Mending and refashioning reinforces the mind set of avoiding wastefulness, which is somewhat countercultural. The culture’s message is buy new and buy lots. Sewing helps me buy what I actually need. Also sewing brings such a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment! So wonderful to see your smile, Evelyn. I am praying for your recovery.
Yes, I think I’ve improved in all the areas you mentioned but I’ve also grown more patience. Well I had to didn’t I as I so often need to undo & redo. I do get there in the end though thanks to you. Bless you 💕
@@torakfett3351 Go on, start making socks. Your feet will thank you. Especially if you suffer from cold feet generally. But there's also just the comfort to be had in wearing a pair of socks that fit.
I may have told you this before, Evelyn, but I took sewing in what we in the U.S. call middle school. My mom was helping me fit a dress and match the plaids and she discovered my spine was curved. She caught it early enough that it could be fixed exercises. So literally, sewing kept me out of a back brace! I think sewing teaches us to love and appreciate our bodies. May all the healing and joy you have sent out into the world return to you a hundredfold.
1. Laundry and overall garment care from understanding fabric. 2. Measurements and layout. 3. Right order for multi step complex tasks. 4. Taking really good care of all our tools. 5. The relationship between fit and wear. I love making decent depth trouser pockets or adding length to a shirt hem so it doesn’t pop out when I’m crawling on the floor. Dresses and skirts with pockets. 5. The customization is so satisfying especially combining a fashion element with a standby. Velour cargo skirt anyone? 6.inch metric conversion as second nature. 7. Mending well
Yes, sewing helps keep our brains young, and doing the math without a calculator is even better. I started sewing when I was a pre-teen and I will be 70 in October. Sewing has made me able to provide for my family in many ways. As a newlywed I bartered my sewing skills for necessary things like farm fresh food. If I didn't know how to sew our preemie daughter wouldn't have had "nappies" or clothing that fit and more. When we didn't have money for gifts at family events I went into my stash and made something, and those gifts were always favorites. I am now limited in my mobility but I now have 10 sewing machines. 5 modern (including a Baby Lock Imagine serger and a Juki coverstitch) and 5 antiques I have brought back to working condition. I like fixing those old gals and guys as much as I enjoy sewing with them! My oldest is 113 years old, a Minnesota treadle, and I just fixed her long bobbin winder this morning. She is a transverse shuttle machine and the first one I have ever seen in person. I dream of owning a Davis vertical feed machine. They have no feed dog. The fabric is advanced by the presser foot and needle. I learn so much on RU-vid! Evelyn, I pray that your health is improving every day. God bless you.
Sewing my own garments has definitely improved my relationship with my body. I am extremely pear shaped, and I can finally wear dresses that fit properly! I've also hacked patterns to be more comfortable for my connective tissue disorder. Mindfulness has been such a blessing these past few years! When you can't do anything about ugly headlines, I can feel productive by making something beautiful for myself or to give to someone else. People are SO touched by handmade gifts. Wonderful to see you, continued prayers ❤ Thank you for all you do!
YES on making dresses fit a pear-shaped body. Off-the-rack dresses are depressing: anything that fits my hips is too big in the bust and if it fits my bust it's too tight in the hips. It's nice to have things that fit the body I actually have and not the body the fashion world thinks I should have.
I’m extremely pear-shaped as well and that is what inspired me to try sewing my own clothes. Still haven’t tried it for myself yet (I did make both of my daughters pajamas bottoms at an in-person sewing class). I’m learning from my research that most patterns will give me the same results that I find trying on ready-made clothes so adjustments to the pattern will be needed. One step at a time, I just need to keep trying and learning from my mistakes.🤞😊
Thanks for the chat, Evelyn. My mother taught herself to sew after she married my father in 1941. She would only sew Vogue, mostly designer originals…. Dior, Givenchy, YSL… She claimed that Vogue patterns were not difficult, but rather they were detailed, leaving no guess work. Mother declared that Vogue patterns were so good and detailed in all the garment construction steps that they even told you when to get up and blow your nose. ;-) In 1973, Mother made my wedding dress, a Belinda Bellville, in candle-light, Japanese lutzan. It had a chapel length train and Chantilly lace supported by horse hair. It had bound button holes at each wrist and from the neck to the floor. Her favorite sewing machine was a Singer Slant-O-Matic 500A, affectionately called the Rocketeer. I have a Rocketeer now. I even found a wonderful LED lightbulb to replace the old incandescent bulb. This machine is a lovely physical reminder of the life and love of my Mother. Sending you hugs, strength and harmony. Good energy and prayers for healing and good health are flying to you too from the heart of the Texas Hill Country.
