How Sewing Changed My Life

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  • Опубликовано: 21 ноя 2024

Комментарии • 106

  • @TomKatStitchery
    @TomKatStitchery  Месяц назад +5

    My new FREE class “Top Tips to Get Started Garment Sewing”: www.tomkatstitchery.com/learntosew
    Sign up for the newsletter here: www.tomkatstitchery.com/newsletter

  • @Escape10mom
    @Escape10mom Месяц назад +17

    Sewing is so freeing. It has totally kept me sane. I've sewn it all. Clothing, quilting, garments, & home dec as well. It's really a great thing to know how to do!!

    • @TomKatStitchery
      @TomKatStitchery  29 дней назад +1

      Agree!!!

    • @sandyp2485
      @sandyp2485 29 дней назад +2

      It certainly is freeing. I've done much the same including sewing a large tent back together when a wind storm tore the corners; fishing line is a useful thing to have out in the wilds. I haven't sewn shoes or slippers though I have patterns for them in my stash.

  • @denisem9407
    @denisem9407 Месяц назад +19

    Sewing is a way to connect with my relatives going back to my French Canadian grandmother who worked in a garment factory in Massachusetts. Been sewing since the age of 10. Can't count the number of failures but wow, those successes have been worth it. Sewing kept me sane in tough times.
    Let's hear it for full bust adjustments.😊

    • @lynnries7729
      @lynnries7729 Месяц назад +3

      Both my grandmother's sewed. Paternal grandma went to work sewing flags (straight stitches) when her husband died in 1940. The factory was converted to making tents during WW2. Her clothing items always looked home-made. My maternal grandmother made all my clothes from birth until I was 8 yrs old. She sewed for a children's specialty shop until the mid 1960's then switched to designing and creating beautiful quilts. She was a talented artist and designer which I did not inherit! But, I love to sew and just spending time in my creative, sewing space gives me so much pleasure and a sense of peace.

    • @sandyp2485
      @sandyp2485 Месяц назад +1

      Sewing is definitely a way to connect with history whether familial or the broader world. After all, wasn't it Eve who first sewed something for her and Adam in the garden?

    • @TomKatStitchery
      @TomKatStitchery  29 дней назад +2

      Yes! Even a "failed" garment can teach us something to use in our successes!

    • @TomKatStitchery
      @TomKatStitchery  29 дней назад +1

      I LOVE this! And YAY for the full bust adjustment 😂.

  • @mary-lougatward5125
    @mary-lougatward5125 Месяц назад +14

    Thanks for the free course. I just finished you pattern fitting 101 and I must say you are a great teacher. 💕

  • @sewhappy4643
    @sewhappy4643 Месяц назад +8

    Sewing is definitely my happy, relaxed place to be!! I totally relax when I sew. My whole mood changes.

  • @MaryCunningham-u5j
    @MaryCunningham-u5j Месяц назад +3

    Great video - your enthusiasm for sewing and obvious happiness about it are a great advertisement for your business! The pleasure of making something can be very satisfying - having the idea, figuring out how to make it happen, going through the process and then enjoying the finished item are therapeutic, I think.

  • @ZeldaSews
    @ZeldaSews Месяц назад +7

    Whitney this was a great video! I didn't know you didn't so as a child! Your work is so beautiful!❤ Have a blessed week and I agree with you that our God created us to be created beings for Him.

    • @TomKatStitchery
      @TomKatStitchery  29 дней назад +1

      ❤️❤️❤️

    • @MaryWatson-p8b
      @MaryWatson-p8b 26 дней назад

      I love to sew. I started sewing, again around 2018 or 2019 when Covid came on the scene. I first learned in home ec when I was 15. I tried to sew one pair of pants around 2014, gave it up because I couldn’t figure it out. Now I 🧵 sew with a vengeance. I bought a new Singer HD about four or five years ago. I absolutely love ❤️ my Singer HD. I have been getting lots of help from You Tube vids especially TomKat Stitchery.

    • @MaryWatson-p8b
      @MaryWatson-p8b 26 дней назад

      Whitney, you guided me through the burrito style method for yokes with your vid. Thank you Whitney!

