I think I may turn this into a series of posts, or even an entire site. But I’ll start with one post about the basics.
First, an introduction. I learned to sew in 2006, shortly after I started dating the woman who is now my lovely wife. Part of the reason I learned to sew was, to be honest, in order to find an interest that we both shared. But it’s now grown far past that; I sewed my entire outfit for Texas Renaissance Faire last year: a doublet with detachable sleeves, a high-collar, long-sleeve shirt, and a pair of fitted breeches (pants). I’ve made several shirts, a couple of doublets, and at least 2 pairs of pants. I’ve sewed several small pouches, and I’m currently working on a fairly ambitious laptop bag. I’m not brave enough to commit to making an entire outfit that I’d wear to work, for example, but in my wife’s opinion, I apparently have the skills to do.
I decided to write this post (which as I said may turn into a series, or more) because I know there’s a stigma that sewing isn’t a manly thing to do, or that it’s women’s work, or that you must be gay if you like to sew and are male. So let me set the record straight (no pun intended) from the start: I am a heterosexual male, I am married and have a child on the way, and I enjoy sewing. The act of creating something with your hands, which you or someone else can then wear or use, is fascinating and deeply satisfying to me.
There are many speed bumps and deep pits on the journey from “that sounds like a neat hobby” to “check out this shirt that I just finished sewing”. I’ll do my best to help you navigate around those pits, so that you too can experience the joy of creating something that isn’t made of electrons and doesn’t need to eat. I’m starting today with what I consider the “basic equipment” needed to sew. This is by no means an exhaustive list; it’s instead just the bare bones without which I would likely not start a project. Read the full list, along with some crappy pictures that I took with my phone, after the jump.
