All About Me
When I was young, my mom made a lot of my clothes. My grandmother made exquisite Victorian ensembles for antique dolls, as well as haute couture wardrobes for Barbie dolls. It was inevitable that I would take an interest in sewing.

At the age of four, I started fashioning simple Barbie dresses out of Kleenex. When my mom noticed, she gave me some fabric scraps. I took a rectangle of fabric, cut a small hole in the middle for the doll’s head to come through, then hand sewed the sides together. I hated that you could see the stitching—but I didn’t know that you have to sew from the wrong side and then flip the fabric.

I took a children’s sewing class when I was eight or nine. I chose a pattern for a simple pull-over blouse (very easy: front & back, plus facings and a ruffle), and made it from a lightweight aqua cotton batiste. I never wore the finished top, but I was quite proud of it. It had interfacing! And a ruffle along the bottom! Of course, you could see my gathering stitches, and the zig-zag along the edge of the interfacing was nowhere near straight . . . but I loved it, all the same.

My First Blouse

Around the age of twelve, I began sewing in earnest. I didn’t know it was a legitimate hobby at the time, but I loved refashioning and upcycling. In particular, I remember the time I took a hideous 1980’s bridesmaid’s dress from the thrift store and completely remade it. I removed the puffed sleeves and cream colored lace, altered the neckline to a halter style, shortened the hem to a manageable length, and reinstalled the zipper—all by hand, since I didn’t have a sewing machine.

Bridesmaid’s Refashion

During my teenage years, I didn’t have money for home decorating, so I made my own curtains, shams, and throw pillows, usually out of a set of sheets or leftover scraps from one of my mother’s projects.

In 2002, after a long break, I started sewing again. At first, I was drawn to doll clothes. I made several gowns for Barbie, then decided I wanted to try sewing for myself.

Medieval Barbie

My first attempt was a medieval gown intended to be worn for the premiere of Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. It turned out so badly that I almost gave up sewing altogether! But, when I fell in love with the costumes from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, I decided to give it one more shot—and this time, I succeeded. (See my sewing diary: Christine’s “Wishing” Dress, parts I & II.)

Wishing Dress

I never looked back! Today, I sew a little of everything: home decorating, doll clothes, historical costumes, and cosplay.

~~*~~