Sewing Doesn’t Have to be a Mystery

About the Book

After teaching sewing for years Stephnie noticed all her beginning sewing students labored with the same tendencies. She found these tendencies were discouraging the desire to continue sewing. What a sad affair to crush a persons creativity: not to mention denying the pure enjoyment garnered from taking sewing classes. Therefore, she felt compelled to list the tendencies: about 30. Actually this was just the beginning of the list. After identifying the Tendency, Stephnie wrote out a description of what was happening with each tendency calling it: The Problem. The evolution continued with answers and solutions, calling them: To Clarify. Wow! Today the number is more like 90 something. Example: many times her students had trouble taking the fabric (with the finished seam) out from under the foot. Stephnie would causally place her hand in front of the sewing machine needle and ask, “Where is your take-up lever?”  When the student realized the take-up lever was hiding, Stephnie’s next remark was: “Turn the hand wheel like a Waterfall until the take-up lever is at its highest point. Now you can retrieve your fabric.”

Stephnie provided photos and drawings on the page facing each tendency. This will help you, the reader, understand the text better. The book is mostly about operating and maintaining the sewing and serging machine. However: reading patterns, a harrowing encounter; sewing over pins, not good, and wash your stash, what ever that means. Plus, a virtual plethora of sewing mysteries are unveiled as the author leads you through her tried and true techniques of sewing, cutting and general handling of fabrics, sewing machines, hand sewing (yes you need to do hand sewing), posture is embraced (it is important), etcetera. Stephnie is trained in tailoring, drapery making, costume creating, stuffed toy making, quilting, and pattern alteration through Nancy Zieman’s Fitting Finesse. So much fabric: so little time.

Study the book, take it with you to a sewing class and have fun!

About the Author

Stephnie Clark has been sewing so long; she believes she was born with a thimble on her finger. The summer before her senior year at Orange High School, Orange, CA, she sewed enough to have a complete change of garment for the first three months of classes. That is a plethora of garments.

In the 60’s Stephnie Clark sold Singer sewing machines, Torrance, CA. The 70’s she sold fabric and notions at the Singer store and taught beginning through tailoring for students age 10 thru 16 as part of the summer program, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Five of Stephnie’s students entered the Hawaii State Singer Sewing contest and all five were in the top three positions, including two of the first place winners. For the past nine years, Stephnie Clark as been teaching beginning sewing through tailoring in San Diego North County, CA. Stephnie is a Grandmother of three, and a former; Phi Theta Kappa member, Vice President of Alpha Xi Phi chapter; bass singer for Sweet Adeline’s Marin County, CA and Olympia, WA choirs’; Habitat for Humanity architectural drafter and board member, Olympia, WA; docent for the California Historical society, San Francisco, CA; summer of 2005 attended the Costume College in Van Nuys, CA (what a hoot!) In 2002 and 2003 she directed two fashion shows. The second one was a fashion show spectacular: Summer Fun Fashion Show & Entertainment. There was special stage props; a local singer; a magician; music from 1890’ to current and a fund raiser for Woman’s Resource Center. Currently Stephnie is living in Oceanside, CA working in the fabric department at Wal-Mart. She was also asked to teach authentic hand sewing techniques from by-gone days at the Sew Creative Costume Academy in Temecula, CA.