My mother also sewed designer Vogue patterns in the mid 1970’s. She often bragged that sales people in high end stores would complement her on the designer clothes she wore. She never told them that she had indeed sewn them. She also gave me the gift of sewing. I treasure her late 1970’s Kenmore machine that still purrs. Best wishes on your healing, Evelyn. Love your videos! ❤ Another Central Texas admirer.
Two other skills at least are developed with lots of sewing. Judging small distances - 1/2" versus 5/8" (1 vs 1.5cm for metric sewers). Useful in far more than sewing. And one you have handled enough fabric, your hands learn to FEEL what would be the right fabric for a specific item or effect. In a fabric store, touch everything. Your hands will remember, the next time you are looking for crisp or drapey or warm or airy. Following your health saga with prayers to the One who can heal and cure.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ Definitely resourcefulness. I was called MacGyver at school because I fixed things with towels, tape, and big square pencil erasers. I use glass napkin rings for pattern weights, a roll of paper napkins for an ironing ham/sleeve, and walnut craft wood pieces for a clapper which works 👍🏼 Wishing you well Miss Evelyn 😊❤
Mindfullness--that is one of the most important things I get from sewing. When I am at my machine I'm in my happy place and sewing helps with my mental health. Hope you are doing well Evelyn!
I started sewing a year ago and apart from the clothes I make, I feel like sewing has also improved - patience - joy in learning - researching and teaching myself things - confidence to do hard things - 3D thinking - precision and focus - ironing lol never even owned an iron before I started sewing And honestly apart from the ironing, I think all those qualities are soft skills that you could even bring up in a job interview
Sewing garments has made me better at problem-solving in other areas of my life. I recently recut an oversize man's shirt to make myself a blouse, and there was an issue with the fit of the back. I thought it through and decided to add two lengthwise back darts, which solved the problem. I felt so proud! I paint, and when I hit a wall I slow down just like I do when sewing and figure out what's wrong. When buying fabric or finding deals at a thrift store, I'm finding I'm very much drawn to quality linen. It's a dream to sew, and I'm not concerned anymore about the fact it wrinkles. I think it's a charming facet of that fabric and I love wearing it. Love your videos, Evelyn!
Evelyn it's so nice to see your beautiful face the morning. I am praying for you daily and look forward to seeing your beautiful face more often. I love calculating figures in my head something I was not good at in school but sewing has taught me that I was better at it than thought. Yes I also agree that learning fabric is something that very important as it's the main foundation of what we are creating. Ironically I grew up with four sisters and mom always had me iron our dresses. I hated then but have come to really appreciate it in my sewing journey. Thanks mom. Evelyn you have a very blessed day everyday. Thank you for being the best teacher I could ever find.
Another benefit to sewing is that you get really good at putting other things together, such as unassembled furniture. The instructions will make sense and you'll see right away how things should fit together. Sending much love to you!
So lovely to see you your smile. Sending you a million Hugs. Sewing helps you learn planning (I design my own clothes), problem solving, patience and perseverance as well. And I love trying to figure out "What can I use instead?" when something needs changing or is missing.
