SPECIALSPECIAL
FEATUREFEATUREmid-century vintage, mending skills are
invaluable. The clothes are built to last,
but thread can become worn or zippers
can need replacing.
Q: You made a very good point when
you said, “It is ironic, in a way, that
a feminist woman would avoid things
precisely because they are considered
feminine, and in doing so, become less
self-suffi cient.” Do you feel strongly
about this angle of feminism and are
there other examples of constraints set
by feminism, do you think?
A: I don't’ believe feminism itself has
set any constraints – it has specifi cally
removed previously existing legal, social
and cultural constraints for women –
but what we see is a long history of
undervaluing and even ridiculing the
‘feminine’ and endeavours mastered by
women. None of us lives in a vacuum; we
are all impacted by the culture and ideas
we grow up with or witness in popular
culture, so some of us who are steadfastly
dedicated to gender equality and humanrights will still see traditionally feminine
endeavours as less important than
traditionally masculine ones, even though
we don’t recognise that bias. I was one of
those people. I didn’t consciously realise
that I was rejecting or undervaluing
some endeavours in part because they
were demonised or ridiculed in popular
culture as being ‘weak’, ‘feminine’ or less
important. I wanted to be strong, which
is a good thing, but unconsciously I saw
more masculine endeavours as the strong
ones, and that’s where I was wrong.
Today, when there is a wider public
understanding that women can master
what were culturally regarded for a
long time as solely ‘masculine skills’,
like leadership and business, etc (They
were considered male domains, even
though women still did those things,
anyway!), there is still a sense of
ridiculing and undervaluing things that
were considered traditionally ‘feminine’,
like home cooking, sewing, dressmaking,
child care, etc, even though none of us
could get by without those skills. We
often ridicule men who enjoy these
pastimes or have these skills as being
‘feminine’, and we still often undervalue
or take for granted women who master
them. I’d like to see that stop.
Q: As a novice, did it take you long to
make a garment?
A: I am still a novice, but enthusiastic.It probably takes me 10 times longer
than the next person, but I enjoy myself.
I actually began by altering garments
by adding ruffl es and length, then went
on to simple things, like cushions and a
fox backpack for my daughter, and then
started making garments for myself from
scratch. I usually only have an hour or
two at a time to sew, and it can take me
a week or a month to fi nish something,
depending on my work schedule.
Sometimes, I will be on the road
a lot or will be juggling deadlines.
Q: What was the trickiest part for you?
A: Time. But apart from my time
constraints, I still struggle at times
with garment-construction techniques,
which are not yet second nature.
This is particularly true for vintage
patterns, which I love, but which are
not always easy to follow. I am very
comfortable with my little Bernina
now, and I understand clothes, but
when the pattern is cut up, I don’t yet
automatically know the way it will be
constructed, to achieve the best fi nish.
I’m working on that.
Q: We at Homespun often hear from
designers who say they are completely
and utterly hooked on their particular
stitching crafts. Have you reached that
stage yet?
A: I am hooked on dressmaking and
vintage patterns.
Q: Do you have a dedicated space
for your sewing or is your machine
squeezed onto the edge of your
dining table?
A: I started out with a corner of the
dining room table and I now have my
own craft and workroom, where I write
my books and Victory Lamour vintage
blog posts, sew and run my little online
shop, Tara’s Vintage Closet, where I sell
my collection of vintage and second-
hand clothes. Perhaps, one day, I will
add items I’ve made.
Q: Do you only sew garments or do
you also like making homewares?
A: So far, I have focused mostly on
clothing, with the odd cushion.
Q: Homespun features many quilt
designers. Do you hanker after this,
too, now that you feel confi dent with
needle and thread?
A: I haven’t got into quilting yet, but
I hear it’s addictive.
Q: What are your top priorities
with sewing (design, construction,
materials etc)?
A: My top priority with sewing is
actually mending and maintaining
vintage pieces, with a very close second
being the creative design process of68 Homespun