Sewing Sundays

Unlocking my true, creative self through stitching

Hi friends.

When I was in middle school, my mom taught me to sew straight lines on her sewing machine. I was the weird art kid, always spending my birthday or babysitting money on clay, paper, beads, paints, and fabric. In between making jewelry and greeting cards, I stitched little pillows full of potpourri to hang on door knobs. I even tried making a skirt out of strawberry print fabric, denim, and lace. It was absolutely hideous and I didn’t even wear it back then, but I made it!

I hadn’t used a sewing machine in more than a decade when I sat down at one in 2021. As a quarantine project, a family member taught me the basics of quilting. Matching up corners, stitching in the ditch. Those sorts of skills. With his gentle guidance, he helped me make a lap quilt out of six Ohio star blocks in red, orange, yellow, and cream. It’s far from perfect, but it hangs by my bed as a compassionate reminder to keep creating and embracing imperfection. Later that fall, I bought my own Singer heavy duty machine, recommended by a friend who has inspired me greatly and started her own clothing line.

Now on weekends or whenever I have a few free hours or I’m feeling stuck in another project, I sit at my sewing machine. It’s set up to the left of my desk in a poorly-lit corner of my office/bedroom, among plants and books and collected art. A space that stimulates imagination. There, I’ve practiced quilting more star blocks. I’ve hemmed a few pants. I’ve stitched more than a few Purl Soho’s market totes. I’ve even started sewing my own wardrobe (wearable this time) thanks to a Seamwork membership and the abundance of sewing patterns and resources online. And I earned my first battle wound when I sewed through my fingernail while making a zippered pouch.

See what I made in January and February. I’m thinking about doing monthly me-made recaps for the rest of the year to document my sewing journey. Wanna see?

I love losing track of time immersed in this craft. I love unfolding new fabric, then cutting it into the rectangles and strips needed for the project. I love the musty-but-comforting smell of pressing and steaming with an iron. I love the click-clack of the sewing machine in my quiet bedroom. I love pinching fabric between my fingers to place pins. I love trying on a garment for the first time to see how it hangs and drapes on my body. Most of all, I love what slowing down, stepping away from the screen, and working with my hands does for my mind. I had forgotten how much I loved making.

Somewhere in between my crafty kid phase and college, then moving to three different states and prioritizing journalism and my outdoor hobbies, I neglected the piece of me that loves to dream, invent, play, create. Like so many of you, I’ve had space and time during the pandemic to explore those gaps in life. I still love my other outdoor hobbies like running and climbing and hiking. But I’m finally nurturing my instinct to create, tending to the buzzing frenzy that happens inside of me whenever I have free time. It feels so fulfilling to love myself in this new-but-familiar way.

When I compare sewing to other crafty hobbies, sewing feels different because it’s the first that’s been just for me. Jewelry or cards or embroidery were always made with the intention to gift or sell. Even writing feels that way. I sell it or share it with others, like I’m doing here. And with other crafts, I usually obsess over them and then burn out. But sewing. Sewing feels selfish in the best way. In a way I’ve neglected to notice. In a way that feels sacred. Garments are based on my body’s measurements, which I now know intimately and lovingly. One shirt or skirt can take hours and hundreds of stitches spread across many days. And quality fabric is not cheap, so I make discerning purchases for my next projects. It’s slow and intentional and thoughtful and meditative. It has longevity and purpose. It gives me a creative reason to prioritize alone time. And it’s reconnecting me with my whole, complete self.

What about you? Is there something—creative or not—that you do just for you?

With love,

Amelia

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Monthly Favorites

• Smelling: This Joshua Tree-inspired candle by Good & Well Supply Co.

• Reading: Verity, a psychological thriller by Colleen Hoover now recommended to me twice. And Luster, a beautiful, chaotic novel by Raven Leilani.

• Watching: This yoga video for upper back stiffness

• Listening: My friend Subha’s 2022 playlist, full of indie bops

• Making: Bisque Trousers, the Molly Mock Neck, and a men’s chore coat

• Buying: I can’t stop giving all my money to Blackbird Fabrics

• Cooking: Vegetarian buffalo wings using cauliflower

• Writing: A roundup of hotels for adventurous travelers, a list of experiences to have on the Colorado Plateau, and a reported story on a historic bike shop