Welcome to this blog to discover my very first post! We're going to roll up our sleeves and try to answer a big question! Well, two questions to be exact...
Answering it will also allow me to introduce myself a little bit, and to talk about what really drives me. Oh, I almost forgot, my name is Lauren (the one behind MAYA patterns), nice to meet you!
Obviously, everyone has their own vision of sewing...depending on their own experiences.
For some people it could be old scraps of fabric that fell on Grandma's Persian carpet, or the hems of their school trousers (with the patch to hide the holes in their knees...) and for others it could be a way of life, or a growing obsession, or maybe even the noisy backstage at a fashion show...
For the more pragmatic, sewing means putting together the pieces of a garment to make a "3D" garment from a "2D" pattern...
Others will say to give life to a fabric... or to make tailor-made clothes for an optimal fit.
I have been thinking for a long time about what sewing means to me. Beyond sewing, "sewing in general" occupies my mind almost permanently, and can sometimes even be obsessive (I think some people will recognize themselves....)... so - for my part - if I have to summarize...
Sewing is a creative process.
And this process, more or less long, serves only one purpose: to express myself!
Afterwards, other considerations are added to the first objective: a change in my consumption mode, the pride of making and wearing the clothes I like, the search for tailor-made clothes... but expressing myself is really my main vector.
The process starts with the search for inspiration and ends with me (or someone else) wearing the garment and accessorising it.
To go into more detail, what are the phases of this (my) creative process?
1. The inspiration phase
It can start from a material, a colour, a detail, a desire, a garment seen in a shop window, in the street... inspiration is everywhere and sometimes even where you least expect it....
For the FREEDOM cape, I was with a friend during a shopping trip, and suddenly she told me about her desire for a cape for autumn, that it should be like this and not like that... and I came into the phase 2!
2. The reflection phase
How do I want my cape to look, what tone do I want to set... how do I want to feel in it.... These same questions can also come up when making a pattern: what are my options for accessorising, customising the pattern...? How do I imagine it?
I do some research (thanks Pinterest) and that's when I pull out my sketchbook and frantically scribble the pattern until I get something harmonious.
3. The appropriation phase
Ok I want to make this garment, does it look like me? For this question there is no wrong answer, if the garment looks like me, it will be a good value. And if it doesn't look like me, what would I look like then? Perhaps another expression of myself....? Maybe it's an opportunity to show another side of my personality, to explore something else, to test...
4. The preparation phase
The search for the right fabric and all the necessary accessories (bias, ribbon, buttons, etc....), the associations of colour, material... This phase can sometimes be very long because it is decisive... each fabric has a different fall, a different weight, an outfit etc...
5. The assembly phase of the garment
Come on, everything is here, I can go....Assembling is in other words: "sewing" your garment. As you can see, this phase comes in 5th position in my creative process. And I also include fittings, adaptations....
6. The finishing touches
This phase is important, because it is the finishing touches that will make the difference once the garment is worn.
And the magic finally happens! Wearing your garment proudly by combining it with the other pieces in your wardrobe, defining your self, simply feeling good...
All these phases are exciting, enriching and liberating!
You quickly realize that from one phase to another, the garment evolves, comes to life, you take it elsewhere, where you never thought you could take it.
Starting one day with an idea, and the next morning, opening your dressing room and putting on your latest creation with pride! It's so rewarding!
This process also works for a whole lot of things: baking, music....
If you are creative and sewing wakes you up at night, I am sure you have your own definition!
So what is sewing to you, and why?
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For more informations, some books online (in english):
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