Twenty plus questions with...Stacy Schlyer

It is with great delight that I introduce my first blog author interviewee -
Stacy Schlyer, author of Stacy Sews: Diary of a fabric junkie.

Stacy Schlyer AKA "Stacy Sews"

I first started following Stacy Sews shortly after its inception in 2006 and I can say it is one of the first few blogs that presented sewing as a craft in a trendy, modern light. The projects that the author- Stacy Schlyer- made were things that I wanted to wear and the techniques and fabric’s she used were more accessible and relevant to me than those featured in “traditional” sewing books. It’s no surprise then that Stacy Sews inspired my own sewing blogging pursuits and over the years I have had many an interesting “chat” (through the internet) with Stacy, who has always been very generous when dealing with questions about the nuts and bolts of blogging from this once newbie!   

Stacy Schlyer is a Kansas SAHM to two gorgeous children and successfully balances sewing, crafting and blogging with family life. Since beginning her blog Stacy has also been employed as a blogger for Threadbanger and Burdastyle.

Here follows the rather large set of questions I emailed Stacy, which she very kindly answered :

1. Approximately how long have you been sewing for/ at what age did you learn to sew?

  I've been sewing almost 15 years (I was 25) - after I had my daughter, I spent a lot of my maternity leave watching crafty\sewing programs on HGTV (Home and Garden Television). Even though I didn't sew at the time, I enjoyed watching Sandra Betzina's "Sew Much More" and finally decided that I would give it a go. I called my mom to ask her what she thought of me getting a machine and she said she thought I would like it (and to invest in a seam ripper).

2. How did you learn to sew? (Are you self taught/learnt at school/learnt through private lessons/taught by a relative / a combination of these?)(If self taught what resources did you mostly use? Internet/books/instructional dvds...?)

 
  I taught myself. I had watched programs on sewing, but never 'used' them since (at the time) i didn't think my skill levels were going to be to that level. After buying a machine, I bought a pajama pattern (for children), some cotton fabric, and followed the instructions. The top turned out fine, but I managed to sew one pant leg right side out and the other inside out! From just the one pattern, I learned a lot and got the confidence to try other projects. Once I got the 'hang' of things, I spent a lot of time reading articles\forums on the internet and books to increase my skill level. After 7 years of sewing, I finally took, my first class (quilting) and an just now taking some online courses.

3. What was the first machine that you sewed on ? Was it yours or borrowed? If borrowed  what was the first machine you owned?

 
  My first machine was a White Jeans machine (they no longer make these) - I purchased it used (it was a floor model) from a sewing center. It was simple (not a lot of stitches, etc.), but it was a workhorse! I still have it and let my daughter use it when she get the creative bug and wants to sew something.

4. What machine(s) do you currently sew with?

 
  I'm not quite a 'collector', but I have several machines I work with. I have a fantastic Bernina 580 which I tend to frequently keep on the embroidery module and then use my Bernina 440 to sew with while embroidering. I also have a Singer machine that I take to 'sew-ins' and classes and a Singer 5-thread serger that gets a ton of use as well!

5. How often do you sew (daily/weekly/monthly etc)?

 
  I sew several times a week, but try to do something sewing related (reading, browsing\reading blogs\stores online, etc.) every day.

6. Do you have your own sewing room/studio?

 
  Yes! I am very fortunate to have a room devoted to sewing (which is great when I'm being very productive because I can shut the door and hide the mess, plus I have someplace to store my fabric stash).

7. Is there anything (besides sewing machines and overlockers) that you use on a regular basis for sewing / blogging and could not live without?

 
  Even though I don't do a lot of quilting, I get a lot of use out of my rotary cutter\mat and quilting rulers (I have all sorts of sizes). Plus my seam ripper (I like the cheap Dritz ones and have several on hand because I always seem to misplace them while I'm working)!

8. Sewing blogs and websites- are there any that you frequent regularly? Any that have helped you become a better sewer?

 
  I have a very large list of blogs on my feed reader that I try to visit frequently - I'm very inspired by seeing everyone's projects and what they've been stitching up in there sewing room. I also tend to follow a lot of sewing folks on social media sites (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) which is a great way to stay connected to other people in the sewing community (with or without blogs) and love to participate in sewing chats (generally this happens on Twitter) when I have the opportunity.

9. Are you part of any sewing groups/networks?

 
  I belong to several - Pattern Review, BurdaStyle, and attend several sewing\crafty chats that happen weekly\monthly. (I'm sure there are more, but these are the ones that pop into my head first!).

