Sewing Magic (Make Sexy Even Sexier)

One of my life's regrets is not becoming a seamstress and fashion designer. For me, sewing and fashion design are three-in-one: a job, a career and creative magic!

The dark side of the fashion industry is often discussed today; for the same theme in the 19th century look at Elizabeth Gaskell's novel Ruth.

The novel describes the hard-work, tough working conditions and poverty of the Victorian seamstress. Charles Dickens does the same in Nicholas Nickleby, when Kate Nickleby goes to work at the fashion house of Mrs Mantalini.

However, both Ruth Hilton and Kate Nickleby are young girls of amazing beauty -- indeed, the scenes where Gaskell describes Ruth's beauty are among the most wonderful of their kind in literature. The young seamstress is presented as talented, pretty and eager to work hard.

An inspiring portrait of the young seamstress and designer is done in the character of Valentine O'Neill in Scruples, the novel by Judith Krantz. ("This should have been your own career too!" My inner harpy wakes up to haunt me). Scruples is not one of my favourite novels, and the only reason it remains on my library shelf is for the information on the working of a fashion workshop contained inside.

I had a student colleague at University who could sew and design clothes, alter clothes she bought from stores, and did beautiful work with the needle. She was herself beautiful, and one of the most attractive women I have ever met. With a portable sewing machine and her sewing magic, she could make sexy clothes even sexier. She had this amazing ability to make a fine piece from any sort of plain cloth and --

I better stop here before my inner harpy wakes up to haunt me again!!!!!!!!