I’ve enjoyed sewing and working with fabric since I was 11 years old. I remember taking the bus to Paterson with my sister to go to sewing lessons at the Singer store. While my sister’s first projects were perfect (she even used the exact same fabric pictured on the pattern envelope), my results were somewhat “less conventional”.
I come from a long line of ancestors who worked with textiles. As immigrants from Sicily, my great grandfather and uncles worked in the silk factories, starting as helpers and working their way up to dyers. My grandmother was a seamstress and the piecework she brought home to work on late into the night, helped her to pay the mortgage during the Great Depression. My father remembers helping her, sewing the straight seams on a big industrial sewing machine.
I can still see my father shaking is head in disapproval when he saw that I hadn’t follow the directions on the pattern. “Why can’t you just do it the way they tell you?” he would sigh. But that ‘s how I’ve lived my life – always imagining there must be a better way of doing things – always thinking outside the box. It didn’t make me a financial success – but I have had a life rich in experiences and creativity.
And now, I’ve come full circle – back to the trade of my ancestors – expressing my creativity through sewing. And I’m still always looking for ways to make things better. So, under the careful supervision of my dear old cat, Balam, I spend my time creating custom-sewn items in my Concord, New Hampshire workshop. I apply the same quality tailoring techniques used to create high-end designer fashions, to every item I make, almost always with a twist – some way that my product is an improvement over whatever else is out there.
I ask, “How can I make this better? What creative ideas can I apply to the design that will solve problems? How can I make this more sustainable and environmentally responsible? In the process, I’ve created some entirely new items, or recreated popular products with an ingenious twist. Here are some examples:
TOASTY TOES to keep your feet warm around the house without binding like socks – now with treaded soles to prevent slipping.
CUSTOM APRONS for every situation, for every body
POTLUCK PORTERS to carry your food to the next get-together, even a big pot of stew.
CASSEROLE COZIES that wrap around your home-cooked dishes to keep them warm (or cold).
COZY CAPS in organic stretch cotton fleece that are comfortable and safe for chemo patients and people with allergies.
TEE TOPPERS you can slip into to hide the fact that you’re still in your pajamas in the middle of the day.
ARMREST ORGANIZERS to keep your phone, remotes, and glasses handy
TABLE APRONS to keep your clothes from wearing your food, without calling it a bib!
And much more!
Made By Me! Sewing Project Kits.
When customers told me they wished they could sew, I decided to make it easy for them to experience the satisfaction of sewing practical items for themselves and friends, by introducing Made By Me! Sewing Project Kits.
I continue to add products to this line of kits, which include precut and marked fabric with the correct sewing machine needle(s) and thread, notions, step-by-step, illustrated instructions and everything else you need to achieve a professional result, even if it’s the first time you ever sewed something.
Sewing Tools
Over the years I’ve collected some tools I find to be indispensable when sewing. I’ve devised some tricks of the trade using them that consistently produce professional results in less time. I’ve created my own improved version of tools I’ve seen that almost got it right – such as my Stick and Straw Tube Turner.
Some tools, like the creaser, which I call a Sewing Stylus because it has so many more uses than just creasing, are hard to find. Some tools, like my Needle Minder that I use to keep my sewing machine needles organized, I designed and made for myself . I’ve assembled these favorite tools into a Made By Me! Sewing Tool Kit, complete with an exclusive 16-page booklet describing how I use these tools.
And because I love sharing what I know about sewing, even more than I love sewing, I’ve set up a blog: Jeeni’s Sewing Circle and a Facebook group (sewinglessonsbyjeeni) – where you can ask questions about sewing and we can share solutions. This is a work in progress and limited by the fact that I am only one person. I hope you will pop in and add to the conversation.
P.S. Balam thinks Social Media is terrific, so I’ve promoted him to Marketing Manager! He said to remind you to leave comments and product reviews on this website because they help to reassure new customers.
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