Following inspiration

Exploits in new sewing adventures!

With art-making as my livelihood, it can sometimes be difficult to fit in creative projects for myself. After I painted “44 Birds” this past winter, however, I was suddenly (and somewhat inexplicably) inspired to make fabric out of the painting which I could then use to create a vintage dress for wearing to art shows. I have a little experience with creating simple repeat patterns (and even had a fabric design class back in my college days - gasp, before we used computers for such tasks). This design was a bit more complex. But, with a bit of effort and with my new iPad & Apple pencil, I eventually managed to work out a repeating pattern. I then found myself a vintage pattern that I thought would work well with the design and ordered the appropriate yardage using Spoonflower¹. And now, with the fabric freshly arrived on my doorstep, it’s time to see if I can move inspiration to action!

I haven’t sewn much over the years and quite honestly, I usually end up with a tangle of threads in my bobbin when I do. I’ve managed to hem a skirt or patch a busted seem here and there, but I’m hoping the sewing knowledge I gained from my mother in my youth is still somewhere in the recesses of my mind, just waiting for the perfect project to ignite a little sewing enthusiasm.

My mother earned her degree in Home Economics at the University of Washington in the ‘60s and briefly taught the subject before eventually starting a family and staying home with my brother and me. I am told finances were a little tight in my younger years, but I never knew back then. We entertained ourselves with plenty of outdoor hikes, fishing, playing tennis on the public courts, and creative activities and games encouraged by my parents. We were lucky in that our summers were free - my dad provided for the household by teaching High School Math while my mom made the most of our monthly budget - cooking all our meals (often using foods from her well-maintained garden) and sewing all our clothes. Granted, we often ended up in things like matching swimsuits as a family, but everything was perfectly tailored and, for better or worse, I often picked out the patterns and fabric myself. (My favorite childhood outfit was the plum-colored, corduroy, 3 piece skirt, vest, and jacket combo - with matching button-down flower-patterned dress shirt.) From tennis skirts to prom dresses - my mother made nearly everything I wore until adulthood.

Needless to say, to entertain a young child while busy making clothes for the family, my mother taught me to pin patterns to fabric, cut around the pattern tabs (or are those notches?), and sew basic seams. I don’t recall ever finishing a whole project myself, but I watched my mother finish many, many projects over the years. In the process of allowing me to help, she also taught me an important lesson - by taking your time, reading instructions carefully, and being brave enough to make that first cut - you can learn to create almost anything. Her can-do attitude definitely influenced me!

So here I go - reliving my childhood memories and ready to take measurements, cut patterns, re-acquaint myself with interfacing, and pull out that box of pins and the sewing machine I haven’t seen in a while…

And if I’m lucky (and manage to successfully finish this project), and if you live in the Corvallis area, maybe you’ll see me at the Corvallis Fall Festival proudly wearing my 44 Birds Vintage Dress!

See you soon!

~ Jennifer

1. In need of original fabric for your next sewing project? You can see my full line of fun new bird designs in my Spoonflower shop below.