Hi there! I'm a retired opera singer / budding software engineer / active crafter. I've made a commitment to stop wearing fast fashion and to wear/make clothes I truly love!
Growing up, I thought it was normal to make your clothes instead of buying them. My mother was an avid seamstress by necessity (long limbed in an average-limbed world) and preferred to make our clothes instead of purchasing them. I recall quite fondly the times spent watching her cut, press, and sew with her trusty model 201 Singer sewing machine. It was just about as old as her and was an absolute work horse.
Eventually, in spite of my well-made (and quite out dated) wardrobe, I discovered the magic of being able to go to the store, pick something out, and wear it immediately without waiting for someone to finish sewing it. Sure, they rarely fit perfectly, but that was beside the point! I ultimately still valued being able to make my own garments and to mend them, so I followed in my mother's tradition of collecting fabrics and I dreamed of having my own sewing machine just like hers some day.
I sewed professionally for a bit, first at the theater's costume shop at my university -- where I learned most of what I know -- and later at a bridal shop. I stayed there much too long.
I ultimately decided to move onto more sustainable and fulfilling work, and to sew solely for myself and for the joy of having well-fitted, well-made, beautiful garments... trouble was, I didn't have a sewing machine to call my own!
That is, until March of 2020 ~~ when I found my dream sewing machine, or something close enough to it: a model 66-16 Singer, in its original 1948 cabinet, in mostly perfect condition -- well-loved, but well taken care of. I oiled it up, replaced the worn leather belt, and am now ready to make my dreams come true.
And this, dear readers, is how my sewing story begins.
