The lady at the fabric store always argues with me about what I'm making. Yes, I understand that the company where you work has embedded the question "What are you making today?" in your head. Yes, I know you "think" you're an expert. Yes, I know how to sew. Yes, I know what the recommended fabrics are and that this is not one of them. Yes, I know it "might" not work. No, I do not want your input. (Oh and I also know that Jo-Ann's is named after the founder's daughters, Jo and Jackie Ann. Which the manager at that particular store did not know.) For anyone who does not know, I worked for Jo-Ann Fabrics for 9 years in a 13 year time span. Yes, 9 very long years. Those years started before the big do-it-yourself/I-can-make-anything movement in the early 2000's. Those years started in North Kent Mall, which no longer exists. Back in those days Martha Stewart hadn't committed any known felonies yet and the store did not carry very much yarn. There are a few other details that are important to my sewing journey. First, my mother attempted to teach me to sew, but didn't really have any teaching skills. One day I decided that Barbie needed some new clothes, so I made some, I was about 10. Second, the Home Ec teacher in middle school didn't like me. I'm pretty sure it was because I already knew how to make a drawstring bag. Third, the Home Ec Teacher at the high school where I was about to attend died of cancer when I was in 8th grad. They did away with that department. All those things made me a self taught seamstress. When you teach yourself how to do something that's hands on, the best way to learn is to jump in head first and experiment your little (or big) heart away. So I did. Making a pair of dirty lime green corduroy trousers was probably not a the best beginner's project, but they looked pretty awesome when I was done. (Back in those days you could wear something you made to work at Jo-Ann's on Friday's) The cords led to other projects, including the interior of a car for my classmates in an auto shop class, re-upholstering things for teachers at school and being on too many musical crews to count. Not all of my projects worked, but a fair share turned out awesome. Fast forward to 2012, today. I now live in something that's close to a time warp. Southern NJ is still stuck in the 1950 and 1980's at the same time. Think: Snooki driving through a stop sign in an El Camino with a bed of trash behind her. She's wearing a vintage shirt dress, which she wears while tending to her huge garden while listening to a mix of Laurence Welk, Third Eye Blind and Bon Jovi. She's pregnant and had a beer in her hand which she throws out the car window when it's empty. Oh, but she has a lot of spare money to spend on things she doesn't need. That is a mental image of where I live. For many reasons, I make my own shirt dresses, refuse to have a garden in my front yard and will never sing along to Bon Jovi again. Don't get me started on the El Camino. When I go to the fabric store, it's a gentle mix of all those things. The person who cuts my fabric always second guesses me when I tell them what I'm making. I alwys wear the project in the next time I go to prove them wrong.
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