In April this year, my two boys will celebrate their birthdays. My eldest will turn 11 and my youngest will turn 9. They seem to be growing up way to fast !!
Today whilst sitting here contemplating what to write for a blog post, I was struck with how much of an influence my boys have been on my sewing. In fact, I would never have started sewing if it wasn’t for my two boys, and their sometimes very quirky fashion style.
I also owe a huge thank you to my amazing mum who gave me my first ever sewing machine 6 years ago. She informed me that I needed a hobby, but really I just think she was sick of me asking her to repair/alter and create things for us.
So I thought I’d wander down memory lane and share my sewing journey with you :)
Being a stay at home single mum meant I had to be creative when it came to clothing. Buying new clothes was a treat for us and most of our clothes came from op shops or pre loved FB pages. My boys were vehicle mad so before I learnt to sew I began by adding drawings to their plain coloured tops to make them more fun.
Finding time to learn how to sew with little ones around was not an easy feat, especially when there were many distractions.
I had no idea how to actually sew, so I decided to start with learning to applique…. My first attempts are rather embarrassing!! But my boys loved them and that’s all that mattered.
My mum had made the boys a firehouse table tent for their birthday which they were obsessed about and it was such a perfect tent to play in on rainy days, that I got the courage to create some of my own using all up-cycled materials, from old sheets and clothing that I found in the local opshops.
It was around this time that my business Little Pickers began. It was a huge shock to realise that people wanted to purchase my creations. I had only started sewing a few months prior and I was scared and very nervous to begin selling. If it wasn’t for my very supportive friends and family I would most likely still be sewing just for my family.
From there my confidence soared :) I went from basic appliques , to pushing myself to make more and more detailed and intricate appliques.
The most popluar top I made during this time would have to be the toilet top I made from chalk board cloth. Little Noah always carried around a piece of chalk so that people could draw poop in his toilet (this design was also his idea).
It was whilst we were visiting my parents in 2013 that my mum sat me down and taught me how to follow a pattern and use my sewing machine properly. I created my first ever skirt that day.
Since then I have made so many creations for my boys.
As you most likely can tell my boys have always been in charge when it comes to my creations. They tell me what they want and I do my best to create that and now my boys shop for fabric with me and draw their own appliqued designs.
A little over a year ago I discovered my love of sewing with knits and I’m now able to create so many more items of clothing for my boys.
I thought this would be easy to write but it has been incredibly hard and emotional. I have been flooded with memories of my amazing mum, who in 2013 was diagnosed with an aggressive type of cancer. She never stopped teaching me throughout it all and the last time I saw her she was lying in a hospital bed telling me how proud she was that I was creating clothes for my family.
My mum told me one of her big regrets was that she was always worried about what people thought of her and she wished she had the courage to wear what she wanted to wear and that I should never stop wearing clothes that make me happy.
I will never forget my beautiful mum and all that she has taught me and I will forever be thankful that she passed on her love of sewing to me.