  • @cherylhendershot2859
    @cherylhendershot2859 Месяц назад +8

    I can totally relate to you in your difficulty in finding clothes that fit properly! I am a very curvy gal at 5'1. If it fits on the top, it doesn't fit on the bottom, and vise versa. Most ready-made pants do not fit me at all and are usually too long. It seems that clothing industries assume if you have hips and rounded bottom, you also have a large gut, which results in the pants gaping in the back. I was a teenager in the 70's and am very familiar with clothing issues. When I was pregnant, I made all my maternity clothes and haven't been involved in sewing much since then, but I'm seriously considering it again. I do not care for today's fashion at all. I am 68 years old and do not want my chest hanging out, nor do I want to look like I have no fashion sense at all. Just because I'm older doesn't mean I have to dress in frumpy shapeless clothes.

    • @sandyp2485
      @sandyp2485 Месяц назад +3

      Oh, I can so identify with clothing fitting issues. I'm with you in not caring for today's fashions. Anything in the store with a V-neck is instantly obscene on me; I don't want to put the goods in the store window. At the very least it leaves my bra showing. Longer tops that fit over my hips then tend to be overly blousey on top so it looks very sloppy on me.
      And yes on the ill-fitting pants. Plus the torn up look isn't for me; besides I can get that quick enough working in the garden. LOL I end up taking in something somewhere and so many pants don't have pockets to stick a tissue or car keys in. The legs are too long or too short. I might as well make the garment from scratch so I don't have to do alterations that never really work in the first place or figure out how to add pockets to it.
      I'm getting back into my sewing room to sew for me instead of projects for everything else which will have to wait its turn.

    • @cherylhendershot2859
      @cherylhendershot2859 Месяц назад +1

      @@sandyp2485 Right? It is a conundrum for sure!

    • @sewingintrifocals-alisonde7778
      @sewingintrifocals-alisonde7778 Месяц назад

      @@sandyp2485, 70s teen, too, and about 5’1”-did a lot of pants hemming in the 70s.

    • @TomKatStitchery
      @TomKatStitchery  29 дней назад +2

      Isn't it great to sew exactly what you want and how you want it to be? Sewing is a super power!!

    • @sandyp2485
      @sandyp2485 29 дней назад

      @@TomKatStitchery I hadn't thought of it that way but most people are in awe of someone who can not only sew, but sew well and defy the department store fashion dictates.

  • @joonmade
    @joonmade 12 дней назад

    Great chat, Whitney. Couldn't agree more!

  • @cleanqueen75
    @cleanqueen75 Месяц назад +5

    I had to take Home Ec in junior high. I got my first sewing machine a White when I was 14 back in 1971. I caught on and have been sewing all these years. I’m a curvy 5 foot tall so I love that I can sew clothes that fit. I bought books back then on home decor so I upholster furniture and sew all my window treatments.

    • @TomKatStitchery
      @TomKatStitchery  29 дней назад

      That’s amazing! I love that you’ve been sewing so many different things for so long!

  • @sandracharles3990
    @sandracharles3990 28 дней назад +1

    Just wanted to say your hair is gorgeous Love that new look it suits you well.

  • @dawnjeffersramstad8401
    @dawnjeffersramstad8401 Месяц назад +8

    We are all grateful sewing is your creative outlet. 🎉 Thank you for sharing your story, it was interesting. When is your TED Talk. 😊

    • @TomKatStitchery
      @TomKatStitchery  29 дней назад

      😂 I'm glad you enjoyed it. It's been a bit since I've done a "chatty" video.

    • @TomKatStitchery
      @TomKatStitchery  29 дней назад

      I'll let you know--😉

  • @sandyp2485
    @sandyp2485 Месяц назад +2

    Even if someone has been sewing forever, like me (think I was born with a needle and thread in hand LOL) It's always good to check in on basic intro classes because techniques change, materials change, tools change, etc. Sometimes the new things work out well for the seasoned sewist and sometimes the old tried-and-true works out better. Sewing magazines like Threads also help me stay on top of the sewing news, too.

    • @TomKatStitchery
      @TomKatStitchery  29 дней назад +1

      It's also always interesting to see how someone else tackles the same problem!

  • @lynngates1662
    @lynngates1662 Месяц назад +4

    Hi Whitney, you are indeed in a very special time, sending the kiddos off is such a big step! I had borrowed my mom's machine after leaving home, and was gifted my own right after Son #1 (engineer now 😉) It's the machine I'm still using. I learned everything by reading instructions, which I love to do!
    I remember seeing your Archie shirt a while back, and I've just been finishing up my own. This is such an easy-going pattern, as I just came off a huge costume project and this feels like a nice recovery haha. I was a little cheesed that the digital files were sent separately for all three sizes (🙄 lesson learned) , but otherwise a perfect project! Happy travels!

