apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I think my proudest sewing moment was when I put on my wedding dress that I had made myself. 12 yards of champagne dupioni silk, 4 yards of tulle for the veil and a silk covered barette that the veil attached to with velcro. No one could believe I'd made the whole thing myself. My bridesmaids said that I looked like an antique doll.

i just recently bought a sewing machine (my first one), and dove right in. I splurged on a small bit of beatiful fabric from britex, and combined it with a soft merino wool sweater i picked up from goodwill, and four days later (not to mention lots of curses, several trips to the local laundromat to felt my sweater, 4 ripped out seams before learning the art of basting, and one semi-failed attempt at a pin cushion), i got me some pillow covers! they are not the same size (although i'm sure i measured everything the same!) and one pillow definitely needs to be "re-sized" to fit in its case, my first completed sewing project is definitely my proudest sewing moment, mostly 'cause i figured it out myself. i'd post a pic, but haven't figured out to do that here.

As a clothing and textiles major, I had quite a few moments: making perfect bound buttonholes, learning couture techniques like sewing darts in lace with no visible seams, and of course, making my wedding dress (4-ply Valetino silk, using a Vogue Badgley Mischka pattern, fully lined with China silk, and a silk chiffon veil, with a hand-rolled hem). But my most recent proud moment would have to be having a pattern for a silly little wool felt monster I've made for nieces, nephews and countless friends babies published this year in a book called, "Softies" from Penguin Australia.

I'm just learning to sew, so my proudest moment is quite humble in comparison, but no less of a milestone for me personally. It was when I completed my first project (the apron from Lotta Jansdotter's book) minus any snags or mistakes that I was forced to hide or pretend I didn't see. I was so excited that I wore it around the house all evening, feeling quite domestic, much to my boyfriend's amusement.

It was 1986, and at age 11, I sat in my parent's basement night after night amongst saw dust piles and the cat litter box smells, in order to figure out how I could make a shirt. Skirts were easy, but a shirt? What about the sleeves? How do you make those?

After nights of trial and error, I hunched over my Sears Kenmore machine (which I still use 21 years later) took apart an old shirt. laid out the pieces, traced those pieces, cut the new ones out and then sewed them together. I was amazed, proud, shocked and a bit disappointed all at once. I wanted it to be more complex, more of a secret.

I've been de-constructing, and re-constructing ever since.

My proudest moment was when I first sat down in front of the sewing machine my parents bought me as a holiday gift two years ago. After a 18 year hiatus from even being in the presence of a sewing machine, I sat down, took a deep breath, read the instructions and threaded a bobbin on the first try.

Hooray for 4H. I guess those lessons stuck.

When I was twelve I decided I was going to make hand quilted hot pads for my entire family. I had never sewn before, and sewing was not a tradition in my family, but this did not stop me. I sat on the floor in my bedroom, thimble and thread in hand and sewed stitch by stitch for several months a hot pad for everyone I loved. I was visiting my parents a few weeks ago (they live several thousands of miles away and I rarely get to see them), and there was the hot pad under a steaming pot of mashed potatoes. I asked if that was what I had made almost 15 years ago. My mother informed me that it has always been her favorite hot pad. Since then I have used sewing to show my love for the people in my life from my first sewing machine project (an Amy Butler Swing Bag!) for a best friends birthday to the Big Footed Bunnies (Wee Wonderfuls) for my new niece and nephew when they were born; my proudest moments have always been the moment of joy on my loved ones face when they receive a hand sewn gift.

Kathie in Chicago ...

Do you have photos of the dress to share? I'd love to see it!

My proudest sewing moment was watching my rescued pup roll with happiness all over his first dog bed, stitched together from old blue jeans, recycled sweaters and some scraps of Amy's fabrics. Happiness is a warm dog, made better if you have the pleasure of sewing his "house-warming" gift.

Hawkeye, if you read this, I love you still.

amy butler is one of my most favorite designers. i make a lot of her bags and buy a lot of her fabric. i make quilts, bags, pillows and sometimes clothes.

i guess my proudest sewing moment would be when i made a quilt with my daughter's kindergarten class showcasing their drawings for the school auction. the bidding was wild and it went for $4800. now i know it wasn't my sewing skills but it was the beautiful drawings by the children (and the crazy parents) that caused the stir.

My proudest sewing moment occurred when I was 8 years old. I took a year-long, once-a-week sewing course for young girls. The first project that we made was a gingham, drawstring bag to carry our thread, needles, scissors, and works-in-progress for the rest of the course. We sewed the bags entirely by hand and I was the first to finish my bag and embroider my initials on it. Although, I have progressed to machine-sewing curtains, slipcovers, and garments, none of those projects has made me feel as proud or accomplished as adding the final touch - my initials - on my first sewing project, a gingham sewing bag.

My husband's grandmother had this great old black cast iron Singer sewing machine that I rehabilitated; in some sense, my proudest sewing moment was trying it out for the first time after fixing it up and seeing the nice, neat row of stitches traveling up my scrap fabric. I've been collecting cool fabrics ever since in the hopes of doing some cool projects, but I've been stumped on what to make, so these books would come in handy!

