The Philosophical Seamstress
I am often asked how I learned to design. People are often surprised to
hear I did not attend design school. I took two years of sewing in high
school. After that I just spent so much time sewing I absorbed much
design basics from commercial patterns. I wanted to know more so I
bought a drafting text that has been my bible. But what really made
things click for me was reading. Reading constantly. Inter library loans
galore. And not just recent books. Books that were 50 or more years old
so I could analyze changes that occur over time. And not just books
about drafting but sewing technique as well. Biographies of design world
luminaries and learning what made them tick. Poiret. Edith Head. Mary
Brooks Picken. Industrial techniques both modern and antique. How a home
sewer would insert a zipper in the 20's or the 60's. Yes they are a
little different. 10 different books about draping. After reading each
book I take notes and think, think, think. So, does this make me a
philosophical seamstress?
