Letter from Boston Homemade Goods By MASAKO YAMADA	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
手作りグッズ 中学・高校のころは裁縫が好きで、自分の洋服を作っていたこともあるという雅子さん。先日、新しいルームメートと生地屋さんを訪れたのがきっかけで裁縫熱が復活、久しぶりに何か作ろうと思い立ちました。すぐさまミシンを購入し、店で見つけた型紙を使ってオリジナルのブタのぬいぐるみを作ってみました。

I went to the fabric store with my new roommate so that she could buy a piece of brocade. She had just bought a pair of bell-bottom jeans for 99 cents (¥109) at the local thrift shop and she wanted to add a little trimming to make the pants more special. She had seen a nicely trimmed pair of jeans in a fancy shop in England for about 50 (¥8,750), but she knew that she could do a similar job at home for much less money.

As I walked among the colorful fabrics, I remembered how much I used to like to sew. Even in junior high school, I always made an effort to embellish the projects I made for home economics class. In high school, I occasionally wore homemade clothes to school. I had not sewn anything in years, but I decided that I wanted to make something.

I was especially drawn to the nonpractical items, such as silver lame, fake fur, fluffy tulle and rhinestone-studded fabrics. I had the urge to make outrageous couture ensembles — the sort that I hardly see in stores, much less wear to school. I suppose I've been getting tired of my standard shirt-and-jeans look lately.

Of course, to make such items, one needs a sewing machine. I tend to take a lot of time before buying anything that costs more than $20 (¥2,200) but I decided then and there to buy a sewing machine. I immediately went to a nearby mall to check out the prices at a discount electronic goods store. Not too surprisingly, the store did not carry sewing machines. They are able to keep prices low because they do high-volume business. Home sewing is not a high-volume business.

Home sewing used to be considered a household chore, much like doing laundry or cleaning the bathroom, but now it's considered a hobby. Sewing is a luxury, since most people do not have the time to sit in front of a sewing machine. It's not even a tremendous moneysaver. The patterns themselves can cost over $10 (¥1,100).

Although I can definitely save money making highly personalized items, I know I'm probably better off buying day-to-day clothing items, since they are made by seamstresses who can probably sew 10 times faster than I can and who do not get paid much for it.

I had to go to a stodgy housewares store to get my sewing machine. I had originally planned on getting the cheapest model — one that could sew in a straight line and do nothing more. But I decided to get a more expensive model so I could make things with a slightly more professional look.

One of the problems I've had with handmade clothes is that the seams tend to fray after a while. With this sewing machine, not only can I make buttonholes and serge seams, I can also sew dozens of fancy zig-zag and animal-shaped stitches. What a fine bonus!!

My roommate was thrilled with the machine. She had never used an electronic sewing machine before. She had always used handcranked sewing machines. I don't know whether this is the reason she insisted on pressing the automatic foot pedal with her hand, but she managed to get the job done and she has received many compliments on her jeans.

I went back to the fabric store yesterday to stock up on my own supplies. I went straight to the patterns that were on sale for $1 (¥110), and I looked through almost all of them. There were hundreds of patterns, but most of them were either too big, too frilly or too conventional.

However, a couple of unexpected patterns caught my eye. They were patterns of stuffed dolls. I got a pattern to make pig dolls and frog dolls, and I bought enough fabric to make a barnyard full of pigs. I started making one pig, Mr. Snuffles, right after I got home. I made another pig, Ms. Snuffles, today. We named them the Snuffles because the word sounds like a cross between "sniffle," "snuggle" and "snout."

They do not really look like the pretty little pigs I saw in the picture. Perhaps because of the features I've given them, they look quite human to me -- humans with ears, tails and cloven hooves. I suppose I can say that the Snuffles are unique. This is certainly one of the things that makes homemade goods fun to make.

Shukan ST: March 3, 2000

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