I don't know if this is a proud moment or just a sorry sad one, but one of our friends gave us this absolutely gorgeous, soft cashmere blanket as a wedding gift, and before we'd even had it for six months, some mice found it as comfortable we did. It was folded over on itself on the couch, and they burrowed all the way through, shredding it.

After the initial shock and despair, I was able to salvage enough of the material to sew a pillow cover out of it, and now it looks great on the sofa. I'm pretty proud of that. (And I lost all sentimentality when it comes to mouse control--now we snap those suckers' necks...)

My mother came from a very brady bunch-type family. Everyone was very crafty- my Aunts could all sew quite well, my grandmother once made the entire family gorgeous colonial period costumes for the Bicentenial (which would later become dress-up clothes for me!), and my mom even won first place in a "sewing contest" during high school for an outfit and wool winter coat she had sewn herself. I grew up with hand sewn dolls and a new christmas dress that grandmom made each year. During my teen years my mom was an integral part of our ballet school's costume department, often gathering tulle and stitching rhinestones on late into the night. While sewing was such an important part of my mother's childhood, with two children and a busy job she had less and less time to sew as I grew older.

While I know how to use a sewing machine, my skills are not even close to where her's once were. Last christmas, my wonderful boyfriend bought me a a Singer Touch and Sew from the 1970's. It is the exact same one as my mom still has after all these years! I also moved into a brand new apartment in September. Immediatly after, I went fabric shopping with my mom, something she has not done in many years. I bought beautiful, crisp white eyelet and a fun blue cotton fabric with a vintage-looking pattern. With my trusty Singer I have been able to make simple cafe curtains for my kitchen (with the eyelet) and a happy blue pillow for my couch. While they are both very simple projects, it is through them that I have officially caught the "sewing bug." I can't wait to start on more complicated projects, especially knowing that I can always call my mom if I get really stuck :)

The first time I ever sewed ANYTHING would have to be my proudest moment. I embarked on a grand mission in high school, when I was about 16, to sew an ENTIRE quilt. For a 16 year old, with the attention span of a spoon, that's quite a task. But I loved creating things and I was always determined and hopeful when starting new projects, though my downfall was always the same; never finishing what I started.
Throughout the whole process I was certain that I probably would end up with an unfinished, top half of a quilt.
I worked all day, everyday for a week straight and had the luxury of an amazing teacher and a couple peers who were making their own quilts.
In the end, and much to my surprise, I ended up with a beautiful FINISHED quilt! I remember laying it out on the floor to stuff it with batting and thinking "oh my god! I actually finished it! I had no idea I was capable of FINISHING a project!!"
I still have that quilt, 8 years later, and use it every now and then. Some of the seams were sewn a little to close to the edge and popped open, but it's still in one piece!

I was a very young teen and loved the empire waisted, little puff-sleeved long dresses models wore in magazines like Seventeen and New Ingenue. Naively, I chose a plaid fabric for my groovy Betsey Johnson pattern and my dear mother patiently helped me match every little piece of fabric so it would all come out right. It took a long time, but in the end, it fit perfectly and I could fantasize that I looked like one of those cool older girls whose style I admired, no matter what the mirror said.

Although I made my first outfit at age 7, one of my proudest sewing moments came during my 9th grade home-ec class. Our assignment was to make a 'quillow', a quilt that folds into a pillow and we were required to machine-quilt a portion of the pillow pocket. My fabric had clouds with swirls in them, and looking for a challenge, I decided I would quilt the swirls by hand. I had never hand quilted before, and neither my teacher nor my mother (a life-long seamstress) knew how. So I grabbed a book and taught myself. The project turned out very well, I believe I received an A. However, the most rewarding part was learning a new skill all on my own.

36 years ago when my mother left home for college, my grandmother bought her a brand new Singer sewing machine. It was on sale, so she bought one for herself as well.

I still recall my mother sitting at that machine making my childhood pants, dresses and Halloween costumes. So, when my grandmother asked me if I wanted the second (matching) machine she had bought and “hardly used”, I was quick to say “yes.”

“Hardly used,” turned out to mean: “never even removed from the box,” and I was the proud recipient of a new, yet, 36-year-old machine, complete with handbook, attached carrying lid and all the accessories.

So my “proudest sewing moment,” wasn’t about making the fanciest or most elaborate or even my first project. For me it was about feeling as though I had stepped back through time and connected to my mother, at 18 years old, off in the world on her own, and my grandmother, giving her “girls” the ability to begin to create for themselves.

my proudest sewing moment...took an old pair of bell bottoms and made into a skirt by cutting along the knees then taking the leftover pieces and filling in the areas above...my girlfriends totally drooled over my creation and it cost me next to nothing to make! i used my mother's sewing machine and had absolutely no training but was able to create the skirt...this childhood moment came back to me a few years ago and it hit me...i'm good at making clothes and i would totally enjoy doing it for the rest of my life! currently i am working on a children's clothing company and am totally enjoying every step of it!

Calbob,

These are the only pics I have since I'm currently at work:

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http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s295/tanagriz/firstdance.jpg

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http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s295/tanagriz/Hairclip.jpg

I’m an okay seamstress but my mom is an extremely accomplished tailor. A few years ago, in a fit of desperation, I resorted to sewing part of a large sculpture that was meant for a gallery show. Mom was passing by and stopped to stare at the “thing” I was struggling to put together. Now, my traditional Asian parents are deathly afraid of complimenting their children in any way for fear that we’ll grow up lazy and conceited so praise in our family is very rare. I wasn’t sure what she was going to say (heck, I didn’t even know if she knew what I was doing) but she surprised me when she said in a voice full of wonder (!) and delight (!) “Wow! I really like that. How did you ever figure out how to make it??” I think that was my proudest sewing moment.

