Calling all Seamstresses!

Sometimes I think that sewing is a dying art form. I am a total hack-seamstress. I have no training, I rarely follow patterns and if I use them at all, it's often to Frankenstein pieces of them together to create whatever image is in my head. But there are truly some amazing seamstresses and tailors out there who sew like true professionals and who create and/or follow patterns- both new and vintage- with ease. I've recently discovered a handful of them online and I thought I'd share them with all of you. And if any of my readers/followers are seamstresses with blogs, please feel free to leave your blog URL in the comments on this post- I'd love to check out your work!

Evie of La Couturiere Dimanche is so talented and I LOVE her blue wool wiggle dress!

Adey of The Sew Convert made a fabulous resort-wear dress with a vintage pattern that is simply adorable.

Peter over at Male Pattern Boldness is working on a fabulous wool toggle coat and I'm really looking forward to seeing the end result.

Mena the founder of The Sew Weekly has been creating one vintage-style dress every week for about a year. Yes, you read that correctly! Check out one of my favorites of her creations, the "I Will Never Wear a Batik Print" Batik Print Dress. (P.S. Not only is she a fabulous seamstress, she's also adorable!)

Sunni's blog- The Cupcake Goddess- makes me smile. She most recently posted a boyfriend jacket that is actually quite feminine in its shape. I love it.

Finally, Suzannah's blog, Adventures in Dressmaking, is also quite entertaining and informative. Lately, she's been doing sweater make-overs. She even turned a cashmere v-neck pullover into a double-sided infinity scarf. Clever girl. One of my favorite things she's made is a wool plaid capelet with a belt. SO chic.

Whenever I start to feel as though sewing is a dying art, I look to these (and other) artisans for inspiration and encouragement. Maybe someday I'll master some sewing techniques and stop thinking of myself as a "hack." Time will tell. And while I may not be an incredibly skilled seamstress, I still feel as though I can hold my own, since what I do know how to do tends to work pretty well for me. If you are interested in learning how to sew, I can't encourage you enough. I do believe it is a skill that can be learned, as opposed to being strictly a talent that some people possess and others don't. If you want to learn to sew, pick up an inexpensive machine at a local shop and take a beginner's sewing class. You will make mistakes, but that's a good thing. I'm a far better seamstress now than I was several years ago, not because of my successes, but because of my failures. The saying goes, "Good sewists are good rippers." Meaning: if you are patient and willing to rip the seams out of the garment you've just sewn and do it again to improve it, you'll become a much better technician than if you simply leave the mistakes where they are or try to short-cut the corrections.

Well, I'm about to head out for a nice lunch with my mom and then, I hope, a trip to the fabric store for some inspiration. After posting about all these talented sewists, I'm dying to get on my machine!