Maternity and sewing: a tandem that awakens your most creative side. Lidia tells us her story
Hello, my name is Lidia and I’m a mother with two kids aged 2 and 5 years old. I live in a village near Barcelona and I love to travel, cook, read, sew and all things DIY in general.
I’m a special education teacher. I love my job, and although I haven’t got a lot of free time, sewing and knitting are my therapy. I need this space, those five minutes of sewing or knitting with the background music on and nothing else to distract me. These moments give me the peace and energy I need to continue with my routine.
Maternity and sewing: My Story
I’ve been sewing for a long time. I started by making basic accessories for myself like bags, napkins, cloths, cushion covers… but when I got pregnant I realized I wanted part of my son’s wardrobe to be “handmade”.
My maternity leave gave me a lot of time to sew. I started with tiny, made to measure garments, and as my son was growing up I encouraged myself to start making t-shirts, trousers and pyjamas. I even made a shirt following a Katia pattern.
Then I started sewing garments for myself, basically skirts and dresses.
With my second pregnancy I didn’t have that much time to sew, but I also wanted my second son to have some garments made by me (although he inherited lots of his brother’s clothes). The good thing about handmade clothes is that if you choose a good fabric and wash them in cold water they can lasts a really long time.
Now that my second son is a little bit older and still takes naps (thank goodness for those naps!) I am taking up my sewing again. I don’t sew as much as I did with the first, but I like both of them to have garments made by me. It’s also important for me that they value handmade things and see that with them we help respect our environment. I’m that kind of person who thinks that garments we make ourselves are special. They are made with great care, imperfections included, and that additional personal touch.
MY EXPERIENCE WITH KATIA
When I discovered Katia’s website I immediately fell in love with its fabrics. I have sewed various pieces with them: bags, pyjamas, trousers… The designs of Katia Fabrics as well as their colors are very beautiful and cheerful. I recently discovered their trousers which seem easy to make and very intuitive.
This time I’ve chosen a t-shirt pattern because I found the slanted pocket quite amusing and fun. It is easy to make and a basic for the children’s wardrobe.
When I saw the kangaroo fabric I didn’t hesitate for a moment. My eldest son dreams about visiting Australia to see kangaroos and koalas, so I knew he’d love it. And he did.
As I had some left over fabric I adapted the pattern for my younger son and made the same t-shirt for him as well, but this time without the pocket.
I know I will make the most of this pattern considering that it is a basic t-shirt and summer is coming.
Conclusions
All that is left for me to say is that I encourage you to start sewing. If you still haven’t started to sew, but you’d like to, I promise you that it’s relaxing and you’ll get hooked on it. You can start by making basic and easy accessories: a simple napkin to avoid using paper ones, a shopping bag or a small bag with a cord to put your children’s afternoon snack in.
Sewing allows you to create the things you need, with the fabric that you like and the design you prefer. You can also personalize the patterns. In this case I adapted the size 5 years to 2 years and removed the pocket.
Katia’s patterns are versatile and easy to make, and furthermore, the fabrics to make them with are so beautiful. I think it’s the perfect kit to start sewing with, and even more so to give away if you know of a friend who likes sewing.
Katia Fabrics
Find everything you need to make this project in Katia Shops and haberdasheries. Additionally, we encourage you to visit our online sales platform KatiaShop where you can also make all your fabric and sewing pattern purchases.
