Sewing provides creative outlet
County Fabrics owner Casey McDowall, left, and employee Heather McDowall explain some of the details of fabric.
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald
Heather McDowall, Country Fabrics, Moses Lake, cuts fabric for projects. Quilting and other forms of sewing are a creative outlet, according to local enthusiasts.
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald
Heather McDowall smooths fabric before cutting it for a customer at Country Fabrics, Moses Lake. People are attracted to sewing as a creative outlet, according to local enthusiasts.
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald
Heather McDowall of Country Fabrics prepares fabric for projects. Quilting and other forms of sewing are a creative outlet, say local enthusiasts.
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald
Heather McDowall of Country Fabrics cuts yardage for a customer. The creative possibilities make quilting and sewing attractive hobbies.
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald
Jenn Stevenson said quilting provides an outlet for creativity that might otherwise get lost in the digital age.
Courtesy photo
Jenn Stevenson said quilting provides an outlet for creativity that might otherwise get lost in the digital age.
Courtesy photo
Jenn Stevenson said quilting provides an outlet for creativity that might otherwise get lost in the digital age.
Courtesy photo
MOSES LAKE — The thing is, people still can’t get around as much as they like in this summer of coronavirus. And while winter is still off in the distance, it’s coming closer.
What with the restrictions on movement that have come with the coronavirus, people have already watched a lot of television and movies. Some people are exercising more, others put in a garden – but again, time doesn’t stand still, and it’s going to get cold eventually.
Maybe it’s time to look for something else to do, or something more to do. And maybe all those masks people made, and are still making, point the way to that something new.
Many people have dusted off an unused sewing machine and put it to use making fabric masks. Now that the machine is back in use, maybe there are other things that can be done with it.
Masks have reintroduced people to sewing, and introduced new people to the possibilities inherent in fabrics and patterns.
“We have a lot of new people coming into the store,” said Casey McDowall, owner of Country Fabrics in Moses Lake. “I’ve noticed a lot of new faces, and they’re still coming in. A lot of them are not just coming for things to make masks. They’re coming in for other things,” she said.
Mask-making was, and is, very popular. “A ton of people,” McDowall said, coming in for mask supplies. Jenn Stevenson, manager of the Old Hotel Art Gallery in Othello, said people have come in looking for supplies, sometimes without really knowing what they want or need. (The Old Hotel also has a selection of fabric for sale.)
Luckily, there are plenty of help out there who want to explore possibilities beyond mask-making, whether it’s quilting or fashion sewing.
“It’s not as tough as people think it could be, because there are tips and tricks to everything in sewing. There are a lot of tips, and a lot of knowledge that will help people become better sewists,” McDowall said. That applies to any project, she said.
When it comes to sharing their experience, “I’ve never met a stingy quilter,” Stevenson said. “They’re always willing and happy to share their knowledge.”
There are some things that help make the learning curve easier. McDowall recommended quilters and seamsters at every level become familiar with their sewing machine. “You need fabric and a pattern and thread and now you’re ready to go,” she said.
Well, maybe not yet. “An iron is very important,” said Heather McDowall, who also works at Country Fabrics. The more attention paid to pressing during construction, the more successful the project, Casey McDowall said.
The right tools can make a job easier or harder, and one of the keys to a successful project is fabric. McDowall said some of her customers spend hours picking out the fabric for their projects.
A quilt project usually starts with a focus fabric, McDowall said, and other fabrics are chosen from there. But Stevenson said she is what she called a modern quilter, and comes at it a different way. “We kind of march to our own tune and don’t follow the rules,” she said. Many of her projects are inspired by color, she added.
While the projects may be different, both Stevenson and McDowall said they are attracted by the chance to be creative. “It’s my sanity,” Stevenson said. “It’s that creative release that I think in a digital age we all have gotten away from.”
“If you talk to any sewist out there, they’ll tell you that it’s better than therapy. If you’re super-stressed or any of that, if you go in and start sewing – I don’t know what it is, it just takes all of that (stress) out of you,” McDowall said.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.
