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Hello and welcome to Lydia Sews Things, I am Lydia the Mother and Designer behind this blog. I’ve been working on this website for a while now and boy has it been a labor of love. I will start this party off by telling you a little about me. I am 42 years young married to the love of my life, we’ve been together for 20 years now and we have two extraordinary girls.
I have been searching my whole life for my purpose, as I believe most of us do. I used to think that accomplishments were important but what I have learned with age is that the experiences we have are really what make us who we are. Life is a non linear journey and every bump and turn in this road of life is what makes it worth living.
I grew up on a farm in the San Joaquin Valley of California. My parents had one of the hardest, under appreciated jobs in this country. They were farmworkers. I watched my dad come home every day covered in dirt. I saw my mom wake up at the crack of dawn to cook and make lunches for a crew of laborers that was composed of my uncles. Yes, they got here illegally TO WORK and bring food to the American tables. They are now homeowners and naturalized American citizens.
My dad is an American born citizen but didn’t really know how to do anything else. He dropped out of high school around the time his father passed away. He died of a stroke tending to a crop… That’s all I’ll say about that because honestly my dad doesn’t talk about it and I don’t want to ask him, it’s just sad. I think in an effort to stay close to him my dad kept working for the same farmer that his dad did.
Eventually my dad went back to school and got his GED. He went on the get a college degree and got us out of the Valley. My Dad always told me that I could become and do whatever I wanted in life. He is my hero. (I love you Dad!)
I experienced so much bullying and discrimination at school I can write a whole book about it. Despite that, I absolutely loved school, I was always so good at it. Learning came easily to me, I loved math and science and really wanted to be an engineer. At least I thought I did, everyone always said, “as a woman I would excel because there aren’t many in those fields.” As a woman… geesh I didn’t realize this would be a handicap…. that’s another tangent I’ll save for another day.
I was set with a small scholarship to Fresno State when my parents got divorced and I felt obligated to stay in San Diego with my mom and little brother. So I said goodbye to that and went to community college. I was so angry at this time in my life. I felt like I had to put my dreams on hold. I went on to get a full time job in retail to help pay for school.
I soon realized I could make more money and have a less stressful job working in a call center. I transitioned to a sales job for a local cable company and that’s where I met my now husband and soul mate… I love him so much. Seriously, finding him changed my life. I started dreaming of domesticity instead of a career. Mind you I’m a feminist but also a hopeless romantic. I figured I could have both I would just take a detour for a little while.
My beautiful husband helps me see myself as flower that is still blooming and not a sum of would be degrees and things I could put on a resume. He is the reason I am writing this blog, his encouragement has fueled me when I have been ready to quit and get a regular job.
His job took us to Atlanta for a couple years and this is where our first baby girl was born. I was very far from home and she was born early. This was just such a hard time for me. Without going into my whole birth story, let’s just say she came home with a faulty heart monitor and I have struggles with anxiety and post partum depression. She is now a healthy ten year old and I still get emotional just thinking about that time and how little she was.
This was when I started seeking comfort in sewing. My husband worked long days and that ATL traffic is no joke, it took forever just to drive home. I had(still have) an old Singer Touch and Sew that I used to play around with some sewing patterns I had. I made a couple shirts but the process I learned, in using a commercial big 4 pattern, was just soooo tedius and time consuming. I was aching to create but there had to be an easier way.
When we were pregnant with my second baby, that’s really when my sewing journey started. Mind you I have always loved creating and making things. I learned to embroider and crochet from my fabulous aunties from the tender age of 5ish. I remember vacations in Mexico gathered around a tiny TV attached to my grandpas tractor, and embroidering cervilletas (cute towels/muslin fabric that we wrap tortillas in).
Ok Back to the topic… When I was pregnant, I started looking for maternity clothes and was just soooo shocked by the prices and the fact that the clothing would only be worn for a short period of time, then I thought, “hey let me just make some comfy clothes.” I had taken a basic sewing class as an elective in college where I learned how to use commercial patterns, you know those envelopes at the fabric store, so I thought, ok let’s try this…again. I never enjoyed the process because of those same patterns. THEY ARE A PAIN!! Not only are they oversized, don’t have all the sized in one envelope, their instructions are THE WORST. It really discouraged me from sewing back when I took my class.
I was determined to to make my own maternity clothes and once I set my mind to something, there’s not much that will stop me. I figured I couldn’t be the only person out there that wanted to make maternity clothes so I set out to the internet and searched for a leggings pattern. What I found changed my life.
I found indie patterns. Particularly, what I found was the Peg Legs from Patterns For Pirates. I’ll tell you that I had never sewn knits… NEVER, and I was totally biased because my grandma always told me they were awful to work with and she knows everything. I love my grandma and one should not argue with her lol. The funny thing is she also told me I NEEDED a serger. I got a used one from eBay and it had been in storage for a loooong time. Grandma says anybody that sews needs a serger, so I complied even though I didn’t use it for years.
I dusted my serger off and made myself a pair of Peg Legs. LET ME TELL YOU… that I was sooo comfortable I cried a little bit. I was overwhelmed by a sense of accomplishment and the pure joy of having bested the commercialism of motherhood! Making these just brought me so much happiness. So grandma was right about needing a serger but wrong about knits they’re NOT so bad.
I felt brave enough to share a picture of myself wearing my leggings in the Designer’s Facebook group. Never have I ever felt soo welcomed into a community like I did that day. Judy herself commented on my post and told me about the free maternity add on that she has available. The fact that she was there and showed kindness to me was really something I needed at the time. Thanks Judy!
This was a turning point for me. I had found “my” thing. I felt like I had awakened something within me. This was the beginning of my creative lifestyle. My quest to learn as much as possible about the craft. I tried every pattern I could get my hands on. I became a pattern tester for many companies and learned so much from so many different beautiful people throughout the community. I have had the privilege to work with people from so many backgrounds and life journeys. I am truly in awe of how sharing this love for a hobby brings us together.
I didn’t just sew up patterns as they were written I started modifying and hacking away at them and creating other more complex designs. I just saw too many different possibilities I became obsessed. I woke up everyday excited to sew new patterns and use fabrics in different ways. I ended up going back to school to study fashion design. I wanted to draft my own patterns and create my own designs. I needed to get my hands on all the knowledge I could find.
I worked my butt off, it was really hard to tackle school, raising children and tending to my household. I’m also a firm believer in hard work. Nothing worthwhile is going to be easy. Keep working at what you want in life and you can get there. That is after all, The American Dream, what my family, as well as those of countless immigrants before us, have worked so hard for. I would be failing my roots if I gave into my fears and didn’t publish this blog, so here I am making space for myself and my journey. I have worked with other designers to help them bring their visions to life and now it’s time for me to start creating for me. This isn’t just for me though, my hope is to spread the joy of sewing and what creating can do for the soul.
Thank you for being here and I hope to connect with you and become your friend. Join me on Youtube and stick around as I sew more things.
XOXO,
