Miriam

MiniMade

5,896 Sales 5 out of 5 stars

Waterloo, ON

543

448 Following 543 Followers

It seems that my life has been dedicated to sewing. I grew up in a Mennonite home in Wellington County, Ontario, Canada. My Mother was an accomplished seamstress, mostly out of necessity. With 8 daughters, and 6 sons as well, she sewed many dresses on her treadle sewing machine. They were made with only the most basic of patterns and then adjusted to meet the specific design requests of whomever the dress was for. They then had to be altered for the next girl in line and when there was no more life in the dress it was set aside to be incorporated into something else, probably a comforter or quilt. So, my earliest recollections are of "unsewing" instead of sewing as I patiently unpicked seams for Mom so that she could take in or let out or salvage the bits of fabric still intact. I never did manage the intricacy of the treadle sewing machine but it was when I finally received the longed-for doll with real hair and eyes that closed that I started my sewing "career". A careful sorting of the materials in the scrap bag would reveal just enough fabric for a pleated or gathered skirt or a simple little top and with needle and thread my doll soon had a wardrobe more extensive than my own! Years later while at school and with little or no money for clothing, I purchased a sewing machine and never looked back. My daughter was sent off to her first years in school wearing cute outfits....but she finally rebelled and asked for clothing like everyone else in her class! It was time to start satisfying my creative urges elsewhere! I started a home based business making and selling kitchen items. For years I mass produced pieced chair pads and matching placemats and runners as well as a variety of pot holders, tea cosies, wall hangings, table toppers and so much more. I now enjoy the creative aspect of putting together unique items, often made from vintage linens found at local auctions, or piecing quilt blocks which I then prefer to pass on to someone else to complete. It's hard to predict what I may offer for sale. I'll let the fabric dictate to me what it should become and I hope you will like it!