Now I'm Ready To Start

Hi there! First of all, I would like to take a minute to thank you, the brave reader, for venturing to my blog and reading my first blog post! How about we get acquainted? Here I go:

This is me:

My name is Sydney, and I am a freshman at Northwestern University, pursuing a double major in Psychology and Biology.

Now, before you think "Oh gosh, is this some science nerd's blog where she'll yammer on about protists and repression and circadian rhythms?", I am here to tell you, no. It is quite the opposite, really. While I do absolutely LOVE science, my mind is separated equally into science and art. Please know, however, that I am not an artist in the traditional sense of painting, drawing, sculpting, etc.

I am a sewer. 

And this is my sewing blog. My artistic outlet. 

I have been sewing since I was 14, after one adventure wandering around the German Village Book Loft (in Columbus, Ohio) and finding a beginner's book on sewing. Upon reading this book, I knew from that point on I wanted to sew. And so I did.

I am currently an employee at the best fabric store, Sew to Speak, in Columbus, Ohio. I have the most incredible co-workers and boss, and I love all the creativity and inspiration that comes along with my job! Here they are in all their fabulousness:

(From left: Janelle, Mary, Sara, Anita, Me, and April)

They are such wonderful friends and fellow lovers of sewing. They're all like mothers to me, and I will miss them come September when I leave for college! In addition to my work friends, here are some of my other phenomenal friends:

And now on to my family.

I am the youngest of five children. My sister Sommer is the oldest and is married to a wonderful man named Ernesto. They had their first child this past April--a beautiful baby girl!--and named her Maya. Sommer is an emergency room doctor and Ernesto is a family medicine doctor and psychiatrist.

Sam is the second oldest of us five, and is married to the adorable little Kalli. They just announced in June that Kalli is expecting their first child! Babies everywhere! Sam is an anesthiologist and Kalli is a dietician.

 Next is Sean--the middle child. He is our family goofball, and is getting married to Stephanie this September in our backyard. They are most definitely the perfect match, and I love Steph. :) Sean is an oral-maxilo facial surgeon and Steph is an operating room nurse.

Last but not least is my lovingly sarcastic brother, Spencer. He is hilarious and has an adorable English Bulldog named Mikey. Spencer just graduated from medical school and is an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctor. And, ladies...Spencer is single... ;) (Is it awkward for me to mention that? Maybe a little...)

Spencer on his medical school graduation day.

Spencer's dog Mikey, taking a nap.

And of course, my amazing parents:

Dad can't keep his eyes open for pictures...

The whole family at my high school graduation dinner.

So, that's my family. Now that you know about me, let's get to the sewing...

A couple of weekends ago, I traveled to New York City with my mom for Stephanie's Bridal Shower! In preparation for this, I had a lot to sew. I was "hired" to sew Sean's pocket square for the wedding, as well as some decorative flags for the dessert table and photo booth area.

Here's the pocket square, made out of a Liberty of London fabric chosen by Stephanie:

Sean is wearing a blue-gray suit and gray Toms on his wedding day.

And here are the decorative flags, made from an assortment of Sew to Speak fabrics in the wedding colors:

Yellow rick-rack finished off the top for that decorative and whimsical look.

Then, as a "welcome to the family" type present and a complete surprise, I wanted to make Stephanie an apron out of fabric with her favorite colors...

The apron in the sewing process...

And the finished product, with Steph modeling it for me!

The pocket square took about two hours to complete, the flags took about five to six hours, and the apron took around five hours. All of which are labors of love that I really enjoy completing.


So, there you go. This post didn't have a lot of sewing because I gave such a lengthy introduction, but hopefully now you know me and the people I love a little better, and understand my true passion for sewing. I hope you enjoy the things I have sewn, and know that there is MUCH more sewing to come in the next post. Thanks for reading, and I hope you choose to read this again! 

-Sydney