Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sally Seligman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Sally thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

From hobby to teaching in a university, I have always done what I thought would allow me to stay independent and share my skills with others.

Sally, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

In my twenties, needing a way to earn a living and not wanting to depend on the “life as a painter” (I was trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts), I decided to fall back on my hobby of sewing. I started working for shops around the Philadelphia (PA) area, taking alterations, and before I knew it I had grown a clientele, some who would stay with me for many years to come.

Always looking to increase my professional skills I learned professional patternmaking and eventually was hired by two univeristies, Drexel and Jefferson Univ, ( formerly Phila. Univ), to teach in the fashion departments where I fell in love with teaching.

I taught at Drexel in the Antionette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design for almost fifteen years. The courses I taught were: Construction Skills (Basic sewing), Patternmaking, Draping, Children’s Wear, Swimwear, Couture, and my favorite, Tailoring.

During that time I started a website with a friend to teach sewing and patternmaking. When the pandemic started we closed the website and a year later I took all of the content and re-edited it for YouTube so that people around the world can learn this art without having to pay anything. My hope is that women (and, of course men!) who could better their lives by learning the art of sewing, patternmaking, and fitting might learn from my videos, many of which are filmed in real time.
It is my goal to pass these skills along to future generations and now that we have YouTube it is possible to help many people for a very long time. Thank you!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

For many years I have heard, “Sewing is a dying art.” I think it is not now that we have the internet and many people are teaching sewing. However, my skill set is rather unusual because I started as a hobbyist and then transitioned into sewing professionally as a custom dressmaker. I learned professional patternmaking, draping and fitting.

Then, teaching at two universities, I learned how to transfer the knowledge I had acquired to others. This sparked me wanting to film my skills so that others might be able to learn custom garment making to better their own lives.
I think of women/men around the world who might not be able to go out to work but could work from home or in a cottage industry situation.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Sometimes I have wondered why I have been doing this for so long without making money (Youtube takes time!) and money was never the driving factor!

THEN,I get a comment from a subscriber thanking me for sharing my skills so that they can learn. Hearing from happy subscribers fuels me on to do more.

I do feel I have a gift of demonstrating and explaining things clearly which helps transfer that knowledge to others.
It is said, “To master something, teach it” and mastery is a very important element in my life. Any skill I take on I want to master.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sewwithsally.com
• Instagram: Sew with Sally
• Linkedin: Sally Seligman
• Youtube: Sew with Sally
• Other: Instagram, Pinterest

Image Credits
Tyler Williams