My Sewing Journey

I have been sewing since I was 12, when my mother gave me some fabric and a skirt pattern and said, "Here, maybe this will keep you busy." Since I already knew how to sew by hand, she showed me how to use her treadle sewing machine.  It wasn't easy!  But after many hours, I finally got the hang of it.  Then I entered junior high school and Home Economics classes (remember when they were required?). The electric sewing machines we used were easier, though knee operated, and my teacher was very patient with me.  Mom bought me some supplies to use at school, and when I made the reversible wrap around denim skirt, I knew I had found my niche. Many decades later, I still love sewing, but not in the way a seamstress does.  I just love to help people!  Best of all, I continue to learn new techniques with the wonder that is YouTube.  Still, I do my own thing.  (More about that in another post.)

Pins & Needles by Wendie started as a side business while I taught middle school ELA, Social Studies, and Reading.  I sponsored a club for crafters after school one day per week for several years.  The kids wanted to learn how to sew for creative purposes, so we made plushies.  This experience rekindled my love for sewing.  
Then my colleagues would ask me if I could help them out.  I hemmed pants, fixed seams, took in waistbands, and sewed patches onto letter jackets.  But it was helping out with the choir dresses in the fall of 2022 that made me believe I could have a career during retirement.  With so many friends saying that they couldn't find anyone in the area to sew for them, I realized this could be a new adventure for me.  Pins & Needles by Wendie is ME!!
To be clear, I am NOT a seamstress.  But I am a sewist, and I would love to help you. Together, we can save the world, one garment at a time.  Fix it, don't replace it!
All the best,
Wendie Wilcken