September is National Sewing Month everyone! That means it’s time to go searching in attics, basements, and closets for those awesome sewing machines that will help you take your creativity to the next level! Take the sewing machines out of the boxes or take the gently used machines to the sewing machine store to get cleaned and checked. After that task has been accomplished you need to find a sewing teacher or class in your area and take a beginning sewing class. These classes will teach you how to operate your sewing machine as well as basic sewing techniques to get you started. Most beginning sewing classes will get you started making a pillow or even a pair of pajama bottoms. It’s ok if it doesn’t turn out perfect because it’s your first project! Just enjoy the class and the skills you are learning. Relax and have fun! Sewing is a great destressor!   If you’re already a sewer, September is your month to shine! Try a new kind of sewing, sew some community service projects, or sew for a special little one in your life. Finish all those unfinished projects that you’re hiding in closets and under beds (I speak from experience). Or just choose a project for yourself and sew it!   September is also a good month to join your sewing friends in a sewing organization. The American Sewing Guild has a great publication called “Notions” and has many chapters all across the country. Quilting Guilds also have chapters all over the globe and their meetings are full of learning, sewing, and just plain sewing bee style chatter. If needlearts are your would be passion look for a chapter of the Smocking Arts Guild of America.The nice part of many of these organizations is that if there is not a chapter in your area you can be a member-at-large. And as a member-at-large you will receive all the publications, be able to attend any seminars or conventions that the organization might have, and even start a chapter in your area! How cool is that?   Sewing is a wonderful pastime and a lifelong learning skill. The joys of sewing allow an individual the freedom to express their personalities in the projects that they stitch. The need to be creative and express ourselves can come in many forms. Sewing is my form of personal expression and I hope it soon will be yours!

Whether you have sewn for your entire life or are just starting out as a new sewer, Halloween is the perfect time to unleash your creativity and make your own Halloween costume. It doesn’t have to be perfect because it’s a costume. It’s a project to try new techniques and/or perfect old ones. And better yet there is no right or wrong way of doing things! Create and enjoy the ride!
I tell my students to browse in the retail Halloween stores and look in books, magazines, and the internet to get an idea of what they would like to be. Make sure you pay attention to the details that you would like to incorporate into your costume. When you have decided on a costume to make you can approach making your Halloween costume in several ways.
The first approach is to check the pattern catalogs in your local fabric store to see if there is a pattern for your costume that you’ve chosen to make for Halloween. If you are a new sewer just make sure that the pattern isn’t too complicated. I like to tell my new sewers to purchase a pattern with no more than 10-12 pieces unless you’ve consulted your sewing teacher or other experienced sewer. Look at the fabric, trims, and notions on the back of the pattern envelope for the costume pieces that you are making from the pattern and purchase these items. Prepare the fabric, find the pattern pieces needed for your view, cut it out and have some fun sewing up your costume. Make sure that you ask for help if needed. Embellish your costume to make it your own. Remember, you are the designer and it’s what you like that really counts!
Now, if you have this great idea in your head but can’t find a pattern then you have to go a different route. Think of the designers on shows like Project Runway and the steps that they must follow to get from a drawing or an idea in their mind to the final project. Break the design down and see what you will have to do to get the look that you want. Look for patterns that have the shapes that you have in mind and substitute these patterns to make your costume. Or, if you have a Goodwill store or a Salvation Army store near you, they are usually treasure troves of great pieces that can be adapted to make any costume. Alter and embellish them and your costume will be smashing!
To summarize, decide on what you want to be for Halloween, decide on how you want to go about it, and get going sewing. And remember, the best thing about making your own costume is when someone complements you on your costume you’ll be able to smile and say “Thank you, I made it myself!”