I enjoyed your sewing story. I put it on in my sewing room and it was like visiting with a friend. I checked out your website and love it! Congratulations on finding your way to make your living in a way perfectly suited to your personality and skills.
This was wonderful--my favorite Charlie Darwin Textiles video so far! Thank you so much for being vulnerable and sharing your process and "failures" with us! It's so important and so helpful to see what goes on behind the scenes and to see the evolution of your style--love, love, love this! I actually think all the garments were great, and even the "failures" were super fun and charming or at least very relatable! My favorites were the two altered shirts--wow--I would have so wanted to friends with you in middle school! I especially loved the Barbie dress just sewn right on--genius! I also thought the tie dye dress was very cute. The most hilariously relatable one was was the leaf print dress with the white fabric overlay. The base dress with the leaf pattern was very cute, but I can see how the experimentation with the white fabric didn't go quite how you had planned, lol. 😂 This reminds me of some of my early knitting and crocheting projects when I was around the same age (middle or high school) such as many iterations of weird gloves that were all wild and unique in their own way: ill-fitting/bizarre sizing and unintentional holes everywhere, and so bad I never attempted a matching glove for the other hand. But it's definitely encouraging for a beginner to be reminded that it's still worth taking risks because even if they don't pay off you will certainly learn a lot by trying! Thank you for this lovely video 💖
What a delightful journey of sewing!!! I started sewing in junior high school. I was trying to make a pair of shorts but my mother wouldn't show me how to put on the zipper (ZIPPER?) foot so I could finish them . Frustrated, I just put it in anyway and my mother screamed. But when she looked at it, she was just a little bit proud. I think that was the last time I asked for help sewing. (Fun fact, this was so long ago that if you were a girl, you couldn't wear pants to school.) I'm am so excited to have found you...and your marvelous website.
This video brought tears to my eyes. It was an intimate glimpse into how creative and courageous young Leah was! This is definitely inspirational to beginners like me to press on ❤
Thank you!! She certainly was a brave soul haha! I still am inspired by previous versions of me (who had unlimited energy and shamelessness). Definitely keep pressing on-- endurance and patience in sewing will definitely pay off!
I had the pleasure of seeing 3 of your pieces in person, at the Visitor Center in Lewisburg, WV. Beautifully soft fabric and colors, and perfect stitching! Thank you for sharing. I loved tee shirt #2.
Ahhh yay!! I'm so glad you got to see them at the Visitor Center! That's so fun to hear from you :) Thanks so much for the kind words. I love tshirt #2 too 😊
Ok, first of all, I just love the yellow ‘gusset’ in the robes you made. 💛 I love that subtle added interest. And, I love the hand stitching as well, being a hand stitch quilter myself 😉🪡🧵 My favorite would have to be the dress with the black ruffle. For some reason it reminded me of something from Anthropologie, I think because of the subtle added interest thing again. Thank you for showing your sewing journey and, bravo 👏🏻, for continuing your journey. It made me wish I had kept all the pieces I made when I first started sewing! I’m sure it’ll motivate many new sewists!!!
I know.... those yellow gussets and hand stitching in the robes made me so happy, too. I really miss those!! They were just too time consuming to make as a product for my shop. I was (and still am) a fan of Anthropologie, so I'm sure the inspo was totally there on that ruffle dress! Thanks for being here, I love hearing from you! :)
Love this! I started my sewing hobby altering clothing that I had as well, and it was my first pattern that was the turning point! Learning from the pattern, books and RUclips has been so fun and interesting. I really enjoy your videos and personality - “buzz off” made me laugh!
Very inspirational! A senior in physical age (55), a very little girl in the world of clothing design...I'm in pre-k! I have a deep desire to sew my own and family clothing using linen exclusively. Felt like an absolute loser at my SLOW PACE. Huge learning curve, was frustrated for months, hopped onto your website and watched this video! Thank you, you helped me to get out of the frustrated attitude and just attempt 1 simple garment, over and over. Truly you put the real fun into this journey for me! My motto: if it ain't fun, forget it. TBC
Thank you for the kind words!! Lol the learning curve will pass and you'll get the hang of it! It's all patience, practice, and laughing at yourself along the way. I love your motto!!!
