i can {still} sew

September 2012- I've still got it {sort of}!  I was a very skilled sewer back in my youth.  My mom taught me to sew with her grandmother's sewing machine.  It was a Singer with all metal parts, nothing automatic or computerized about it.  I would sit at the machine in the sewing room with the window air conditioning unit humming in my ear, oldie music on the radio and mom hunched over my back guiding me through it.  My first project was an apron for a 4-H contest.  I got first place and never looked back.  Over the years I made everything from skirts to shorts, pants to blouses, dresses and jackets.  {I even made a bubble suit in the 80s- yikes!}   I won the most competitive of all sewing contests in 4-H in high school- Creative Choice at our state contest.  For this contest I enlisted the help of Aunt Sue to help me make my own pants pattern.  Of course back then I was a size zero and a half so I had to make my own pattern if I wanted it to fit!

Sewing was my path to so many great experiences.  I even met my college roommate/best friend/Godmother to my first born, through my sewing projects.  

Sadly, I just don't do it anymore.  I have dozens of excuses but none of them are very good.  About a year ago I wanted to start sewing a few small projects...mostly baby gifts for friends.  So I borrowed Oma's machine and made a few.  Since then I've acquired an older model machine that works good for these projects.

My skills are very rusty but with each new project my technique is improving and I'm remembering all those things mom taught me.  I'm just not ready to do button holes or zippers yet without her hovering over me so for now I'll stick with the simple projects.  

Here's some burp cloths I made for a friend's new baby boy.  

And these are for another baby boy that I made about a year ago.