On being featured

As anybody who knows me is aware, I've been sewing my whole adult life.  I really don't know how that evolved.  My grandma hand sewed me a dress she cut from a pattern out of newspaper when I was about four, but otherwise she was only known to me for crocheting.  My mother could sew and went through a spell of making us girls a lot of gathered skirts, but she must have done it while I was in school, because I don't really have memories of her doing it.  She did teach me a few basics when I was nine, but that was about it.

So what made me think as an adult that I was just going to make all my own clothes?  And who would ever have guessed back then that it would become a lifetime involvement?

Original high school sewing basket

Original sewing supplies

I started off making a few things to wear to work; and as I recall, those were major learning curves.  But wearable!  Then Doc Leo decided I should sew for him , so I took a tailoring course at the local Vo-Tech school.  Was that ever strange to go back to school voluntarily!  I think I made him more shirts, hippie vests, and suits than I made things for me.  Then, of course, I had to make my baby girl a dress, the first of many over the years.

My faithful pride and joy for life

Eventually, the Doc bought me a topnotch Viking sewing machine, way back in 1977, and I've never had another one since.  My whole family, my house, my friends, my customers all benefited from that machine.  I loved that little baby!

Fast forward to this current period of time.  No more kids or customers to sew for; but after a break of around ten years, I've gotten back into sewing shirts for the Doc and all my own wardrobe again, just like in the past.  Still on that same machine, only now it's getting as old and worn out as the operator is.  But unlike in my solitary sewing past, I've now found a whole internet sewing community to play with.  How fun! 

So many areas in which to have an opinion

As you can always see in my sidebar over on the right, I can review anything I make, after having checked out pattern reviews of what everybody else is making, and then everybody else can also check me out. 

If anybody thinks a submission is awful, they are too polite to say so; but if they think it's wonderful, they can slather on as much praise as they feel like.  How can you lose?  Even personal friends might turn up their noses, but the sewing site friends are always positive.

Honestly earned

And the winner is . . . ME!!!

I can also enter contests!  I used to enter things I'd made in the state fairs, but those are only once a year, with particular judges who may or may not understand sewing.  But these internet contests go on all year, with all kinds of themes, and they are judged by all the other sewers who hopefully do have sewing knowledge.  Sometimes they even have really good judgment and award me First Place!  Who can't handle that?

The July pin-up girl

Of course, being a really good website, there are plenty of other activities available related to sewing, creating a well rounded community overall.  But they like to keep it all personal, and they want everybody to get to know everybody else. So they have a monthly featured member whom everybody can learn a little more about.  And guess what!  This month they decided that little old Alpine Queen was worth getting to know better.

So if you'd like to read what they wanted to know about me, and if you'd like to see some examples of the garments I've submitted over the last two years, check out their latest Member in Focus page. 

And yes, this time it is all about me!