So interesting, Laura! I didn’t know that about the name Jessica. Thanks for stopping in!

Although I should add, I don’t think the term concerns me near as much as it seems to concern BasketPam.

Shakespeare also invented the name of my firstborn….Jessica. (But I do agree with Basketpam and, perhaps it’s an age thing…the word “sewist” has always thrown me for a loop even tho I do understand it is a more convenient and unisex word).

Hi there!

It is very neat that we both have so much in common! I hail from a long line of sewing enthusiasts, as well. My grandmother sewed nearly every garment her two girls ever wore, from everyday “knockabout” dresses to frocks suitable for a princess at the ball. Today, my mother is leaving a legacy with every stitch she creates in the gorgeous garments she sews for my children. Sewing is not only an interest, but it is also a way to leave a lasting legacy by creating something beautiful. I love that!

You mention that the creation of new terms in language is something entirely unique to “today’s cyber-addicted society.” Interestingly, did you know that William Shakespeare is credited with inventing more than one thousand words throughout his canon? Before the Bard, there was no “majestic,” no “fashionable,” and no “generous.” His lexical inventions include words as seemingly mundane today as “bedroom” and “blanket” to those as titillating as “bedazzled.” I find it fascinating that when he found himself at a loss for an appropriate word for a concept, instead of resigning himself to using something he felt to be insufficient, he opted to take the bull by the horns and produce something suitable. That is the beauty of the evolution of language!

With the rich impact sewing has has on our culture, it is astounding that there doesn’t currently exist a single word that can aptly describe all of those who sew. Seamstress (or seamster, in the masculine), is indeed the most widely used historical term, but it tends to be more closely associated with those who sew (mainly clothing) as a profession, which many of us who sew do not. Sewer, when written, can easily be confused with the word “sewer,” as in a drain for carrying off waste. As it were, I believe those who use sewist are simply doing just what Shakespeare did: adding to our lexicon a word that conveys exactly how we would describe ourselves in respect to our interest. A sewer. An artist. A sewist.

Thank you for taking time to comment. Please do continue to use the word seamstress if that is what you prefer! I will continue to use the word “sewer” when spoken and “sewist” when written. All things considered, the importance of our respective self-titles pales in comparison to the significance of the immense pleasure and satisfaction we both garner from our craft, and of the legacy our loved ones have left behind with every stitch!

-Amy

I did learn one thing through this posting. If I don’t care for a term or word, in today’s cyber-addicted society I can just create my own term or name for something and if I put it out on the Internet in a short time it will be, without any question, just accepted.