My proudest sewing moment also surrounds a wedding dress, only it was my mother-in-law-to-be who was sewing the dress for me. The dress didn't exactly turn out the way I wanted it to (or the way the pattern suggested it would). However, so much love went into making the dress that I proudly wore it (poor fitting and all) down the aisle. That day I really learned the power of "handmade" - how the love of the maker infuses an object and transforms it into a true work of art. Now it is my turn to learn how to sew. I'd like to sew something for my mother-in-law to let her know how much I appreciate all of the love and acceptance that she has shown to me.

A year ago, my employer allowed me to take a class in print production at a local university. The course turned out to be much less helpful than I had hoped and the instructor seemed to delight in tossing out platitudes about art instead of the nitty-gritty printing details that I wanted.

Our final assignment was to design packaging for an item that could (theoretically) come out of a vending machine. At this point in the semester I was tired of completely irrelevant projects and decided to combine this with my Christmas gift for a cousin's two little girls. So, I designed patterns - my first ever! - for two small dolls, along with matching dresses, coats, hats, and shoes. I spent hours machine and handstitching them (along with making my own boxes), and the instructor was quite pleased that I was making a "statement" about handmade vs. made in China. I didn't have the heart to tell her that my true statement was to insert a touch of practicality into an otherwise useless assignment.

Anyhow, I made the dolls to match the little girls and I will never forget the looks on their faces when they tore off the wrapping paper and discovered that their dollies were made to look like them. Made. Not produced.

It made me want to sew a doll for every child I know.

Growing up, my mother always made matching dresses for my sister and I, doll clothes and could fit any tear in our pants we came in with. When I was about 6 years old, I asked my mother if I could learn to sew on her machine. I had always been in wonder of her desk with the built-in sewing machine. She sat me down and grab a piece of left-over black velvet material and away we went. I made my very own, very simple drawstring bag. It wasn't very large but I was so proud. I still use that bag today to hold my nylons in. When I moved into my condo with my husband, my mother gave me her old sewing machine so that I could start sewing again. She said that one day I will get the chance to show my daughter what she showed me and get to feel that pride all over again.

My proudest moment would have to be the first project I made. In jr. high, my mom asked me to make a skirt. The sense of pride I felt by seeing my gorgeous (though simple) skirt completed gave me confidence to continue to create.

I bought my used Singer Zig-Zag when I was 15 (eek, 20 yrs ago!) and have been sewing ever since (on that same machine). I have made many dresses and other things for my daughter and have received many compliments but nothing made me prouder than when my daughter told me how much she loved a certain dress just because I had made it.

I love to sew and the first time I completed a dress for my two youngest daughters, from start to finish, alone... was an accomplishment. I put in gathered sleezes as well as a gathered waist and put on the collar and put in the zipper without help. I was nervous, but the dresses turned out so cute.

I now make many of their dresses as well as jumpers and even pantaloons to go under those... so they will be more modest when they are outside climbing on stuff.

I would love to win this prize package.


I blogged ya: http://laurawilliamsmusings.blogspot.com/2007/11/thursday-edition-of-contests-galore_08.html

Hemming my pants for the first time!

My proudest sewing moment was making a traditional christening dress for some close friends. I am not a lace and ruffles kind of girl, so I have never sewn anything like that ever! It is about 3 feet long, made of filmy cotton batiste, yards of lace insertion, and painstakingly embroidered by hand, and has a matching bonnet. I was terrified to work with such delicate materials and had never tried any 'heirloom' sewing techniques. I have never had such a blast sewing anything-from researching techniques and materials to sewing and teaching myself shadow embroidery. When I look at photos, I still can't believe I did it! I am so grateful that my friends gave me such an opportunity, and I love that something I made will be kept and cherished and worn by future generations.

I think anytime I complete a project is a proud moment. Although recently I experienced an especially proud moment making a Halloween costume. As a nanny I enjoy making their Halloween costumes each year. This year the 6 year old boy wanted to be a space shuttle- not a rocket, a space shuttle. We schemed and planned and bought the materials back in August, though fear kept them sitting in the bag until 2 days before Halloween. It was crunch time and I somehow had to make this impossible costume become a reality. If you know kids you know they have an idea in their head and don't take into account lack of pattern, seams, funky material, etc.
I spent two solid days hunched over my machine, cutting and re-cutting each piece, figuring out a funky wing, and cursing the latex type fabric. Finally I had each piece competed. I was only half done sewing it together when I tried it on the boy for fit. He walked over to the mirror and looked at his costume. A smile crept over his face and I could see that I had created his vision- he looked so proud. It looked amazing and people even knew what he was!

My Proudest Sewing Moment: a tale of hope, despair, and euphoric success.

I was unemployed in the spring of 2005, finishing up my very first quilt of 3"x3" squares while visiting my brother at his college pad in Lawrence, KS. It was supposed to be for my antique not-even-twin sized bed, but I'd gotten distracted by the multitude of pretty fabrics in the world and it was rapidly approaching queen size.

