewing my own garments. With sewing, I find that there is always something new to learn and that you can always keep perfecting a skill. I love that. I love being inspired by other people's creations too. Thanks so much for this fantastic post!Sunnihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16380215145775412897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-31279161000311656122010-02-05T12:34:08.025-05:002010-02-05T12:34:08.025-05:00Peter,
Thanks for your intro. to sewing.
I am ma...Peter,<br /><br />Thanks for your intro. to sewing.<br /><br />I am making my first shirt with a Palmer Pletsch pattern. But I think it is beyond my ability but what the heck. I could really use a sewing buddy. <br /><br />My inspiration was my grandmother who had an ancient treadle sewing machine in her apartment bedroom. I remember turning the foot treadle thingie and playing with it as a kid. She made day dresses for $1 each during WWII to keep the family afloat.<br /><br />I started sewing by making my Barbie doll clothes and they were pretty ugly. That was it until I took a summer school sewing class many years later.<br /><br />Fast forward to 2004 when I stopped working for a period. My husband bought me a new expensive plastic machine. Then I became fascinated with old black Singers: 201's, 221's, 15-91's, etc. I rehabilitated many and sold them. Still have some really beauties though.<br /><br />Because of my middle-aged body, I wanted to sew well-fitting clothes and got into garment sewing.<br /><br />I found sewing world online and then patternreview.com, took some classes at a local community college and then went on to classes at sewing stores. All these things helped.<br /><br />My biggest problem is my impatience but when I am in The Zone, it is nirvana. I loooooove to sew. I have made loads of duds BUT! have made enough cool stuff to get compliments and be encouraged so there you have it.<br /><br />I am really inspired by all the ways you and other upcycle used fabric. That also keeps me going.Lozzenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02565513321231180210noreply@blogger.com