I imagine all of you who’ve been reading this week have realized we’re in the throes of moving.
In particular, we are Moving Home. After five years in the Big City (or the Western Canadian equivalent, anyway, which my American co-workers assure me isn’t anything like actually big), we’re moving back to our hometown, which thinks it’s a big city only because there’s no comparison within easy driving distance.
As with any such move, I’m a little torn. Part of me is excited to be back around the friends and family I’ve missed so much. Part of me feels like we’re admitting failure, running back to the small and familiar. Part of me is sad because I know it won’t be the same, regardless.
But on the sewing front, despite the intense tragedy of losing my in-home sewing room (current plan is to set up at my mother-in-law’s house, a few blocks away), I’m actually pretty excited. About (I know!) sewing for other people.
Aside from my the assortment of nieces, I am excited about sewing for my sisters-in-law and my mother.
My stylish sister-in-law is close to my size, but she’s a classic pear shape, very different from mine. We’ve been stealing each others’ clothes since we were teenagers (yes, I was still a teenager when I met her…) , with varying degrees of success. And she’s kept my children for a full month every summer for the last five years, with little or no recompense, so a bit of sewing is the least of what I owe her. Also, I’m pretty sure her figure is more-or-less what Tyo is going to end up with in a few years, so hopefully I can get ahead of the curve there. 😉
My crafty sister-in-law is a little bigger than us, and curvy, with a classic hourglass shape. She’s the only person I’ve ever measured who actually has bust, waist, and hips in the same size by the pattern envelopes, although probably she needs a smaller size in the shoulders. She’s also one of those people who never wants to spend the time and money on herself to look as good as she could—she wears oversize clothes, whatever she can pick up cheap. I’d like to help her feel as beautiful as she actually is, although how receptive she’ll be remains to be seen.
And then there’s my mother. The woman who taught me to sew. The woman who sewed the Grad Dress. The woman I learned style from, even if my style has never been on the same planet as hers. And one of the biggest crimps in my mom’s style over the years has been fit—she has the same short waist, long limbs, and square shoulders that I have, Â plus a full bust—so I’m excited to get her at least a few items that actually fit, both her body and her style.
Then there’s my (almost) fifteen-year-old niece (daughter of Crafty, for those attempting to keep track). Not sure if I want to sew for her or not. I mean, I’d love to if she wanted to. (I’d love even more if we could sew together and it could be that rarest of things, adult-teenage bonding time) But it would have to be very niece-led. I have zero interest in creating something for a teenager they’re not going to wear. Â And of course there’s my little nieces, who are enjoying their new dresses.
Don’t worry—I promise I’ll extract blog-modeling promises before embarking on any of this non-selfish sewing.
But first I need to get that sewing room set up!
Tanit-Isis Sews 