The biggest side effect of learning to sew is realizing I can actually jump in and learn skills as I go; all the while continuing to allow for mistakes and learning moments; but realize that just because I’m learning and a “relative” beginner, does not mean I can’t just give an “intermediate” pattern a shot and learn what I need to learn to make it come to life! For some reason it’s taken me decades to learn the skills of ignoring the voices of “you can’t do that because you never have” in my actual profession, but it’s been so much easier to just push ahead and see what happens when I’m sewing for myself. Thank you for continuing to share your videos with us as you heal. I think of you often and hold out hope for your swift and manageable recovery. ❤️
I am a beginner, though I did go through a phase years ago when with the help of a person I made nice things, his genius technical and engineering ability helped my creativity and imagination take shape. Recently I tried making a child's cloth quiet book, and gave up many times so it took months to finish. The only instructions I could find for the ones with inner and outer spines were by Russians, two RU-vid channels and one written website that I suspect was written by someone whose first language isn't English, such as saying "put a stitch" in a seam, which seemed like a mistranslation. I watched the RU-vid channels over and over, stopping the video many times to go over how to sew the inner spine and I still couldn't work out what she had done. Their measurements were just confusing, so I tried to get an overview of what they meant to work out my own measurements. I also think in inches, not centimetres. I finished it in the end, though it is far from perfect, and the binding isn't worthy of the effort I put into the page designs, I think the child will enjoy playing with it. I will wrap it in a matching "fat quarter" of material so the parents can unpick my inner and outer spines and/or binding and re-do it if they wish, but for me it seems far easier to just accept my attempt and try again from scratch to make another quiet book. I did get the cripplingly critical voice of my mother saying I should be ashamed of it, but I will try again and the proof will be if the child likes it at all, my page designs are nice, and I did get him other bought presents too.
Oh the problem solving is great, I run an afterschool childcare program and the kids say `Ms Anne can fix anything' I actually teach some hand sewing when my groups are small, seeing the kids visualize a project and make it work is so wonderful
Mine is being able to tell how much things measure just by looking at them and knowing how to translate imperial into metric because I was forced to learn imperial to understand patterns and videos! I so agree with the fiber one too. I feel like it gives us a gigantic pile of knowledge to better assess the RTW clothing we would buy as well. Like I know how things will fit just by looking at an image and I know if something is poorly constructed or not it’s super useful! The mindfulness bit tho is just hyperfocus from autism for me haha And I’m still not great at cutting things because of always being shaky and proprioception issues (I know how much things measure when I look at them but my body doesn’t 😬)
I have gone back to using imperial for sewing measurements and I'm enjoying sewing more because of this and making fewer mistakes. Only time I use metric now is with fabric purchase.
I like to joke that in Canada we're bilingual, we speak Metric and American... I'm really lazy, my tape has both so I'll just grab whichever measurement means I have to do less math, and my winemaking recipes are a disaster of kilograms of honey, cups of tisanes, pounds of fruit, grams of additives mixed with millilitres of water, ounces of hops, teaspoons of other additives, and anyone's guess whether I use US gallon, UK gallon or the unofficial Canadian gallon of 4 litres :)
I’m 64 and now teaching my 36 year old daughter to sew. We have a small market business together in Australia that we make childrens clothing. Through this joint endeavour she had learned so much. I learned to sew at my mothers knee from a very young age, but although I tried to teach her as a teen, life got in the way. Through our small business she had learned about quality fabrics, quality construction, doing the small things that make a really big difference to the finished garment. She had learned to economise on fabric by fitting patterns without waste. She had learned that offcuts can be used for smaller projects that help us make the most of our profits from our fabric outlay costs. But mostly she has learned to appreciate quality fabrics and construction. The difference between a quality purchase that will last years instead of cheap makes that font last but cost the same price. She is very proud of our motto, Doing the small extra things, makes a big difference to the finished product. My beautiful daughter now mostly picks our fabrics, helps choose our range of products, does the cutting out and helps with the sewing and finishing of our products. She also is our social media manager and marketing manager. Something I could do, but she enjoys it, I’d just do it because I had too. So not only is my daughter learning incredible life skills we are having the most amazing mother daughter time ever. It has made us even closer than we were which was very close indeed. An amazing opportunity for both of us. .
Accepting imperfections. I know i will get better every time, but it's impossible to completely avoid making mistakes. Accepting this has helped me relax more when trying out new things, related and unrelated to sewing. For one, I don't have to be perfect to start doing something. And on the other hand, I even get a little bit excited when I make a small mistake, because it gives me the opportunity to learn how to fix it. Sewing has become a puzzle game in more than the obvious way!
You have a way of building us up when we don't realize we need it. Never gave it much thought, but yes I am using my math, I am resourceful, and yes I do iron well. Thank you for reminding us what we sometimes forget. Continued prayers for you sweet Evelyn!
