Today we’d like to introduce you to Sally Seligman

Hi Sally, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.

Hi, there!

Being from Texas and growing up in the 1960′-’70’s, almost all women sewed their own clothing and my family was no exception! My mother sewed beautifully and so did my grandmothers. As a matter of fact, three of my great grandmothers sewed professionally to make clothing for others when times were lean.

I sat down to a sewing machine for the first time when I was six years old. My mother helped me make a simple apron for a friend whose birthday was a few days away. I was completely spellbound being able to start this craft at that young age.

At the age of about ten years I made my first dress using a commercial pattern. After that I could not stop sewing and I made the majority of my clothing.

I moved to Philadelphia, PA, at the age of twenty to attend The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, majoring in drawing and painting. Although I loved art, I did not like the business side of art so decided to use my sewing skills to support myself.

Next door to my simple one room apartment, a dress shop opened and I decided to ask the owner if he needed someone to do his clients alterations. It was 1979 and lots of women were entering the workforce wearing suits and other business attire. I stayed very busy with the shop’s work, going in for scheduled fittings, taking the work upstairs to my apartment to sew and alter and then delivering it back for a pickup.
Many of the clients found out that I actually MADE clothing so they often asked me to make something for a special occasion or to do alterations they needed on clothes at home. This situation actually gave me enough work to support myself and in a short time I grew a clientele, some of whom stayed with me for many years.

Later, I studied pattern making at Phila. College of Textiles and Sciences in Philadelphia so that I could create any design a client wanted. I also studied tailoring, which I love.

Through the years I have designed, patterned and sewn clothing for women from so many different areas, including wedding gowns (along with the entire wedding party), award winning and Olympic ice skaters, party and evening dresses, suits and coats. I even had a line of ice skating practice wear, (SallySports) for several years.

In 2003 I started teaching at Drexel University in the Antionette Westphal College of Design and Media Arts/Fashion Department. The courses I taught there are: Construction Skills, Pattern Making, Draping, Tailoring, Swimwear and Children’s Wear, and Couture. I absolutely love teaching.

About 2015, along with a friend, I started filming lessons in pattern making and sewing. We had a website called,
“The Dressmaker’s Studio”. We were well into this project when the pandemic hit and we closed it down since we could not meet to work and did not know how things would pan out with the pandemic.

About a year later someone approached me and suggested I put all content on YouTube. I edited all 99 videos we had and started making new ones to post. The channel, Sew with Sally, has grown to over 3000 subscribers and is steadily growing. I hear from people all around the globe thanking me for teaching in real time and in great detail. My lessons are extremely comprehensive.

I have been so fortuante to have had opportunities many sewers will never have and I simply want to give back. I hope that my tutorials are helpful to those wanting to learn this craft. They are aimed at not only crafts people but those who want to become professional.
There are countless women/men around the world who might not be able to go outside the home to work but might better their lives if they could work from home. There are many home sewers who need help but do not have access to a class. There are some who want to design and have no idea how to make their designs come to life! My lessons are aimed to help all of these people.

It’s a path that I am so happy walking! There’s SEW much to share and I hope to share everything I possibly can in the next many years!
Happy Sewing!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

In the early years I worked for anyone and everyone who needed this type of work. Now I work for only a handful of devoted clients who depend on me to keep their wardrobe up to date, fitting well and looking stylish. When working for many it takes more than my hands to get it all done and on time. Finding helpers who are good enough to take direction in this skill is not easy. This was probably the greatest struggle.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?

My speciality is custom dressmaking. I can design or take a design and create it.

Having been a professional dressmaker for over 45 years, my favorite thing to do is teach what I have learned! I love passing these skills to the next generations.

What sets me apart is that I have known both sides of this coin. I started as a hobbiest with a GREAT love of sewing, learned professional pattern making, tailoring, and fitting skills and taught in a world class, award winning fashion school, allowing me to cultivate strong teaching skills. With all of this, I can now go back and help those who would greatly benefit from learning what I have practiced for many years.

How do you think about happiness?

Seeing other’s eyes light up when they learn something I am teaching that makes them excited AND helping someone feel better about themselves when we collaborate to create a garment they feel good in.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sewwithsally.com
• Instagram: sewwithsally
• Facebook: Sally Seligman
• Youtube: Sew with Sally

Image Credits

Photographer/Videographer: Dave Barbaree

Photographer: Albert Yee