On the day our story starts, I was just starting the basting, quilting, and binding. Suddenly the machine I'd borrowed from my mother stopped working. I fiddled with it and fiddled with it, poking and prodding. My brother took a look, as did his roommates, practical Kansas farmer lads, but it was for naught. A frantic whirring noise was all any could coax out of it.

Finally, I reached the conclusion that it was likely a major repair and/or a gonner. But my mother had bought it second hand back in the seventies from a public school's folding home ec program, so I wasn't too worried, and looked on ebay to see what a replacement for her might set me back. $350!?! For a machine that was older than me?! And they were SELLING for that price! Plus shipping!

So I sat myself back down and fiddled like I've never fiddled before, calling on whatever one calls on when one is unemployed, just out of college, and facing spending $350 (plus shipping!) for a sewing machine. And really all one wanted was to make a quilt. I opened all sorts of metal panels and prodded away, using the powers of deduction I had recently gained through four years as a geography major.

And lo! A few sweaty, stressful hours later, I had a working sewing machine, a mysterious extra screw, and a sense of pride great enough to try the patience of even the saintliest of younger brothers.

Then I finished my quilt, all 896 squares of it, and again I was proud, but not as proud, because I understand how quilts work but sewing machines are expensive mysteries even to B.A.s.

The End.

Epilogue:
I still have the quilt, though it's slightly pinker in general after a run in with my laundry skills (domesticity doesn't come naturally). My mother still has the sewing machine. I found a similar one at a garage sale and snapped it up for $10 and will sew on it just as soon as I am unemployed again.

Proudest sewing moment, but not the finest, by far, was at age 13 when I made a sailor dress as my second ever sewing project.
It was a holy hot mess, but was worn TO SCHOOL with puckered seams, crooked trim and a smile of satisfaction.

My proudest sewing moment was when I first embroidered and then sewed a pillow cover (zipper and all) for my first sofa in my first place. While this may seem quite small I had never used a sewing machiene before and was quite proud of myself!

I come from a family of non-sewers. My mom finally just gave me her machine earlier this year because she never uses it. Shortly after that, I found out I was pregnant. After a couple small projects that involved nothing more than simple mending (I had to teach myself, my mom had no clue), I decided to make a quilt for my baby boy.

My husband and I sorted through our clothes and picked out pieces with interesting textures, including favorite old shirts, a bridesmaid top from our wedding, pants I've had since 6th grade, etc and then I slowly and very painstakingly sewed them into a quilt. It's far from perfect (despite my best efforts, one of the squares is the turned the WRONG WAY) and I have no idea how long it will last, but I love it.

I'm just finishing up the binding (I'm not due for another 14 weeks) but I know my proudest sewing moment will be when I wrap my new baby in that quilt when I bring him home in February!

My proudest sewing moment occurred just a week or so ago when I made my daughter's mermaid costume for halloween. Trudy had been excited about being a mermaid for weeks, this being her first real conscious halloween (she's 2.5). I've always had confidence in my craftiness, though my makings tend to be a little rough around the edges so to speak. I'm also a chronic gatherer of free and well-priced items, much to the mockery of my husband (himself a gatherer of all things momento-esque.)

So, this year, despite having two kids and working more than full time at running three different businesses (between me and my husband) I was determined to make Trudy her mermaid outfit, and I was going to make one for myself too. The saturday before halloween we bought shimmery, stretchy fabric; we bought colored tuille, we scoffed at pre-made tails.

That night I attended a grown-up halloween party and tried--completely in vain--to pull my mermaid attire together. I didn't have time to sew the thing, so using knots and sparkles and safety pins I surrounded myself with bundles of shimmery fabric and no one knew what I was.

My confidence was low. Sunday night the toilet broke--quick fix, I'd have to make the costume the next night; Oops, I forgot! monday night was an event at my son's school, OK I only had tuesday night but I'd pull it together; tuesday night my husband had to work at our store--Could I really do this? A mermaid costume that I didn't even start until 9pm after the kids were asleep when I'd slept so little for the past few nights (not to mention 7 years)? Could I even do this--no one seemed to be wowed by my creative abilities the other night when I was that-lady-in-the-long-wig-with-all-the-glittery-fabric-draped-around-her-cold-body at the halloween party??

No. I couldn't do it all late at night, but I could do it because, as a mother, I am a superhero. So, I pulled the kids into the madness, decided I'd turn it into a sewing lesson, turn on some music and have fun. They helped, they posed, they even (gasp!) cut! I explained, I encouraged, I reminded myself that the result was less important than the process.

Voila! The costume ROCKED! My vision came together, my innate craftiness shone through, and I made judicious use of sticky-back velcro. I was a proud seamstress and a more proud mama--overworked and overtired I gave my girl a homemade costume and the memory of making it, the stuff of childhoods past.

My proudest moment? I have a few, but when I was little-in the 1970's- my Grandma made me dresses for school. I loved them. I especially loved the red velvet cape she made me. I can still feel it if I close my eyes. Anyway, when I was about 10 she gave me a new Kenmore sewing machine. I made my home ec projects on it (a reversible vest that I still own, and a dog bed for my little pekenese. When she died-at age 19!- she was wrapped in that bed in her coffin) but I didn't use the machine again. I put it in the closet and when I moved out in 1984 I told my mom to sell it at the garage sale.

