As someone who spends majority of my day job in front of computers, my favourite pastime outside of working hours is one I can be both creative and tactile without the need of being in front of my screen, so the ‘craft’ of sewing I would say is for my own enjoyment. 

However, who I create items for has evolved over my sewing journey; starting initially as a way I could create clothes for my son outside of the usual colour schemes/styles of kids clothing to creating unique garments for myself that cater for my ever changing ‘mum-bod’. 

 

This is a hard one! 


I’m totally a creature of habit so when I find a pattern I love (e.g. I’ve made about 4 Pipit vests and no less than 6 Fennel Fanny Packs by Sarah Kirsten) I enjoy being able to make things I know I would get a lot of use out of. 

However, I also get a lot of satisfaction out of making technically really complex garments or drafting a design from scratch – I think there really is something to enjoy out of both. 


 

My everyday machines are the Janome MC9850 (a machine that does both sewing and embroidery!) and the Juki MO1000 overlocker/serger. I’ve been using both for about 1.5-2 years now and both are absolutely lovely machines to use. 



While my Janome was in service, however, I was fortunate enough to be able to buy a pre-loved Janome Decor Excel 5018 in pristine condition about 3 months back. I absolutely love the build quality of older machines and if serviced appropriately, are an amazing alternative for those starting out looking for great machines at a lower cost.




 

Not as much as I would like unfortunately! Between my full-time job, taking care of my son and maintaining some level of decorum in my household – I tend to only sew consistently when my son goes to sleep. So anywhere from 8pm at night to sometimes 3am if I get really into what I’m sewing at the time. 

I do pay for the early morning sewing sessions the next day though (ha!) 


 

Typically described as my ‘sewing nook’, it came to be a little out of necessity and a little out of where I prefer to be sewing. We tried having a room in our house dedicated to both working and sewing but I kept bringing my machines out to our dining table to be able to interact with my husband while I sewed. 

Naturally, when I would bring my sewing notions, fabrics and tools out into the living/dining space, I would also need to be meticulous in packing everything away to keep little fingers from accessing hazardous sewing gear. (Which at 3am was a pain to pack away and bring out every time I wanted to sew again). So taking inspiration from where else but Pinterest, I was keen on having a place where my sewing tools would be easily accessible, safe from tiny hands and tucked away neatly in a living area. We used pegboards and a wooden desk to curate an unused corner into something both functional and fits with the vibe of my home. Bonus! My dining table comfortably fits a decent sized cutting mat to double as a cutting table right next to this space.