Today is the 3rd anniversary of this blog and I thought you might like to know how it all started.
About 6 years ago, a customer came to my door needing his suit jacket altered. As I spoke to him about the changes that needed to be made on it, he asked me if I had written a book on how to alter clothing. That was the spark. After thinking through the details, I realized that with the incredible amount of photos it would take to do the job well, no publisher would touch the project. It would just be too expensive to print. So, I put the idea on the shelf of my mind.
It wasn’t long after that when my friend, Sharon, asked if I wanted to take a blogging class with her to learn how to start a blog. I thought it would be fun to learn something new, but really didn’t think I would ever really follow through with it. The instructor asked us to each create a blog designed around a passion of ours. He asked us to think of some subject that we were interested in or that we knew something about. He also said it would be beneficial if our blogs were on a unique subject that not everyone else was writing about.
That’s when it hit me that I could blog about all this information that I had stored in my head just waiting to come out. There were a lot of details to setting up the format and learning how to use WordPress, but it wasn’t too difficult. The next challenge was coming up with a unique name for the blog. So, on April 27, 2009, Sewfordough was born! (This blog got a new name -The Sewing Garden-and face lift in the fall of 2017.)
This site is the culmination of 45 years of sewing experience. Most of the techniques you see here were learned from just doing what seemed to make sense. My dad taught me how to sew at age 7 and I took a Singer sewing class soon afterward. Then, I just practiced and practiced and by the time I was 28, I was making wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses for customers. Not long afterward, I realized that many people needed alterations done. At the time, there were hardly any books on this subject.
Because my dad was an inventor, I think I got that gene from him and I began to start thinking through how to do various difficult alterations and the ideas seemed to just jump in my head. Probably from alot of sewing over the years, I understood how things fit the human body.
Because there were not many books on the subject, or on more complicated alterations, I knew I wanted to teach others what I had learned. So, the goal of this website was to make each step of every technique easy to follow and understand.
Many people ask me why I don’t charge for all this information and instruction. When I was setting up the blog, my husband helped me process through that. He is great at that. And great at helping me to set goals, looking at the motives behind what I do.
If you’ve been on this blog for any length of time you know about my faith. Well, one of the things I want to do is serve others with the gifts God has given me. I feel pretty blessed that He has given me so many incredible people and things in my life and I just wanted to say “thank you” to Him for that. My hope is that you have received great benefit from all you have been learning here and it is my prayer that your sewing business (or hobby) is thriving. So, that is my free gift to you.
But there is a free gift available to you that is much more important than this blog. It is the free gift of eternal life that Jesus offers to anyone who asks. Many people have heard of Jesus but they don’t know why He came to earth. He came to save us from our sin and give us the free gift of eternal life. But He doesn’t force His gift on us and we can’t pay for that gift by living a good life and being good people. And, we can’t earn our way to heaven because of our sin. But by the grace of God, Jesus came to earth to die in our place for our sins. Not everyone gets to go to heaven automatically. We have to receive His gift by placing our faith in what Jesus did on the cross and not on being a good person or doing good things. If getting to heaven had anything to do with us, then Jesus wouldn’t have had to come. The Bible says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is a gift of God, not of works, so that no one may boast.” If you’d like to know more about this free gift and how Jesus can be personal to you in your life, just send me an email. It would be my privilege to talk about these things with you.
You can reach me at TheSewingGarden@gmail.com
I’m so proud of you Mom! Thanks for teaching me how to blog AND how to sew! I love reading about your projects and I know so many other people do too! You’re the best! Keep sharing!
Ahh, Thanks Michelle. I’m so proud of you too! You’ve always been such an encourager and I am so thankful for you and your heart for the Lord!
Your daughter is right. You are very much appreciated for doing this! I’m so glad to have a place to go when I have questions. Jesus is important to me too! How else would I have gotten through the last 48 years?
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Thank you, Kristin! So glad you like visiting the blog and gladder still that you are a Jesus follower!
Congratulations on your 3rd Anniversary!! What a great story! Very inspirational and a real testament to following your passion. I know I speak for many when I say what a blessing your blog is. I just recently printed up some business cards and decided to ‘go for it’ when it comes to starting a small (very small) home alterations and repair business.(I’ve mentioned it before) I have to say, by reading your blog, and all the information you provide, it truly gave me the ‘push’ I needed to act and I thank you for that! I completely agree with you on your belief of sharing your gift. My faith is important to me, and I completely get it. Your husband sounds like a great guy too!
Thanks so much for sharing your gift – it is very much appreciated and respected!
Thanks for your sweet comments and sharing about your faith. I wish you all the best in your new business!
Congratulations on your anniversary! I so enjoy your blog. It seems like there are fewer and fewer resources available for home sewers. You are an inspiration!
Thank you, Pam. I am glad you like the blog and you find it helpful!
I first came across your blog because I needed to know how to hem a unique prom dress. I too, have a small alteration business and am trying to honor God with my gifts. Thank you for your straight forward and easy to follow information and for your testimony to whats most important , the Lord Jesus Christ. I hope to see the Lord use my gifts to point others to him. Thank you.
Awesome that you are honoring God with your gifts. He will definitely use you to bring Him glory!
Congratulations on your blog’s anniverserary!I enjoy your site and refer to it often.I have a little app for it on my home page!
Alice
Thank you, Alice. I am glad you enjoy the site. I didn’t know such an app was available. Very cool!
Love it! And we’re much better people because of it – thanks for sharing so much of yourself! “Happy Blogaversary”!
Hi there, Theresa! Thanks so much for all your encouragement and kindness to me over the years. You’re the best! When is your Blogaversary? (Love that word!)
Hmm – I think I just had my first? Can’t wait to see what comes in the next few years for your blog! 😉
Congratulations Linda, you’re doing a fab job!
Thanks, Tom, you’re doing an awesome job yourself! I’m so blessed to be your sis!
Today is my first time reading your blog and sew, I went back thru and started reading. I cried when I read this entry as this is how I feel and I want my life and my skills/talents to point others to Christ. I get cold chills when I realize that today/this blog/you and I are having a Romans 8:28 moment. I wish you many more ‘blogaversaries’ !
Hi Kathy, Thanks for your sweet comments. Sew glad you found my blog and are enjoying it and even more glad that you are a fellow Christian! Very cool that you brought up the Romans 8:28 passage! If you haven’t read it already, you might enjoy this post as well:
http://sewfordough.wordpress.com/2009/06/19/my-dad-taught-me-to-sew/
Thanks again fro stopping by. Keep in touch and let me know how your sewing is going! Linda
On Mon, Jan 7, 2013 at 8:21 AM, Sew for dough