OUR MISSION
Take a sewing class!!! We are here to share our experience by inspiring others to discover and nurture their creative side. To learn to sew fashion apparel, accessories and home decorations while exploring how to think outside the box, and to find avenues that lead us to realizing our own inner personality and style. We brainstorm together, we create everyday apparel or works of art using textiles, we have lots of fun.
I have been stitching garments since I was a little girl. I had just received a Barbie doll, and since we couldn’t afford the .79 cents for that great little black evening dress, I was fortunate that my mom let me use her sewing machine. I do still have the machine, which is probably not worth as much as the ‘bubble-cut Barbie’ I don’t have now.
I started sewing professionally about 25 years ago making bridal and bridesmaid gowns, theatrical and Halloween costumes, and did countless alterations. I still want to make a grown-up version of that little black gown that my Barbie had, remember the one with the tulle flounce at the ankles? --well you just cannot walk in it.
My education includes two years at Pasadena City College in the Fashion Program where I learned more advanced couture sewing methods, pattern draping, flat-pattern making, grading, apparel design, illustration, history of costume, textiles and fashion show production. I included three semesters of ceramics during that time because playing in the mud was just as therapeutic as the sewing.
Recently I have had the pleasure of working in South Pasadena with Fremont Centre Theatre doing costumes, and with our own school district costuming the annual elementary school play for three years. I have summer workshops here at Sew Joe for ages 12 to adult, from mid-June through August. Workshops are four days for 5 hours and yards of fun for beginning to intermediate stitchers.
