February 20, 2012
The Thrill of the Find!
I’m certain it’s not quite the same as skydiving or bungee jumping, but there is an adrenaline rush that occurs when discovering a vintage fabric stash! Just this weekend, I was trolling an antique mall and sure enough, there they were! I tried to remain calm, cool and collected… I’ve been able to perfect this technique over the last few years. It’s important not to let on how totally gaga you are over the find when trying to purchase at the lowest possible price. Which is also another thrill to be had; the thrill of the bargain!
I was able to welcome four amazing fabrics into the family, and at an extremely reasonable price. Another successful treasure hunting experience. There is such a satisfaction in this for me. I know that when I put them on display in their best possible light at Sew Vintage, the world will be able to re-discover them and they will fulfill their purpose to become something beautiful in someone’s life and home.
The thrill of the find is just the beginning of this incredible experience. But it is certainly one of the most enjoyable aspects of being a vintage fabric fanatic!
🙂
February 12, 2012
Jr. High
It was 1978 and I was about to start my 7th grade year. We had moved over the summer and I would be going to a new school with all new kids. The school was an older one, setup more like a high school. All the rooms were entered from inside hallways and the building was huge and quite lovely. It was located in a fairly affluent area and you could tell.
I had signed up for sewing as one of my electives and was so excited to start that class. The room was amazing! It was huge with gorgeous machines and cutting tables and absolutely everything you could ever imagine would be in a real sewing classroom. One wall was all windows that let in loads of natural light. I was in awe and it was the first time I really knew I loved this stuff…
Our first project would be a simple skirt. We were given a list of supplies to obtain and had to have these things the following week. We then spent the first week familiarizing ourselves with everything in the room and our machines and sewing terms and such. By the end of that first week, I was so excited to start that first project, I must have been quite obnoxious about it.
About one block away from our house, there was an old fashion two-story department store, Bergman’s. They of course had a fabrics and notions department. This was still a very popular staple of small department stores like this. I loved to go there whenever I could.
My mom and I went and picked out all of the supplies for my skirt project. I picked out this tiny cotton calico print with a chocolate brown background. It would have hook and eye closures, but no zipper. The pattern was a Simplicity “Jiffy” – which I still have (of course).
The following week, we started our project by cutting our patterns and then our fabric. We received instructions on how to pin and match the notches from the pattern. I remember all of the basic sewing instructions and tips we were taught and how nervous I was to start sewing my fabric pieces together. The machine seemed to roar out of my control and would sew much faster than I wanted it to. This was one of my first episodes of perfectionism. I wanted it to be so perfect, but it clearly was not, which frustrated me terribly. By the time I was finished, I was just glad it was over… that makes me laugh now.
I wore the skirt to school a couple of times, I think I felt obligated to. I kept it for a long time. I may still have it somewhere… I remember examining it years later and deciding it wasn’t nearly as “bad” as I had judged it way back then.
February 7, 2012
So much fabric, so little time…
I remember my little grandma sewing on a dark brown, textured steel machine when I was very little. Maybe four years old. She could make anything. She sewed for other people and sometimes didn’t get paid for her work. She made me my first quilt when I was just a baby and it was my blankie until there was nothing left of it. She made barbie clothes for my dolls and sweet little jumpers for me. Once, she made me a bathing suit from a terry cloth towel – so cute!
I remember my rich grandma’s fabric stashes and how I would sneak into them and fondle all the amazing fabrics she had collected from her world travels. She didn’t sew, but she came from women that sewed and she loved fabric, with a passion!
These are the first memories I have of fabric and sewing and such things. For as long as I’ve been on this Earth, I have been drawn to and obsessed with fabrics and trims and buttons and all these wonderful things. I know there are many others out there like me… you know one when you meet one. 🙂
carisewvintage 