by Tali

Created on: November 17, 2007   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

I was always a person with creative tendencies. Some people called me talented (I call it skill). The problem was, there are so many activities a creative person can do, to express his or herself, that I just couldn't choose! So, in order to choose, when I finished high-school, I took a year off, before going to college, to test what I'd like to do most. I registered in a few different courses, all over town; A sketching class with a top artist, a sculpting class with a talented single mom, a writing class with a group of senior citizens and a sewing class with an exiting entrepreneur.

All classes were memorable, but only sewing was new to me. It was actually accidental that I took the class in the first place! You see, It all started when I saw this 25 minute TV program on how you can make sexy halter-tops out of t-shirts, without sewing. The next natural step were a few improvised hand- stitches to finish the job. At this point, mom, being the hands-on supportive type, borrowed an old sewing-machine from a friend. Of course, me, being the accident-prone unlucky type, managed to break the thing, within a couple days. So off I went to a repair shop, where I met an atypically nice repairman man, who gave me a brochure for a sewing course. "It's highly recommended," he said, "the woman teaching this course has a second degree in costume design."

Daniella was a hard-headed woman in her mid-forties. At first she seemed intimidating, but very soon, we found our common ground. We'd talk about much more than the act of sewing. We talked about the meaning of fashion design and what it means to be an artist in this profession, our future plans, our dreams and life. She taught me, that I actually need to put the presser foot down (well, I feel sheepish...) and she taught me not to take crap from anyone.

The awful truth is, I don't like the sewing. It's like being a carpenter, with smaller tools and softer material. In the end, it's all very technical. I much prefer the act of designing. And I love wearing my creations. Sewing and cutting, however, is drudgery.

Why do I sew, then? Quite simply, it allows me to create. Yet another way to channel my creativity. I wear my creations and that's making a statement. Not just in art, but in life.

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