Talents are hard to grow - Modest Eve Sewing Studio

I’ve been told several times that I make sewing look easy. That may be true now but it wasn’t always the case. When I was 11 years old my mother purchased a sewing machine with the blue chip coupons that she collected. As I read and translated the instruction manual on how to use the sewing machine, so that she could learn to operate it, I learned who to use the machine as well. That sparked an interest in learning how to sew. I took Home Ec. in the 7 and 8th grade, even becoming a TA my last semester of 8th grade. In High School I took a Fashion Illustration class but not anymore sewing classes, I thought I knew enough.

My brother asked me to make him a pair of baseball pants. I said sure how hard can it be. He was a tall and very skinny young man, so the pants he bought were always baggy. I took a pair of his old pants and traced them, I then reduced them where I thought the needed to be reduced, I bought some similar fabric and sewed up a pair of baseball pants. As he tried them on, all he could do is laugh. I had to laugh myself. I realized that I needed to learn more.

I moved to San Diego and attended Mesa College’s Fashion Design program, which I did eventually finish with an A.S. My little sister was in Junior High at the time and asked me to make her a dress for the winter ball. I measured her, went back to school and drafted a pattern from the illustration I had drawn with her guidance, I picked some fabric and sewed her dress. I put it in a box and shipped it home to her. My brother calls me asking me what I had done to Monica, he said she was crying and he could understand was my name and dress. I had made my little sister cry from the stress of not having a decent dress after opening my box and looking at what I had sent her. The fit was wrong, and the design was not what she wanted.