My Sewing Machine, Plenty of Fabric, A Room with a View and Strong Hot Coffee...As far back as I can remember, I have had a sewing machine, and spent hours of my free time sewing. I experimented with patterns and fabrics, and made a lot of wadders ( big mistakes that were wadded up and thrown away).
That’s me surrounded by some of the purses I recently made,
and some flip-flops I embellished. When you live at the beach what else do you wear?
It took a lot of tears and frustration before I decided that I did not know everything and that the pattern guidesheet was there for a reason: to show and tell me how to make the garment I was working on. I failed sewing in high school, I won the Betty Crocker Homemaker Award, and a full scholarship to the Fashion Institute of Technology. There were times in my life when I sewed all of my clothing including underwear. I made bathing suits for me and my daughter, and all of the Christmas gifts for our family.
And there were times in my life when cranking out a set of placemats or a pillow would be all of the sewing I could do in a month. And I cried and longed for endless time to spend in my sewing room.
Sometimes I would go through my fabric stash and dream of what I would make if only I had the time. Handling the fabric brought me peace. 
When we retired to Mexico I vowed to spend my days learning to use my embroidery machine, making quilts and fiber arts projects. Well, I had to return to work for many reasons. My job became a victim of “La Crisis” and after a few weeks of mourning the loss of income, I rallied and said: “Well now I have time to sew.”
In the past two years I have rededicated my heart and soul to sewing.
My daughter was going off to a writing conference in San Francisco and asked me to make her a special tote bag. I searched my patterns and the internet and discovered Lazy Girl Designs. I made a gorgeous bag for my darling daughter. And that re-ignited my creativity.
I started sewing purses everyday for months and would ask friends and family what style they would like. It became an obsession. That is why I am engulfed with purses in the photo on this page. 
I developed Sewing Insider to share my wealth of sewing experience. I am not an expert, I would be eliminated on the first show of Project Runway. But the garments I sew are wearable, my friends and family love my purses and pillows. I have developed my own shortcuts and techniques. And I will share them with you.
My house is right on the beach in La Paz, Baja California Sur, and my sewing room has a gorgeous view of the bay, the mountains and the city lights. Take a tour of Sewing Insider, and leave comments, share your projects, and show off your sewing space. And let’s make a deal: I‘ll show you mine, if you show me yours!
Bienvenidos, Susana Return to Sewing Insider Home Page
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