It is so wonderful to see you. I learned to sew in school at 12 years old ( I am over 70 now). It is a skill that has stuck with me, even though I don’t sew a lot (but I own 2 vintage Featherweights & a standard sewing machine😅). Sewing taught me to read a ruler/tape measure, which many adults can’t do these days. Stay strong and you will be in my prayers 🙏🏻
Patience building…, which for me is intermittent. Sometimes I just want to get it done, but over the last year I’ve been striving for better finishes in my garments, thanks to you and some other wonderful RU-vidr’s. Also that desire for improvement in quality finishes and finer quality fabrics-linen cotton blends being my new favorite. These definitely affect my view beyond sewing as well.
Sewing should be considered the textile equivalent of a gateway drug. It has lead me to weaving, spinning, dyeing, felting, leatherwork and an ever growing collection of vintage and antique tools. I feel extra special when I put on a garment that came to my hands as raw fibre.
Everything you say is so true. One of the things I have learned from sewing my own clothes is, when I maybe see a dress or blouse that I really like to purchase and it isn't my size. I know I can buy it and adjust it to fit me. Not that I buy many clothes, but sometimes something is too good to miss. Especially a sale item.
Resourcefulness: Guess this lining is going to be a facing now! Understanding fit has been really useful because so few shops actually carry maternity clothes in person so all the info I've found on how to modify patterns for maternity has helped me guess what ready to wear pieces might actually continue to work for me in the coming months. I also have so many opinions about polyester now (Okay I have one opinion about polyester and that's that I hate it)
Sewing has given me opportunity to increase my prayer time. I am doing numerous gift projects with embroidery so as the machine stitches I pray for the one receiving it . And I also pray for you and your cancer journey, my niece had treatment that sounds much like yours. She is enjoying cancer free days now, and I pray you will as well. Thank you for all you give to the sewing community!
Very interesting! I might also add that it helps with exercising one’s patience when things don’t always turn out right the first time. Additionally, I believe it helps one become a trouble shooter. Perhaps this goes along with “resourcefulness”. 😊 Thank you for this video. You are in my prayers as you walk along this health journey…..🙏❤️
Thanks for another interesting and wise video! We know you aren't well, so we are very grateful for your encouraging videos. At 67, I have long COVID since Feb week1, I've just started doing a bit of fabric browsing now, as I've been so fatigued before...I'll have to catch up with your other ones. Wishing you well for your future health...big hugs from Redland Bay (south Brisbane)
It also helps you become better at planning projects. Because you plan and do things in steps you become more organized and better with planning future projects.
It seems to me that many quilters hate math. As a quilter, I absolutely love math and find it ironic that quilting has so many mathematical concepts that it conveys and displays. Squares, rectangles, circles, triangles, hexagons, and octagons are all mathematical entities with fascinating properties. Then you ….ahem… add in perimeter and area and stitch length and zigzag width and the list goes on and on. Mathematics is one tool to help us understand the beauty we are surrounded with. I love that you included that math provides us with a thought process for solving problems.
