Thread: Just for fun! Who taught you how to sew?

I just thought I would post a light-hearted thread for all of us needle bugs out there. ..g.:

So who taught you how to sew?

For me, my stepmom taught me when I was about 11 or 12. My first real project was an orange plaid dress. It ended up fitting perfectly, but my stepmom helped a lot. I was in over my head...interfacing, darting, matching plaid stripes.

Then in middle school, I took home ec and I made a snail pillow out of rainbow fabric and yellow ric rac. And in high school I took a class with some crazy lady. It was a great class thought because I was in it with my best friend. Everything we made was fugly, but it was a good experience...

Now your turn! ..l;,

I've learned a little bit from both of my sisters, my mom, and my home ec teacher back in high school.

Oh! And my first clothing project was a pair of boxer shorts. lol A lot of what I've learned with sewing has been gleaned from trial and error. And a lot of cursing and muttering with a seam ripper. :D

I went to Marist College with the intention of graduating from their top-notch fashion design program.

Almost flunked out at the level of Basic Sewing Techniques. Still hate sewing to this day.

If I knew belly dance would involve this much sewing, I would've taken up gymnastics ,r:;

I've learned most from my mom, a bit in school too and a lot from trial and error.

My grandmother was a great sewer...but I'm afraid I learned on the streets, my mother takes no credit.

A little old Japanese lady, upon seeing me and my mother knit in an airport, came up to me and asked in Japanese "Your mother didn't teach you to knit, did she?" because I had 5 needles going and my mother was stabbing her yarn and making odd faces.

I have only the most basic sewing skills, learned at my belly dance teacher's insistance we learn to sew certain costume items. One of the girls in the troupe walked me through, from the "what is a bobbin and why would I want to wind it?" stage.. OK, well she still walks me through things. At least the seam ripper is not my most used bellydance prop anymore. We don't use any commercial patterns, I once had a friend show me how to use one, but I'm sure I'd have to use the phone a friend option to follow even a basic one. As much as I hated those days with the seam ripper, I'm really glad my teacher insisted, I would never have learned at all, otherwise.

My grandmother taught me how to attach buttons. Then, I learned the basic use of a sewing machine in middle school in home ec. 20 years later, I bought a sewing machine followed by a serger, but I use them in a fairly un-educated, trial and error way.

My mom, who I still look up to as the master of the sewing universe.

I also took home-ec, but I don't think that added much to my education.

My mom taught me how to follow a pattern and how to make a pattern, how to embellish, how to make button holes and french seams. She taught me how to make things look store bought. She taught me how to roll hems and serge and make invisible stitches by hand. She taught me how to darn socks (her method was to find a hole in a sock, shout "darn sock!" and throw it away. Invaluable lesson.)

I started with making tiny felt stuffed animals by hand, then graduated to making myself many outfits on mom's machine, like my plaid mini skirt with matching tie, my white cotton lace trimmed pleated top (yes it was as weird as it sounds), my red lace goth skirt, my black knit goth skirt, my patchwork skater jeans, etc. which I proudly wore around town. My mother quietly "disappeared" some of my earlier creations. I later gathered she wasn't quite as proud of those early attempts as I was.

I can't sew, lol. I just do it.

Seriously, I can only sew by hand and fairly well.. I can't sew with a machine to save my life.

My grandmother showed me how to use the machine, threading, winding bobbins, etc. I learned the rest by trial and error, pattern instructions, and how-to books.

In 9th grade I took a home ec class (although it was called "modern living" becuase "home ec" is such an outdated concept) and we had a sewing project to complete. I made a little shorts romper with some help from my mom.

I really didn't do much sewing after that until I got to college. My parents had sent me off with my mother's first sewing machine and for some reason I was compelled to make dresses for fancy dances and my recitals on campus, not to mention my halloween costumes. I later joined the SCA and sewing was a necessity since I couldn't afford to buy my medieval garb or pay someone to make it. There was a lot of trial and error involved for a while. By the time I started bellydancing though I had a pretty good grip on things and could put together simple costumes for myself.

Still, by the time I was in my mid-twenties I had my sewing chops to the point where I made my own wedding dress... and it turned out great!! A few years later I met a master seamstress in the SCA who taught me all kinds of other useful tricks and tips and have been a sewing fiend ever since!

Here's pics of the wedding dress (pre-digital pic age, so it's a scan)

My grandmother taught me to sew and crochet among many other things. I owe so much to her.

Ditto! Except for the goth skirts and skater jeans . . . ..g.:

When I was in college and too busy to sew (but still had my machine with me for the occasional repair - roommates LOVED that!) my mom would sometimes make a skirt or dress for me and send it. Always fit perfectly! And the little darts and covered buttons were so exquisite.

LOVE your mom's method for darning socks. ..l;,

Originally Posted by shems

My mom, who I still look up to as the master of the sewing universe.

I also took home-ec, but I don't think that added much to my education.

