We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Elin Tegels. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Elin below.
Elin, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
I find my creativity comes from inspiration. A lot of my free time is spent in new environments or places that I find interesting. This includes museums like the Minneapolis Institute of Art, botanical gardens, exhibitions, or pop-up experiences. This is why I love to travel. And when in new places, I find myself seeking out these experiences to gain inspiration and increase my creativity.
I love to share my inspiration whenever possible, which is why I started Museum May on my blog. This is where I compile photos from the exhibits that I attended throughout the year. Some of my favorites include the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit at the Grand Palais in Paris, CAMP at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) in New York, and the Anna Sui exhibit at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in New York.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a trained Fashion Designer with a passion for sewing! Working in the fashion industry does not always allow for me to have personal creative expression so I found my own creative outlet with my sewing blog and YouTube channel @ElinEstelle
Sewing from the McCall’s family of patterns is what I focus the most time on. I have also recently begun going back to my training in pattern making and draping. Recreating garments that I see in movies and TV shows combines my passion for sewing with my pastime of watching the latest shows and movies.
Teaching people how to sew is something that I have founded my YouTube channel on. When people tell me that they could never sew, I find that my passion is fueled even more. Never say never! Empowering people one tutorial at a time; everyone should learn how to sew!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Besides the technical skills that are needed for this type of craft, I find that patience, grace, and positivity are three qualities that are needed for people interested in sewing. Sewing can be very challenging and discouraging at times. Allowing yourself the grace to learn, patience that it will take to master the skills, and the positive attitude needed to keep going forward will enable you to flourish as a sewer!
The biggest challenge for me was always the need for instant gratification versus creating something that I could be proud of and would want to wear. When I first started my sewing journey I found that I loved scraping together pieces of fabrics and draping on my mannequin to create an instant garment. Those garments were anything but wearable at the time.
Slowing down, and taking the time to learn the basics of sewing, let alone pattern making, was something that I learned to do over the course of my education in high school and college.
To this day, I still love the instant gratification of sewing. While it might not be as fast as cutting up fabric and sewing it together, I find that using McCall’s sewing patterns is much faster than pattern making from scratch.
Their brands of patterns have always fit me well (which I realize is not something that everyone has the fortune of). And while cutting out the pattern pieces, cutting out the fabrics, and then finally sewing the garments can take a while, I know that my garments will always turn out to be something that I can be proud of!
Learning the basics of sewing is the best way to start sewing. While it might not be fun at the beginning, I assure anyone that wants to learn will find it makes their process so much easier. Invisible zippers for example used to make my head spin, they would always come out uneven, crooked, or lumpy. Mastering the process of sewing invisible zippers has meant that they are now my best friends! Whenever I am sewing a garment my go-to is an invisible zipper now.
While my YouTube channel can be helpful for those with the basic skills down, I realize there is still a gap in the market for those that need to learn the skills they need. In-person sewing classes are something that I have been looking into teaching for those in the Twin Cities area.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I am always open to collaborating with other artists. Fabric design, recreations, and themed challenges are always something that I am looking for to push myself and my creative abilities. If any creative individuals would like to collaborate, send me an email at hello@elinestelle.com
Contact Info:
- Website: www.elinestelle.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elinestelle/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElinEstelle/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elinestelle/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/elinestelle
