About

Welcome to my blog!


I have for quite a while wanted to add something to my 'About' page. Something about the purpose of my blog. Mostly because I have finally figured out the purpose of my blog, ha.
I have just reached my 4 year blogging anniversary and for the first two years I was sort of all over the place. I started out just wanting to see what happened when you had a blog, then I got ambitious, wanted to make money and become a big and famous blog. Then I totally burned out and absolutely hated blogging and THEN I finally figured out a way that made sense to me.

Minimal deadlines and obligations which gives me lots of freedom to sew exactly what I feel like at any given time. 

So PURPOSE...let's get back to purpose. I want my blog to be like one of those little specialty shops we all know. Sometimes they are a bit of a mess and the owner is usually behind the counter him or herself. They didn't open the shop to make money but to be able to work with their true passion. They are geeky about their subject and can talk about it forever. They are opinionated, dedicated and can be preachy when it comes to their subject which means their shop is not for everyone and that is okay!! 

The sewing blogging worlds represents all kinds of people and all kinds of sewing - which is GREAT! Some blogs are really good at giving people the courage to actually start sewing and others help them improve their sewing game. Some are mainstream and others more specialized.
And that is why I have decided to focus on the kind of sewing that I am passionate about. The type of sewing I went to school for 4 years to learn. The way where you use traditional industrial methods, but also go the extra mile and make your garment look good on the inside too, match your sewing and serger thread, use interfacing, cut your notches and press every seam before you go on. And strive for a professional result. That doesn't happen on your first sewn garment. It takes a ton of practice, lots of mistakes and perseverance. I actually don't care so much about the final result as I care about the attitude about trying your hardest. And like I said earlier, I know that way of sewing is not for everyone and seriously that is okay. But that is the way that is being encouraged post after post on this particular blog.

Recently I was big time surprised by a big group of my sewing friends who made this video and not only did they show that they certainly did paid attention to my babbling, they actually also appreciated it, ha. Take a look for yourself and see what I mean:



I know right...gulp!
They talk about all the things I have encouraged in my posts along the way, which finally gave me the push to update this 'About' page. The purpose will be no surprise to those of you who have been so kind to follow this blog in the last four years but it still makes it more official to write it down, ha.

The rest from here is my previous 'About' page so if you have already read that at an earlier time, you can skip that and move on with your life.

I am originally from Denmark but moved with my British husband and two (well, at that time one 7 months baby) to the US in 2008. We absolutely love living here.

I am a formally trained seamstress (I think that is the best word to describe it). 
In Denmark that is a 4 year education where you spend some of it in school doing the hardcore sewing training as in "sew as many mens shirts, welt pockets, collar stands and so on until they come out perfect (ahhhhhhh), but also a bit of pattern making. And some of it being a sewing trainee in the real life. I was very lucky being a trainee in a shop where everything we sold in the shop was designed and sewed by the owner and her trainees (me amongst others). We made ball gowns and everyday clothes and it was for sure the last I personally enjoyed making the most.
The goal with our education, besides being able to sew almost every type of garment, was to work closely with designers during their design process. Not only sew their salesmen samples for the sales fairs but also help them choose between different sewing techniques for the details on theirs designs so that the end result matched the price they wanted to sell the clothes for. 

After graduation I worked freelance sewing here and there for different Danish fashion companies. Usually the smaller ones that were starting up and not had their whole production scheme set up yet. When that happens our job usually goes to the factory that also sews the production.

Like so many others I had a dream of designing myself and I made a tiny collection that no shop bought BUT one shop made a order on the condition only to pay for it when she actually sold it in her shop and I would get the rest back when the season was over. Ha, what a deal! I had no money for a production so I sewed it all myself - don't worry it was a tiny order ;-)
But I was young and was ready to make another collection and that went a tiny bit better and a shop or two actually agreed to pay for the clothes when they received it. Ohhh what luck. I still sewed it all myself and man what that hard work...and kind of boring - phew.
I ended up meeting someone who helped me setting up my production in Lithuania which was a big relief. I will never forget the feeling of opening those boxes full of my clothes. BEST EVER!!
I was growing veeery slowly and I am a TERRIBLE business woman. Oh dear! I wanted the best fabrics and great qualities but I did not wanted to have too high prices - going against everything I learned, ha! It was very uphill the whole way and when I became pregnant with my oldest daughter in 2007 it was an easy decision to close the company and get ready for motherhood. No income, 12-14 hour work days and my first baby did not feel like the right mix for me.

Well, then we got the opportunity to move here to the US, we had another girl, and in spring 2012 when the worst baby craziness was over, I discovered all these sewing blogs via project Run & Play and realized there was this whole sewing and blog community and I was very interested. 
All my sewing friends was back in Denmark and my new friends was not sewing so I started Sewing Like Mad as a way to connect with other sewing interested folks and to share my knowledge.

Thank you SO much for stopping by and please come back again!
Mie

5 comments:

  1. Well done katty. Your first comment is by your husband but he likes your blog very much.

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  2. Hi Mie
    You did it! And very nice one indeed :)
    I really love all your work.
    Make sure to brand it, it's worth a lot when the clothes starts popping every where.
    See you on wednesday.
    Hugs Tine

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  3. Hi! I really loved reading your story. So real and honest. And of course I love your blog!

    http://sewbidoo.blogspot.be

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  4. Whoa! What an exciting story! Just found your blog. I would love to follow such a course...you must have learned tons!

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  5. Your blog is the only place that explained so clearly how to sew the armhole of lining to the armhole of fashion fabric in a sleeveless bodice. Thank you so much!

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