I' ve made jokes about sewing not being manly but that's all that they were , jokes. And they were directed at myself.
I have no problems with men sewing I have been sewing for years, hand sewing that is, I only recently enherited a machine. And I found use for it. Setting aside the fact that sewing is historicaly regarded as women's work because it falls under the general heading of houskeeping, men who realise that a sewing machine is actualy a power tool ( or at the very least a machine tool ) shouldn't have any prejudice about it.
I grew up surronded with power tool from table saws to chain saws, from vertical drills to welding equipement, and I was surronded with them most of my adult life as well, until recently. My sewing machine is the first power tool I have had unrestricted access to in the last 3 years, and I am going insane just thinging of all the possiblilies.
I mostly look at it as a money saving device ( heck it was free after all), so I don't realy intend to make clothes at this point ( not realy good enough yet). But I am now in mending and repait mode. I have already salvaged a bunch of towels which were unraveling at the edges, re-fitted my not so fitted sheats, flipped around the well-worn collar of an otherwise perfect shirt, and I am now embarking on the re-lining of a long wool coat I have had for ten years. Next I am going to do some Upholstry.
All in all, sewing is just that for me, a way to be self suffisient, and save some money (I actualy cut my own hair). I have a great deal of respect for professional but if and when I can do something myself I like to.
And as far as the manlyness of sewing is concerned, I bodybuild on a daily basis ( I mean I excersize on a daly basis, for the purpose of body building). And when I started to realy get into sewing that is all I would talk about at the gym, and no one thinks I am gay because of it so there. But they did get a little boared with my goings-on.
So there I am man, I am 35, I am straigth, and I am a seemster.
Love me or leave me, if you love me do it slowly if you leave me do it quickly
Jean Péloquin, insudtrial designer
PS: French canadien, Jean is a man's name