Issue 11 - Civil War /Victorian Collaboration - Sarah Tafelsky's Intro

Hello, friends!  My name is Sarah Tafelsky, owner of Sarah's Sewing Room.  I am thrilled to be joining this collaboration with Heather of Bbeauty Dolls, Ava of A Stitch in Time's Line, and Satenik of Sata & Haykush Designs (above this is me and my mini-me Ella Mae!)

A little bit about me:  I am born and raised Michigander, and Grand Rapids has always been my home.  I live here with my husband Tad and our four cats: Padme, Captain, Thor, and Cheddar.  I've been collecting American Girl dolls since 2001 when I received my first doll, Miss Samantha Parkington.  I'm a Samantha girlie, her stories having shaped me to be who I am today - a kind, generous empath who fiercely loves her friends and seeks to better the world.  I have well over 50 American Girl dolls, but who's counting??  My other non-sewing hobbies include knitting, crocheting, miniature-making, and reading.  If there's a crafty hobby out there, though, I've probably tried it at least once!

My sewing journey started in childhood.  My parents owned a quilt store and I spent many evenings and weekends there, playing with fabric scraps and learning how to use a sewing machine.  The repetitive nature of quilting wasn't quite my style, so in high school I began teaching myself how to make clothing - starting with a fleece cropped jacket and a polyester jersey knit dress, both of which I still have and neither of which are in any way perfect!

Above: Three of the first garments I ever made.  I sewed on the sleeves of the jacket backwards, and I "hemmed" (badly) the neckline of the dress instead of doing the facing like the instructions told me to do!  By the time I got to the doll outfit, I had taught myself well enough that I was able to tackle techniques like piping and matching plaids.

My motto is "sewing with intention".  Every decision I make while sewing, no matter how small has a good reason behind it.  Being self-taught, I don't always follow the rules (I play it fast and loose with my iron temperature!), and my sewing room is always at some level of chaos.  I love getting lost in the tinest of details, whether it be fussy-cutting to get the pattern matching just right, perfectly matching my seam lines, or choosing just the right trim to accent a pretty fabric.  I am a perfectionist, sometimes to a fault, but my clients know me as a sewist that will always go the extra mile to get a project just right.

Above: Some of my favorite makes from the past several years.  I love projects that stretch my abilities and force me to grow in unexpected ways.  I'm so grateful that I have friends like Ave, Heather, and Sata to bounce ideas off of and learn new skills from!

I'm "sew" excited to reveal my collection over the next couple days, and I hope you are excited too!

How to find me:

Etsy: sarahssewingroommi.etsy.com

Instagram: @sarahtafelsky