Cut to 20 years later and I mentioned to my mother that I was going to buy a new machine to make some crafts and items for my new baby. She went to the closet and got out my old machine from my grandmother- she never sold it. My Grandmother never got to meet my son because she died 9 years prior to his birth, but her machine made him a quilt, bedding, and many, many stuffed animals. Ok, now I'm tearing up so I am going to stop.

During my last year of high school, in a sewing class, I decided my senior winter project would be to sew as many heavy duty coats for the homeless as I could in two weeks.

The project turned into a friendly competition when two classmates decided to make coats as well. At the end of the two weeks we had constructed and sewn twenty-four coats of various sizes which got donated to a local shelter. It was quite the achievement.

My mother and grandmother always sewed (my mother still does). My mother made the most fantastic Halloween costumes and outfits for my brother & I when we were younger, though she got away from clothing and more into sewing quilts as we grew up and her interests expanded. I was always fascinated by the sewing machine, with the needle moving so blindingly fast, but terrified of it for the same reason.

Finally, before I headed back to college, I asked my mother to show me how to use a sewing machine. With her help, I wound up designing and sewing a simple quilt that's still on my bed five years later. Washing the finished quilt and hanging it up to dry in the sun was one of the proudest moments I've ever had, and I can't tell you how much closer my mom and I are after bonding over sewing.

I never learned how to properly sew by machine but I could make tiny, even stitches by hand. I was a gypsy girl, a hippie in my teens and twenties and eschewed anything with a power cord. For a time I lived on a school bus and picked fruit and traveled with a traveling donkey circus. My sewing, such as it was, was limited to endlessly repairing our endlessly repaired clothes, or adding patches or embroidery to our festive but tattered clothing. I had never sewn or created anything, from start to finish, from a pattern, until I had my daughter. I found some brightly colored fabric that was a map of the world and decided to make a jumper for my girl, to teach her about all the beautiful places in the world. I found a pattern and pored over the directions like I was reading a foreign language. I agonized with scissors in hand, terrified to make the first cut. Eventually I got into the rhythm of the thing, and found my confidence with the pattern (probably as simple as they come). I stitched every tiny stitch in that jumper by hand. What is remarkable about this accomplishment is that I actually finished it. It is my proudest sewing moment because it is the only garment I have ever made from pattern to body, without a single element left undone.
My daughter is 18 now and living in New York, far away from where I am. But I still have that little dress that taught her about the world.

My best friend went through hell and back trying to conceive a child. After the third attempt at invetro failed, she tried a Chinese herbalist and finally became pregnant. My gift had to be very special, so I bought an $80 sewing machine and made my first quilt.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43724165@N00/1924468817/
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It won't get me on Project Runway, but I'm thrilled everytime I see him drag it around the house. And now I'm hooked and quilt all the time. I've gotten considerably better!

Proudest sewing moment:

Old velvet-upholstered purple chair
vintage sewing pattern inherited from grandma
impromptu homecoming date =
best dress ever (and it was free!)

I still wear this dress -- although I've had to let it out; I'm not in high school any more!

I was trying to come up with some prize-worthy story about my proudest sewing moment (it had to do with running the Featherweight needle through my thumbnail at age five, a piercing that -- given my life-long passion for sewing -- could only have come from the stitch-faeries themselves), but then I looked at Lori's quilt for her friend's difficult-to-conceive baby. It is by far the most eloquent of these many colorful comments. She should win this week's prize package, hands down. In fact, she could teach Amy Butler a thing or two! What a work of beauty and love. Brava, Lori! And bravo, Johnny and Johnny's mom!

My proudest moment was at the completion of my first sewing project -- a jumper for my then-toddler daughter (now 16). I was an adult when I learned to sew (at a class offered by Joann Fabrics for $5 a lesson), and my goal was to be able to make clothes for my children (I only had one back then -- I now have nine). This was one of those "two-hour" jumper patterns that took me about five weeks to complete -- but I was so proud once it was completed and on my baby. :)

My mom taught my sisters and me to sew from an early age, but I didn't realize how much I relied on her to approve my actions at every step until I started sewing for myself, 2000 miles away from her!

My proudest sewing moment actually came long after realizing that I could follow a pattern's directions on my own which led to actually feeling confident enough to create my own projects. My proudest moment came when I designed and sewed a "pipe" cozy for a hot water pipe that travels the length of my bedroom - it was a simple project, but a surprise for my husband, and we get soooo many compliments on it each time people get the home tour.

Now this is my kind of give away!
My proudest sewing moment would have to be the completion of my first real project, sewn at age 15: a pencil skirt from a vintage pattern. It was closely followed by a not so proud moment when I realized that I'd forgotten to make a proper waist band, so the top was all wonky. I wore it anyway.
I mostly stick to knitting now, but I'd love to get back into sewing.

My 6 year old wanted to be an American Revolutionary War soldier this year for Halloween, and I was drafted to make the jacket. He made the musket (out of paper and paint) and I, after two tries, crafted a jacket that looked remarkably fit for the job. He wasn't convinced until I sewed on the 20 odd brass buttons, curving up the front panel, and then he was beaming! All the ripped out seams, and late night re-configurings melted away in his happy glow.
My husband's job was to create the sneaker-into-buckle-shoe transformation, and with the help of a tri-cornered hat from the Liberty Bell Museum we were revolutionary.

