My Crafts History
Today's post is a long one!
I'm going to talk about my long history of a craft addiction.
My love for crafts is influenced a lot by my mom and my grandma (on my mom's side). My mom's always been my sewing super star, and my grandma is my knitting super star.
When my sister and I were small, we always wore matching clothes made by my mom and grandma.
I first started knitting and sewing when I was in elementary school. I only made really simple things, with a lot of help with my mom and grandma.
I made this miniature house with my mom and my grandpa!
He was also quite a handy man, he used to build a swing, a slide, a shed...so he helped me build this tiny house.
When I think about how I got into doing crafts, there are always memories of my family. I think that's one of the reasons why crafts became so enjoyable for me.
When I was in junior high, I used to do a lot of re-fashioning clothes like ripping sleeves off and attaching laces, turning jeans into a skirt.
I always borrowed my mom's sewing machine and a serger. I was lucky I had all the equipments though I didn't do much else other than those alterations.
I didn't knit much either at that time, other than a pair of mittens or a scarf during junior high.
In grade 11, I was in Canada for a year and went to hight school here during that time. I took a fashion class, made some clothes, it was fun!
There was a short period of time (I was about 19-20 years old and was back in Japan), I used to enjoy clay craft too! I don't do it anymore, but I would love to make some miniature things with clay again.
At around the same time, I started doing some needle felting too. I occasionally enjoy needle felting to this day, especially making Christmas ornaments!
When I moved to Canada in 2008, my husband gifted me a sewing machine for Christmas!
Here are what I made as practice...not great of course, but it's a start!
This is my first ever clothing that I made on my own (without my mom or fashion teacher in school's help.)
I never wore it outside though, it didn't turn out very neat. I was also afraid to wear something I made too. I kept thinking "is it pretty enough?" or "is it made well enough"?
I started doing more crocheting around 2009-2010-ish too. I like making Amigurumi!
Jewelry pieces that I wore at our wedding were also hand-made. I used kits, so I didn't design them or anything, still, I enjoyed making them.
So this is my first sweater. Yeah... you could probably say I was a daredevil for trying colourwork for my first sweater!
I was so pleased with it and was proud of myself. I still wear this.
I started to sew more and more clothes around 2009-2010. But I was always worried about the fitting, so I only made things that are loose or easy to adjust the fitting.
My first hand-made bag! I also enjoy sewing bags and pouches, in addition to dresses.
I've only started sewing more fitted shaped clothing like fit & flare dresses since 2014. So I'm still learning to get the fitting right, doing more pattern alterations etc.
Since I started using english written patterns for both sewing and knitting, I'm definitely learning more. (Before that, I only used Japanese ones.)
Sometime I get compliments like "you should sell these!" which I'm sure lots of other knitters and sewers (sewists? seamstresses?) get too. While I appreciate the compliment so much (it's really flattering!), I don't think I would ever turn my hobbies into a business.
First of all, my sewing / knitting skills aren't that great, definitely not a professional level. Secondly, I like to make things whenever I want, whatever I want. Also, I enjoy making them because at the end I get to wear it. (I enjoy making things for someone else time to time too though.) So I call myself a "selfish knitter /sewing person" :)
Some things should just be a hobby, you know?
Thanks for reading thing long post! I would love to hear(read) your stories of sewing, knitting and other crafts too!
Jun 17, 2016
