In 1877 my great grandmother ventured forth from San Francisco to become one of the early school teachers (mistress) in the town of Mendocino on the California coast. Her mother, who worked at the famed Parisian Bakery, pushed a small jar of sourdough starter she had stolen from the bakery into her sewing basket and tearfully bade her only daughter goodbye. Hard times were ahead, as Mendocino was a remote lumber town filled with men and women seeking their fortunes.
Once she arrived in the developing lumber town, she set to work gathering the children, whom she noticed had very few clothes. As she had learned how to sew from her mother, she would spend evenings repairing the children’s clothes.
Soon she earned enough money to purchase a sewing machine. My great grandmother owned the first sewing machine in Mendocino and everyone gathered around to watch the needle fly in and out of the cloth as she pressed the pedal up and down. Soon she was creating the latest fashions for the women who ran the Mendocino Hotel and other establishments in that rural town.
My name is Joeleen and I have been sewing ever since I was eleven years old.
Teach You To Sew has been created with only one purpose in mind:
To bring you the best information when it comes to materials, machines and all the other appliances used in the sewing process.
Like everything, some machines are better at performing certain tasks than others. But how do you find out which is the best sewing machine for you?
That made me realize that no one sewing machine was perfect.
I immediately knew what had to be done: Write my experiences down for other enthusiasts to enjoy, so that they too would have an idea how to begin their journey!
I hope you find the information on this site helpful and that it brings you the joy of creating something that makes you and your family beautiful!
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