Over the next several weeks, we’d like to introduce you to the many friendly faces you see at Stitch Sew Shop. Each and every one of us shares a love of sewing, and we each have our own story and approach to what we do. We hope you enjoy these little peeks into the personality of each of us here at Stitch!
When you aren’t sewing, what are you doing?
I’m often modifying something. My other job is revitalizing interior spaces, working with clients to transform their living spaces with emphasis on functionality and universal design. I also have at least a few home projects to work on (sometimes with my husband), which include gardening, reconfiguring our landscape, painting our interiors, and then these lead me to new sewing projects – currently reupholstering our cushioned dining room chairs.
When did you start working at Stitch?
July 2023
How did you learn to sew?
At a very young age I watched my grandmother and my mother making clothes, tagged along to select fabric and notions, and then began sewing on buttons, cross-stitch, embroidery projects, eventually sewing on my mom’s Singer.
What was the first thing you ever made?
Pillowcases with embroidered flowers
What project are you most proud of?
Favorite semi-fitted button up dress with topstitching (that I wore to work often), and a fitted bodice with boning for the second act of the ballet Giselle.
What is your favorite thing about working at Stitch?
The joy coworkers and customers share about sewing and while sewing.
Where do you get your sewing inspiration?
Watching people strolling around town, movies, museums, dance costumes, newspaper articles, books, and magazines. My sister-in-law, Joan, recently shared an image from the book/exhibition Georgia O’Keefe: Living Modern, which was a blouse Georgia O’Keefe designed and sewed for herself with minuscule hand sewn pintucks.
Do you have a favorite sewing tool or resource?
The sewing gauge with sliding pointer. Highly recommend the Merchant and Mills Metal Sewing Gauge. I grew up relying on this tool and still do.
What is your favorite sewing tip or trick?
Tip: Enjoy the process and ultimately new adventures with each project, each pattern, each modification.
Do you have any advice for beginner sewists?
Relative to my answer to the question above, each project potentially offers new ways, methods, and techniques in a series towards completion, which impacts your growth, understanding, and capabilities. Keep learning! Same for seasoned sewists.
