Dust off your sewing machine and thread those bobbins, because Laura Jensen's Instagram account is the inspiration you need to finish that sewing project you've been putting off.
Jensen, a designer and project coordinator at the University of Arizona, has been posting photos of her finished and in-progress clothing pieces for about two years under the username, @sewnora.
And we have to say, all of it looks amazing!
Like, how can you do so much with fabric and thread? You bought that at J. Crew, right?
Here is what Jensen has to say about her experience as a sewist and what it's like to make your own clothing.
How long have you lived in Tucson?
I moved to Tucson in the summer of 2003 (In a car with no air conditioning! Bad idea!) after growing up in Maryland and living in DC for a few years. I thought I’d stay 6 months or so and then move on, but I’m still here!
Your clothing is awesome! How did you start sewing and what made you keep it up?
Thank you! I’ve always liked the idea of sewing my own clothes but it took me a long time to really get going. I started here and there with vintage patterns because I didn’t like the new ones I was finding, but I really didn’t know what I was doing. I didn’t know how to make fitting adjustments, I was bad at choosing fabric, and I never finished anything. I also had two crummy temperamental machines that had tension problems and were endlessly frustrating. I felt like sewing was hard and I was kind of bad at it, but there was something about sewing clothing that seemed so romantic to me that I kept coming back.
What really got me going for real was when I finally bought two decent machines: a 1914 White Family Rotary treadle machine (which is so so fun to use) and later a vintage Kenmore, and started making clothes for my kids, maybe 5 years ago. I used Oliver + S patterns and would make them stuff out of quilting cotton from Joann’s. Suddenly I was sewing things! And finishing them! My machines worked, the kids weren’t picky about my wobbly stitches, and I didn’t have to worry about fit. Then I started discovering wonderful new indie pattern companies that were designing things I would actually wear (Grainline Studio, Closet Case Patterns, Sewaholic, Christine Haynes, Thread Theory, True Bias, and so so many others) and I finally had more confidence to start making things for myself. I watched YouTube videos of different techniques and followed tutorial sew-a-longs for specific patterns if I got confused. The first time I finished something for myself and wore it out in public it felt so empowering and awesome that I knew I wasn’t stopping. Sewing my own clothing is perfect for me because I like nice clothes but I’m super cheap, I really don’t like shopping, and I love making stuff, so it’s a match made in heaven really.
What’s your favorite part of the process?
Omg I think it’s all my favorite. Picking out fabric is super fun, I especially love digging through piles at SAS because it feels a bit like a trip to the art store and the thrift store all at once, there is so much possibility and you arrive never quite knowing what you will leave with. The day fabric comes in the mail is always so exciting! I love washing and pressing new fabric, and the moment where the pattern is all laid out and the pieces get cut and you can start to see the forms taking shape. I’ve even come to appreciate the more fiddly difficult details like getting a shirt collar to come out evenly or attaching a bias binding to a neckline. It feels so good to practice and hone a skill and discover a new favorite technique for something, and when a step comes out just perfect like your stripes or seams match up just right, oh my goodness! Also the moment where all the buttons are on and you clip your last thread and you put on your new thing, amazing. Then it’s time for the next project.
What are some favorite creations you have made?
Definitely the Bombshell Swimsuit from Closet Case Patterns. I am not unique in my hatred of swimsuit shopping and florescent fitting rooms lights, so the realization that I could make swimwear to fit my measurements in my very own house AND feel totally comfortable at the beach was completely life changing. Every time I make another Grainline Studio Archer Shirt (a button down) it blows me away a bit, too. So many pieces and lots of little steps and then suddenly a shirt appears! It’s crazy.
How did you get started on Instagram?
It was so helpful to me when I was getting started to go online and see what other people were making and how. I would read blogs and look through Google Image Search before I would even buy a pattern. So after posting a few things to Facebook for friends and family, whether they were interested or not, I thought starting an Instagram and tagging things for others to find would be a way to show off what I was proud of making (to an audience who might be a little more interested), while adding to the library of examples out there, on the off chance it could help someone else like other people’s pictures helped me. I completely love seeing all the amazing things the other sewists I follow make, there are so many people sewing their own clothing and everyone has so much skill and passion. It always inspires me to take on new challenges.
What do you like to post?
Mostly finished garments, but I like taking process pictures and I’ll post some of those, too. I try to keep it sewing related but some other stuff sneaks in sometimes. I can’t help posting stuff my kids make!
What sort of advice do you have for anyone who wants to make their own clothes?
Start with something simple, not too fitted, that you can make with an easy fabric like cotton lawn. Try a tank or a boxy top that doesn’t have set-in sleeves, or a simple a-line skirt. Then try to add one new skill with each new pattern you try, so you can build your base without getting too overwhelmed. Take a class if you don’t know anyone who sews. My mom is a quilter, so she was able to help me when I had beginner questions or something was going funky with my machine, but if I didn’t have her I would have been lost right away. From the very first step in any project be as meticulous as you can. Press your seams. Don’t take shortcuts. And don’t waste your time with crappy fabric. You’re spending the same amount of time no matter what the material, and cheap fabric is almost always more difficult to work with and won’t feel good to wear anyway.
Most importantly: don’t be afraid to make a total disaster of a thing. Be O.K. with making something you might never wear. If you sew enough, you’ll inevitably make something out of the wrong fabric, that fits poorly, or that isn’t your style at all. That’s what seam rippers and thrift stores and trash cans are for. But it’s all worth it because you’ll learn tons and with a bit of practice picking patterns and materials and refining your craft, most of the things you make will fit and be absolutely wearable and you might even end up with the best t-shirt or swimsuit you have ever owned!
Who else do you like to follow on Instagram?
I follow so many makers and craftspeople! It’s mostly sewists and pattern designers, but I’ve recently been adding weavers and potters and knitters too. Some Tucson locals I love to follow are @littletorodesigns, @barriobread, and @eldenluthiery. They all make totally different things: jewelry, bread, and guitars, but I love seeing how they practice a craft they are passionate about every day while making beautiful things for people in our community. Also I could buy every necklace that Tawney makes, they are all my favorite.
Anything else?
Make stuff! Use your skills, create something that fulfills a need or makes you happy, and post it on Instagram for us all to see!