    • @sandyp2485
      @sandyp2485 Месяц назад +1

      I remember my first sewing machine that I used in college. It was $75 a pea green Kenmore (and very heavy) that I was so thrilled that it had a blind hem stitch on it. I sewed my wedding dress on it and many other garments until I got my first Viking with lots of decorative stitches on it. The old Kenmore was passed on to the sister after me who in turn passed it on to the sister after her. No idea where it is now but likely still chugging away even many decades later.
      Sewing really does connect us with family.

    • @lynngates1662
      @lynngates1662 29 дней назад +1

      @@sandyp2485 My husband says that when he was picking out the machine and he didn't know anything about them, he got the heaviest one haha. My mother's old Singer Touch and Sew that I used before my own is in my house currently.

    • @TomKatStitchery
      @TomKatStitchery  29 дней назад

      It's a busy but special time!!!

  • @MissT718
    @MissT718 27 дней назад

    Couldn’t agree more about anyone being able to sew. I have always had no interest in sewing, couldn’t even sew a button on neatly. During the second round of Covid for some reason I decided I would try sewing. Bought a cheap machine and with the help of RUclips including your channel I taught myself to sew. I absolutely love it and now make most of my clothes. Who would have guessed.

    • @TomKatStitchery
      @TomKatStitchery  27 дней назад +1

      I love that something GOOD came out of Covid and that you found a love of sewing!

  • @janicecoulson5388
    @janicecoulson5388 28 дней назад

    We sold our house in March.all packed up, been so stressful. Sale fallen through twice now. I never realised how much my sewing room meant to me. It's all in boxes but am doing cross stitch now

    • @TomKatStitchery
      @TomKatStitchery  27 дней назад

      I know you will be back at it in no time. I'm glad you have a portable way to express your creativity.

  • @victoriahannah1633
    @victoriahannah1633 Месяц назад +3

    Loved hearing about your sewing history. I’m hoping to be back in sewing room on Thursday. I’m feeling a great deal better from my asthma ordeal. I’m on an inhaler called advair and what a miracle it is. I was just finishing up perfecting a pants pattern. So I need to test it on a muslin. I’m hoping to get it cut out for couple pairs to sew in Florida. I also just finished boot strap pants form but it needs some alterations. So I’ll be working on it down in Florida also. It’s going to be our last trip to Florida. My son who is also an engineer has taken a job with Duke power in North Carolina. His wife has job interview this week for a job in nursing. It’s going to cut our travel time in half.

    • @sandyp2485
      @sandyp2485 Месяц назад

      I know how you feel with asthma. Mine started up before the inhalers so I only had pills to help. Sewing is a great way to relax which is most beneficial for asthmatics. It sounds like you have several great projects to work on.

    • @victoriahannah1633
      @victoriahannah1633 Месяц назад

      @@sandyp2485 Oh Thank you so much. I grew up with asthma so this is not all new to me. Unfortunately a new group of people started in my Dr’s office. No they were not hired by her but under the Sentara umbrella. The problem is they are very slow in getting orders approved for insurance and getting orders processed. My Doctor and her nurses were fantastic about getting it done. So it took quite sometime for me to get my inhaler. So my condition got worse. I got the inhaler Advair and it’s great. It’s just taking sometime for my body to recoup. I’m probably going to get back in my sewing room Thursday or Friday. I hope you’re doing ok with your asthma. Again Thanks for your concern.

    • @TomKatStitchery
      @TomKatStitchery  29 дней назад

      I'm so glad you're feeling better!

  • @juliemulie1805
    @juliemulie1805 Месяц назад +2

    Similar learning to sew story. I was not tall and lean like my mother and shopping with her exasperated us both. Thank heavens for a sewing grandmother! Enjoy our hot weather here in KC, where you can get orange-red clothing this time of year!

    • @TomKatStitchery
      @TomKatStitchery  29 дней назад +1

      In KC, you can get red-orange outfits ALL YEAR LONG 🤣🤣🤣

  • @DoloresDeeBodnar
    @DoloresDeeBodnar Месяц назад +1

    Never get tired of hearing your story of how you started sewing 😊❤

  • @HeatherDukes-p9h
    @HeatherDukes-p9h 26 дней назад

    I totally agree sewing or any hobby gives you a freedom from every thing that is going on in your life, I have been sewing on and off for years, but now i have taken it up again as I was fed up with every thing looking the same in shops or didn't fit as I am also short, loving this journey I am on now for myself and my daughter. I do love your Videos on you tube you are certainly a inspiration to me thank you so much x 😁

    • @TomKatStitchery
      @TomKatStitchery  24 дня назад

      Thank you so much for watching and sharing your love of sewing!!

