ladies of the society! i give you the adapter.

Name: Melissa Peterson

* I'm playing Hoarding it for Home by Mates of State since I listened to this song on repeat all through a most marvelous month long European tour I took, wherein Melissa and I met and became life long bossom friends. *

Favorite type of sewing project: Dresses for myself, of course. And anything else I feel like I need to sew at the moment.

City you currently reside in: Smithfield, Utah

Hometown: I don't know. (This is my least favorite question to answer.)

Family stats: One husband (who is a seamster in his own right) and one pumpkin seed (to arrive in the fall).

Machine you sew with: Baby Lock very-plastic-model-looks-like-a-toy. Who has even heard of Baby Lock, and isn't it kind of a creepy name? Baby. Lock. That's why I felt ok about covering it with stickers. It's been a great machine. Nothing fancy.

Picture of the project you are currently working on: You don't think this looks like a sewing project? Huh. I'm going to make myself a bigger dress as soon as my belly gets big enough that I have an idea of how big to make it. In the meantime, the fabric is just keeping our sideboard cozy.

Picture of a finished project you are happy with: (Even REALLY happy with. We'll take that too.) It's funny, but when I sew I get a little stressed out about how nothing looks like it should, but then I always have really low standards for my final product (probably because I know how hard it was). So I'm usually pretty satisfied, even though I'm well aware of all of the flaws. My favorite dress was probably a Christmas plaid dress I made last year, even though I keep thinking of what I would do differently if I made it again (which I will when I have a waist again). Also, I don't have a picture, but I made curtains for my bedroom when I first moved to Logan three years ago--they were just muslin with a pretty 70s flower trim--and I loved them.

Do you have an etsy site? What is it?: Yes I have one, but I don't sell anything. Once I sold a headband to my favorite person in Hawaii.

What fabric are you currently drooling over?: Always William Morris patterns. I find fabric very rarely and it's always pretty expensive but so very Arts and Crafts Movement awesome.

Sewing project you would most like to attempt but are admittedly frightened of or just need to learn more about: Baby things. I will be making many, but they're so small. And "baby fabric" is way too cutesy. Also, I want to be a professional tailor. Which is a hilarious joke because I have absolutely no attention to detail (and I don't usually use matching thread).

Favorite online crafty blog that you draw a lot of inspiration from: Honestly, I can't think of a specific place that I get inspiration from. I love dressaday.com, and it probably got me on my vintage dress kick last year. Oh, and also--there's a girl in Provo who opened up a tailoring shop, and she does have a blog but I think she's too busy sewing to blog frequently. It's Lady Danburry, and I want to be her when I grow up (she's like five years younger than I am).

What sewing purchase are you saving your precious pennies for?: Well, technically I'm waiting for gift cards since I'm not saving for it, but I'd like some nice fabric for dresses. I usually buy such cheap fabric (and it's usually a huge mistake) and I'd love something nice to work with.

Online tutorial you plan to attempt: (These questions are getting really hard.) Good gracious, if you've read the recipe I submitted for your recipe book, you probably know you don't want me to do a tutorial. As for tutorials of other people's that I will attempt, I made this dress, and will probably make another within the next five months.

When and how did you learn to sew?: Home Ec, 7th grade. We made pajama shorts. Then I came home and fashioned myself some pants out of scrap fabric. They were pretty sweet.

Your biggest sewing disaster story: I haven't attempted anything very ambitious, but most of my dresses are pretty much a disaster. I have learned from this that NO ONE NOTICES YOUR DISASTERS. They are no big deal. Unless you're on Project Runway. Anyway, here's a sweater I cut in half to make a cardigan (a disaster from step 1, I think). I just hacked at it and no one thinks it's weird. That is partially because of our extremely permissive society (ha), but also it's just not that big of a deal.

Favorite sewing book: I have only read one or two, but the first one I bought was Amy Butler's In Stitches and I love it. I've made the apron in it for just about everyone I know. It also has helped me learn a lot of (very simple) techniques to make other things.

Sewing hero you look up to: How about everyone who sews? My grandma, for hand-stitching millions of quilts. My mom, for hand-stitching me a wedding quilt. Nate's great-great-grandma for hand-stitching a beautiful wedding suit (that I've worn). You. Your mom. Whoever taught her to sew. (The picture is one of my favorites of my Grandma Stricklan on her porch in rural Idaho.)

Anything else that would be interesting or funny or lame or sa-weeeeet to share with all your society pals: I hate buying new materials to sew with. I don't buy zippers or thread. Or buttons. Or any notions of any kind. I inherited a thread stash from my grandma when I found her old sewing supplies at my parents' house, and after I used all of the good colors up, I inherited another thread stash from my other grandma. If I don't have matching thread, I don't use matching thread. I am slowly using up my mother-in-laws stash of old zippers--which she inherited from her mom and grandma. She also has snaps and hooks & eyes when I need them. For one thing, it bothers me to have a lot of junk that I'm not using, and for another thing, I don't see why sewing has to be so expensive. I have realized that I've got to sew because I want to, not because it will be economical. Except that if it isn't economical, I probably won't sew it. So there's the fun Melissa-contradiction of the day.

If you could nominate yourself for an officer in this most prestigious society- what would your title be?: (Is this like having to make up a gangster name for myself?) How about the adapter because I can't stick to a pattern.