From feeling ostracised from the stitching community to becoming a champion of inclusive sewing, here is Jenny's story...
By Jenny Hassler
When I started sewing as a child at my mother's knee, I never thought I would still be doing it 42 years later – it’s a nearly impossible thing for me to consider. She introduced me to her Kenmore 8-stitch sewing machine, helping me to make my first garments. I loved the possibilities I could imagine, looking at the fabrics in shops, second-hand stores, and even around our home.
Forty years ago, it was nearly impossible to find ready-made patterns that fit my body. My proportions were all wrong, in addition to being bigger than any commercial pattern maker could imagine – or so it seemed, based on the very limited designs that might successfully fit my body. My creative anticipation at all I could do with my new skills was soon overwhelmed by how uninviting it was to shop for patterns that didn’t include me, to join classes that didn’t consider fat bodies when selecting patterns or setting up the sewing space, to attend sewing groups that exhorted me to lose weight or draft my own patterns if I wanted to join the community.
In the years since, I’ve walked away from sewing for myself for decades at a time, exhausted by the effort to feel welcomed. All of that changed in 2019 when my daughter asked me to join her at Frocktails event in Ashville, NC. The invite said to wear something you’d made, so I went to my local big box fabric store and picked up the most likely looking Vogue pattern – Sandra Betzina’s 1234 – and some double brushed poly that looked very stretchy, and sat down to make a dress. The pattern was intended for hips 5in smaller than my own, but I was sure it would be okay – and indeed it was. That night, I chatted with kind sewists who overlooked my rusty skills and found beauty in what I wore. I felt seen and welcomed by everyone I met. There were door prizes and my number was called. As I stood up, I assured my daughter I’d grab whatever seemed best for her from the prize table… because, of course, there wouldn’t be anything that would be right for my body. I couldn’t have been more wrong – there was a pattern from Cashmerette for the Pembroke Dress. I was over the moon. I then made my first – but definitely not my last – Cashmerette dress the following week.
A WHOLE NEW WORLD
Everyone at Frocktails was introducing themselves with their Instagram handles, so I discovered the wild and wonderful world of the Instagram sewing communi
