Challenge Yourself (A Sewing Blog)

When I first started seriously sewing, I thought I would never try making my own patterns. I was sure it was a task I could never master and had no desire to try. What changed was actually that I had an old pattern my adoptive mother gave me. It was a 1970s sundress that Mama had used to make me little outfits when I was around four years old. My youngest daughter was seven when I got that pattern and it was too small for her. 

It took more than two or three tries to upsize that little sundress pattern, but when I got it right I was hooked on making my own patterns. After I learned to make a few dress and pants patterns for Twisty, I set out to make purse patterns. There are still patterns I want to try and make on m own, but haven't tried yet. I'm building up the courage to actually try to create a shirt or dress patterns with real sleeves on it. 

My point is that I was a newbie once myself. I was afraid to try new things, but once I had mastered one challenge, it motivated me to try another. I would not ask my YouTube viewers to try anything I hadn't already tried myself. I get tons of messages everyday asking me where the pattern for this or that it, but, come on people, a sundress pattern with only 3 basic pattern pieces is really NOT that hard to do yourself. One reason I tag most of my videos "sewing for beginners" is because I know a beginner CAN do it!

Everybody seems to want everything done for them, but I came from a "learn to do it yourself" childhood. I'm glad I am self-taught. If it works for me, it works and no one can tell me it's the wrong way. Think of how much more joy you'll get out of your sewing if you can say "I even made the pattern myself". 

The day will come when I might learn to make my patterns into PDFs, but when I do, they won't be free. That's extra work for me and if it takes away from other things I could be doing, I'm going to charge for it. So, why not check out my pattern making videos - which are totally free and only cost you a little of your time. You'll learn something new and you'll be so proud of yourself for it. I know I feel a little bolder every time I accomplish something new.