I love several of your early pieces, especially the tops you showed in the beginning. You would have been the coolest kid when I was a kid in the 60s :) I'm still exercising to firm up my middle so I can show off the beautifully made Swallowtail pants you made for me..
6:00ish, you know what’s funny about that is Abercrombie and Aeropostale were selling stuff not unlike this at the time, I mean sure it was less extreme but I would even argue that what you were doing was the couture version of the more subdued patchy/appliqué stuff they were selling at that time. But my younger sister who I’d guess is about your age had a bunch of clothes from those stores where the logos and numbers and whatnot were appliqués with high-contrast stitching and frayed edges
Haha! What a fun video to watch. I wish I had saved all of my earlier sewing projects 😂. Anyway, my favorite project of yours was the bathing suit top. So sassy and daring. Great pep talk Leah, even to the most seasoned sewist. ❤
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Haha I've been storing these early creations in my parent's closet this whole time, telling them "they are sentimental!!!", just hold on to them a little bit longer 😂, and then they finally said, "you have to take these or throw them away".... so here we are! The bathing suit top is definitely sassy and daring 😂 one of my faves too!
I love this! I loved seeing your early stuff...reminding me of my own experiments long ago. I used to make a lot of costumes, which are often a bit more forgiving. I went to/worked at Renaissance Faires when they were first starting to be a thing, and I remember thrifting old evening gowns to cut apart and put back together to make my 'garb'. I also was a belly dancer and made lots of costumes for that (w-a-y before you could just buy them...sewing all those coins and beads...) I think my fave of yours- just for sheer intrepid experimentation !!- is the one where you mixed the white knit fabric with the curtain fabric. (!!!!) So many cool ideas in there! And the pockets too low, yeah...I've done that! You may have decided this looks 'deeply bad', but it was such an interesting set of ideas! I'm delighted that you saved all these things. Mine are long gone. I think the place where I really struggle is fitting/altering patterns to fit me. I still have such a hard time with it! I have a short waist, and also my waist has always been bigger than what most patterns list as measurements, so between those two things I've had a hard time making fitting adjustments. And as I get older my shape changes, so there's that... I like to choose less fitted and more 'forgiving' patterns these days. Thanks again for this fun share.
Thank you!! Haha I've been storing these early creations in my parent's closet this whole time, telling them "they are sentimental!!!", just hold on to them a little bit longer 😂, and then they finally said, "you have to take these or throw them away".... so here we are! And totally get what you mean on the fitting/altering of patterns... I'm trying to get my Charlie Darwin patterns more easily customizable by body height, because that's been such an issue for me with other people's patterns, also. I'm also a huge fan of more 'forgiving' patterns, as it makes my job as a seamstress that much easier!
You were one brave person to make all those garments! I think your first garment was the most fun and crazy. You must have been so creative as a young person. Thank you for all the information, I'm getting there, it's good to know it just takes lots of practice. Where do you get your linen? I know you buy it in bulk and dye it yourself. There are so many different kinds of linen, I'm trying to find one I really like.
Yes, practice and patience gets you SO far in sewing! I get my linen from Fabrics-store.com, and I would 100% recommend their medium-weight (IL019) softened linen for sewing clothes!
I remember the first wrap-around skirt I made in home ec.😅😅😅😅 I was so proud of it wore it a couple of times, put it in the washer and that was the end of that. It was MADRAS do I need to say more?😅😅😅😅😅😅
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It is adorable that you kept your first makes.
Fantastic video. Not just inspirational for the new sewing, but for any new endeavor.
Thank you! 😊
I enjoyed your sewing story. I put it on in my sewing room and it was like visiting with a friend. I checked out your website and love it! Congratulations on finding your way to make your living in a way perfectly suited to your personality and skills.
