Hello! I’m Sam! I’m an elementary school French and Art teacher and  I live with my husband and two young kids in a two-bedroom apartment. We chose not to have a car and try really hard to live a low-impact life.  But I also really, really love making clothes.

I’ve been sewing pretty much my whole life, but it’s been in the last five years or so that I’ve really committed to changing my clothing consumption habits and thought really hard about my style. This blog is something of a record of that journey.

I started this blog in 2012 when I began to sew seriously again. I took sewing lessons as a kid and have always had a sewing machine wherever I was living (even my university dorm). For a really long time, the only sewing I did was quick repair jobs, pant hems or cheap curtains. Once I had a steady job as a teacher I had some spare time and a bit of disposable income, I decided to get back into actually making full-on garments.

This is also when I realized how much I didn’t know. As a teacher, I’m innately curious and ready to learn new things. I started this blog to keep a record of all of the things I was learning in case there was someone else out there trying to learn it, too.

Over the intervening years, I have learned an insane amount about the craft of sewing and my skills have improved significantly. I’ve also learned so much about fitting clothes to my body, be they ready-to-wear or ones I’ve made. I’ve learned about the fast fashion industry and the environmental impact of buying cheaply made clothes. I’ve learned what I like in clothes so that I can make garments that I love to wear every day.

While I’m no longer making cute dresses inspired by the designers I read about in magazines, I think that Curious about Couture is still the root of all I do. In my own sewing, I try to continue to learn how to make my clothes as beautifully as possible. I invest in good fabrics. I buy the tools I need to make my sewing better. I research the techniques to make my clothing last. And I want to help you do these things, too.

I try to post about all of my projects. Not just the ones that succeed. I’m making all the mistakes so you don’t have to. But, also, I’m trying to make sure that you all out there know that no matter how long you’ve been doing this, you’re going to make mistakes and that is okay.

So, what can you expect from this blog? You will read posts about garments I’m making. You can expect tutorials and tips to up your sewing game. You will see posts about sewing for kids. There will be posts about sustainability and making the most of your fabric. There will be posts about style and wardrobe planning. There will be posts about sewing as a teacher, a parent, a person and all the ways it’s more than just something we do to fill the time. All of these posts will be about what I am learning and then sharing it with you.

So, with that, friends, I say welcome! Let’s be curious about couture and learn together.

If you want more, follow me on twitter and instagram!