Hi Everyone!!  Thanks for all the nice comments on my latest blog.  I’ve received quite a few emails asking questions about the series on Pattern Fitting that I’m currently writing and producing.  If you missed it and are interested in reading about the series outline, you can read it here and here. I just debuted Part 1:  Measuring Properly on Monday, May 27.  All of the emails and messages have been extremely complementary and kind.  I’m truly grateful for all the support and I’m excited that so many of you are looking forward to this series that I’m working very hard to produce. The questions will all be answered as the weekly series unfolds. A few of the messages have “specifically” asked WHY I’ve decided to undertake such a HUGE project on my own, gratis and what qualifies my to write this series.  I thought I would share a little about myself with you and why I felt it was important to share this information.

Recently I read an article in the June 2013 issue of Glamour that resonated with me.  The article is entitled, “How to DIY Your Whole Entire Life”.  As a self proclaimed life long DIY’er and someone who’s recently decided to write my own series on “DIY Pattern Fitting”, I was intrigued with that title and NEEDED to read on.   I’m a true believer in the fact that things come to us when we are ready to receive them.  Have you ever heard the saying, “The teacher will appear when the student is ready.”??  The big picture might not always be clear at the time, but it will all come into focus if we’re patient.

 
It has become somewhat chic to DIY.   Gone are the days that someone would ask me where I got my dress and I would happily proclaim, “I made it!” and immediately receive a crooked smile.  You may know the one I’m speaking of?  The “oh she’s so crafty” look.  Possibly followed by the rolling of eyes??  Yeah, we’ve all been there.  Now that the recession has arrived, it’s finally acceptable to DIY. Thanks to social movements like Pinterest, Etsy and Youtube, you can either find handmade items to purchase, sell your own handmade items or find DIY videos on “how to” make pretty much anything.  It’s not only acceptable, it’s a down right good time.  I agree that DIY projects can be enjoyable and self fulfilling.
 

As a child of parents from the Great Depression, we pretty much lived our lives doing things ourselves that most other families didn’t.  My father was a dynamic, creative, spirit.  His amazing talent was born out of necessity.  He knew what it was like to go hungry.  That type of experience at a young age will make you grow up quickly and explore things in new ways.   Now, I’ve never gone hungry, but those kinds of extreme circumstances can either break you down, or teach you to get creative with the things you have.  Growing up in that kind of environment made us look at things in a different way, which in turn gave us a different perspective about DIY projects.  It really nurtured our Creativity!!

So here I am, writing a Creative Blog as well as working on producing a series on Pattern Fitting which is the epitome of DIY.  It’s very rewarding to inspire and encourage others with similar interests.  I was very lucky growing up that I had a large circle of mentors.  I’m lucky to still be in contact after all these years with several of the wonderful ladies that shared their knowledge and love of sewing with me.  But they shared much more than that with me.  They taught me  how important it is to share my knowledge and experience with others.

The “light” went off for me during the summer of 2011.  At the time I was working for a textile company as a Textile Drafter/Designer when a friend who’s a Fashion Design Professor at a local University asked me if I could arrange a tour of our facility for his Fashion Design students.  As a student myself years before, having experienced an exciting college trip to New York City while studying Fashion Design, I knew how valuable this experience could be for them.  I didn’t think the owner would allow a tour, however I asked anyway.  To my amazement he said YES!!  I was excited and the tour was arranged.  The students drove from over an hour away and all arrived early with much anticipation.  Since I was a Textile Designer/Drafter, I gave the presentation on our specialized CAD system.  I explained to bright eyes how a designers sketch is drafted into a pattern and then knitted into lace.  The process was fascinating to them to see a sketch and then the matching knitted lace sample laying on the table that they could touch.  My colleague gave the students a tour of the factory where approximately 50 multi million dollar machines knit laces 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. The students were impressed and excited to say the least.  The word I used during the presentation was “possibilities” because I wanted them to be aware of all the different possibilities that awaited them in the Fashion Industry.

Little did I know at the time the job I knew and loved for 15 years was coming to an end.  So as the end came and I started to transition into my new career, I decided to start to think about MY OWN POSSIBILITIES!!  I had such a wonderful experience with the students I helped to inspire that day and it gave me such a sense of fulfillment.  So, in addition to my career change, I decided to start this Creative Blog and share my professional experience as a Fashion Designer, Pattern Maker and Textile Designer/Drafter. There are many blogs that appeal to the new sewist/sewer teaching sewing from square one, however  I really didn’t find many blogs that appealed to the more advance sewist/sewer written from a professional perspective.  As a member of several online sewing communities and a participant in several sew-a-longs, I find it heartbreaking to continuously read how frustrated many sewists/sewers become with not being able to achieve a good fit.  The sewing skill level appears to be there, but personal fitting just alludes them.  I hope to use my knowledge and experience to help people learn to fit a pattern well and help push their creativity to a new level.  To help people realize their own  Creative “POSSIBILITIES”. To show things can be done in different ways that they might not have thought about before.  I’m excited to see where it all will take me as well.  I’m looking forward to an exciting journey filled with Creative Possibilities!!

So for me the answer to the question the article posed is simple.   Can we really DIY our whole entire life?  It’s a “Possibility”!!  Thanks for taking the time to read about me and what inspired me to start this Creative Blog and write and produce this pattern fitting series.  Through the information, tutorials, written series and designs I share here, I hope that I’m able to Nurture and Support Your Creative Spirit!!