So glad to have you hear listening along! Thank you SO much for the kind words, it means a lot! :)
This was wonderful--my favorite Charlie Darwin Textiles video so far! Thank you so much for being vulnerable and sharing your process and "failures" with us! It's so important and so helpful to see what goes on behind the scenes and to see the evolution of your style--love, love, love this! I actually think all the garments were great, and even the "failures" were super fun and charming or at least very relatable! My favorites were the two altered shirts--wow--I would have so wanted to friends with you in middle school! I especially loved the Barbie dress just sewn right on--genius! I also thought the tie dye dress was very cute. The most hilariously relatable one was was the leaf print dress with the white fabric overlay. The base dress with the leaf pattern was very cute, but I can see how the experimentation with the white fabric didn't go quite how you had planned, lol. 😂 This reminds me of some of my early knitting and crocheting projects when I was around the same age (middle or high school) such as many iterations of weird gloves that were all wild and unique in their own way: ill-fitting/bizarre sizing and unintentional holes everywhere, and so bad I never attempted a matching glove for the other hand. But it's definitely encouraging for a beginner to be reminded that it's still worth taking risks because even if they don't pay off you will certainly learn a lot by trying! Thank you for this lovely video 💖
What a delightful journey of sewing!!! I started sewing in junior high school. I was trying to make a pair of shorts but my mother wouldn't show me how to put on the zipper (ZIPPER?) foot so I could finish them . Frustrated, I just put it in anyway and my mother screamed. But when she looked at it, she was just a little bit proud. I think that was the last time I asked for help sewing. (Fun fact, this was so long ago that if you were a girl, you couldn't wear pants to school.) I'm am so excited to have found you...and your marvelous website.
Haha I love hearing your story! I'm so glad you found my channel, I'm happy to have you here! :)
This video brought tears to my eyes. It was an intimate glimpse into how creative and courageous young Leah was!
This is definitely inspirational to beginners like me to press on ❤
Thank you!! She certainly was a brave soul haha! I still am inspired by previous versions of me (who had unlimited energy and shamelessness). Definitely keep pressing on-- endurance and patience in sewing will definitely pay off!
I had the pleasure of seeing 3 of your pieces in person, at the Visitor Center in Lewisburg, WV. Beautifully soft fabric and colors, and perfect stitching! Thank you for sharing. I loved tee shirt #2.
Ahhh yay!! I'm so glad you got to see them at the Visitor Center! That's so fun to hear from you :) Thanks so much for the kind words. I love tshirt #2 too 😊
Ok, first of all, I just love the yellow ‘gusset’ in the robes you made. 💛 I love that subtle added interest. And, I love the hand stitching as well, being a hand stitch quilter myself 😉🪡🧵 My favorite would have to be the dress with the black ruffle. For some reason it reminded me of something from Anthropologie, I think because of the subtle added interest thing again. Thank you for showing your sewing journey and, bravo 👏🏻, for continuing your journey. It made me wish I had kept all the pieces I made when I first started sewing! I’m sure it’ll motivate many new sewists!!!
I know.... those yellow gussets and hand stitching in the robes made me so happy, too. I really miss those!! They were just too time consuming to make as a product for my shop. I was (and still am) a fan of Anthropologie, so I'm sure the inspo was totally there on that ruffle dress! Thanks for being here, I love hearing from you! :)
Super cute video. Thank you for sharing
I liked the applique tee shirt...it looked like who ever made it was just having fun 😊😊😊
She definitely was!! :)
I enjoyed hearing about your sewing journey, and I appreciate your tips!
Thank you for being here, I'm so glad it resonated!! :)
Love this! I started my sewing hobby altering clothing that I had as well, and it was my first pattern that was the turning point! Learning from the pattern, books and RUclips has been so fun and interesting. I really enjoy your videos and personality - “buzz off” made me laugh!
Thank you! Love to hear you've had a similar journey. There is so much to learn out there! Happy to have you here :)
Very inspirational! A senior in physical age (55), a very little girl in the world of clothing design...I'm in pre-k! I have a deep desire to sew my own and family clothing using linen exclusively. Felt like an absolute loser at my SLOW PACE. Huge learning curve, was frustrated for months, hopped onto your website and watched this video! Thank you, you helped me to get out of the frustrated attitude and just attempt 1 simple garment, over and over. Truly you put the real fun into this journey for me! My motto: if it ain't fun, forget it.
