I’m not one of those people who grew up sewing.

Instead, I learned to sew because I majored in Textile & Apparel Design.  While I learned how to design and make my own patterns, I struggled with construction basics like making sure seams matched and remembering to add facings.  

The underlying problem? No one ever taught me how to sew garments together.  I’d never looked at, let alone studied, commercial patterns and I had limited experience using them.

Needless to say, there were plenty of mistakes, seam ripping, and tears of frustration. I called my grandma more than once to help me get projects finished the night before they were due.

Then add the complication of choosing the right fabric for my skill level, instead of the fabric I liked because I was an aspiring fashion designer. Fabric became another element for disaster. Thankfully I was required to take several textile classes as part of the curriculum.  Understanding textiles became my super power–knowing how to choose the perfect fabric for a project made sewing easier, enjoyable, and WAY more successful! 

Through trial, error, and persistence, I figured it out. When I go back and look at my college projects I laugh at how poorly they were constructed and how little I knew back then.  Don’t get me wrong, I still make mistakes.  It’s just that now I know how to fix them.