I’m Lisa, a Baby Boomer living in California. I grew up without a sewing machine in the house. My modern big city mother didn’t sew, crochet, or knit. Her mother, my grandmother, was an early 20th Century immigrant who did sewing work in factories in New York City, and crocheted beautiful thread bedspreads on tiny steel hooks in her spare time. After 40, I gained a new sewing ally when I met my stepmother, who has sewn both quilts and clothes starting in the 1940s. I will show the old patterns and sewing books I got from her garage.
I remember sewing my first machine stitches in junior high in 7th grade in the 1970s on a piece of paper, but I wasn’t a natural. A semester of sewing and a semester of cooking were required for girls, and I toughed out the sewing part. After that I learned how to crochet, knit, needlepoint, and macrame in an elective textiles class in 9th grade, and then restarted knitting and crocheting in the computer age around 2000.
After having problems with carpal tunnel, I decided to turn my focus to learning to sew and refashion clothes. Sewing is such a practical skill to have, and is so creative at the same time. As a beginner, I have to redo seams over and over before I get it right. My seam rippers get a lot of use! I love the feeling of accomplishment I get when I finish a project.
I love thrifting, repurposing, estate sales, used book stores, cute things, vintage things (watch for posts featuring 1960s nostalgia from my childhood and what my mother wore in the 30s, 40s, and 50s) , and learning new skills and techniques. I’ve never thought of myself as being fashionable, so it feels unexpected to be turning the focus and camera on myself, and what I’m wearing. Can I finally discover my style post fifty?
Tell me about your own sewing or crafting journey. Also please feel free to comment on any post, old or new. I enjoy reading your input and will answer any questions. Thank you for stopping by!
I am lisasgarden on Ravelry.
Stitch It Again 
Your blog is a creative inspiration! I learned to sew, knit, crochet and embroider from my mother 🙂
I’m so pleased you’ve enjoyed my blog. You probably started learning those crafts at a younger age than I did. That’s wonderful to pass down those skills from mother to daughter. My first sewing was with a lacing card; I don’t know if they still sell those for kids.