I think that it also is a type of physical and occupational therapy, especially if you are dealing with something like arthritis-it helps you to keep moving and going, which I think dovetails with giving you something to look forward to. It’s also helps with pain management which kinda goes with mindfulness, because if you are able to relax a bit, enjoy the journey, and get involved in your project, because it distracts you & keeps you from focusing on the pain or what’s bugging you and also among other things it releases endorphins which help with pain and come to think of it helps to ease depression & anxiety. It also can help with your head space and heart as you think about the joy and blessing/s your creations will be to someone else-especially when it turns out to be a random (or not so random) act of kindness that helps them with their journey and/or the war that that they are fighting within which often nobody else sees…..and you also have something to take pride in, ie. boosting self esteem, because in my opinion it’s not turning out a perfect creation every time it’s that you did you best, learned something and grew, and that you didn’t give up when it got tough, but finished it. Lastly it helps with growing in your problem solving skills…..🤔🤔 I think that all too often we downplay how important it is to find a hobby, sewing or something else or even a combination-something that excites us and that we look forward to doing. Thank you for sharing your thoughts about this. You have been and are in my thoughts and prayers 🤗❣️
I identify very much with others, especially on mindfullness and mental health aspects of sewing. After the Auckland flood in January, my sewing room got turned into a storage room for much of the kitchen stuff. Then, after 3 months, I decided I could actually move most of the stuff out of my sewing room, dividing it up between other rooms. I could now sew again! That's been such a life saver. Even though we are still out of our home (been 4 months now) and will be for many more months, I can go there, upstairs, and sew while the cat sleeps on my cutting table next to me. It's a little haven when our lives are unsettled with being displaced. Can't say enough for the benefits of having a hobby like sewing. Thanks Evelyn. I'm also praying for your complete recovery and healing journey. xx
I got very good at cutting accurately anything even cutting hair. I have cut other people’s hair more accurately after been cutting fabric for so long! 😂
I had not sewn for decades, until the pandemic hit, and I was stuck at home alone with nothing fun to do. I started making masks because I couldn't find any I liked. I made over 1500 masks, and donated most of them to the elderly, friends, family, and healthcare workers. Then I did small craft sewing, baby accessories and clothing, and finally clothing for myself. I sewed all through my teens and twenties, but then life got busy, and I stopped. I found your videos on line and started watching. I so appreciate your enthusiasm, encouragement, and advice. I am definitely great at ironing since I began sewing again. Also measuring and adjusting patterns to fit me properly. Thank you so much for all you do! I wish you a complete and speedy recovery. ❤
Definitely resourcefulness!! I am known for laying out patterns with so little waste there are no useable bits left!! Also patience and perseverance which carries over into everything else we do in life! I hope you are being strengthened in your journey by family and loved ones around you! Thank you for your beautiful smile and sweet, fun personality! I love watching you! Be blessed Evelyn!! 🥰
Hi Evelyn❤ Thinking about you. Thank you so much for the videos. I look forward to going to Vintage Sewing School again. I enjoyed Vintage Sewing School so much!
I was so very happy to see your smiling face! I agree that mindfulness is what truly comes with sewing. I go into my own zen place and enjoy my hobby - almost transporting me to my own little world. Praying that your journey to good health and recovery is going well. Sending much love hugs and prayers 💜💜💜
Hi Evelyn! Hey, have you considered doing a weekly/monthly podcast, or possibly uploading your RU-vid videos (audio) to a podcast? I would love to listen to you on my commute! Just a thought. I hope you are doing okay - I think of you often, just wanted you to know. Hugs! Missy
I am sooo happy i found your channel. I have been binge watching youe videos. I love your wonderful soothing voice and your wisdom rehqrding everythimg sewing. Wishes for wonderful recovery to you.
I was waiting for you to say PATIENCE. That may come under the umbrella of mindfulness but I discovered that was my past life problem with sewing, cooking and anything else that didn't happen quickly. I decided to slow down and try and make my projects more professional and learn correct techniques - thanks to RU-vid - rather than "just get it done". So now I think of unpicking as r&r and I'm learning to be so much neater and unlearning bad habits of a lifetime. All that came down to patience and I now enjoy sewing so much more.
For me, sewing has taught me patience and confidence. I'm very much a beginner and the amount of thread I've had to rip out from my fabric pieces after my sewing machine acted up (because I know how it works but do I really?) or after sewing two pieces together the wrong way around is WILD. It's taught me that you can fix just about anything with a little bit of patience and care! I've noticed recently that I've been using my sewing experiences in real life too! Trusting that I'm allowed to make mistakes and when I do, I get to be creative and work on a solution!
I grew up hating math. Figured I had little use for it and lazily got by on high enough bad grades to pass. Meanwhile, I daydreamed til I got old enough to take home-ec class because I knew that all I wanted was to learn to sew. Then it happened. And I found out I can do fractions. (I can also hang pictures straight if I prepare first.)
I think sewing clothes helps you to see how things are made or assembled. Furniture is an example, but the skills of how to assemble flat pieces of fabric into a 3D shape carries over to many other areas. At least that has been my experience. Sending good thoughts and wishes your way, Evelyn.
