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Testimonies: Why I sew

To many who know my family, it would seem obvious that I would want to sew. My mother is a seamstress and a daughter following in her footsteps is normal. In our household, however, normality took side step and through my childhood, I began to detest sewing. Our home was always filled with strangers getting measured up for outfits, and I was forced to wear skirts that were to long for the fashion, curling them up at the waist to be like other girls.

The childhood detesting of home made items was fueled to a certain extent by the fact that although my mothers skills were honed to the client, we got the least of her time, and the garments made for us were always unfashionable and traditional, starting at the age of 5 when my sisters and I were dressed in similar dresses that were to be our trademark all the way through school, taking away that element of choice about what we wore, and being nicknamed the triplets.

As I grew up and had children, I was faced with the reality that people can't always afford the best for their kids and even if they want them to have those things that other kids have, somewhere the line has to be drawn. Little by little I found that the skills I learned but loathed had their purpose, and that I had a natural flair for producing good quality clothing.

Now, many years from the days of necessity, one would wonder why I still sew, and the reason is that sewing encompasses creativity and the ability to make something that can't be bought in shops, adding a personal touch here and there, and making presents that people love and keep for ever, rather than buying them.

Enjoying embroidery, I found that I could produce my own patterns for Celtic motifs and that my husband could make circular frames for them, and that between us what we were producing were unique items to offer as gifts that weren't just from me but from us as a couple. Patchwork is a passion with me, and even though early childhood memories marred my beginnings at the craft, I now produce quilts for babies, friends and family, and that it has become a real passion, finding those colors and patterns of fabrics that go well together to make a project work.

Having the ability to sew opens up avenues that were never there before. For example, I really wanted to buy a cardigan which was embellished with embroidery, though found that even though I am fairly comfortable, I couldn't afford to spend that much on one item. Knitting my own modeled on the idea, my sewing came into play in producing something better than the factory produced one that has become one of my all time favorites.

Another item I make a lot is something traditional to Europe though less popular in the States, though it is such a wonderful idea that I am surprised it never took off in America. Here, the tradition is to keep the wedding gown and to make the Christening gowns for the babies with the material, thus making the circle complete, and these garments are intricately produced items that take love and devotion to their style, the embroidery and detail, and that are wrapped in tissue to pass down in a family and form part of their history.

Sewing is a pleasure to me now. I do it to relax and not so much these days because of necessity. It's more the challenge of making clothing items that fit me instead buying standard sizes that don't and making do. I even have my room for sewing and though often it floods into the different rooms of the house, if I were asked to sum up in three words why I sew, those would be the simplest ones to find

"Because I can".

Learn more about this author, Rachelle de Bretagne.
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