I ♥ Fabric

I was thinking back to when my love of fabric took hold, and it must have been when I was about 4 or 5 years old. The fabric I fell in love with was actually this dress my mom bought. I remember it was a 70's style knee-length, V-neck dress in teal blue, tied at the waist with a fabric belt. The most amazing thing about this dress was that it was printed all over with tiny motorcycles !! You had to really look closely to recognize the motorcycle print - viewed from afar the dress just looked like it had a random black/blue/red pattern. It was really funny, and I adored that dress. Too bad my mom didn't keep it. With a couple alterations it would have made a wonderful vintage dress for me! I have never seen this fabric anywhere since. I wish I could find a photo somewhere... Anyway, that's when it all started. I kept a big box under my bed where I put all my fabric swatches - cut from old cushions, scarves, curtains, tablecloths, aprons, handkerchiefs - anything that had an interesting print, especially roses. Later, when I was about 8, I sewed my first project - by hand. We didn't have a sewing machine in those days. I didn't have a pattern, it was just something I thought up - I made a tiny quilt for my doll's wicker pram! I even sewed on a bit of lace I found in a tin (actually an old Danish Butter Cookies tin), where my mom kept odds and ends and I made tiny roses out of pink satin ribbon. I was really satisfied when it was done. After high-school I wanted to become a fashion designer, and I started a few semesters, but due to circumstances at the time I had to quit and went to business college instead. I did end up working in the textile business though, travelling all over the world! And then, when I moved to the country with my hubby a couple of years ago, I decided to start all over. So I set up a small translating/tutoring business and in my spare time I sew as much as possible. I like designing new bag shapes - some of them work, some don't - but that's okay, because it's the creative process that I enjoy. And yes, I still have a box of fabric...several, in fact ☺