tie the knot and add a button

The other night I found some pretty ribbons and buttons, and decided to put it all together. I will admit I was inspired by the Cupcake Couture brooch I bought at Mooi, and hers are obviously better looking than mine. But I have no intention of selling these, just to wear them for my own pleasure, and I had great fun doing them. I really like sewing by hand, even though it strains my neck if I do it for a long time, it relaxes the rest of me. I think it's also been too long since I created something outside of my laptop.



I have thought about buying a sewing machine for a while now, and finally get over my slight panic of using one, which I know is completely ridiculous. As much as I enjoy the hand sewing, some things would of course be a lot easier and quicker with a machine. I don't really remember when I got scared of the machines, but it was a long time ago in school. I didn't sew my finger or anything, like many others, including my brother if I remember correctly. I just didn't get along with the teacher we had, and I usually got along pretty well with most teachers. So wood shop became my thing instead, and except for the fumes in the painting room I really loved it.



Sewing class made me feel like a failure, cos even though I had a creative mind, the teacher never cared enough to really show me properly how to do stuff, hence the failing. When you're 9-10 it's not the easiest thing in the world to teach yourself knitting or hemming or making button holes. I still nurtured the dream of one day becoming a fashion designer for a long, long time. I figured that being able to draw okay, and having all these ideas for clothes and accessories, would surely be enough to make it. Around the age of 14-15 I started to plan a business with a cousin that was very good at sewing, but along the way I somehow realised it probably wouldn't work out. It did work out for my cousin however! She's still working in fashion, and worked as a seamstress for many years in London before that.



Eventually my interest in fashion and clothes became one of my biggest hobbies instead of a future career dream, and my previous biggest hobby of reading became my career. Librarian was my first choice for sometime, until I seriously started to think about what made a book and decided publishing must be THE best job in the world. 13 years later I still think it's the best job in the world. And probably a much safer income than fashion design, unless you're brilliant, which I don't think I ever was. Or will be. My sense of book style is definitely more accurate I believe.



Every now and then it feels good to send a thought to the 10-year old me thinking she was a failure in sewing class, letting her know she did alright in the end after all. And with a completely different career going, I can still pick up some ribbons and buttons and turn them into something that at least I think is very pretty. As well as buying a vintage dress that doesn't quite fit, knowing that I can alter it myself, making it the way I want it.

The brooch above is the last one I made, and the one I think turned out the best. I'm gonna do some more I think, but I've run out of buttons for now.