Sewing truly is a lost art. It's an art because it requires creative talent. It's lost because only a small percentage of people (traditionally, women) know how to thread a needle, and then know what to do with it.
My mom learned how to use a sewing machine in her high school home economics class. My grandmother made her children's clothes. She was born in the middle of the Great Depression, when sewing was a vital skill for women. Today, we buy our clothes "ready-made." I admit, I've never made a piece of clothing. However, I do mend my own, and my friends' and family's. I'm constantly hit up for repairing the crotch of a favorite pair of jeans, a hole in a t-shirt neck or sleeve, or sewing on a button that popped off. They sit and watch me work, and are continually amazed when their items are as good as new just minutes later. They don't have to throw out those jeans, or the shirt, and a lost button doesn't mean the item of clothing is useless. I'm happy to mend things for them. It's a simple, basic skill, and it amazes me that I'm one of the few people my age that have it.
What I sew for my own enjoyment varies with my mood. I've made and sold sock monkeys for many years, but my passion is quilting. I'll be using this blog to track the progress of the quilt I'm currently working on, the techniques I'm learning, and the many other various projects that pop up along the way.
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