I think sewing has made me better at just going for it. If I make a mistake, I can always get out my seam-ripper. If the mistake is really bad, I turn to #7 on your list. I also think I'm less afraid of taking apart machinery for basic maintenance since I have to unscrew things to clean my sewing machine.
For me, sewing has made me very good at fractions. Back in the day, fractions were confusing to me along with percentages. Sewing has made me face this challenge head on, and I'm better at this than I ever was when I was young. :)
I recently hit peak resourcefulness doing a stage costume for my partner. I made a ruffle around the neckline that was bigger than I had originally planned (got too ambitious) and so it kept flopping over. It was the night before the show so what did I do? I cut up the see through acetate plastic tray that had come with a bunch of mangoes I had bought and stitched it to the top of the ruffle and the main bodice so it stayed upright. I keep telling myself I will swap them out eventually, but if it isn't broken don't fix it right lol
I used to buy clothes with cool designs on mannequins almost immediately. Now that I know how to do alterations on my basic blocks, I can deconstruct how the designs were made in my head once I see them in the shops. And then I end up not buying the clothes because I tell myself, "I can sew that".
Resourcefulness is defiantly a skill you learn! My grandparents were very resourceful sewing re-enforced that. Tetrasing the pattern pieces to make do with what you have fabric wise. Or learning colour blocking because you are shirt fabric. Being able to see the lines or silhouette of the garment which allows you to just change up the patterns you have. I can also eyeball a 1\4 inch!
Learning how to eyeball a measurement is definitely something I've picked up along the way. Hey Robin, hope the weekend is treating you well. Humidity has arrived, but other than that it's so good to have the sunshine back. - Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown/Pimisi
@@stevezytveld6585 hey Cathy. I’m really enjoying the sunshine. The humidity broke here so it’s a perfect sunny day. 22 C with an overnight of 11!! The windows are open and I’m using blankets. We could use some rain but I’m hoping that the weather will stay in this temperature range for a while!
@@robintheparttimesewer6798 Perfect weather. I'm with you in hoping it hangs out at this range for at least a few days. I just got back from taking one of our Goddaughters fishing for the first time this season. And she actually caught a fish big enough to eat (her Mum's a little hesitant about the whole thing but the kid is over the moon). Amazing the difference fishing with worms make...
@@stevezytveld6585 lol Cathy! Yes fish like worms. Doesn’t it always seem that the kids get the big fish! I remember the dock at my grandparents pulling some good size fish in. My grandfather would laugh at the people not 20 feet off the dock with their fancy boats and stuff getting nothing while the kid with a 5 dollar kids rod and a worm was pulling up keepers. I miss fishing and boating. We always had canoes when I was a kid. It was so peaceful to just canoe around
@@robintheparttimesewer6798 Mmm, I miss being in a canoe, it's been years. The outdoors club used to do Wed night paddles around Meech Lake for the after work crowd. Being in a canoe sounds like an amazing childhood... I need some sort of cheat sheet to get better at identifying fish. Thankfully we weren't the only ones on the dock so we could ask. The area gets buzzed by the Conservation Officers on the regular and I fish with my Granddad's gear. Don't want a fine and don't want to loose the gear... I'm thinking some sort of sketchbook based note-pad for the different species around here. Yeah, the people in the expensive boats... we had one going by when the Kid reeled in her first-ever fish. Priceless. And, yeah, worms. Haven't used them the past three years. Also haven't caught a fish in that time... Keep it simple, right. My balcony planters I use for the vegetable patch are about to get seeded with worms.
Could you please give us an update on your health? Btw, patience and perseverance have helped me in sewing and learning to go to bed 🛌 before the frustration sets in.
“Mindfulness” 😂🤣…Evelyn you had me cracking up on that one! OMG! So many times I’ve been up until midnight on a weekday/workday and going to work so tired all because I wanted to finish “one little side”. Only to find that I did it wrong and now I’ll need to use the dreaded seam ripper 😤. If only I had stopped and worked on the next day with fresh eyes. So, I guess I’d have to say…my patience has gotten better since I’ve been sewing 😆. Also, my thrift store shopping has changed. I don’t really go there to buy clothes (but if I do buy a garment, I’m touching it, turning it inside out, stretching it 😂) but, now I go to buy sheets, blankets, tablecloth’s etc. to make my own clothes😊.
