What is heirloom sewing?

Heirloom Sewing

What is Heirloom Sewing?

Heirlooms are hand made and meant to be treasured by families for generations to come. Handmade family pieces, such as the projects Patricia Becker is licensed to teach, are always sought after and carry warm memories of the person who made the garment. Heirlooms are stitched knowing that probably they will be around much longer than the person who made the garment or other item.

The heirlooms, which Patricia Becker has been licensed to teach, are fashioned after elegant Victorian clothing which was extremely popular around 1900. The revival of heirloom sewing started around 1970 and is more popular today than when it began. At one time heirlooms were made completely by hand but with today’s computer technologically advanced sewing machines and sergers, almost all of this type of sewing and embroidery is done by machine.

Certainly the lack of time for today’s busy individuals who sew has necessitated that the process be faster. Pfaff has been one of the leaders in helping people who love to sew have the luxury of returning to their sewing machines to create these masterpieces. From Pullen’s research, people are sewing for two reasons today, first, sewing offers stress relief in a very fast moving world. Second, individuals love the creative aspect of making art pieces, the category into which these heirlooms certainly deserve to be placed. The classes Patricia Becker will teach offer both of these elements to her heirloom sewing students.