The Pink Tracksuit That Started It All: How I Learned to Sew

I don't have any photos of learning to sew as a child.

That's because there weren't any mobile phones back then. The camera was only taken out to take photos of special occasions such as birthdays or Christmas. The constant photo-taking that we are used to in the 21st century just didn't exist back then.

This makes me a little sad because learning to sew as a child turned out to be an incredibly important occasion, I just didn't know it at the time. My Nan was a dressmaker and amazing knitter, as were many women of her generation. My Mum subsequently learnt how to sew in an era where making your own clothes was cheaper than buying them.

I have vivid memories of being 10 years old when my Nan showed up for a visit with a freshly made pink tracksuit complete with a purple and white decorative band across the bodice. Hours later, whilst walking the dog up and down my street in order to show off my trendy new pink handmade tracksuit, I fell and ripped open the knees of the pants. I was devastated. It's a memory that has stayed with me forever and perhaps unknowingly influenced my appreciation of handmade garments and how precious they are. My Nan patched up the pants with no fuss (Nan hated fuss!!) and I suspect that it was that moment that made me want to learn to sew.

Up until that catastrophe, making and crafting was already a well embedded passion. Watching my Mum and Nan sew and knit obviously created a natural curiosity in me. I don't know how or when it happened, but my Mum started to teach me how to read a pattern and make simple garments. There were no YouTube videos in those days, the only guides were the instructions in a Big 4 pattern. How my Mum had the patience to teach a 10-year-old child to sew is beyond me, but she did, and for that I will always be grateful. My older sister also helped out and a neighbour also jumped in to help me make some chunky dolls which I ended up making a batch of and selling at a school fair. It was truly a team effort.

I could go on about the endless projects I then went on to make - the soft toys (including the rabbit below), my Deb dress, a Dame Edna Everage costume made from an old sheet for a school camp competition (see blurry photo below!), cushions, t-shirts - the list goes on. Little did I know then that these skills that I learned as a child and that pink tracksuit with the purple embellishment would still hold such a special place in my life 40 years later.

How did you learn to sew???

Disclaimer: Cover image is not me (because we didn't take photos in the old days remember!!)