One Year of Sewing

There is something going on with anniversaries right now, I feel them coming without consciously thinking about them. I started my blog on my 1-year-anniversary of serious knitting (here).
Yesterday I completed the last date on my "sewing card" from my sewing school classes, the card is full now.



(the other side is full, two)

With a curious feeling I looked up last year's calender and guess the date of my first sewing lesson: 20th January 2010, exactly one year ago, of course. That's sewing coming to a full circle (on a full moon... ). Before I get too esoteric and all, let's look at the hard facts of this year, the results. Fasten your seat belts, we start our trip through the marvelous land of sewing.

January/February 2010
Shortly after I re-fell in love with knitting, I felt that I also wanted to learn to sew. I knew how to sew on a button or mend a hole in a sock, but I had never learned it at school. Truth be told, as a child or teenager I was not keen on sewing, I preferred knitting and crochet. Clothes came magically from somewhere and landed in a shop. My mother used to sew a bit when I was young, but I wasn't attracted. That changed at the beginning of last year. I bought some fabric and enrolled at a sewing course.





No need to sew a pillow or an apron first, start with a real thing you like, the seamstress said. I had never used a sewing machine before, so that was exciting. And even though the needle broke at the first session, I made a little summer dress for my daughter over the following weeks.



The pattern is Burda 9885.



At the end of February I changed to another sewing school, at the fabric shop Tuchfühlung in Oldenburg, where I stayed until now. Only words of praise for them, and for my sewing teacher Cornelia in particular. Great creative atmosphere and professional tuition in small groups.
And I even made friends there.

March 2010



a spring scarf with doilies



I wore it in April, even took it abroad as you can see in this post. The lovely idea comes from Amanda Blake Soule's book Handmade Home - Simple Ways to Repurpose Old Materials into New Family Treasures.

April / May 2010
Something for my mama, in her favourite colour.



Burda 8043



June - September 2010
Something hippie-esque also for me. A long dress. Burda 7682



Now I got megalomanic. The cutting out of the fabric took me six hours alone. It took me all summer to sew. When the dress eventually got finished in September, it was already too cold to wear it.



It is still waiting for its Big Day.

But in between, at the beginning of August, we welcomed my first sewing machine to our house.



With the arrival of it I started the pillow production.
All made from vintage fabric from my mama's sewing days.







The blue pillow was for a friend who had just had her baby boy. Pillow for baby, eye pillow for the new mama - for the relaxed moments (she had come to my prenatal classes, too).







a towel rug for our bathroom

and BAGS!



tutorial here



(let's throw in some knitting just for fun)







The pattern for this bag is Mama's Bag, also from Handmade Home, just like the eye pillow and the towel rug. The following bedtime bag for my daughter is from Soule's The Creative Family, blogged about here.



cat`s couch cushions with a touch of crochet



another great tutorial here

September - November 2010
the wall pockets I blogged about, some mending here and there

December 2010
yesterday's skirts

That's it! Thank you for your attention.