Evelyn, thank you for the tips as sewing for so many years it has gotten me out of my depression so many times. When I feel depressed, I know that if I go into my sewing room and look at my patterns/fabric and decide what to sew, it will help me stop feeling sad or depressed. Sewing is my addiction and for me I cannot live without it. Evelyn, you look wonderful, and I pray that you are doing well, and your health is better, and your cancer is gone. It is so nice to see you making videos again as I enjoy them so much and learned so much from them. Take care, have a good day and stay safe.😀❤👃
I think sewing made me look at things more closely. I learned not to rely on just 3 body measurements, but to check many other measurements that may need tweaking. Same applies to lots of things. Keeping you in my prayers Evelyn. You are a brave woman, yoy are going to win. Love that gorgeous blue and white dress by the way!
I work in an office for my day job, and I always say that sewing has taught me better project management skills than any of my actual jobs - too bad I can’t put that on my resume 😂
I think you should put on your resume. I work in the printing industry as a publishing expert, and specialize in long documents (like research reports and operation manuals). I am good at it because I sew and can relate to the attention to detail that's required.
I just landed a job after a 5 month search, and I will say, they asked about my passions outside of my professional life and I discussed my creative problem solving approach in sewing and they recognized that clearly I am someone who seeks out challenges and pushes myself to learn new skills. In my previous job, I saw clients resumes, so I have seen thousands of resumes and it is totally valid to include hobbies on your resume!
I have dyspraxia, which makes visual spatial/ coordination super difficult. I definitely find sewing helps me with other tasks that require all of the above. I do, however, have to be consistent as I forget how very quickly
Remember when our math teachers said we wouldn't always have a calculator when we need one? Then came the smart phone!😂 All of your observations are true. For me, it is identifying fabric. If I pick up a garment and my immediate reaction is 'ew', it is probably poly or a high poly-content blend. I hope your treatments are going well!
Sewing has been such a gift for me. When I was a young woman, petite sizing didn’t exist and sewing allowed me to make clothing that actually fit me! Sewing has definitely improved my spatial comprehension as well as my ability to trouble shot fitting issues. Sewing brought home to me the importance of following directions and proceeding in a methodical manner. Most of all sewing has improved my ingenuity for clothing, window treatments, home decor, and allowed me to have things that otherwise would have been out of my budget. I truly hope you are navigating your road to recovery with an eye on self care. I hope you feel the love and prayers we send your way.
Knowing how to sew has made me more creative. You learn that you can experiment and make your own patterns, not just for apparel, but things like bespoke bags and organizers.
I thought I was a patient person before I started to sew seriously, but boy has sewing really enhanced that. It's taught me to take things one at a time, breaking down big constructions into little steps and accepting when I needed to pick out stitches and redo things to get them right.
Great video, as usual, Evelyn! Each time you come to my thought, I think along the lines of illness being no part of you. Not part of the package. Wellness and harmony are, just as in math and music, or as "the desert blossom[ing] as the rose."
I'm left-handed, the scissors thing was early learning for me. No scissors I had access to "just cut" anything ever, not without holding them JUST SO and learning to apply enough pressure with my hands to force the blades to do their job... Not till I got lefty Fiskars in my teens. Then I found out when I got a new pair a couple years ago that they were hinged righty but with lefty handles... so I still have an odd habit of looking over the far side of my scissors when cutting lines that I have to remind myself not to do when I'm using my new lefty Fiskars! I still have no fashion sense but since I started learning about proper fitting vs cramming your body into off-the-rack shapes, I spot fitting issues and badly sewn darts like crazy, as well as unflattering styles worn on certain body types.... even though I literally am the type to do my grocery shopping in black red and white Santa Skull PJ pants... I'm more likely to be trying to figure out what to make out of a piece of fabric I have than to be trying to get the most out of a bought piece big enough for a pattern, so my spatial awareness has improved, though I still often use graph paper to make a scale drawing of my fabric so I can block out all the pieces I need so I can figure out if I need to do things like shorten the sleeve length to get a bit longer hem or more room across the chest. I like the mindfulness and peace (till I stick myself, anyways, no matter how mindful I'm still a klutz) of hand sewing, it's almost as good as beekeeping for making one plan ahead and also consider every action as one performs it...