TBC
Thank you for the kind words!! Lol the learning curve will pass and you'll get the hang of it! It's all patience, practice, and laughing at yourself along the way. I love your motto!!!
I love several of your early pieces, especially the tops you showed in the beginning. You would have been the coolest kid when I was a kid in the 60s :) I'm still exercising to firm up my middle so I can show off the beautifully made Swallowtail pants you made for me..
Haha dangit, I was late for my style!! Thanks for the kind words :) I love those tops too!
6:00ish, you know what’s funny about that is Abercrombie and Aeropostale were selling stuff not unlike this at the time, I mean sure it was less extreme but I would even argue that what you were doing was the couture version of the more subdued patchy/appliqué stuff they were selling at that time. But my younger sister who I’d guess is about your age had a bunch of clothes from those stores where the logos and numbers and whatnot were appliqués with high-contrast stitching and frayed edges
Haha yes so true!! I love this reframing-- I WAS making the couture version, damn it!
Thank you for this video! I loved this so much.
Yay!! I'm so glad it resonated. Thanks for being here! :)
This is adorable video. Thank you for sharing and how awesome are you!!!
Thank you for the kind words!! Happy to have you here :)
Haha! What a fun video to watch. I wish I had saved all of my earlier sewing projects 😂. Anyway, my favorite project of yours was the bathing suit top. So sassy and daring. Great pep talk Leah, even to the most seasoned sewist. ❤
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Haha I've been storing these early creations in my parent's closet this whole time, telling them "they are sentimental!!!", just hold on to them a little bit longer 😂, and then they finally said, "you have to take these or throw them away".... so here we are! The bathing suit top is definitely sassy and daring 😂 one of my faves too!
I love this! I loved seeing your early stuff...reminding me of my own experiments long ago. I used to make a lot of costumes, which are often a bit more forgiving. I went to/worked at Renaissance Faires when they were first starting to be a thing, and I remember thrifting old evening gowns to cut apart and put back together to make my 'garb'. I also was a belly dancer and made lots of costumes for that (w-a-y before you could just buy them...sewing all those coins and beads...)
I think my fave of yours- just for sheer intrepid experimentation !!- is the one where you mixed the white knit fabric with the curtain fabric. (!!!!) So many cool ideas in there! And the pockets too low, yeah...I've done that! You may have decided this looks 'deeply bad', but it was such an interesting set of ideas! I'm delighted that you saved all these things. Mine are long gone.
I think the place where I really struggle is fitting/altering patterns to fit me. I still have such a hard time with it! I have a short waist, and also my waist has always been bigger than what most patterns list as measurements, so between those two things I've had a hard time making fitting adjustments. And as I get older my shape changes, so there's that... I like to choose less fitted and more 'forgiving' patterns these days. Thanks again for this fun share.
Thank you!! Haha I've been storing these early creations in my parent's closet this whole time, telling them "they are sentimental!!!", just hold on to them a little bit longer 😂, and then they finally said, "you have to take these or throw them away".... so here we are! And totally get what you mean on the fitting/altering of patterns... I'm trying to get my Charlie Darwin patterns more easily customizable by body height, because that's been such an issue for me with other people's patterns, also. I'm also a huge fan of more 'forgiving' patterns, as it makes my job as a seamstress that much easier!
You were one brave person to make all those garments! I think your first garment was the most fun and crazy. You must have been so creative as a young person. Thank you for all the information, I'm getting there, it's good to know it just takes lots of practice.
Where do you get your linen? I know you buy it in bulk and dye it yourself. There are so many different kinds of linen, I'm trying to find one I really like.
Yes, practice and patience gets you SO far in sewing! I get my linen from Fabrics-store.com, and I would 100% recommend their medium-weight (IL019) softened linen for sewing clothes!
@@charliedarwintextiles Thank you, I have used some of their linen and love it.
I remember the first wrap-around skirt I made in home ec.😅😅😅😅 I was so proud of it wore it a couple of times, put it in the washer and that was the end of that. It was MADRAS do I need to say more?😅😅😅😅😅😅
😂
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