The Story of this Sewing Blog
Hi, I’m Amanda – sewing away in the great city of New York! I first started taking sewing lessons in September 2009 at Sew L.A. in Los Angeles and it’s been a fascination ever since. I love timeless designs; I’m a particular fan of the 1950s/early 1960s silhouette. This blog attempts to share my progress and lessons learned along the way. I also like to feature my creations at my favorite New York spots when I can. :)
I try to sew from my stash of patterns and fabrics as much as possible, but living in such close proximity to the Garment District can be oh so enticing. Sometimes life can be so fast-paced that I enjoy the slow process of creating garments from scratch. I’ve learned that quick sewing is just not my thing and it often leads to mistakes!
I Was Meant to Sew, You Know
Though I didn’t know this until after learning how to sew, I’m proud to say that I come from a long line of sewing New Yorkers! According to the 1910 census, my great-great grandfather was a tailor of cloaks and suits on Manhattan’s Lower East Side at the turn of the last century. His sons also worked in clothing factories. My grandfather operated a c.1935 industrial Singer sewing machine in Chelsea for decades in my family’s custom window shade business (a beautiful machine I now have in my possession thanks to my uncle and the great care he and others put into maintaining it).
On the other side of my family, my grandmother was a professional seamstress in the Garment District for many years. Like many ladies of her day, she also made clothes for her family because it was cheaper than buying in the stores. These days, however, she can be found expertly shopping the sales at J.C. Penney’s. ;)
Contact Info
Have a question? Comment? I can be reached at sewinintherain [at] gmail [dot] com. You can also leave a comment on this page, if you prefer.
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Amanda. I just found your site while researching Vogue pattern 8379 for a question I have. BTW your wrap dress looks great! This pattern is my first attempt at sewing and it is going well except for the ties; there I am totally stumped. I cannot figure out how the ties work when there is no buttonhole in one side seam to thread the tie through in order for it to wrap around the waist on the outside of the dress. What am I missing? I cannot locate a post about this problem. My instructions have each tie sewn in the the bottom bodice corner (not at seam), but with a crossover bodice, one tie just hangs inside the dress with nowhere to go. I hope I am missing something simple. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!
Hi Ellen. Tackling knits right away – good going! Take a look at step 9 in the pattern instructions. It says to leave an opening between the large circles when stitching the front and back bodice pieces together. That should solve things. Good luck!
Thanks so much, Amanda!! I missed that–must have been speed reading in my excitement to get to the finished product. Your blog is inspiring–thanks for it. Will be checking back.
So glad that helped! And happy to hear there’s some inspiration to be found around here. :)
I love your newest dress, and your coat is so beautiful! I have finally begun sewing again after many years. I started a blouse last week that I am so excited about. I love the fabric, but my machine broke down when I was halfway through making the blouse. I found a quilting store fairly close to where I live, and the store also offers sewing machine repairs. My machine should be as good as new sometime next week. I can’t wait to finish my blouse.
So glad to hear you’ve gotten back into sewing! I love when people say they have returned to it. Can’t remember my life without sewing, yet it hasn’t even been 5 years since I started. :) I’m wishing your sewing machine a speedy recovery so you can finish that blouse!! Happy sewing.
Hello from BIG ‘D’–Denver, Co. Your blog was such wonderful help for me. Have lost a mere 100#, took me a few years, but have manages to keep it off. Thought I would peruse the pattern sections at the many places on the computer. Like your styles. Will get the M6884 wrap dress. Want to show off the new, ole’ gran-gran figure. . I was 73 in July. I was fortunate to have an abdominalplasty and mammoplasty to remove the excess from know where. Good insurance. Thank you for allowing us to visit you on this site.
My daughter (only child) has 3 half sisters and one of them does the same kind of work you do, Amanda such an interesting career. I am a retired high school teacher from Rapid City, SD. Retired early due to CFIDS. Bye for now. Helen.