hi, I'm maggie

(like the rod stewart song)

i'm an elder millennial living in the bay area who loves dark beer, the environment, and sewing for the tiny humans in my life.

i started this site as a way to share my projects in a means other than texting pictures to my mom and sisters.

occasionally i post about other stuff like gardening, crafting, wedding planning, or home projects, but for the most part it’s about sewing.

love,

aunt maggie

frequently asked questions

how did you learn to sew?

when i was in elementary school my mom and i made a quilt for my american girl dolls. then in high school i received my first sewing machine as a gift from my parents and used it to make fleece pj pants and skirts that were (in hindsight) far too short.

shortly after moving to cambridge massachusetts in 2012, i wandered into an amazing local fabric store with a great selection of fabrics and awesome independent sewing patterns. on a whim i bought some fabric, a pattern from the best sewing pattern company of all time, and made my first dresses for the girls. from that day on i was hooked.

in the coming weeks and months i discovered the world of sewing blogs, forums, and flickr groups. it's been through these online resources, sewing from amazing independent patterns, and a lot of trial and error over the past twelve years that i’ve learned how to sew.

how many nieces do you have?

four. i'm the youngest of three girls and each of my sisters has two daughters.

my oldest sister abby has nora who is sixteen and margaret (named after yours truly, but we call her etta) who is fourteen. they live in the awesome city of portland, oregon. 

my middle sister sammie has maya who is twelve and neela who is nine. they live in my wonderful hometown of ann arbor, michigan.

i have two children of my own: 4 year old jude and 1 year old talia.

where does the name 'love aunt maggie' come from?

credit for the name goes to david and patricia kempner for naming me margaret (after my late grandmother), but i've gone by maggie my entire life. since i started sewing for my nieces, i tag all my creations with it.

the original logo is something i developed in microsoft word a few years ago. i had it made into a stamp and use it (along with alphabet stamps and fabric ink) for all my labels. more on my stamp and labels here.

in 2024 i rebranded to a simpler and smaller logo.

what kind of sewing machine do you use?

i learned to sew on my mom's singer slant-o-matic from the 60s. in high school my parents gave me a singer 5838 (purchased from ann arbor sewing center in ann arbor, michigan) that i used for twelve wonderful years. in 2013 i traded my beloved singer in for a janome 4120qdc, at singer sew & vac in cambridge, massachusets. 

while i love, love, love this machine you definitely do not have to spend a lot of money to get a quality machine. more on my favorite tools here.

do you only sew children’s clothing?

nope.

i sew for myself (dresses, skirts, and t-shirts) my husband (shirts and tailoring of store bought stuff), my family (a cosmetic bag, a bed for my mom’s dog, a drawstring bag, an apron, etc.), and things for the home (pillows, curtains, etc.). 

however at the end of the day i get the most joy out of sewing for kids, especially those that are related to me, so that is what i do most of the time.

i want to start sewing, do you have any advice?

sure do.

sew for kids, pets, or other low stakes end users

when you first start you're going to make mistakes (i sure did). however no one is going to notice (or care) if the stitching on the pillow you made the family dog is wonky or the purple and orange polka dots on the toddler's outfit are crooked. 

get indie patterns that have good instructions

the traditional pattern companies (simplicity, mccalls, butterick, vogue) are rooted in the idea that everyone had home economics in school and already knows how to to sew, so they have minimal instructions.

however in my experience newer patterns published by independent companies have detailed instructions that teach you the fundamental techniques. I know it's pretty obvious i love oliver + s patterns, but there are a ton of great independent pattern companies out more on my personal favorites here. 

when in doubt, google it

when it comes to sewing the internet is a beautiful place. there are countless blogs and forums dedicated to help. chances are someone has had the exact same issue before and has written a post on how to solve it.

shop at (preferably small) brick & motor fabric stores

in my experience the staff and customers of these stores are always down to give advice and provide guidance. my favorites are listed out here. 

woven cotton fabrics are your best friends

i stand my ground that unless a child is participating in a royal wedding then there is no reason why their attire needs to be anything other than cotton. it's easy to sew with, predictable, and most importantly can be washed with ease. woven fabrics are also much easier to sew with than knits, so i recommend starting with them.