Beginnings

Back in middle school home-economics, I was banned from the sewing machines: I had a knack for breaking needles, and still do. But last summer my son got into cosplay. We dreamed up costumes and plushies. And, well, we needed a sewing machine. And some lessons.

This dog would really like a costume. 

The lessons took, and we fell in love with making things. Some were beautiful, many were...awkward. Beanbags were easy. A superhero cape for the dog? Interesting. Perhaps a pattern would have helped. My son's first costume piece? Awesome! (He gets all the credit for this success.)

Then came my first attempt at a piece of clothing. I did use a pattern and was very pleased by my success installing my very first zipper. But I did not grasp the sizing instructions and I was challenged trying to modify the pattern to fit my curves. When I modeled the sheath dress I had spent days making, my son assessed it this way: "It looks like something a designer would make. With a garbage bag and stapler." Ouch! Child... I did not keep the dress.

Owls are much easier to turn inside out

I learned some important lessons along the way. 1) Giraffes are nearly impossible to turn inside out. That body just is not going to fit through that neck. 2) Try not to let your dog nap on the foot pedal. Dogs like to sew and can manage a straight stitch, but it's not recommended.


With these lessons in hand, I decided to try my hand at quilting. I found a nine-patch tutorial online, bought a book, watched some videos, made many mistakes. I discovered there was a thing called Modern Quilting, improvisational quilting, and wabi sabi: I could make mistakes on purpose! I had found my jam.

One of my first quilts, "Supernova" from Quilting Modern by Jacquie Gering and Katie Pedersen

One of my first bags, featuring the famous Tama the Cat

And then another light dawned: BAGS. I could make bags out of luxurious fabrics, bags with crazy colors and pictures of animals, bags with pockets galore. Neither quilts nor bags need to have complicated sizing instructions. I could make it all up! Curvy on Saturday and boxy on Sunday. Zippers one week and elastic the next.

And so I gave up on clothes, for the time being at least. The designers do it so well, and I love them for it. But I had found my niche. Blankets to wrap up in and bags to hold things. Sometimes a little trivet or a pillow. I get to learn and play and create with color and texture. I revel in the surprise of each unexpected combination. That's how the story begins.