Author: Darlene Shelton

Dare to Be Different…

by Darlene Shelton, posted in Alterations, Bridal, inspiration, Memories, motivation, sewing, Uncategorized

A recent comment in an online sewing group made me think.  The person commenting said that she wanted to make and wear so many different things, but that in the “casual” world we live in she was afraid to stand out like a sore thumb by wearing something outside the norm.   Those responding to her were of the mindset of that she be herself and wear what makes her happy.  Those of us who sew often think that way because we strive to follow our own fashion sense.  Still, if we really think that, why do we fall into the trap?

Why do we feel the need to conform to what others think or do?   Why do we let community, or culture, or fashion dictate how we look?  Why are we reluctant to be different?

Have you every watched a toddler dress themselves?  They put on the things they like.  They wear rain boots with tutus…Christmas dresses on the 4th of July…polka dots with stripes!   They have creative minds and are learning who they are and what they like.  But we stop them and teach them to conform to what is acceptable to everyone else.

Why are we afraid to let them stand out?  Why are we afraid to stand out?   We weren’t created to be carbon copies of everyone else!

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Years ago, I loved sewing for a lady who was short and fluffy.  She said her friends told her to wear dark colors to make her look thinner.  Instead, she wore what she loved…tropical prints and colors…yellow and orange and aqua!  She felt good about herself and it radiated in her personality and her style.  She walked with confidence.

Dare to be different! Dare to be what God created you to be!  Dare to stand out in a crowd!

“For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.”  Psalm 139:13-14

A Lifetime of Projects…

by Darlene Shelton, posted in Alterations, inspiration, Memories, motivation, sewing

Yesterday was a good day even with the heat and humidity.  Off from my ministry job and no sewing clients scheduled!!! I was looking forward to running some errands and then trying to work on decluttering my sewing space, getting ready for coming projects, a task which seems never-ending.

A post in my newsfeed about an estate sale caught my attention…“sewing machines, cloth, fabrics, yarn, string and so much more stuff.”  The location was less than 5 minutes from my home, so of course, off I went, arriving just as they were opening the doors.

Several high-end sewing and embroidery machines including a specialty felting machine, were lined up in the living room next to a sofa (which incidentally I ended up purchasing along with the matching love seat.)

Downstairs, the sewing room was filled with all things sewing.  Fabrics, books, magazines, cutting mats, dress form and so much more. The owner’s passion for sewing was evident. I immediately found two sewing books by Sandra Betzina to add to my already full book shelf, and after thinking overnight about some of the other items I saw, I plan to go back and spend more time looking for additional treasures… hopefully some vintage patterns

I wish I could have known the lady whose possessions I was going through when she was alive.  I found that she passed just a few months ago at the age of 88. I hope recipients of the many quilts she made over the years value the passion and love that she put into them. A lifetime of projects not yet begun and others still unfinished are all that remain of her sewing talent.  Things that I’m sure she valued highly, left to be sold and discarded by her son.

Speaking of decluttering…I need to start sorting through some of my fabric that I know I will never make up, and books that I no longer refer to. Time to decide what I want to sell or donate or gift to someone now while I can, rather than leave that overwhelming task to my adult children someday.

“For everything there is a season,
    a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
    A time to keep and a time to throw away.
 A time to tear and a time to mend.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-2;6-7

Disappearing Ink..

by Darlene Shelton, posted in inspiration, Memories, motivation, sewing, Uncategorized

Through my weekend job at the little specialty fabric and wool shop that catered primarily to tourists, I had met a lady who had a weekend retreat in our area.  When in town she would purchase fabric and leave it with me to make up later.  I kept her stash box in my home-based sewing room.

At some point, I would receive a photo in the mail with a request to “make this in that yellow fabric… or can you copy this in that glen plaid!?”   I would then have her garments ready the next time she visited.

Once time, she had come to my home to pick up a garment as she was heading back to her home in the city.  We were talking and catching up as she pulled out her check book and reached for a pen from the jar sitting on the counter which held a random assortment of pens and pencils. It wasn’t until after she was on her way, heading back to her home in the city, that I realized that she had used a disappearing ink marking pen to write the check. (Remember, this was before smart phones and electronic transfer of funds.)

A land-line phone call, a good laugh, and a new check was put in the mail to me the next day!

A Step Back in Time

Featured by Darlene Shelton, posted in Alterations, Bridal, inspiration, motivation, sewing, Uncategorized

1989…my first bridal commission.  I found these photos while trying to organize my sewing clutter this morning.

She had been my children’s babysitter for a summer and her mother I had worked together at the bank. We all attended the same church in our small, very rural farming community.

I had just transitioned from working in the sewing room which we converted from a porch in our farmhouse while watching over the sheep in the pasture outside my window to opening a small shop in town.  

Mother, daughter, and I drove three hours to a fabric shop in a converted school to purchase the beautiful bridal satin, tulle, nylon net and lace trim. Over a period of 3 months, I constructed the gown.  Each lace medallion was hand-stitched in place and embellished with tiny pearls.  The veil was also embellished with randomly applied pearls. Bias satin covered piping along the drop-waist seam. 

The bride purchased the fabric for the bridesmaid’s dresses in the city where she was living and working – beautiful jade green silk shantung and matching lining.  There were 6 bridesmaids, 5 local which allowed for measuring and fitting. One lived out of state and sent her measurements by mail.  I did the final fitting on hers 2 days before the wedding when the girl arrived in town.

The wedding gown was beautiful in its simplicity.  I don’t have pictures of the bride wearing it, but she was beautiful as she walked down the aisle in our little country church.