My Singer Story is 160 years old — at least, that’s when the Singer Co. started their story. And as an author and collector of all things vintage, the Singer story plays heavily in my own... I first learned to sew on a Singer sewing machine when I was 9 years old. It belonged to my mother, and had been her prized possession since college. I remember she kept her Singer in the extra bedroom, set up by a window. My mother had been an avid sewer for years, making many of her own clothes and clothes for her friends. She was a Home Ec teacher for years, and even opened her own craft and fabric shop. When she started teaching me how to sew, I felt like I was being introduced to a whole new world of possibilities. As I learned the basics and moved on to more complicated techniques, I started thinking about sewing in entrepreneurial terms. Inspired by my mother and her shop, I launched a business making teddy bears out of thrift store finds (cast-off wool coats and mink stoles) accompanied, as always, by the trusty Singer! I eventually went on to start my own pattern company, Indygo Junction, and a website that sells digital vintage artwork and projects, The Vintage Workshop. While searching for more vintage content, I discovered the work of a woman named Mary Brooks Picken. Mary was an authority on fashion sewing and the home arts in the first half of the 20th century, and a lifelong entrepreneur. She immediately became an incredible source of inspiration for me, and in 2010 I published the book Vintage Notions. The book features sewing patterns, projects, recipes, as well as timeless words of wisdom. Not only did I connect with Mary as an author and teacher, but I also saw that so much of the content from the Woman’s Institute could be put into a modern context for readers today. Whether in fashion, the demand for handmade goods, or the organic food craze, current trends have us looking to the past to create for ourselves a better future. But I got a real surprise when I discovered that Mary actually worked with the Singer brand on a number of projects —including the widely used Singer Sewing Book! In honor of that union decades before, I recently partnered with Singer to hold a design contest for sewing enthusiasts to create their own patterns. Contestants in this “Vintage-Inspired Modern Style Design Challenge” will be competing for over $3000 in prizes, including a Singer 160 machine! So, my Singer Story comes full circle. I learned to sew my first machine stitches on a Singer, and years later, I found renewed inspiration through Singer’s history. Now, I’m sharing the Singer legacy with others through the Vintage-Inspired Modern Style Design Challenge! Go to www.indygojunction.com to learn more.