Gabija from Lithuania wrote beautifully about her sewing journey, although she was not quite sure where it began. When thinking back to her sewing memories, she realized she has always been surrounded by women who sew. Even if her daughters do not take up sewing as a hobby, she is sure they will share many warm moments with their mother in the midst of her hobby. In Gabija’s entry, we appreciated how gracefully she wrote, and the photos she sent tied the story together. You can read her full story in Lithuanian and in English below:
Aš negal??iau tiksliai pasakyti, kur prasideda mano siuvimo istorija. Galb?t pas senelius kaime, šiltai prik?rentoje gry?ioje, s?dint ant mo?iut?s lovos, jai parimus prie senosios Singer. Jos stal?iukai tuomet man atrod? esantys tikros lobi? skrynios. Galb?t pradžia gal?t? b?ti jau šiek tiek v?liau man pa?iai parimus prie mamos Veritas bandant aprengti savo Barb?. Ir kaskart susipainiojus si?lams šaukiant mam?, nes tada niekaip nepavyko išmokti ? siuvimo mašin? suverti si?l?.
O gal pradžia tuomet, kai mo?iut?s jau kur? laik? nebebuvo, jos namai stov?jo tušti ir s?n?j? Singer kažkas iš j? pavog?. Šiluma, nuo pe?iaus ir nuo mo?iut?s artumo, ramyb?, girdint mo?iut? minant metalin? Singer pedal?, ir tas nuostabos jausmas atidarius lobi? stal?iukus, liko. J? iš man?s pavogti negali niekas.
Arba pradžia siuvimo kursuose, kai laukiausi pirmagimio ir, did?jant pilvui, išmokau si?ti tik sukneles (? kelnes, jas pabaigus, b??iau jau ne?tilpus). O einant paskutiniams laukimo m?nesiams pasisiuvau rožin? suknel? (nors joki? rožini? atspalvi? niekad nem?gau), matyt, kaip ženkl?, jog gims dukryt?.
Pasibaigus siuvimo pamokoms prie siuvamosios likau viena. Ta?iau greit suradau Facebook grup? „Myliu si?ti“. Ir b?tent joje sužinojau apie Ottobre. Pervertusi kelis žurnalus, nor?jau visko: ir tos keputyt?s, ir vat t? kelny?i?, o šita suknyt? kokia graži, o tok? ir pati mielai nešio?iau! Kur gauti laiko viskam pasi?ti? Ilgainiui radau savo favoritus. Jau nebesuskai?iuosiu, kiek kart? siuvau kelnytes (modelis nr. 6) iš 1/2015 numerio. Ne tik abi mano mergait?s su jomis šliaužiojo ir vaikš?iojo, bet ir draugi? vaikai apsi?ti buvo. 4/2016 numeryje esanti tunika (modelis nr. 13) taip pat keliskart si?ta. Tiesa, tik iki to laiko, kai dukra atsisak? j? rengtis pareiškusi „mama, noriu, kad sukt?si!“ Tad at?jus vasarai puikiai tiko ir sukosi 3/2014 modelis nr. 15. Na ir žinoma, daug kart? si?tos, nes visad reikalingos, vaikiškos tampr?s (4/2016 – 14). Ir dar daugyb? romperiuk?, sm?linuk?, kuriuos užbaigti reik?davo greitai greitai, kad mažylis nesp?t? j? išaugti.
Betgi mano atradimai toje facebook grup?je tik prasid?jo, nes v?liau sužinojau, kad yra ne tik Ottobre Kids, bet ir Ottobre Woman beigi Ottobre Family. Ir atsivertus juos man atrod?, kad beveik viskas gali keliauti tiesiai ? mano spint?. Noriu t? tampri?! Ir šitos suknel?s! O kokie geri marškiniai! Ir keln?s! O šito džemperio reikt? vyrui… Ir v?l teko nurimti ir išsirinkti pa?ius pa?iausius, nes laikas tarp sauskelni?, maitinim? ir migdym? ribotas. 5/2016 numeris yra mano visiškas favoritas. Jame esan?ius marškinius (modelis nr. 18) sunešiojau beveik iki skuteli?, pasisiuvau dar vienus, o treti laukia sukirpti savo eil?s. Sijonas (modelis nr. 7) buvo labai patogus leidžiant laik? su mažais vaikais. O suknel?mis (modelis nr. 16) papuošiau ses? ir mam?. Na ir žinoma, visad reikalingos tampr?s (modelis nr. 9).