I'm a simple sort of sewer. Since I was a child, I've found such quiet comfort in hand-stitching. The repetition of straight, even dashes centers me and gives me space to breathe and reflect. Even though I can rip through projects left and right with my machine (and yes, that's very satisfying too), I always return to the slow stillness of hand work when I need a break from rushing in five directions at the same time. And those are the sewing projects I'm always the most proud of. I think it's all the love that goes into each stitch.


PS Hollip, I loved your story. It's my favorite and I vote for you.

Judges, I don't envy your task. There are some wonderful stories here.

Probably my proudest moment came at the age of 19, when I sewed an elaborately tailored dress to wear to a wedding. I was staying with my grandmother at the time, and stitched it all on her treadle machine that she inherited from her aunt. My current sewing machine was originally owned by my other grandmother, and my own mother used to sew clothes for my siblings and me on it. I love having the family connections as others have commented too.

A close second comes from holiday season 2006. I sewed all new bedding for a doll cradle that used to be my sister's, that we gave to my little niece. She spent most of the evening cuddling in the cradle herself, with her legs kicking over the end. I also made her older brother a reversible super hero cape, his favorite gift that year.

A few years ago, I barely knew how to sew on a button, so what made me think that I could recover my couch? My sister thought of the idea, and I (stupidly I thought at the time) followed suit. But now, my proudest sewing moment happens every time I look at the couch cushions and pillows I sewed by hand and machine. I want to recover it again and a chair and do some curtains and covers for bar stools and... well the inspiration and desire to design my world seems endless.

My proudest sewing moment was last Christmas. I got everything I needed to make a pair of pajama pants for my teenage daughter, including the last yardage of sock monkey flannel fabric from the fabric store. December 23rd I banished my daughter from the living room, laid everything out, cut the pieces, went to start on it on my Grandmother's old Singer Featherweight, and realized/remembered it doesn't do buttonholes. So, with the project tucked away from prying eyes, we trekked over to my parent's house. Banished my daughter to the kitchen this time, dug mom's machine out of the closet, set it up, realized the buttonhole setting wasn't working. Dug out mom's old Vogue sewing book. Looked up how to do a buttonhole by hand. Made two buttonholes by hand. Went to start sewing the two legs together, and realized I'd cut out two left legs. With no extra yardage left. Laughed hysterically, but did not cry, and went downstairs to tell my daughter it would just have to wait until next (this) year. But they will be under the tree this year, before December 23rd.

I answered an ad in our laundry room looking for a seamstress. The woman on the other end of the telephone line asked some general questions about my skills and hired me over the phone. I was thrilled! She lived only a few miles away and I traveled to her house for my instructions and to pick up the fabric. She was making costumes for a commissioned religious painting. She was very old and had many things to tell me. Mostly about things in her home and about how sewing had changed from the time of the setting of the commissioned painting.

“They hand stitched sixteen stitches per inch!” She told me. “Now days seamstresses only put about seven stitches per inch”. I had been expecting to use a machine. I wasn’t used to hand stitching an entire outfit.

She explained the high quality work she wanted from me, but I was confident as we had both agreed that we were perfectionists. She described how the collar of the robe was to be done, basting it first etc., etc. After, two hours I left with the cloth ready to complete my task. Meanwhile I started another full time job and stitching by hand became my nighttime ritual.

I stitched my sixteen stitches per inch by hand. I removed any stitches that headed wayward. It was looking good, but the work was going slow. She started to call me, pressing the deadline. Finally, she asked that I just bring her what ever work I had completed.

In order to pay me she asked for my hours. Thirteen. She was shocked, and said there was no way she could pay me for so many hours. I was a little frustrated, but she was old. What could I do? By the time I returned home she had left a lengthy telephone message apologizing for not explaining that she wanted it done on the machine. How can you be mad at a little old lady? She was confused, I was confused. It is my proudest sewing moment because of the effort and time that I put in to that costume.

But she BETTER not have taken it apart and redone it- oops! Did I say that out loud?

This is my second shot at winning Amy Butler’s great stuff. Just wanted to add that :0). http://chicago.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/giveaway/thursday-giveaway-winner-sirenicefall-034499

My proudest sewing moment was when I was in seventh grade. I desperately wanted to be a gypsy for Halloween but did not have any gypsy-appropriate clothing. Buying something was out of the question as money for my mom, who often worked two jobs while raising me on her own. I spent a lot of time at my grandparents house and my grandmother had been a seamstress in her working days. She pulled together some old fabric from her scraps bag, coupled them with a couple of old items from her closet, and made for me a three-tiered gypsy skirt and a head scarf to wear for Halloween. That was the first time I had ever been shown how to use a sewing machine. She let me sew some of the pieces together myself, under her watchful eye- those were the crooked seams! I felt incredibly original when I went out with my girlfriends on Halloween - all of whom were also gypsies, but all wearing what I thought to be generic store bought items. I beamed with pride every time someone complimented my costume that evening.

