Today author Jamie Brazil joins us
to dish about the other creative passion that she always makes time for...
Author Jamie Brazil
Title: A Stitch in Time…
Not many people
know this about me, but I sew. I love
sewing. Probably because it has to do
with clothes. Another love of mine.
Like many women,
my mother taught me to sew. Sewing, it
seems to me, is part of the whole (old school) Slavic-female culture. Not sewing is not an option. My mother’s mother, Baba, taught her to
sew. There’s sewing history here. I own, and sometimes wear, a 1960s flannel
shirt my Baba made for my Didi (Grandfather).
Somewhere in my mother’s cedar chest is Baba’s silk wedding gown. Home-sewn in 1916.
Sewing relaxes
me. And I’m surprised that I don’t
unfold those wooden panels and raise the sturdy metal machine more often. My sewing machine was handed down to me like
the family jewels. It was my mother’s
wedding gift from my uncle. Top of the line in 1965, this Singer was the last
model to have all metal parts. Not a
speck of plastic!
I learned to
thread its mechanisms, replace the needles, and even oil the gears
regularly. It’s the definition of
sturdy.
Over the years,
my sewing machine has repaired the 1999 Ford Escort seatbelt my dog ate, mended
pillowcases, hemmed pants and skirts (I’m short, so there’s been A LOT of
hemming!), made button holes, seamed quilts, and stitched countless dresses and
skirts I wore to church.
So why don’t
make more time to sew? I gave up sewing
my own clothes long ago. These days, my
Singer tends to be used for practical purposes.
My mother-in-law, also lacking in physical stature, has a stack of pants
waiting to be hemmed. But even hemming
is relaxing. Measuring, cutting, firing
up the iron, and pinning the edges into place.
There’s a certainty, a confidence, to this process. Not defined well by words, it’s a process
that must be experienced.
It’s my history.
And it makes me
long to tackle a more complex project. A
quilt? A winter coat? Or that dog pack -- the one with the multiple
compartments I saw in a store and knew I could create for a fraction of the
cost? Whatever my next project will be,
I know my mom is there for back up, and that my Baba will be cheering me on in
spirit.
Let’s connect on
Goodreads
and Facebook! Jamie
Wow, and I thought I sewed a lot with the quilting I used to do before I started writing. Gotta get back to that.
Meanwhile, follow us on The Resolution Tour. Today I'm @ Jenna Bayley-Burke's helpingher us all eat healthier. (No, it's not a diet) See you there!
THE RESOLUTION TOUR - January 1 - 9, 2013
Wow, and I thought I sewed a lot with the quilting I used to do before I started writing. Gotta get back to that.
Meanwhile, follow us on The Resolution Tour. Today I'm @ Jenna Bayley-Burke's helping
Cathryn Cade
... red hot romance!
THE RESOLUTION TOUR - January 1 - 9, 2013
Maggie Jaimeson - Take a Vacation
Jessa Slade - Get Organized
Paty Jager - Volunteerism
Linda Mercury - Creating a Literary (or Creative) Life
Jenna Bayley-Burke - Eat Healthier
Cassiel Knight - No More Procrastination
Cathryn Cade - Take Time for those OTHER Creative Passions
Su Lute - Reduce Stress: Find and Follow Your Bliss
Jamie Brazil - Shrink My Closet
Jamie, we have the sewing gene in common! I had a Singer just like the one you mention that was my grandmother's. I loved it and gave it to my daughter because it was so hassle free. I now have a standard Singer without all the bells and whistles and I've had to take it in twice to be fixed. *sigh* plastic.
ReplyDeleteIt is a sewing gene! My sister got it, too. Now my niece -- and she's only six and got her first toy sewing machine for Christmas. Those older machines are the best. My mom has a super-deluxe rig and her motherboard has blown with power outages, plus other issues. But she sews more than anyone I know and loves the modern bells and whistles. Somedays I think I'm stuck in another era... one without computer chips.
DeleteWow two sewers in this group of writers! I had a Singer just like the one you mentioned. It was passed to me by an Aunt. I had it all through high school, college, and my first marriage. They are wonderful machines. Straight forward and go forever. I can't remember where it ended up (that was more than 30 years ago). Probably with another relative. All this sewing talk really makes me want to get another machine--nothing fancy, just a basic back, forward, hem, and MAYBE buttonhole (I've never done buttonholes on a sewing machine but I've seen it demonstrated. What a time saver.) Question. Do the machines that hem actually do invisible hemming like you can do by hand? That would be a time saver.
ReplyDeleteI prefer the machine-sewn invisible hems! But some fabrics are best-suited for handsewn hems. It is a wonderful machine and I am ever-grateful my mother gave it to me.
DeleteCathryn, thanks for having me on your blog today!
ReplyDeleteI was an avid sewer for years, actually collect antique sewing machines in full size and kids size ;) The hand crank Singer from turn of the century and the White Treddle are my favorites :)
ReplyDeleteHave tackled everything from quilts to doggie beds and toys, kid's clothes to home decore. Since I started writing, have not had time ;) Keep saying I will take a day here and there just to sew, but so far have not done it.
Doing something you enjoy is relaxing and thanks for sharing you love of sewing.
Wishing you luck with book sales too ;)
When I was a teenager and a then a young woman with kids at home I made most of our clothes. Even brought an antique treadle home from England. Now sadly my sewing machine has been retired, though I keep it handy, just in case the bug bites.
ReplyDelete