Nuo pat pradži? mane siuvimo kelyje lyd?jo tik geriausi bendrakeleiviai: mo?iut?, mama, mano dukros, iš pradži? pilvelyje, v?liau saldžiai snausdamos nešyn?je d?zgiant siuvimo mašinai, o dabar jau dvi mažu?iuk?s mergait?s, lakstan?ios ir krykš?ian?ios ant k? tik mano ant grind? ištiesto ir paruošto sukirpti audinio. Džiaugiuosi, kad si?nant mane lydi ir Ottobre. Jau?iuosi atradusi sau tobul? siuvimo žurnal?, kur puikiai atitinka dydžiai ir drabužius lydi jauk?s aprašymai, kur modeliai turi vardus ir amži?. Paskutinis privalumas ypa? praver?ia, kai žurnalus varto mano vyresn?l?. „Mama, kas ?ia?“, dažnai klausia ji. „?ia mergait?“, atsakau. „Aš žinau, kad mergait?. Nu bet kokia mergait?? Koks jos vardas?“
Dabar suprantu, kad siuvimas man ne tik praktiškumas, kai galima pataisyti ar suruošti vaikams patogi? drabuži? ? daržel?, ir ne tik magija, kai iš medžiagos skiaut?s ir keli? spalvot? kaspin?li? atsiranda burt? lazdel?s dukroms ar iš mamos kelis dešimtme?ius spintoj laikyt? audini? gimsta Elzos suknel? vyresn?lei, bet ir tvirtas si?las, besivejantis iš šiltos seneli? trobos link mano Barb?s ilg? sukneli?, keliaujantis tolyn iki tos netik?tai panor?tos rožin?s suknios bei toliau sekusi? daugyb?s vystykliuk?, marliuk?, šliaužtinuk? ir daili? mažy?i? sukny?i?.
Ir visai nesvarbu, ar mano dukros si?s. Labiausiai nor??iau, kad su savimi tolyn jos nešt?si šilum?. Nuo namuose spragsin?io židinio ir buvimo kartu, kai visos trys palink? ant grind? prie ištiestos medžiagos braižom siuv?jo kreidele ir j? kerpam, smaigstom segtukais iškarpas ar atidarom lobi? d?žut?, piln? ivairiaspalvi? sag? ir kaspin?li?.
It’s hard to tell where my sewing story began. Maybe in a warm house of my grandparents in a grandmothers bed when she was sewing nearby with her old Singer. It’s drawers then seemed to me like treasure chests. Or the beginning might be a bit later when I was sewing dresses for my Barbie doll with my moms Veritas sewing machine. And every time when the thread got tangled up I would call my mom because I never managed to learn to thread a sewing machine back then.
The beginning might also be when my grandmother was already gone, her house was empty and someone stole her old Singer. Warmth and serenity hearing the old Singers pedal and the feeling of wonder upon opening these treasure drawers remained. They can never be stolen.
Or maybe it all starts in the sewing classes when I was expecting my firstborn. While my belly got bigger I learned to sew only dresses (I wouldn’t have fitted in any pants after finishing them). For the last months of my pregnacy I made a pink dress (although never liked pink) maybe as a sign that I will have a daughter.
I was all alone with my sewing machine after finishing sewing classes. But soon I found a facebook group “Myliu si?ti” (“Love sewing”) where I found out about Ottobre. After flipping through the pages of several issues I wanted everything: that hat and those pants, and this dress is so cute, oh look at this one, I’d gladly wear it myself! Where to get the time to sew it all? I found my favourites after a while. Pants (model no 6) from 1/2015 were sewn numerous times. Not only my girls crawled and walked in them, but also the kids of my friends. Tunic (model no 13) in 4/2016 was also made many times. Unfortunately, only till my daughter refused to wear it saying “mom, I want a dress that spins!”. When summer came, the dress (model no 15) from 3/2014 spun nicely and was approved by my girl. Of course, I have to name the always needed leggings (4/2016 – 14). Ottobre also accompanied me in making lots of rompers and bodysuits that I was in a hurry to finish before my baby outgrows them.
But my discoveries in that facebook group only began because later I found out that there are Ottobre Woman and Ottobre Family. Most of what’s in them could go straight into my wardrobe. I want these leggings! And this dress! Just look at this shirt! And pants! And this jumper would look good on my husband… So again I had to choose because time between diapers, feedings and putting a baby to sleep is scarce. Issue 5/2016 is my all time favourite. I wore one shirt (model no 18) to pieces, then made another one and the third is waiting to be sewn. Skirt (model no 7) was very comfortable everyday wear spending time with the kids. My sister and mom were given dresses (model no 16). And of course, here again I have to name the always needed leggings (model no 9).
From the very beginning I was with the best companions in my sewing journey: my grandma, my mom, my daughters, first in my belly, later quietly sleeping in a baby carrier while I’m sewing and now two little girls running on the fabric I have just laid on the floor planning to cut it. I am very happy that Ottobre is my helping companion as well. I found my perfect sewing journal, where the sizing fits me perfectly, the clothes have cozy descriptions and models have names and are of certain age. This last one is very helpful when my older flips through the journals. “Mom, what’s that?”, she often asks. “That’s a girl”, I answer. “I know, that is a girl. But what girl? What is her name?”
Now I understand that sewing for me is not only practicality when I need to mend something or to make comfortable clothes for my child to wear in the kindergarten, not only magic, when from a fabric scrap I can make a magic wand or an Elsa dress from the fabric my mom saved in her wardrobe for decades, but also a strong thread, going from my grandparents warm house to my Barbie doll dresses and to that unexpected pink dress during my pregnancy.
It doesn’t matter if my daughters will be interested in sewing some day. Most of all I would want for them to carry that warmth. The warmth spreading from our fireplace and our time together when we draw on the fabric with the tailors chalk and pin the patterns and open the treasure box full of colourful buttons and ribbons.