I don't know about you, but I love to find out about what interesting and innovative sewing-related things people get up to. Which is why I was really excited when Tasha from
Stale Bread into French Toast emailed me about her recently created e-book designed to assist and encourage more people to get over the hurdles that might be preventing them from learning to sew.
I'm a firm believer that more sewers equals more creatively nourished, self-expressive and actively thrifty people in the world and helpful, encouraging and beautiful texts/blogs/articles etc. like this e-book will help swell our ranks.
'Hello Sewing Machine' really does 'what it says on the tin': it introduces you to your sewing machine and helps take the fear out of all those confusing dials, knobs and pedals. It'll have you get your machine up and running in no time with lovely illustrations as well as carefully written descriptions to guide you. It also helps you actively get over any fear you may have towards your machine with simple drawstring bag-making project that makes you put a lot of what you've learn into action. The super-helpful troubleshooting and glossary sections are fantastic as well.
Tasha has generously offered readers of my blog a substantial 25% discount on '
Hello Sewing Machine' which you can use when checking out of her
Etsy shop. Looking at the sales of
Tasha's shop, her e-book is already 'out there' in the world actively helping heaps of people get their heads round the tricky parts of the awesome activity known as sewing. So if you feel you could use some support in this area, or have a friend who is interested in sewing but needs a little push to get over the technical barriers, then why not buy yourself/your friend this e-book using the code
HELLOSOZO, which is valid until the end of August 2013.
But you know me, I'm a nosey bugger and I wanted to hear more about Tasha's project. She sweetly agreed to answer some questions about it which I'm sharing with you here...
Z: What inspired you to create this e-book?
T: Since I started my blog, I’ve been amazed at how much is online for sewers. There are many wonderful blogs of course (including yours Zoe!) and also so many beautiful independent patterns, tutorials, sew-alongs—pretty much all the help you could ask for, but I still thought there was a gap where someone who hasn’t sewn anything before would be lost. Most of what’s out there assumes that you have some basic skills already. If you have never used a sewing machine before, there are some really basic facts (like how the machine makes stitches and why tension on the thread is important, etc.) that are hard to find online, but will give you a much more solid foundation for sewing. Also, I know a lot of people in real life who have a sewing machine, and even plans for things to make with it, but don’t quite have the confidence to get it out and get started. I wanted to create a thorough, approachable way for all of them to fill the gap between what they know and what they would like to know about sewing, and to give them a confident start to take on bigger projects. I’ve taught lots of beginners in face-to-face sewing classes, and I wanted to translate what I’ve learned from that into a format that could work all over the world.
Z: Why is it important to you to get more people sewing?
T: I’m trying to save the world! It may sound silly, but I think it’s better to just admit it. I was talking to a friend who is an environmental journalist, and she gave me the most blank look when I talked about how crafting is tied to conservation, but to me it totally is. You don’t have to make all your own clothes to discover the work that goes into the everyday items in your life, and then to realize the satisfaction of making some of them yourself. I think making things for ourselves is a powerful force for change in our whole society. It can break us out of the cycle of consumerism, and into a place where we are really content with what we have and what we can provide for ourselves.
Z: What part of making it did you enjoy the most?
T: My favorite part was doing the drawings. It was also difficult, it was at the edge of what I could do illustration-wise, and I definitely erased as much as I drew! But in the end I loved how the drawings came out, especially some of the ones of the old treadle machine (I think old machinery is beautiful) which I did near the end. Now, if I can just keep my drawing skills up until the next project!
Z: What part of the process presented you with the biggest difficulties?
T: The very technical parts are the most challenging to me. I had to learn a whole lot more about Photoshop than I had ever used before, in order to take the drawings on the screen from what came out of the scanner back to what they looked like to me on the page when I drew them. And at the end it seemed like I would never, ever stop editing the text, but eventually of course I had to declare it done!
Z: What does sewing mean to you/ what role does sewing play in your life?
T: Beyond what I said about saving the world, sewing (and cooking and knitting and fixing things, etc.) to me is about a deep sense of joy. It’s almost like the money-and-environment-saving part of it is just a happy side effect, I really do it because of the lasting sense of self-sufficiency, and resulting satisfaction with my life that I get when I make things—especially the things that I need and use everyday.
Z: What are your hopes for this endeavour?
T: My biggest hope is that Hello Sewing Machine will take a lot of people from thinking of sewing as something they might try sometime, to actually going ahead and trying it! And that the foundation they get from what I’ve written will serve them well and allow them to take on more advanced projects down the road with confidence. It would be just amazing if I could be part of the journey to handmade for more people!
Thanks so much Zoe for featuring me on your lovely blog! I loved answering your questions—they were thought provoking and fun to write about at the same time.
