How It All Began

Sewing: one thing I never thought I would be doing as a profession. Growing up, I never wanted to touch a sewing machine. My mother sewed constantly, as did my grandmother. I played with embroidery and sewing pillows by hand, but the thought of actually sewing with a machine… Honestly, it scared me a bit. I could just see my fingers zipping under the needle at warp speed. The deciding factor was a baby quilt I wanted to make for my oldest nephew. It involved hundreds of tiny squares, each less than two inches, with an embroidered centerpiece. I think I managed two rows before throwing my hands in the air and dragging Mom out of the garden to teach me to use her machine. I was twelve. That was fifteen years ago.

Theoden, Lord of the Rings

Today, I craft patterns by hand, building elaborate garments from the ground up, literally. It’s been a long journey since that first quilt. Next came dolls and doll clothes. I’ve always been crafty, always pushing beyond my own boundaries, and that continued throughout my sewing. Soon, I was making simple dresses for myself, then shirts, and finally, the dreaded pant. I still loathe pants. The turning point was in 2001 and the release of the movie Lord of the Rings. The costumes fascinated me and I was far from the only one. A little website grew on the internet, devoted to those costumes and the techniques required to make them. I learned so much, both from asking questions and experimenting on my own. From there, I began drafting patterns when commercial patterns weren’t giving me the look I needed. For Halloween 2003, I dressed my three nephews up as characters from Lord of the Rings, using patterns and altered items from thrift stores. I was both proud and unsatisfied with the final result. I needed more practice. That year, an online friend asked me to make a dress from the movie. The rest, as they say, is history.