Sewing 101...or maybe a Crash A.P. Course...

So, as I've mentioned before, one of my goals for the year has been to learn how to sew; and I mean, really learn how to sew. So, who to turn to for instruction? My mom, of course. For those of you who don't know, my mom is the freakin' rock star of sewing. For my wedding, I just designed a dress, drew it out on a sheet of paper and my mom created a pattern in her head and then made it beautifully. See? Case in point. I remember her sewing all the time when I was little and I feel like kicking myself for not taking advantage of all that time and talent when I was younger. I remember rolling my eyes whenever she'd give me something to hem or buttons to put on, and I'd groan and fake some terminal illness every time she mentioned we were heading to the fabric store. We'd be there for HOURS! I was such an idiot...

Anyway, I've definitely changed my attitude since then and lately I've been messing around with the sewing machine, you know, just to get a feel for her. But, entering the unknown world of pattern symbols, basting, clipping, material selection, tools, and the terminology of the craft had me a bit overwhelmed. So, I called my mom and asked her to come up this weekend to help get me started; with the understanding that she would do nothing! Only guide and direct. Now when we headed to Joann's fabric store Saturday morning and I picked out a pattern for very cute collared button-down shirts and khaki pants for my lil' guy, you think my mom would have mentioned that I was meddling with Advanced Placement stuff (like collars and buttonholes) and that I'd be much better off trying something for beginners...but no. She didn't say a word! We bought the pattern, great material, and headed home and naive little me was thinking we'd have the whole outfit done that day. I mean, hello, it's for a newborn! How much material, cutting and sewing could that possible entail?

Well, let's just say the 14 hours we spent over the weekend was filled with a lot of frustration, confusion, re-do's, and a million motherly phrases like, "that's ok", "don't worry, "you can fix that" and "don't get discouraged." My back was hurting, my neck was cramped and Wally kept coming in every hour asking if we were finished. I'd just laugh at him. It's way harder than it looks! (By the way, ask him how it went when he tried to sew one little patch onto his scout shirt that night. We were all laughing so hard, we were crying!) Anyway, the weekend really was insane. But at the same time, it was fabulous. We cracked up, talked, and I really, really LEARNED! With my mom's help, I was able to figure out that the stupid pattern instructions actually were written in English, how to get the tension just right and that the prep work is just as/if not more important than that actual sewing. So...as I bow down to my mom, I can actually say that I made this little outfit ALL BY MYSELF!!! :0) WhoooHoooo!

I'm super proud of myself. It was so hard, but so worth it and I learned so much. Thanks mom, for being a genius in the sewing category and for being so patient with me this weekend!

I'm taking a couple of days off, but then I'm back to it. I'm so excited to keep learning and to see what else I can create. By the way, I'm making sure my lil' guy wears this at least 14 times, to make the 14 hours I spent figuring it out completely worth it. Just in case in the future, you find yourself wondering if he only owns one outfit... :0)