Why I sew

THIS is my three dollar blouse ... really!!

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And I do love to sew ... have since I was 9 or 10.

And there are many reasons ... 
1. I like to work with my hands and figure things out.
2. I'm frugal! I'm always trying to save money.
3. I like to be creative and have clothes that no one else in the whole world has.
4. When I'm sewing, I'm less likely to go spend money on random things I don't really want or need (the frugal me again)
5. Sewing is like meditating. It slows the world down ... a good thing.
6. I want to own things of quality.
7. I love to make things for people I love. The best gifts are hand made.

Now that I am retired, I can make what ever I want!!!

And, if I am going to take the time to make some unique clothes, I want them to be clothes I will wear often, not just fancy special occasion things.

It is the nicest fine cotton gaberdine, too.

​One of my sons lives in New York. And when we visit him we often take urban hikes. New York City is an endless source of beauty, history and cultural diversity. Last year we were out on one of these hikes and after a donut at the best donut shop in Queens, we past a funky old second hand store with the most intriguing assortment of stuff. Out front was exactly 1 3/4 yards of this fabric on a roll. The gal behind the counter sold it to me for $3!! I already had this New Look pattern at home, because it is my all time favorite blouse. I love the stand up collar and overall fit. The only other thing I needed was some buttons and I had the perfect ones in my button box.

So, this is my three dollar blouse!

This sweater is like no other in the world and it was very cheap to make.

I used this zip up jacket pattern by Jalie which, again, I already had at home because I taught a class using it in Santa Barbara a while ago. 
​And the fabric was two different old sweaters from my local thrift store ... cheap!
I had to sew a few extra seams to join some sweater sections so they would fit on the pattern pieces. And I replaced the folded pattern pieces for the bottom band, wrist band and collar with ribbing cut from the sweater. 
I can't tell you how many compliments I've gotten wearing this! And I wear it a lot.

This dress I made to wear to a family wedding last September. 

It is made from an old used Indian Sari I bought on eBay quite a while ago. This was not a super cheap dress to make, but not expensive for how it turned out. I had to flat line and line it, because the Sari was very thin cotton fabric. It is an Ikat weave, I think it very likely was woven on a hand loom. The bottom was all frayed. The original owner of this Sari must have loved it like I do.

All the fabric you see is from that one Sari. Saris usually have some kind of border all along the bottom edge which I positioned on the hem of the skirt and sleeves. Saris are also very long, between 6 and 9 yards. One end often has a special design to it. So, this is what I used for the bodice of the dress which matches nicely with the border at the hem.

I used a Simplicity Amazing Fit pattern. A link to it is on the right. A very comfortable and well fitting pattern.

I will be posting soon about the quilt I just made for my granddaughter. And I also am working on a super simple stuffed puppy and teddy bear for an American Sewing Guild community service sewing project.

Stay Tuned!