On Qualifications

People often ask me about what qualifications I have to be a pattern designer. They are interested in whether I had formal schooling in … business startups… fashion design… website design… photography… or any of the other hats I wear nowadays.

OK, most people aren’t quite that blunt when they ask. They generally veil their question a little more discreetly… but no matter how they ask it, it’s a fair question with a very simple answer:

I have none….. Absolutely NONE!

Based on my resume (below), there’s absolutely NO reason I should be doing much of anything that I’m doing now.

  • I have a BS degree in Chemistry which included one computer course, involving the use of keypunch cards… that’s right… keypunch cards! (those of you born after 1975 might need to google this)
  • I took ONE writing course in college & made a C. I never took another….
  • The first time I ever even sat in front of a computer was when the City installed one in my office in 1998. At the time, it was NOT a welcomed sight because in typical government fashion, I received no training…  nothing…. not one course. They just told me to start using it and assumed I’d know how. I struggled with it for a month before I realized it was connected to a network. Up until that time, I had never even seen a website….
  • Although I’ve had a lifelong love of sewing, my efforts were limited to clothing and home decorating items until 2003, when I made my first accessory item. It was a wallet from a commercial pattern….and it was so poorly written and the results were so awful, I KNEW I could do better!

All This to Say….

1- No matter what your age, FORGET about what you’re actually qualified to do. It’s means nothing.

2- Every day that you wake up is a perfect day to learn something new.

3- If I can craft a livelihood in a field that I had absolutely NO prior qualifications for, so can  YOU!

4- If you have, or when you do find something that you LOVE to work at, you should be grateful, VERY grateful, each and every day! Whether you’re a religious person or not, you should pause every morning and say, “REALLY? I get to do THIS?”

And now, it’s YOUR turn!

Are you in the process of learning anything new? And what would you like to learn next?

We love reading your comments and answering your questions too, so please feel free to leave either or both in the space provided below. Check out the best sewing pins with me on Pinterest, join in on discussions or show off your work in our FaceBook Group, or get your daily sewing fix on our Facebook Business Page or get behind the scenes scoops on Instagram, and be the 1st to know about new patterns, discount codes and sample sales by signing up for our monthly newsletter.

Kat

15 Comments

  1. Lillian on June 14, 2021 at 9:43 am

    Than you for sharing – perhaps there will be some who will venture out on their own by reading your inspiring post! Love your purse patterns – they are the best!



    • Kat on June 14, 2021 at 6:35 pm

      Thanks Lillian- I hope that happens! 🙂



  2. Beth on June 14, 2021 at 3:36 pm

    Your mention of the wallet you made once reminded me of my wallet story. One evening when we were packing to go on vacation, I realized that our little girl didn’t have a wallet to carry her money in. So I sat down and made one from scratch. Years later her first son also wanted one which I made from some tractor fabric. The children liked their wallets, but I would have starved if I’d needed to make a living making wallets! LOL

    Your story is inspiring!



    • Kat on June 14, 2021 at 6:36 pm

      Thanks Beth! Thank goodness I dont depend on this business in order to eat or I’m afraid we would have starved this past year! Its been rough!
      🙂



      • Beth on June 15, 2021 at 12:46 pm

        I’m so glad you could hang onto your business until things pick up again. I’m hoping this year will help make up for last year!



        • Kat on June 15, 2021 at 7:49 pm

          me too! 😀



  3. Dawn King on June 14, 2021 at 5:29 pm

    I love this! It’s so inspiring!



    • Kat on June 14, 2021 at 6:36 pm

      Thanks Dawn!



  4. Marion Pool on June 15, 2021 at 5:00 am

    I am in the process of making a Laura Heine collage wall hanging. I have always loved making collages(I made dozens in college)so I thought this would be the perfect project. A big collage using my favorite medium, fabric! But, it’s a new skill and it’s kinda hard! I am almost finished and I have enjoyed the process.



    • Kat on June 15, 2021 at 5:30 am

      That’s so interesting. I’d love to see a picture of it when you are done! 🙂



  5. Mary on June 15, 2021 at 5:28 am

    I love this post! I am a retired registered nurse, but always loved music and wanted to learn to play an instrument. I may never perform on a stage, but I am enjoying learning and playing my music on the stage of life! Apologies to my husband and cats! Its never too late to follow your dreams!



    • Kat on June 15, 2021 at 7:48 pm

      I think thats great. I taught myself to play clarinet in my 40s and like you, I’ll never qualify for the symphony but I play at church and in community orchestras and enjoy it VERY much! Keep up the hard work! 🙂



  6. Kim on June 15, 2021 at 5:34 am

    I loved reading your story! You go girl! and encouraging others, wonderful. Congratulations!



  7. Mea on July 15, 2021 at 3:48 am

    As a lifelong lover of learning, I used to have a ton of hobbies (jewelry making, basketweaving, flint knapping, crochet, painting, sketching, gardening, hiking, etc.) but then rheumatoid arthritis came to stay and I stopped being able to do those hobbies.

    I had a lousy teacher in middle school Home Ec class which completely turned me off of sewing, so I didn’t gravitate towards it. However, I was going crazy not being able to be creative. So, I tried sewing 8 years ago.

    I discovered I have an innate knack for it. Can’t read a pattern for my life (although I do intend to learn and have even gotten some Studio Kat patterns for when that time comes because I live the designs) so draft my own patterns using pictures I see on the internet (learning how to do that is a hobby unto itself!) I have since made several historically accurate historical garments, reupholstered a couple of chairs, made some quilts, some bags, and now I’m learning thread painting. I can only sew 20-30 minutes at a time, so each project takes a long time, but it’s so satisfying when it’s done and everyone needs a sense of accomplishment on occasion.

    I love sewing because, no matter how much you learn there’s still so much more to learn, and do, and try .



    • Kat on July 15, 2021 at 6:30 am

      I’s so glad you’ve found a way to still be creative. It takes determination sometimes doesnt it! Thanks for sharing! 🙂