DIY Sewing

When I was a teen, the only reason I learned how to sew was due to my Home Ec teacher in Middle School. I don't remember her name, and I hated her at the time. I wanted to take wood shop, (how uncool was Home Ec in the early/mid 80's?) and my mom who couldn't sew a button on, made me take it.

The teacher must have seen something in me, becuase after that short trimester class in 7th grade, she made sure my mom signed me up for a whole year in 8th grade.

And sew I could. Sewing became part of my life after that. By high school I sewed my own clothes quite often or did mods of clothes (maybe this was a clue I'd be doing gear mods later?). By college I was making clothes, purses, hats and quilts to sell at concerts. I often got fed at a local bistro due to sewing talents (I traded seamstress work for meals with the manager). I did some of my first gear mods for guys who snowboarded.

I did quit sewing for a number of years, life just got in the way. This past year or so I refound my love of sewing, dragging my machines out and tuning them up.

I was going thru the library looking for books on sewing so I could show another Diva the basics of sewing (I may be needing a helper in the future with backpacking gear I am sewing...never hurts to train before needed!). Most of the sewing books were BORING. They were as snoozefest inducing as the ones when I was a teen.

Oh wait, that probably is becuase they are the SAME books! Written by the same boring authors.

I hated most sewing books. The angle of them seemed at my mom's generation (War Babies) not at my generation ( a Gen X'er). I didn't care about blind hems, french seams or anything couture. I wanted to know how to keep my machine going and to have fun.

So I was pleasantly surprised to come across a book brought out in 2006, Sew Subversive: Down and Dirty DIY for the Fabulous Fashionista by the ladies behind Stitch Lounge in San Francisco, Ca.

Now, there was a book I'd not be embarrassed to hand off to my Diva friend She would actually read it, not throw it back at me.

Take a look at this book if you have ever had any desire to get crafty!

Craftser.org is a great site to get ideas from, and again, isn't boring....