  • @ceceliaharris5660
    @ceceliaharris5660 27 дней назад

    I’m so glad you shared this video. I concur with everything you said, and it was good to hear someone so eloquently express what I feel about sewing. Sometimes I feel (or imagine) what my friends or family thinks about the time I spend sewing (judgement?). Do I really need more clothes? Of course not, but that is not really the point. The point is that it brings me joy, keeps me centered and fills my closet with beauty and individualism.

    • @TomKatStitchery
      @TomKatStitchery  24 дня назад

      I am so glad it resonated with you! You are not alone!

  • @gwenhastings6160
    @gwenhastings6160 Месяц назад +3

    Whitney, I’ve also taken your pattern fitting class, and enjoyed it. I’m going to go revisit it to enable continued improvement, there was so much content to absorb, and just want to share, you are a positive influence in my sewing. Thanks for these videos. I hope to take another class from you in the future.

    • @TomKatStitchery
      @TomKatStitchery  29 дней назад

      Thank you for that sweet endorsement and comment. It fills my heart to know that you are using what you learned!!

  • @cecilehoare3053
    @cecilehoare3053 Месяц назад +4

    Sewing has freed me from the cofines of the plus size 'old lady' clothing I could find in my area!

    • @TomKatStitchery
      @TomKatStitchery  29 дней назад +1

      No "old lady" styles around here. We are only sewing style!

  • @brenholmes4894
    @brenholmes4894 28 дней назад

    I highly recommend your fitting class. I learned a lot and I am still learning. It's quite a journey, but such fun and so rewarding. Thank you

    • @TomKatStitchery
      @TomKatStitchery  27 дней назад

      Thank you so much for the kind endorsement!! I'm glad it helped you on your journey!!

  • @debsmadethis
    @debsmadethis Месяц назад +1

    I learnt with that colette book and by jumping into sewing a Tangled/Rapunzel fancy dress dress and 3 small bridesmaids dresses (from a vogue pattern) 😂 Good job no one told me that was tricky 😂 Sewing has definitely transformed me ! Safe travels 😊

  • @lindadrew5047
    @lindadrew5047 28 дней назад

    I just found your channel & am trying to get back into sewing. I have a new Pfaff that is sitting there for 3 months. I watch RUclips to learn to use it but need to get busy. So glad I found you 😊

    • @TomKatStitchery
      @TomKatStitchery  27 дней назад

      I'm so glad you found me too! I have a DEEP catalog of tutorials on my main channel page. Be sure to check it out. And be sure to sing up for my newsletter to stay in the know!!

  • @315cw
    @315cw 27 дней назад

    Thank you.

  • @susieweir2959
    @susieweir2959 Месяц назад +2

    Great video! Always love it when you share your story!

  • @dortek882
    @dortek882 27 дней назад

    Yeah, short torso, slim but H bust, it is almost impossible to find a button down shirt that allow for that. This week i have been wearing the two first shirts I have ever sewn, and have gotten nice comlpiments❤
    The funny thing is, even if they are not actually in style, it seems like men really like them

  • @sherrelstroot3034
    @sherrelstroot3034 29 дней назад

    My chest was so large a bikini was out of the question. My clothes ( in high school) were adult sizes bc they required less "remaking". I haven't sewn in years. I haven't kept up with textiles.

    • @TomKatStitchery
      @TomKatStitchery  28 дней назад

      There are so many great fabrics out there!!

  • @karolmolpus9536
    @karolmolpus9536 Месяц назад

    My great grandmother sewed bridle gowns! Was always in awe. I started sewing very young, but lost mojo when fabric stores in USA faded away 😢

    • @karenbruner899
      @karenbruner899 Месяц назад +2

      The same thing happened to me when the good fabric stores went away. I’m beginning to dabble in it again by ordering online. So far I’ve had more failures than successes, but I’m determined to keep going. And instead of agonizing over my failures, I consider them lessons learned and dream of the day when I’ll be successful. I’ve also learned that the best way for me to handle a failure that can’t be salvaged in any way is to throw it in the trash and move on. 😅

    • @TomKatStitchery
      @TomKatStitchery  29 дней назад

      ❤️❤️❤️

  • @SewFelicia
    @SewFelicia 29 дней назад

    ❤❤ woo hoo. Not long until you reconnect with your sewing machine 😊

    • @TomKatStitchery
      @TomKatStitchery  29 дней назад +1

      I've missed it!