10. How do you find combining sewing/blogging and family? How do you carve out time to write/create?

 
  I tend to sew when my children are at school or are asleep, but I may sneak in some blogging\article reading\sketching\etc. while my youngest plays by himself. I generally work best when I can sew\write for a good stretch of time uninterrupted. There are a few times that I let my son come in my sewing room and play (usually playing computer\internet games) while I sew, but that usually happens when I'm on a 'deadline'... he likes to 'help' too much!

11. Best sewing tip(s) you have picked up?

 
  "There is always more fabric" also invest in 'quality' fabrics - cheap quality material never works out.
Always use the right needle for the right project. I keep a chart up as to what kinds of needles (sizes and types) with what fabrics.

12. Craft/sewing books – any favorite titles you’d like to share?

 
  I am a sewing book junkie! My favorites tend to be project based since many of the information type books are typically geared toward beginners. Some of my favorite books are Amy Butler's Little Stitches (it's my 'go to' book for babies and toddler sewing), Lisa Lam's Bag Making Bible & Bag For All Reasons, The One Yard Wonder series, Heather Ross' Weekend Sewing, and my new favorite Sew Savy

13. Sewing patterns – any particular pattern house/magazine/website you prefer or tend to sew from more?

 
  I subscribe to BurdaStyle magazine and have vowed this year I will sew at least one look from each issue! I tend to be all over the board with what companies that I sew from, but I tend to lean toward more independents (StyleArc, HotPatterns, Amy Butler, various etsy retailers, etc.). I also sew a lot from books that I have purchased (see book junkie info. above).

14. Favorite item/projects to sew?

 
  I go through 'spurts' as to what I like to sew. For awhile it may be jackets, aprons, bags, tops, etc. and then I'll finally get tired of it and move onto something else for awhile.

15. Favorite fabric/materials to sew with (if any)?

 
  I love to experiment with all sorts of fabric. My favorite probably has to be knits\stretch fabrics, denim, and leather. I recently worked with oilcloth and laminates and had fun using them.

16. Most challenging thing you have ever sewn?
 
  A cover for a wire storage rack. I was only a few years into sewing and decided that I needed a wire rack to store my (tiny at the time) stash. I found a great pattern for a storage rack cover - it had tons of pockets, grommets, ties, and a roll up front so you could easily access everything inside the rack. For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to make this out of a heavy canvas. Not only was it HUGE, but extremely thick and heavy to work with. It looked great after I was done with it and got a lot of use out of it over the years, but to this day I still hate working on project that require lots of material!

17. What would you sew more of if you had the time? 

 
  More clothes for myself! Especially pants - there's nothing like a pair of well fitting\made pants!

  

18. Worst project ever (if you have one)?

 
  I've had lots of 'wadder' projects! I can't think of one that comes to mind as being the worst, though.

19. Do you have U.F.O’s (unfinished objects)?

 
  Yes, although I did a purge recently and only kept one that I was still interesting in making. I also have fabric\notions\patterns that are bundled together that I haven't started yet, but would like to get to one day.

20. Best time of day for you to sew?

 
  Morning after I've had coffee - I'm fresh, alert, and ready to tackle the day!

21. Anything you would be keen to acquire sewing wise if you won lotto?

 
  A long arm quilting machine and sewing studio that looks as if it belongs in a magazine (I imagine I'd have to hire a decorator for that one)!

22. Things you won’t sew?

 
  Aside from pillows, I'm not particularly fond of home decor sewing. I'll do it if I have to, but it's not my favorite.

23. Sewing for others – yes/no?

 
  Yes, but I tend to only sew for those who I know appreciate handmade.  

24. Has sewing taken you anywhere unexpected (that you did not expect it to)? 

 
  When I first started sewing I was looking for an outlet to be creative - I had no idea how much I would love it and that I would have the opportunity to share my passion with so many people (either through blogging or tutorial\article writing, etc).

25. Did you start sewing as a "hobby"/"recreational" pastime?  Do you still see it as being this way in your life? If not how do you see it now?

 
  I started sewing as a hobby. As much as I would love to turn into into a lucrative career, I'm afraid it might take the fun out what I do. Someday, in the future (when my youngest is in school full time), I may re-visit this, though. I'd love to eventually start a pattern business (or write a book)!

 Currently Stacy contributes articles to Sew News and Sew It All magazines, as well as projects for the Bernina blog WeAllSew.com.