My mom taught me how to follow a pattern and how to make a pattern, how to embellish, how to make button holes and french seams. She taught me how to make things look store bought. She taught me how to roll hems and serge and make invisible stitches by hand. She taught me how to darn socks (her method was to find a hole in a sock, shout "darn sock!" and throw it away. Invaluable lesson.)

I started with making tiny felt stuffed animals by hand, then graduated to making myself many outfits on mom's machine, like my plaid mini skirt with matching tie, my white cotton lace trimmed pleated top (yes it was as weird as it sounds), my red lace goth skirt, my black knit goth skirt, my patchwork skater jeans, etc. which I proudly wore around town. My mother quietly "disappeared" some of my earlier creations. I later gathered she wasn't quite as proud of those early attempts as I was.

My grandma. I grew up makind doll clothes from her scraps. And it just progressed from there.

I recently emailed her to let her know how much I appreciate that she taught me. There are so many women in my BD class that don't sew--I feel so fortunate that I can design and make my own costumes.

My Mom was too busy and had little patience so I took 4-H sewing classes (rural area), home ec mandatory sewing class in junior high. When I went to work years later I bought a $25 used sewing machine and made a number of clothes (Vogue patterns if you please) --making designer dresses/suits/blouses was a lot cheaper than buying. I made all of my early belly dance costumes. I don't sew all that much anymore except for mending and an odd project here and there. Love the comment by Shems Mom -- "darn sock"!

I took a costume construction class at college (theatre degree) where I learned how to make clothes using a sewing machine and serger. Now if only I could remember half of what I learned....

Dad taught me hand sewing & beading (growing up with ex-hippies, here!)
Mom taught me machine sewing basics when I was 12 & could no longer wear anything 'off the rack' decently. My sister took home ec & costuming classes, & I'd try to copy what I watched her do, but my skills really took off when I had 2 years living in a tiny, remote village with no tv or internet, but a library stocked with a huge collection of Vogue sewing books from the 70's... I haven't used a store bought pattern since (at least for my own sewing)- which is nice because sewing from patterns without understanding how to adjust them properly was almost as bad as trying to wear off-the-rack clothing.

now if I only had time to sew...

I learned to sew when I was 4 or 5, from my mom and grandma, and grandma's very large sewing boxes filled with vintage patterns, wood-spooled threads, and the like (including (rusty) vintage needles). I took off on my own pretty quickly--always got sewing & craft kits as presents, started embroidering very early on. I also did a little bit of beaded jewelry when that was really popular in late elementary school--I think that plus the embroidery has really helped for BD costuming. One of the Reader's Digest sewing books was pretty invaluable--still one of my favorite references, but I have the very old school 1970s one, not the fancy updated version you can get on Amazon.
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Sewing-Readers-Digest/dp/0762104201"]Amazon.com: New Complete Guide to Sewing (Readers Digest) (9780762104208): Editors of Reader's Digest: Books[/ame]

I made a lot of doll clothes in elementary school, specifically for Muffy Vanderbear (my friend Sarah had Hoppy Vanderhare)--we would visit once every month or so and make doll outfits


, since a lot of the real costumes were REALLY expensive. Don't have any pics here, but there was everything from the retro outfit with stacked cardboard platform shoes to PJs, etc. We had a stand-alone converted armoire just for crafting, sewing and other creative things--I always thought it weird no one else had an "art cabinet"!

I always assisted my mom with Halloween costumes, and started making my own in high school, along with other projects like the usual mending, curtain hemming. All by hand, that is! I only taught myself how to use a sewing machine senior year of college, which was only a few years ago...

I was much more into sewing than knitting. I can only knit and purl, aka, the skills my mom, dad, and grandma can do, though I did figure out vertical stripes. I don't know if I'll pursue much more with that, but I do want to start learning how to use patterns to sew, especially since I have access to amazing fabric in the garment district now.

Myself - and it looks it.

However, I do know how to crochet really well. In past days I've made some awesome sweaters and bedspreads, not to mention other hats, gloves, cloches, etc. I gave most of them away. It was fun making them.

Originally Posted by najla86

I learned to sew when I was 4 or 5, from my mom and grandma, and grandma's very large sewing boxes filled with vintage patterns, wood-spooled threads, and the like (including (rusty) vintage needles). I took off on my own pretty quickly--always got sewing & craft kits as presents, started embroidering very early on. I also did a little bit of beaded jewelry when that was really popular in late elementary school--I think that plus the embroidery has really helped for BD costuming. One of the Reader's Digest sewing books was pretty invaluable--still one of my favorite references, but I have the very old school 1970s one, not the fancy updated version you can get on Amazon.
Amazon.com: New Complete Guide to Sewing (Readers Digest) (9780762104208): Editors of Reader's Digest: Books

I made a lot of doll clothes in elementary school, specifically for Muffy Vanderbear (my friend Sarah had Hoppy Vanderhare)--we would visit once every month or so and make doll outfits


, since a lot of the real costumes were REALLY expensive. Don't have any pics here, but there was everything from the retro outfit with stacked cardboard platform shoes to PJs, etc. We had a stand-alone converted armoire just for crafting, sewing and other creative things--I always thought it weird no one else had an "art cabinet"!

