I’m over 60 and I sew mostly for me
I first started sewing at about aged nine and continued making my own clothes through my twenties. Back then, you could pick up a pattern and fabric and make something for less than buying ready-to-wear. But in the 1990s, things began to change and you could find okay ready-to-wear for less than the cost of fabric and patterns. Plus, work and my social life were the priority!
In 2015, I started sewing again after reading The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up and realising that I was spending a lot of money on clothes that didn’t fit and weren’t worn, and all that shopping was bringing me zero joy. So I hauled out the sewing machine and started making things that brought me joy! What began as a way to make clothes has grown into so much more — it’s my primary creative outlet and has pushed me to explore who I want to be when I present myself to the world.
These days I’m working on creating a wardrobe that is neither trendy or matronly – but instead I want clothes that make me look like me when I look in the mirror. I have a YouTube channel where I post a lot, and I do blog occasionally, and plan to do more writing in 2026. You can find my YouTube channel here – Janine Sews on YouTube.
I hope you’ll follow along on my sewing journey.
My main sewing focus for 2026
- Not sewing for the sake of sewing
- Learning something new with every project
- Sew one on-trend garment each season
- Sew two complicated makes in 2026, including sewing that Chanel Bouclé that is yelling at me from the stash
- Share the sewing love by doing some Charity sewing
Always Learning
When my sewing journey began again in 2015, I lived in Atlanta, a city with a thriving sewing community. I joined the local American Sewing Guild chapter and became connected to a wonderful group of sewists who generously shared their knowledge.
Through ASG events and conferences and classes here in Calgary, I’ve been lucky enough to take a lot of in-person sewing classes. Here are some of the classes I have taken, and instructors I have learned from:
- Linda Lee: Understanding fabric and selecting the correct fabric
- Janet Pray: Industrial sewing techniques
- Sarah Gunn and Julie Starr (Authors of “The Tunic Bible”): Creating a wardrobe
- Pamela Howard: Two-day sewing with knits (oh I learned so much!)
- Ron Collins: Pattern Adjustments
- Ron Collins: Three-day sewing retreat (attended several times – there is always more to learn and Ron is a patient and extremely knowledgeable teacher)
Community
When I moved back home to Calgary, I discovered there wasn’t a garment sewing group, so I decided to create a community like the ASG chapter in Atlanta. Calgary Sews has led me to many new friends (who happen to sew), and people with loads of experience who are always happy to share what they know. And now I’m getting to pass some of that knowledge along by teaching classes at a local sewing shop, Rick Rack Textiles.
One of the things I love most about sewing is that there’s always something to learn. Sometimes it’s a completely new skill, and sometimes it’s finally figuring out why something you’ve made ten times before suddenly isn’t working! I love being able to share what I’ve learned, help someone get past a frustrating bit, and see that little spark when they realise, “Oh, I can do this.”
Janine Sews 