My first taste of sewing came in eight grade Home Ec. I learned the basics and I wanted more. In the years after, I struggled with patterns and technique but knew no one who could offer guidance. Then in January of last year, I was googling something related to sewing that led me to the first blog I ever read, Angry Chicken. The page loaded (this very one) and as I read and scrolled and read, my eyes opened wider and I leaned in closer, COMPLETELY BLOWN AWAY.
I had grown accustomed to being the only pregnant lady crocheting in the Woman's Clinic waiting room. I browsed through fabric stores alongside the grannies. I talked quilts with my Mother in law's elderly friends. But I longed for a contemporary, a young friend who I not only had sewing and crocheting with in common but also our ages and everything that would go along with that.
Monumental it was that day to "meet" someone like me. Others do exist. And according to her link list, many, many others! I am not some 'granny in a girls body' weirdo after all, but a member of an amazing sisterhood of women worldwide who embrace domestic arts and caring for one's family all the while being sophisticated, forward thinking, and modern.
I loaded page after page of her archives - sewed this dress for middle child, cross stitched this over weekend, had this sandwich for lunch- you should try it, reviewed latest sewing book, found new fabric. I loved it all. Link after link, I met new people just like her, like us, their blogs full of practical advice (I desperately need), free tutorials!, and inspiration enough for ten lifetimes.
Soooo. I love to sew and last week I conquered Amy Butler's Anna Tunic. This was my first experience with her patterns and I was so impressed by her clear instruction and illustration. A testament to this is that I FINISHED the garment AND (and this is huge) I would actually wear it in PUBLIC.
The Hair???? But the top? Cute, huh? Wearable at least! My only complaint is the circumference of the arm openings. The fabric under the arm actually touches my armpit and while that is great for modesty it is bad for someone who might sometimes on occasion have a slightly overactive sweat gland in her right armpit. BUT, that probably has more to do with my man-arms than the pattern itself. (Darn gymnastics.)
The camera did not want to focus on this fabric.
My version here is the Cami versus the longer tunic variation. I loved the tunic but I have a longer torso and short legs. The Cami camouflages that where as the Tunic would have emphasized it. This pattern will also make a minidress.
I may never meet Amy (Angry Chicken) for a shrimp Po Boy at Catfish Charley's and gush over the newest Heather Ross fabric line or spend a Sunday afternoon on her back porch, each at one end of a newly pieced quilt watching Atonement and hand sewing tiny stitches, but I know she's out there creating and telling about it. And that's enough for me.
Yeah, kindred spirits unite! Blogs are wonderful things. And the Internet is TOTALLY FREAKING AWESOME.
