What or whom

[afiberartist]

Inspired you to the fiber arts?
What age did you start?
What age did you really begin to take it seriously?
When did you decide to go public?
What were your setbacks?
Personal?
Professional?

[charley]

I started sewing/stitching when I retired from work just over 5 years ago. I do love sewing, and I mix patchwork, quilting, garment and so on. I like embroidery , again had more time to learn when I retired. I learned about felt, and making felt just over 4 years ago, I do enjoy this very much, and have taken some online classes from the teachers on this forum. It was lovely learning a new skill. I do this for myself, and when I feel it is good enough to give as a gift.

[afiberartist]

Oct 8, 2022 19:29:03 GMT charley said:

I started sewing/stitching when I retired from work just over 5 years ago. I do love sewing, and I mix patchwork, quilting, garment and so on. I like embroidery , again had more time to learn when I retired. I learned about felt, and making felt just over 4 years ago, I do enjoy this very much, and have taken some online classes from the teachers on this forum. It was lovely learning a new skill. I do this for myself, and when I feel it is good enough to give as a gift.

Do you mix the stitching or are you just felting?

[Ann @ frabjous fabrica]

I started when I was at Junior school, and I HATED it! We were made to make and embroider an apron and mine was so bad I put it in the school dustbin, but someone retrieved it and handed it to the teacher (who was also - a very strict - Headmistress). She was not amused.
Over the subsequent 70 odd years I have progressed through hand sewing, machine sewing, embroidery (all sorts), crochet, knitting (which I still can't really do), tatting, bobbin lace, needle lace, spinning, weaving, felt and mixed media. Now it is mainly felt for myself (having failed to find a viable sales outlet for my work) and mixed media for theatrical costumes and props.

[lyn]

I knitted, crocheted and sewed from an early age - my mum taught me to knit before I could read!

Back in the day ready made clothes were expensive so I made a lot of what the family needed.

Fingers were never idle. At a tea/coffee gathering with friends/family, everyone brought a 'workbag' that had either a current project or some mending to do whilst chatting.

Any formal needlework done at school had to be very neat. This stayed with me for decades. My daughter, Annie, introduced me to the fun that could be had with textiles shortly after I'd turned 50.

[charley]

Oct 8, 2022 21:40:56 GMT afiberartist said:

Oct 8, 2022 19:29:03 GMT charley said:

I started sewing/stitching when I retired from work just over 5 years ago. I do love sewing, and I mix patchwork, quilting, garment and so on. I like embroidery , again had more time to learn when I retired. I learned about felt, and making felt just over 4 years ago, I do enjoy this very much, and have taken some online classes from the teachers on this forum. It was lovely learning a new skill. I do this for myself, and when I feel it is good enough to give as a gift.

Do you mix the stitching or are you just felting?

I mix them, but all depends on what I am doing. For instance, I have needle felted a flower onto a square of a wool blanket. I have added stitching (machine) to the flower and leaves, and I have done a running stitch all over the piece with a variety of embroidery floss. It is now a cushion cover.