The quality behind creativity....

As far back as I can remember, a sewing machine was always available while I was growing up.

I received my first sewing machine in 4th grade, it was an old Feather Weight Singer and it could only stitch forward and backward.

In 8th grade, one of my electives was "Home Economics". I had no idea at the time of the impact it would have on my life and how this elective would foster my creativity for the next thirty years to come.
The Home Economics room was in a part of the school I had never visited with 4 sets of everything: sinks and wash-basins, ironing boards with their old fashion, heavy irons, and ten sewing machines. The layout of the room was different that of all other rooms in my high school. The 6 elongated tables were actually set in a single rectangular shape in the middle of the room and most of all, there were no teacher’s desk.

At the age of four, I first learned to thread a sewing machine helping my mother who was making curtains on her Feather Weight, black Singer sewing machine. I had no idea high school would have sewing machines. I was at ease with the newer models, understood the teacher because I had heard same terminology at home for many years before. I knew what my teacher meant and I always looked forward to this class.

After each class, I would show my mother the new hand-stitches I had learned, I even showed her the “right” way to iron a shirt collar,  a shirt sleeve, or a shirt. I was so excited about my HomeEc classes, I generally finished my weekly assignments the night of the class, one week ahead of schedule, using the remaining six days to create a variation of the same project.

As a result of this wonderful class, I served as teacher’s assistant the following years. That was a crucial moment in my life because two new passions would blossom:

My love for teaching and my enthusiasm for the Arts and Crafts and more specifically for sewing.

As I grew older, over the years, my talents improved. Enrolling in sewing classes seeking to learn new techniques. As a consequence, a new digitized sewing machine entered my life and I learned to combine technology with digital stitching.

Looking back, Home Economics was “my” very best class in high school.

Many years later, one summer, my best high school friend, came to visit me with her family and their two daughters. When my friend entered my 433 square foot sewing studio, she stumbled upon a class project we both had to do as a Home Economics project: a twofold needle holder with a variety of cross stitches using embroidery threads. She looked at me and started to laugh: she struggled to continue and while chuckling, she said: "I cannot believe you still have this, I hated this class."Hard to believe she did, while I was so passionate about it.

I hope you will enjoy viewing the photos of some of the projects I have done over the years.

Enjoy!