FAQ

How do you pronounce your name?
My name is Mamie, pronounced: MAY-MEE.

Why did you create this blog and what is "Sewing On My Kitchen Table?"
On a whim...however, I've been blogging on-and-off for a few years now. Nothing really stuck until I started Sewing On My Kitchen Table. I use the blog to keep my sewing momentum going, and journaling my ideas and completed projects help me document my personal progress.  My blog is also slowly morphing and expanding into a bigger space. I am adding more topics and creating more than clothes on my kitchen table.

I have a Google+ page by the same name with lovely members from around the world sharing sewing projects, ideas, and lending a hand with advice. You can join the community HERE.  I also organize a Meetup group in my local area where members get together and sew. It's like Montessori school for sewists. Members bring projects to the event, and if they get stuck or have questions, there's always someone there that can help.

When did you start sewing?
I began when I was 12 years old...like most people around that age, it centered around projects in home economics classes. Then it continued through high school, and really developed in my early 20s. I went to fashion design school for a couple of years in between my undergraduate school, and that experience sealed my love for fashion sewing.  At around 30 years old, I took a 17-year hiatus, and then picked it up again in 2013. I'm a bit rusty and re-learning as I go.

What kind of sewing machine do you own?
I recently bought a new Juki F600 to replace my old Bernina 1130 (which still works mostly fine). Check out my F600 post HERE. My other machine is a single stitch Juki TL98. This machine is my workhorse. I also own an under-utilized Babylock Evolve serger. I have a few back-up machines for when I go to classes: a very basic Pfaff, a Singer Featherweight, and a 25-year-old Babylock serger (when they were made by Juki). If you want to see what my sewing studio look like as of late, check it out HERE.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to go to art school...move to New York and attend Parsons. That was my dream, but I was not one of those gifted kids with mad drawing skills. I like fine arts, but I'm more tactile and my strength has been working with textile as my medium. My other love was writing, and it seemed a lot more approachable. Had I chosen to go to design school right out of high school, my life would have been very different. I didn't grow up until recently. That's when I realized that I could still have everything I ever wanted but on my terms. The one thing I never thought I would be when I grew up was an acupuncturist...which is what I do professionally. So you can say needling is in my blood.

How do you spend your time now?
Late last year (2014), I set up a local acupuncture practice. This has taken up most of my time. I wish I could say that once I walk out of the clinic, I'm done with work. But it just ain't so. I also spend a big chunk of my time preparing meals for my family. Food and nutrition are a pivotal part of my life. My sewing hobby is far from center stage these days. I can go for several weeks without running my sewing machine. You can learn more about my clinic HERE.

What are you currently sewing?
The best way to find that out is to follow my blog or read my little journal snippets HERE.  At one point I was really interested in couture sewing techniques, and I still am within reason. But I find the most joy when I create something simple without being weighed down too much by hand sewing, but don't get me wrong...hand sewing is still crucial and what I believe divides the skilled sewist from the unskilled. I'm a believer of balancing my time and aesthetics. As far as 2015, I'm done with selfish sewing and hope to sew more for my family and friends. (Let's see how long that lasts.)