happy sewing…
I will admit one of my greatest defeats up to this day… I’m fairly stubborn when I set my mind on something but there is one area where I feel utterly hopeless. The other week I got a very nice message from another textile designer ending “…Happy sewing!”. I’ve always had a sweet spot for textiles and beautiful patterns but I don’t have a clue how to sew things! To my chagrin… Give me a pottery wheel – no problem! – but a sewing machine freaks me out! My love for decorating with textiles made me a wizard with safety pins, always afraid that somebody one day would turn a pillow, or worse, sit on one of them… I finally had to stop this, as my companion avoided sitting in the sofa in fear of finding needles astray…
…or maybe not
How I envy each one of you that knows how to sew, embroider and make pretty things out of fabrics! I’ve tried many different arts and crafts and although some weren’t a natural fit for my kind of talents or my temperament I never gave in until I could use the technique to the best of my ability. Even learned how to do twined knitting when I got this crush on Estonian mittens a couple of years ago! But sewing just doesn’t seem to work with me… No matter if we’re talking sewing by hand or with a machine! I always feel like I’m sewing in an awkward direction or from the wrong angle, the fabric always twists and turns, the thread breaks and the needle pricks my finger. I feel really uncomfortable and irritated every time I try.
When seeing work from awesome designers I seriously wonder if it is possible to make it in this business of pattern design without knowing how to sew! They all seem so crafty, making baby clothes, cushions and coats… And obviously, as the above message showed, people suppose that you sew if you are into textiles and patterns. But hey, so far I managed the business of life without a driver’s license! Still… So when a close friend gave me a sewing course for my birthday last year I was very happy… until I got there. I have to confess I never passed the easy-totebag-level and in despair never went back, feeling more uncomfortable with sewing than ever! (Sorry about that, dear friend, I know you wanted to fulfill a dream of mine!).
the wonderland of fabrics
Still, I cannot resist buying fabric by the yard! Especially since I have a fantastic marketplace nearby, the Turkish market in Kreuzberg, where you can choose from hundreds of bolt fabrics for no money at all or at least very, and I mean VERY, cheap! Here you also find buttons, ribbons, laces, scissors, needles – everything a crafter would possibly need! But every time I come home with a pile of gorgeous fabrics I feel a twinge in my heart not to be able to make something out of all the fantastic ideas that runs through my head. And I start to think that maybe, I should give it a try again… Especially since SPOONFLOWER is opening a printing facility in Berlin, right here in Neukölln where I happen to live! Can’t wait to put my first order! More updates on my rocky road of sewing adventures to come!
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