    • @SewFelicia
      @SewFelicia 29 дней назад

      @@TomKatStitchery I don’t doubt it. I miss it and it’s in the same house as me!

  • @sewingintrifocals-alisonde7778
    @sewingintrifocals-alisonde7778 Месяц назад

    I listen to audiobooks, too, while I sew 🧵 or knit.

  • @lynneprentice4278
    @lynneprentice4278 Месяц назад +4

    One question I have, do you not find that when you monetise your hobby, it becomes less of a hobby and more of a chore or duty? I was a keen cook, which I then did professionally and it really killed the joy when I did it for money. I now no longer cook professionally I have re found my love of it. Love the channel ❤️❤️

    • @Seams_in_the_Wild
      @Seams_in_the_Wild Месяц назад +4

      That is exactly what I found. Suddenly sewing was triggering depression instead of being my therapy.

    • @denisem9407
      @denisem9407 Месяц назад +3

      @@Seams_in_the_Wild That's why when folks ask why I don't make a living by sewing I say nope, it's a hobby, it relaxes me, and trying to make money would change all of that.

    • @sandyp2485
      @sandyp2485 Месяц назад +2

      I've done sewing for people willing to pay my price *and* would appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into the article. I haven't done it as a way to make my living only as a means for extra money from time to time. I don't think I could deal with overly critical clients and from the work I used to do, I know there's always a few.
      I don't think I could do it like some people do such as for craft fairs where they have a booth filled with children's clothes or skirts. Of course, there's no fitting involved; simply picking a pattern and sewing all the sizes.

    • @TomKatStitchery
      @TomKatStitchery  29 дней назад +3

      Sometimes the chore is trying to figure out the business end. The sewing is never a chore!!

    • @Seams_in_the_Wild
      @Seams_in_the_Wild 29 дней назад

      @@denisem9407 Anyone besides my kids asking me to do repairs or alterations gets referred to the local drycleaners, who does a fantastic job.

  • @deborahtate7763
    @deborahtate7763 29 дней назад

    If it's KC, My machines would welcome you. I need someone to help me with fitting, I just have not been able to see in the rearview mirror.

    • @TomKatStitchery
      @TomKatStitchery  28 дней назад

      Get signed up for my Pattern Fitting 101 course! It will change your sewing! www.tomkatstitchery.com/sales-page

  • @michellem3899
    @michellem3899 Месяц назад

    That is how I knew I was having twins. I was sooooo sick and I had not had that with my first!

  • @lynnew2517
    @lynnew2517 Месяц назад +1

    Whitney, did you not bring your knitting with you to your parents' house. You know yarn heals many wounds! 😊

    • @TomKatStitchery
      @TomKatStitchery  29 дней назад +1

      Not this time! My next project isn't mindless so I really would need to focus!

  • @MaryWatson-p8b
    @MaryWatson-p8b Месяц назад +1

    How do I get my colors done online?

    • @aprilgirl4411
      @aprilgirl4411 Месяц назад +2

      color guru

    • @TomKatStitchery
      @TomKatStitchery  29 дней назад

      Check out Color Guru and use my code TOMKATCOLOR to get 10% off!

    • @TomKatStitchery
      @TomKatStitchery  29 дней назад

      I have a code with Color Guru: yourcolorguru.com . Use the code TOMKATCOLOR at checkout to get 10% off!

  • @karolmolpus9536
    @karolmolpus9536 Месяц назад +1

    How can you be sure what colors are true when we have to order?

    • @sandyp2485
      @sandyp2485 Месяц назад

      Fabric swatches are what works for me. They are usually only a dollar or so and very helpful in selecting fabrics for your project.

    • @TomKatStitchery
      @TomKatStitchery  29 дней назад

      Fabric swatches are handy for places that you order from over and over. It happens, sometimes we miss on the color but that just pops into my stash for either my daughter or Jenni

    • @ChristineParry-w7h
      @ChristineParry-w7h 28 дней назад

      If o really want to know the colour/weight and feel of a fabric I will order a swatch. If I’m not to bothered and it’s cheap enough I will buy it on looks and details supplied.

    • @sandyp2485
      @sandyp2485 28 дней назад

      @@ChristineParry-w7h Not every place online supplies details which is something that Mood Fabrics does with more and precise details than a shopper would find on the bolt in a store. Numerous pictures can also inform the shopper with info about size of the print, frequency of repeat, draping, etc.