A Sewer Was Born.

So, if you are wondering how I ever got into sewing....this is it.  I am giving all the credit to my oldest sister, Jeanne.   Without her first sewing machine, and basic knowledge of how to use it, I probably would never have owned my first machine.  We used her machine to make various craft projects, but I had never, ever, attempted sewing any sort of apparel.  Craft projects do not need to be accurate.  As a matter of fact, imperfect is perfect for homemade crafts. Right?  That was always my motto (still is for most things I make:)
Anyway, I will never forget the first time I attempted to make something 'important'.  My oldest son was 7 months old when he was baptized.  I hadn't planned on waiting that long, but it was important to me that my sister, Jeanne, be his Godmother and she hadn't ever been Confirmed.  So she agreed to do the classes and I agreed to wait to have him baptized.  Since he was being baptized so late, he wouldn't fit in the gown that my brothers and sisters and I wore.  I was feeling really guilty about this, so I decided I needed to make his Christening outfit so that it would hold some kind of special meaning.
I sat at my (barely used) sewing machine with my computer and a pattern.  I had never read patterns before, didn't understand any of the terminology, but I was determined to do it.  After using a sewing dictionary online, and many of ripped stitches, I finally came out with this...

Was it perfect??  Not even close.  But it was enough to make me feel pretty proud.  That was all I needed...with the completion of one outfit, a sewer was born.

If you are new to sewing or thinking it may be something you want to try....Go for it.  My thought on life is that it is way to short to not give things a shot.  What have you got to lose, anyway?  If it turns out it is not something you enjoy, don't do it anymore.  If you are able to muster up the energy to finish and in the end you didn't think it was that bad, then try making something new.  You gotta start somewhere.  Here is my disclaimer though... Learning to sew is NOT easy!  It's not supposed to be.  Nothing new is EASY!  It always takes work and experience. The more experience you have, the easier it gets.  Don't sit behind a sewing machine and think you're going to get it on the first try.  Stitch rippers are your friend.  No big deal if you have to rip a stitch.  Try it again.  And again....and sometimes, AGAIN!  It can get a little frustrating.  But I promise you, keep a positive outlook on the experience and you will have a positive outcome.  If you are ripping stitches and thinking, "Why can't I get this right?"....."This is so wrong" you are not going to want to do it again.  When I rip stitches, I am always thinking, "How can I make this right?"....or "Oh, that's what I did"!  I try to never allow myself to feel frustration.  I would put a project down and go back to it before I allow it to get the best of me.  Every mistake you make is a way of helping you understand how to do something better.  

Stay positive and dust off that machine.  If I can do it....you can too!