As many left sewing scissors as I would buy, my kids would destroy. I became really proficient with a a rotary cutter. I even have a tiny one for curves. I did finally concede and buy proper sharpenable sheers. I understand about the righty hinges, it’s a hard habit to break with left scissors.
My grandmother sewed dresses for her mother, sisters, and aunts when she was 13 years old, back when dresses were floor length, long sleeve, and high necked, on a treadle machine. She wanted to be a dress designer but her father wouldn't allow it. When she married and had my mom she would go into NYC and look in the high end store windows, sketch what she saw and make them. She also designed clothes for herself and her daughter and would see them in the store windows later which proved she was a talented designer. You mentioned, Evelyn, the waste of fabric when following pattern layouts. I started doing my own layouts years ago. I would give my grandmother the remnants and she would make outfits for herself using my leftovers. I was always amazed at how she did that. My mom was also a great sewer. My sister and I never had store bought dresses. She even decided to make my dad a suit with all the detailed tailoring. She never did tailoring before and the suit turned out beautifully. My proudest accomplishments were designing and making my sister's wedding suit. I also made a mix & match wardrobe for my niece's 3 week long trip to France with her grandfather. She had 45 possible outfits from the pieces I made for her. She's now in college and learned to make her own pattern. She sewed the dress from a piece of fabric I gave her from my stash. It looks like we have a fourth generation sewer in the family!
You are so happy with the skillful women in your family. My paternal grandmother had sewn a lot for her children and grandchildren and I'm sure she would have loved to show me but she left us when I still was a very young child. No other sewist in my family. No sewing courses in school. I've had some sewing lessons in private courses in my twenties. And now, 30 years later, I try to find this special knowledge our grandmother's didn't find special at all.
I love th thought that I (amd my daughter) need not be a "fashion victim." We can actually have desingns that we CHOOSE, that FIT us, and control the modesty considerations! (Finding fabric is sometimes the biggest obstacle). I also appreciate the pacing, the making of trials, keeping of records and templates, the machines, and aspects under the category of mindfulness. That appreciation was not there when I was younger, but it has grown over several years of sewing. Along with your many followers, I am sincerely praying for you and celebrating your beautiful spirit. THANK YOU EVELYN!!!
Oh you are so right with all your points. I am definitely more precise then I ever was, now that I’m Sewing clothes. Wishing you all the best and a speedy recovery.
Totally agree about the mindfulness! It’s so absorbing, and I’ve developed the patience to not take short cuts. If a seam needs to be unpicked and resewn, then so be it. I don’t rush like I did when I first learned as a young girl. It helps to have something to listen to in the background, music or an audiobook. I rely on a calculator somewhat but I’m very visual so I often have to draw my own diagram to help me. Also, know that people all over the world are thinking about you and praying for you to make a full recovery. You are loved!❤
Ooo! I’ve got one. Patience!! Better at being focused and having the patience to complete an unglamorous, tedious, unsexy task, like unpicking a seam that wasn’t right. Well it is a skill that translates to every aspect of life. If a task at work needs to be corrected, I’m more patient and less stressed about making a correction. I know I’ll be happier with the result. ❤
Mindfulness and resourcefulness. Following pattern instructions will make you REALLY GOOD at following ikea style directions. Helped my cooking skills too! Following recipes.
Almost always do the math on paper and then check with the calculator. Helps me when I’m working and a customer asks me a math question and my mind goes blank and I have to remind myself to breathe, just breathe....
Maybe I started sewing because I already did a lot of these! I have always been a feeler when it comes to fabric, always needed to know the fibre. But I will say that I was in a meeting last week and realized that I now know how to convert cm to inches without looking it up.
I'm a beginner and I can already quickly notice mistakes in stitches in store-bought clothes! (Or if they ARE well done, too 😊). God bless you, Evelyn Wood!
Mindfulness? ABSOLUTELY!!! I wish I had a penny for the number of times I've looked at my watch and said to myself "Why aren't you in bed, you have a Dr.'s appt. in the morning?" I may be taking it too far, but I forget to eat dinner. I've lost much weight since I started sewing.
