Tools of the trade

The backbone of any expertise is knowledge. Knowledge used in sewing comes from books as well as experience. Lack of knowledge is probably the biggest roadblock in moving from novice to skilled. Having the reference books is beneficial, but only if you read them. I admire many of the women on Sewing World who when faced with a fit or style issue, promptly go to their reference books to find information. While mine are neatly aligned on my bookshelf in my sewing room - many of them look just as they did when I bought them -- brand new! It seems to me that sewing books should be like cookbooks -- you should be constantly adding comments on what worked and what didn't.

My "training" in sewing being self-taught, seems to have some big holes in it. It is not just taking some fabric and stitching it together; rather it is understanding how the pattern was designed, selecting the correct fabrics, thread, needles, interfacing, lining, etc. and understanding why these are the right choices. That all comes from knowledge. Experience will give you the skills to apply that knowledge but first you have to have the "book learning." I have picked up alot of information by osmosis, sewing expos, watching TV programs, etc. But this is a little like Trivial Pursuit -- you know a little about a lot.

My challenge this month is to define the process by which I will select pattern, fabric, thread, needle, nap of fabric, straight of grain, notions, pre-treatment of fabrics and all those other pieces that go into creating a garment before you put scissors to fabric.