I always assisted my mom with Halloween costumes, and started making my own in high school, along with other projects like the usual mending, curtain hemming. All by hand, that is! I only taught myself how to use a sewing machine senior year of college, which was only a few years ago...

I was much more into sewing than knitting. I can only knit and purl, aka, the skills my mom, dad, and grandma can do, though I did figure out vertical stripes. I don't know if I'll pursue much more with that, but I do want to start learning how to use patterns to sew, especially since I have access to amazing fabric in the garment district now.

We had an art cabinet in college! We would get together and get drunk and sew, knit or make jewelry. It was a blast. Anyway, I also have the old 70 version of the complete guide to sewing. The techniques are the same, but there have been a lot of innovations in fabric since then! ..l;,

Wow Mihri, you made that yourself??? That's amazing stuff!!!

You look so purty. . .

I learned in 7th grade Home Ec, and we sewed doofy looking stuffed animals - I made the blue shark. All the rest, I taught myself! I also sewed my wedding dress, my sister's prom dress, and TONS of other things over the years...

But the first piece of clothing I sewed was a skirt made of dozens of ties - I still wear it every once in a while, and it always gets comments.

Maybe I should make a dance costume from ties?

I learned a little in a 3-month Home Ec class but it was, believe it or not, my mother-in-law who taught me how to sew dresses and showed me all her tips and shortcuts, especially sewing in zippers using "zipper foot".

So, my first big project was to replace a trouser zipper for my hubby and we were pretty hard up for $, so I bought a metal zipper 'cuz it was half price and sucessfully replaced the broken nylon zipper with the metal one.

However, he came home from work wincing and limping a bit and told me he had an "accident" when the new zipper got "caught" on his, ahem, in the teacher's restroom (he's a high school teacher) and he couldn't get it unzipped or leave the restroom for 45 minutes. When a colleage came into restroom, he laughed himself silly and told him, "well, you will have to just bite on a stick and get your pants zipped up because we've already had to cover one of your classes......."

Moral of story: Don't save money with cheap metal zippers, they can be "dangerous" .w.:.w.:

I'm always impressed by people brave enough to sew their own wedding dresses. I would only entrust such an important task to my guru, mom.

metal zippers, hehehe how embarrassing!

I learned from my mom. She's an amazing seamstress, to the point of if you give her a photo of something she'll make it. The funny things is she's great at costumes but does the strangest things with altering regular clothes to fit.

Most of my sewing has happened as an adult, and I've learned a lot on my own from trial and error. I always struggled with my mom's style of teaching and my style of learning.

My paternal grandmother and my mom got me started, my grandma had me making hand sewn barbi quilts while she made doll clothes for my sister and I. I dabbled on my own from then on, then worked at my university costume shop for a year and a half. I taught myself how to draft up most of my own patterns!

Rachel

mihri thats a fab dress!

hmm, i've been blessed with a lot of sewing / costuming teachers.
my mom: made lots of our clothes and all halloween costumes when we were kids. so she taught me to use a sewing machine, patterns, tools, etc.

grandma: the master of hand beading and sequins: used to cover pageant costumes for her daughters back in the day. each sequin individually by hand with a bead and french knot at the top. incredible!!

high school home ec teacher nice lady, but couldn't hold a candle to my grandma ;)

bernard johnson: master costumer and amazingly the costume shop director and costuming instructor for the years i attended college. he was also my jazz instructor. major stroke of luck.

hallah moustafa:she's my dance coach, but also learned copious amounts of costuming info from her.

i've recently befriended an amazing master costumer who is starting to divulge little secrets about pave rhinestone techniques. *rubs hands together with evil grin*

see, this is why no matter what the costume is, i have to take it apart and "fix it up". strangely, after all this, i've just started to make decent use of stretch materials.

I learned it at school from about the age of 8 to 17. Yes, we had a weekly "hand work" class. It was sewing, knitting, crotcheting etc. for the girls and working with wood and other materials for the boys. (It was a while ago...).

I also learned from my mother who sews a lot. She used to make big, colorful costumes for carnaval musicians. Every year from November on the kitchen table was full of glittery material. I have sequins in my blood ..l;,

MEISSOUN

My grandmother, but she wouldn't let me touch her sewing machine.

The Girls Club

High School Home Ec Class had a course using the sewing machine.

I started making clothes for my dolls when I was eight or something, sewing everything by hand. My mother was afraid that I would ruin her expensive Bernina so I got an old Lewenstein sewingmachine for my eleventh birthday. My aunt helped me out with making the difficult projects, my grandmother taught me that it's okay to do things your own way while making clothes.

She knitted/crochetted/sewed most of her clothes, and every single one of them had a bit of purple in it!