I was talking to one of my friends this evening about how I ended up learning how to sew a few years back. It made me realize how things fall into place even when you are not consciously planning for it to happen.

I have always been into sewing. At every stage of my life, I have a memory that is related to sewing. From the early days in Lagos making clothes out of paper by taping together, to the days of sewing paper with needle and thread to the days of going to the tailor and designing my own outfits, there is a memory tucked into me somewhere.

When I was in college and fearless, I used to hand make some of my own outfits for fancy dinners and stuff. Those outfits were shapeless but I made them and I wore them without feeling self-conscious because clothing was always a passion of mine. For a while there, I contemplated going to design school. Instead, I settled for a graduate degree in Fashion Retail.

I guess I was meant to learn out how to sew because when I was done with my graduate programme, I decided to do a year of service in Nigeria. I ended up in Ibadan teaching in a school. The school let out early and I needed something to fill up my evenings so that I won’t be bored. This was how I signed up for sewing classes at a small studio near my house in Oluyole Estate in Ibadan.

My days at that sewing studio was fundamental to the confident I have now in sewing. Yes, I am not super confident because my lessons were cut short by tragedy. However, I learned how to use a sewing machine and basics of sewing so that gave the foundation to self-teach other things as I sew more.

I have only had my sewing machine for a year now because when I moved to the United States, for the second time, I could not afford a machine. Plus, my room was way too tiny to fit in a sewing machine. Times have changed now and I am able to afford a machine and to buy sewing supplies regularly.

I still don’t sew as much as I would like but I get in regular time.