Remembering that one simple skirt 17 years later almost overwhelms me with the love I knew my grandma had for me. She instilled many things in me, and amongst them was a love for creating things by hand. Though it was not an creation of my two hands, that skirt is my proudest sewing moment.

On another note, I am enjoying reading all of the stories on here. Everyone has such unique things to say!

We recently completed our daughter's adoption. The process took two years, and it left me plenty of time to fuss and plan. I was continuously looking for a great crib quilt. Nothing too cutesy, too plain, too frilly... I could never find something I could actually picture her wrapped in. I started looking at designer sets, and I thought, "If I'm going to splurge- I'm going to get exactly what I want."

So, in lieu of a crib set I bought a sewing machine and a few yards of cotton. I took all of my nervous energy and turned the fabric into strips, and then patterns, until I had a beautiful log cabin design. An old pattern with modern fabrics and a personal twist. I'd never quilted before, but I learned as I went.

I finished the quilt before our adoption was complete. I could envision our daughter on top of the quilt on the grass in the summer, under the quilt snug through the winter. The adoption took on a new reality and I knew that it would happen and our daughter would come home. It did and she has.

Alexa -- The rocker looks like it is from the IKEA 'Lillberg' series. I like the white but it also comes in other colors/patterns.

When I was a little girl I used to fly all by my lonesome to New Orleans and stay a week with each of my grandparents in little Slidell, LA. With one grandmother I would shop and play cards, with the other I would sew. One year I got it in my stubborn little head to make a quilt. My grandmother had two sewing machines: an early electric metal Singer that was her mothers and a newer plastic one. We both went to work cutting out the quilt pieces and sewing them together. The dueling sewing machines made quite a racket as the squares of the quilt began to come together. In a week we had the quilt all pieced together and had begun the quilting. After I went home my grandmother finished the quilting for me and her neighbor the border.

I love the memories I have of spending time with my grandmother making the quilt. My proudest moment is yet to come when I give this quilt to my future daughter and I am able to tell her I made it when I was little girl with her great-grandmother. I am looking forward to sharing with her my grandmother's life history that is entwined with the history of New Orleans during WWII.

Its amazing what a little sewing can do and writing this memory down reminds me I need to spend a little time at my machine.

for my first sewing project, my high school instructor gave me a very simple a-line dress pattern. my mother, an expert seamstress, insisted on helping me. as a teenager, it seemed to me that my mother was the most annoying person on earth so i carefully hid my project and tirelessly worked on it at school. without any supervision i proudly finished the my project only to realize that i had placed the zipper down the front of the dress. contrary to what i expected, my mother didn't criticize my effort, but focused on the great job i had done making the darts! i wish i still had that dress.

My proudest sewing moment was when I was 11. My little sister loved bears and I decided I was going to make her a bear - my sewing experience up to that point had been "helping" my mom in whatever way I could, as long as it involved the seam ripper ;-)

I'd watched and helped enough to know that you sew the right sides together, turn in inside out, stuff it then sew the hole closed. I didn’t tell anyone what I was working on – not even my mom because I didn’t want any help. I hand sewed the whole thing out of an old blue pillowcase; a separate part for the head, body, arms, legs and ears. I even "embroidered" the bear’s belly so it read "Hello, my name is: Morgan" (my sister's name).
I hand sewed all the pieces together; the head didn't really stay up since its neck was just a single seam, but I put it in a shoe box with tissue paper and gave it to my sister for her 5th birthday.
As proud as I was when I first made it, I actually think was more proud 13 years later (long after my sister had given most of her bear collection to the salvation army) when I saw it sitting in my little sister’s college dorm room.
The bear's head still flops down on his chest, but now it sits on a bookshelf in NY, where my 23 year-old little sister just moved to. She’s so far away I’m glad to know my little bear is keeping an eye on her.

Thank you for letting me share this with you.

My proudest sewing moment... When my brother (who really is the hardest person to impress) said to my friend (unsolicited); "I really like Tracy's curtains, she did a good job!"

My husband is a big geek about video games and comic books and has little interest in my sewing projects. Imagine my surprise when he commented on a stuffed plush character at a comic book store saying "you could make one a whole lot better than this cheap crap". Wow, thanks hunny!

My proudest sewing moment was having my grandmother (who sews beautifully) tell me how proud of me she was - she thought it was great to see me dive right into projects and figure out how to do them on my own, problem solve, and have the end product come out pretty well. She said that even with the amount of experience she has, she has seen me solve sewing problems better! The women in my family have quilted and sewn for generations, and although we live 2500 miles apart, I make sure to share my projects with my grandma, not just for feedback, but to keep the connection up from afar.

My first sewing project was something I started and finished this summer as a 30th birthday present for my boyfriend. We talked on one of our first dates about how nice and cozy quilts are. His opinions on quilts were hilarious to me when I saw that he didn't have a blanket on his bed- just sheets! So, I borrowed a friend's sewing machine and lugged it from Brooklyn to the Upper West Side. I trekked through the garment district looking for the perfect fabrics to make him a masculine and modernly stylish quilt. I finally came across some Amy Butler fabrics at a quilting store and I remembered how I had looked at so many of her beautiful fabrics from links on AT, months before this project came about. It took me almost two months to finish the quilt and a lot of aggravation with constantly having to rethread the needle. The quilt was beautiful and perfect for his gift! I gave it to him when we were visiting his family for his birthday and we slept under it on his birthday. It's definitely the best craft I've completed and the most time-intensive, meaningful gift I've given. And, I love staying at his place so much more now, too!

