We're thrilled to be joined by Salt Lake City-based Leila Knoll on Friends of TFS this week! A dear TFS brand ambassador, creative sewist and passionate guardian of creatures big and small, Leila can be found over on Instagram as @leila.makes. Leila's posts frequently feature the incredible palette of Utah landscapes and often inspire a gasp of awe from the TFS team. We love her playful approach to colour and textures, and the ease with which she balances utility and creative expression. Read on as we chat to Leila about her sewing journey, hobbies, and projects past and present!

Hey Leila, please give a brief introduction of yourself to our readers!

Hi, my name is Leila, and I'm a diehard DIYer. I currently live in Utah, but move around often so we’ll see where the new year takes me :) I love tinkering with all kinds of projects, but once I started sewing my own clothes, it fully consumed my free time. I eventually started an Instagram profile dedicated to my sewing projects, with a sprinkling of builds here & there. I’ve also been slowly entering the pattern making world and it has been such a blast designing patterns and sharing them with the sewing community. I’m a veterinarian by trade and I love how versatile this career has been for me. I've worked as a shelter vet, relief vet, wildlife vet, public health vet, and even briefly re-entered academia to dive into wildlife research.

Tell us a little about your sewing journey - what led you to sewing, how long have you been sewing for etc...

I dabbled in sewing when I was younger - my mom gifted me a sewing machine out of the blue. I had no instructions or teacher, so I started to teach myself with basic alterations on hand-me-down clothing and zippered pouches. I sewed on and off over the years, but didn’t really get back into it until veterinary school about 8 years ago when I started quilting. Quilting slowly evolved into sewing my own clothes and now clothes-making has totally taken over my sewing practice these days. I love what sewing your own clothes does for your psyche - I feel more in tune with my body and more confident in what I'm wearing because my clothes were made to fit me, not the other way around. I also love that sewing isn’t JUST for making clothes, I’m starting to dive into more technical sewing for gear and accessories and have loved just how versatile sewing can be.

 

What is it about sewing that brings you joy?

I may have already answered this a bit in my previous response, but I truly think that sewing is magic. I love that you can take a textile and transform it into something beautiful - whether it’s a garment, a bag, or a pillowcase - the options are endless!

 

What sewing projects are you working on, or planning towards, at the moment?

Right now, I’m working on (hopefully) the final sample of a swimsuit that I designed last year, a pair of Just My Luck jeans by Forest & Thread, a Gibbons dress by Elbe Textiles, and a sun shade cover for my car - can you tell I love batch cutting? :)

Share with us what you learnt from your biggest sewing success

I would say that my biggest moments of success are when I really put myself out there and see a project through - especially when I’m experimenting, and not entirely sure how it will turn out (e.g., my latest adventures into bleach dyeing, appliqué, embroidery, and wheelthrowing). I think the biggest lesson for me is the importance of being ready to PIVOT during a project. If something isn’t going the way you thought it would, adjust what you’re doing or what you’re expecting, and you’ll be left with something you’re proud of, even if it wasn’t your original plan.

And what you learnt from your biggest sewing flop!

A big flop moment for me lately has been when I try to drape projects. As I’m still very new to this pattern making technique, I haven’t figured out all the kinks just yet. Sometimes my first draped toile doesn’t fit on my actual body the way that it does on my dress form. It’s a bit of a letdown at first, but once you realise you can adjust to your heart’s content (and probably a bit of pivoting expectations), you’re back on track to “success.”

Describe the space you use for sewing in 5 words...

"Open, light, sleeping animals, peaceful"

 

What kinds of fabrics do you prefer to sew with?

I’m a big linen fan - it was one of the first fabrics I sewed clothes with and I haven’t strayed far from it since. I love that linen wrinkles with wear, I feel like it gives the fabric its own personality and charm.

 

What are your top 5 sewing most-used tools?

My top five would have to be: 1. rotary cutter, 2. cutting mat, 3. sewing ruler, 4. glass head sewing pins, 5. my trusty large eyed needle that I use to bring thread ends to the wrong side & tie off for a clean finish

 

Tell us the story of your favourite wardrobe item (doesn’t have to be made by you)

My favourite wardrobe item right now has to be my linen Snow Top by Jules Smit. I sewed one up thinking the style might not be for me, but ever since I finished it, I’ve been wearing it nonstop. It has been such a lifesaver during the summer in my house with no air conditioning. I love how comfortable and breezy it feels!

Do you have any special sewing tips you’d like to share?

I’m a big fan of disappearing washable glue sticks (the Elmer’s brand) that you normally see in grade school. I use it often for button placement, basting in a pinch, pocket placement, and appliqué work.

Is there anything you wish you knew about sewing before you started?

I wish that I had known that nothing is going to be perfect (at least not at the beginning). I don’t think of myself as a perfectionist, but I definitely expected things would come together much more smoothly than they actually did at the beginning of my sewing journey. Looking back, it makes complete sense why my seam finishes were.. appalling :) And I’m so glad I never critically judged my own work and diminished how proud I was of my earlier makes, because they were just that, my earlier makes as a self-taught sewist trying to navigate how to make her own clothes.

Where do you find motivation and inspiration?

I find motivation through rest. I think it’s easy to beat yourself up for not being “productive enough” when you compare yourself to others. But I try to give myself grace and allow time to sit through moments where I can’t be bothered to get up and do anything. Then, when I get through those slumps, I feel rejuvenated and ready to take on a project with 100% excitement and energy. As for inspiration, I draw a lot from the outdoors. There are so many incredible color combinations and textures in nature that are absolutely awe-inspiring. I definitely bring those outdoor experiences home with me and try to translate them into the clothes that I’m making and wearing.

 

Are there any other hobbies or activities you enjoy besides sewing?

Lately, I’ve been leaning more and more into general building projects. After converting a horse trailer into a mobile sauna last year, I’ve recently acquired a cargo van and am currently working on converting it into a camper! So there’s definitely a lot more hands-on building and woodworking in my near future.

 

If we were visiting Salt Lake City for a day, is there anything you would recommend we do and see?

I would start the day with coffee at Tulie, then head over to Baby’s Bagels for breakfast. Right next door, you can check out some records & grab an espresso while you wait for your bagel order. If it’s a Saturday, then I would swing by the Downtown Farmers Market for some fresh cherry juice and shopping. After that, walk over to the best little gift shop Atelier for fun locally made items. If you’re in a fabric buying mood, check out the Salt Lake Sewciety shop nearby then go next door to Best Friends Animal Society to see the adoptable pets (and then I might convince you to bring one home :)). After these city activities, I would head out to the nearby mountains and check out a local hot spring or go for an alpine lake hike. Then, I’d drive back to the city and enjoy dinner outside at Koyote, a ramen shop with a sweet little outdoor seating set up.

 

Are there any favourite books, podcasts or blogs that you’d love to share?

I’m actually a terrible reader and haven’t finished a book in several years. The last two books that really kept my attention were Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami. I thoroughly enjoyed reading these books so much that I read them more than once. I actually only listen to podcasts when I’m on a flight; during all other activities, I immediately tune them out. So when I am flying, I put on Ologies by Alie Ward and I love learning about some niche topic that I’ve never thought twice about! 




A very warm thank you to Leila for chatting with us this week, we're looking forward to following along her sewing journey and seeing all those wonderful building projects take shape! We hope you've enjoyed this Friends of TFS interview, head over and follow Leila and be sure to check out her Salt Lake City recommendations if you are planning to visit!