We're celebrating the release of Little One-Yard Wonders with profiles of a few of the talented contributors behind the designs featured in the book. In today’s Q&A, we get to know Lorraine Teigland, who comes from a family where everyone, including her father, knows the art of sewing.
Lorraine Teigland’s playful sensibility comes through in everything she designs and sews. Many of the things she creates are inspired by watching her girls at play. This is so apparent in her work, and we love it!
— Rebecca Yaker and Patricia Hoskins, co-authors, Little One-Yard Wonders
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Lorraine Teigland |
Tell us about the inspiration behind your projects in Little One-Yard Wonders.
The House in a Hallway was a present for my youngest daughter, Kate, on her fourth birthday. It was inspired by the very popular puppet theaters that are made from flat panels wedged in a doorway with tension rods.![]() |
Racerback Sundress from Little One-Yard Wonders Photo © Julie Toy |
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The PVC playhouse with a fabric cover Lorraine made for her daughter, Jenna Photo courtesy of Lorraine Teigland |
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Racerback Sundress from Little One-Yard Wonders Photo © Julie Toy |
How did you learn to sew? What’s your earliest sewing memory?
I grew up in Singapore in a family of sewing women. My grandmother was a professional tailor and she taught her daughters and daughters-in-law to sew. Grandma introduced me to the joys of making toys and other crafts, but she moved into a nursing home before I was old or interested enough to learn garment making from her. I learned that skill in homec at the same time that I learned to use a sewing machine. As was the way in Asia at the time, people learned to sew garments by custom-drafting slopers from body measurements, rather than with commercial patterns. Over the next two decades, my mother and aunt mentored me in the finer points of drafting and garment making. My father, who himself sews bags, pouches, and accessories for his various athletic pursuits, widened the playing field further by introducing me to hardware and new fabric that included nylon, leather, packcloth, and vinyl. I have been hooked ever since.
I grew up in Singapore in a family of sewing women. My grandmother was a professional tailor and she taught her daughters and daughters-in-law to sew. Grandma introduced me to the joys of making toys and other crafts, but she moved into a nursing home before I was old or interested enough to learn garment making from her. I learned that skill in homec at the same time that I learned to use a sewing machine. As was the way in Asia at the time, people learned to sew garments by custom-drafting slopers from body measurements, rather than with commercial patterns. Over the next two decades, my mother and aunt mentored me in the finer points of drafting and garment making. My father, who himself sews bags, pouches, and accessories for his various athletic pursuits, widened the playing field further by introducing me to hardware and new fabric that included nylon, leather, packcloth, and vinyl. I have been hooked ever since.
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The round table tent with roof Lorraine made for her daughter, Emily Photo courtesy of Lorraine Teigland |
What’s your favorite thing about sewing for children? How do you engage them in the process?
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Chickens and chicks Photo courtesy of Lorraine Teigland |
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A patch of dirt for growing Photo courtesy of Lorraine Teigland |
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A felt cake for Jenna Photo courtesy of Lorraine Teigland |
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Princess wig Photo courtesy of Lorraine Teigland |
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Owie Doll Photo courtesy of Lorraine Teigland |
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Owie Doll Photo courtesy of Lorraine Teigland |
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Fairies in the garden Photo courtesy of Lorraine Teigland |
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Lorraine’s girls as Narnian royalty for Halloween Photo courtesy of Lorraine Teigland |
My kids and I also make things together. Recently, we held our own Stuffed Toy Making Workshop, in which we busted into my fleece stash and sewed these:
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Photo courtesy of Lorraine Teigland |
Most of the time when we sew together, I work one-on-one with whomever is showing interest and focus a little more on a teaching, which hopefully translates to more independence in making subsequent projects.
Ikat, because it is my absolute favorite fabric!
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Photo courtesy of Lorraine Teigland |
I sew a variety of items and I hoard different kinds of fabric for each: knits, linen and wool for regular garments, or more unusual fabrics, such as brocade, chiffon, denim or Lycra® for special projects. My kids seem to only wear handmade clothes if they are made of knit fabric, so I own far more of that than anything else.
I use all kinds of fabrics for my toys and stuffed animals, so I stock up on felt, flannel, velour, and quilting cotton.
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Photo courtesy of Lorraine Teigland |
For my kids’ dress-up outfits and costumes, I use cooler knits, sheers, and satins. And I use my vast stash of fleece for toys and winter accessories. For bags and wallets, I use homedec weight and canvas fabrics. I use ripstop nylon, oilcloth, packcloth, vinyl and interfacing for the projects that need to look a little more like what I’d find in a store.
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Photo courtesy of Lorraine Teigland |
What projects (sewing or otherwise) will be keeping you busy this summer?
We love outdoor parties so we celebrate our girls’ birthdays in the summer, even though their real birthdays are in the cooler months. We’ve just finished with one party and we’ll be planning and preparing for the other two in the coming months.
I have a stack of pillowcase panel hems that were hand-embroidered by the girls’ great-grandmother that I want to turn into summer dresses. Otherwise, as long as the weather is lovely outside, the girls and I are planning to visit parks, museums, and the zoo, and swim.
I have a stack of pillowcase panel hems that were hand-embroidered by the girls’ great-grandmother that I want to turn into summer dresses. Otherwise, as long as the weather is lovely outside, the girls and I are planning to visit parks, museums, and the zoo, and swim.
Thanks, Lorraine!
You can find more from Lorraine on:
- Her blog (with PDFs of her sewing patterns)
- Etsy
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