My first sewing project was a baby quilt for a friend of mine. I fell in love with fabric during that project and have been hording it ever since.

My favorite sewing moment was when I was a child, "helping" grandma sew my dress for the 8th-grade dance. Which isn't really a sewing moment at all, except for the way it cemented a love of craft with my love of family. So... I guess my favorite sewing moment hasn't really happened yet. But I'm learning how to sew now (for real!) and would love to have Amy Butler's book and patterns to guide me.

After 9 years of contemplating sewing real costumes for my children, I finally did it this year!

Every year, around that time when pumpkin patches appear, I'd have the urge to pop into a craft store to gawk at sewing machines, only to heave a sigh at the price tags and talk myself out of buying one because "I would never really use a sewing machine."

A few months ago, a wonderful friend gave me her old Brother machine. Thanks to this generous gift and what little technique I could recall from a single junior high sewing class, this Halloween my daughter proudly wore a Hogwarts uniform, handmade by her even prouder mommy. I even made messenger-style trick-or-treat bags for both of my children.

Considering that a few years ago, my costuming tool of choice was a Swingline stapler, I've come a long way!

My best moment was one of the first things I ever sewed and like all great creations it was born out of necessity/boredom. :) My first year out of college I moved to a new city without a car and was very poor (seriously, I was actually food stamp eligible) and very lonely. I don't like to pout too much so I kept myself busy learning domestic tasks from how-to books, like cooking etc. That's how one day I decided I would sew a duvet out of sheets.... by hand. I obviously, didn't realize how much work that would be, especialy for someone who didn't know how to sew at all... but I finished the project and it was awesome! I think my best moment proves with a little determination you can do anything!

My mother is an accomplished seamstress; unfortunately, I was too recalcitrant a child to take advantage of her expertise. Like many teenagers, I thought Mom didn't have anything to teach me that I wanted to learn, so I insisted on teaching myself to sew (on her machine) and I refused to use patterns, preferring the pin-try on-pin again-sew-repeat approach. Now that I live all the way on the other side of the country - and have acquired at least a little maturity, enough to realize the enormity of the knowledge I don't have - I often wish I had her nearer, to learn from her (and use her serger.)

Without Mom to rely on, it's been slow going learning to sew. But I've made pretty good progress, over the past year especially, and I've made many dresses and skirts and other projects. I'm so proud of two of my dresses that I can't decide between them for my "proudest moment". The first one was made from an old sheet, and is entirely lined. I made it without a pattern, and I'm especially proud of the ruffle at the bottom. (Making ruffles is a pain in the neck.) The second dress is the first garment I've ever made that looked the same in reality when it was finished as it looked in my head when I imagined it, which I considered a major milestone. Also, it features pockets, which I was extremely proud of, as you can see in the picture.

http://bp2.blogger.com/_bUT4neoai2U/Ro56XsXU3EI/AAAAAAAAAn0/rViD_Xvy4Gs/s1600-h/IMG_9778.JPG

http://www.flickr.com/photos/phillipckim/845019097/in/set-72157600883508989/

Kathie in Chicago,

Your wedding gown is very beautiful. Did you embroider the top or did the material come that way?

i was in mrs. downies class at the time, grade 3. would have been 8 or 9 years old. i hadn't yet learned to use a sewing machine, but my mom and dad, had taught me some hand stitches - particularly, my mom showed me an 'invisible' stitch. i have no idea where i got the fabric from, but i had this white with skinny pink stripes, seer-suckery type fabric and i decided to make a skirt. i cut a large rectangle. folded it in half. hand stitched up the long side, then folded over the top and bottoms and stitched them and on the top, i threaded a white cord through, to cinch the waist - and i wore it to school the next day. oh, and the skirt reached my ankles - i think i even left a slit!

I just took my first quilting class this summer - 12 weeks of quilting with two friends. I had never evened owned my own sewing machine before and had only really sewn one other weekend of my life. But after 12 weeks I have a mostly complete quilt - just the machine quilting and binding left to do - not a small feat since it is almost 6 foot square. I am so proud that I did it but the proudest moment was showing my mom, who has sewn her entire life, and having her be impressed with my quilt.

I guess it would have to be when I decided at the age of 12 that I wanted to sew a shiny turquoise swimsuit. This was the 80s, before sergers. We grew up with our mom and grandma sewing clothes for us and therefore learning how to sew from them. I'm sure my mom wasn't thrilled with the idea, but she went along with it. I remember being very excited about picking out the lycra fabric and the "maillot" pattern. I ended up wearing it for that summer!
The next decade's moment was when I managed to sew my own wedding dress - a white satin, lined, above the knee short sleeved shift - with a zipper - in Switzerland with an old knee press sewing machine. All by myself with no help from mom! It wasn't wrinkle free, but I was very pleased that I even finished it!

I made all the curtains and bedcoverings for our Bed and Breakfast, thus saving roughly a gazillion dollars.

My proudest sewing moment was when I finished a small bag for my son's school supplies. He showed it off to his teacher and said, "Momma made it for me." Oh, so proud!