After my recent posting with which I started my new “fast and easy pouch tutorial (handsewn)“- I started working at the first step for the second “Craft with Racaire” project.
Thinking about the new project, about hand-sewing and hand-embroidery, I remembered the problems some people have when it comes to hand-sewing and/or hand-embroidery or when they are just thinking about trying it.
I know that for many people just the thought of doing some hand-sewing or hand-embroidery is already scary and intimidating. In my opinionthis feeling is absolutely natural and I can tell from my experience that it is not limited to hand-sewing. It seems that especially newcomers seem to suffer from it. In particular I mean people who are new to this hobby, who have never tried it yet or don’t know enough about it to use it with a good feeling. But I can assure you – this feeling is not limited to newcomers. It also happens to people who are going to try something for the very first time.
I admit that I was also once intimidated by hand-sewing, medieval embroidery,… But I found ways to understand and love this aspects of my hobby and they became an important part of my life.
Whatever the reason is that keeps you from hand-sewing and/or enjoying it, I will do my best to help you to overcome it. I am on a constant journey to learn, to practice and to challenge myself with new projects. Therefore I hope that my projects and my enthusiasm will inspire you to try the techniques I am going to show you. I really hope that I can seduce you to join me in my journey and to share my fun and love for it.
In the case that you are already a happy and experienced hand-sewer as I am, I also heartily welcome you to our journey. This journey already started with my first posting for my “Craft with Racaire” project #1 – the tutorial for the needle-roll.
Well, everything starts at a certain point. It took me a rather long time to overcome my own fear and aversion concerning sewing and hand-sewing. As far as I remember, I made my first sewing experience during the mandatory “Werkunterricht” (manual training) at school and I was really far away from enjoying it. During the first two years of my secondary school time in Vienna in the early 90ies we were separated into girls and boys groups for the manual training classes. While we girls had to work at “boring” things like sewing a dress or bag at the sewing machine, the boys could work on cool projects like trebuchets and catapults.
We had sewing machines which were more working against than with us. I would even go so far to say that they were really sabotaging our work. It was awful – breaking needles, ripping thread, stubborn fabric and worst of all – we never had a clue of what we were actually doing or how to do it right – despite all encouraging but also somehow helpless effort of our crafting teacher. Yes, we were a bunch of 11-12 years old girls – frustrated and clueless. …and worst of all we had to watch how much fun the boys had with their trebuchets… Gosch – I think I am still a little bit jealous… *lol*
Based on this experience I decided to never sew or do any handcraft again and this decision influenced my life for some time. Unfortunately I know too many other girls with similar experiences. Who, based on this experiences, think that they can’t create or will never be able to create. They also thing that what they create is not good enough. I know, it is really difficult to overcome experiences like this and to get keen on handicraft like hand-sewing and embroidery again but there are enough positive examples – ladies and lords like you and me – which show us that it is possible!
Therefore, if you have a problem with hand-sewing and/or hand-embroidery or if you know a friend or a newbie who has problems – please don’t give up! It can be a lot of fun and it is a lot of fun! …and to be able to give you something to enjoy and to have fun with, I should now return to my embroidery… 😉
Btw. I am very looking forward to posting the first step for the second project – my new “fast and easy pouch tutorial (handsewn)” – tomorrow or in two days… 😀
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