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Toyota Oekaki: Anne saves a pair of trousers
by Dominik Bärlocher
"Suddenly it's midnight and I'm still at my machine".
26.9.2018
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Christian Walker
Anne Chapuis feels at home in a room full of colourful fabrics and threads. When she sews, she relaxes, doesn't let time pass and creates things that no one else has.
"Holding something you've made yourself in your hands is wonderful" is how Anne Chapuis, translator at digitec and Galaxus, describes her fascination with sewing. What's more, her passion allows her to compensate for her rather intellectual job. "When you sew, you're in the moment and you have to concentrate on what you're doing in order to avoid mistakes."
Sewing with mum
Sewing has been a part of Anne's life for a long time now. She grew up in France, in the department of Savoie, where her mum introduced her and her brother to sewing. At first, her projects were limited to bags and cushion covers. "These things aren't very difficult," she says. One day, she tried her hand at sewing clothes and persevered. When she moved in with her grandmother in Hüttikon, she continued sewing, even though her grandmother no longer wanted anything to do with it. "In her youth, my grandmother sewed a lot for her children, but after so many years of hard work, she got fed up."
Own online shop
Anne has been selling her unique pieces on her 'Swanne' website for well over two years now. "For the time being I've only worked on request and based on word of mouth." She mainly sews clothes, but there are always other pieces that slip into her range. "I've already made a few cuddly rabbits for work colleagues. The idea came from our video producer Stephie Tresch." She could well imagine making a living from sewing, but it's incredibly difficult. "I'd have to find something that no one else has or offers. After all, there are plenty of clothes available at much lower prices."
The notion of time is lost
When Anne sews, she doesn't see time passing. "When I'm sewing in my bedroom, I want to finish my project," and it's not uncommon for her to underestimate the number of remaining stages to complete. "Suddenly, it's midnight and I'm still at my machine. Luckily her boyfriend has an equally busy hobby and understands the situation". "Beat likes to assemble model aeroplanes and has his DIY workshop right next door to my bedroom." So everyone has their own realm to immerse themselves in their own hobby.
Once a Pfaff, always a Pfaff
In his sewing room are many fabrics and threads as well as two sewing machines. A Pfaff sewing and embroidery machine and a serger that cuts and serges fabric in a single operation. But she uses it less than her other multi-purpose machine. "My mum already had a Pfaff. In fact, that's the one I tried out for the first time. But it can't compare with the high-tech model I have now." Basically, a 'normal' machine does the job too, but the luxury model is much more pleasant to use. Anne's old machine had its idiosyncrasies. The machine started off smoothly, but if the pedal was pushed too hard, it went crazy. "So my work was sometimes inaccurate. "Now, if something isn't done right, it's entirely my fault.
On the way to school
In order to keep her mistakes to a minimum, Anne has been attending the Swiss Textile School (Schweizersische Textilfachschule) in Zurich for a year. "I could certainly acquire this knowledge after years of trial and error, but knowing how to approach things in advance isn't a bad thing." Each semester the focus is on a new garment. "We started with the skirt, then the blouse and this year we're tackling the trousers and will continue with the coat." She's learning all the basics about these different garments, from the pattern to the different materials to be used right through to ironing and cutting the fabric.
I could do without the zips
Despite the two days of school, she doesn't sulk about her sewing workshop at home - on the contrary. Three or four times a week, she sits down at her desk to sew, draw patterns or do technical drawings. "Before, I used patterns from magazines that I modified slightly. Now that I know how the theory works, I can go on Pinterest or other sites and recreate the clothes I like."
With all that sewing experience, she certainly must have her preferences. "I don't have a favourite project or technique, but I could do without zips". She doesn't know exactly what she'd like to do: "I just want to be able to recreate a garment as I've imagined it and for it to fit like a glove."
My life in a nutshell? On a quest to broaden my horizon. I love discovering and learning new skills and I see a chance to experience something new in everything – be it travelling, reading, cooking, movies or DIY.
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