C: AH, TO SEW!


I have a brand-new sewing machine!  Truthfully, it is about three years old.  About a year after purchase I splurged on a nifty sewing machine case on rollers.  So, we progressed from having a brand-new/year-old sewing machine still in its original packaging to one that has been carefully placed in its case…rolling case has not been opened since.  The case has rolled nowhere.

So, for two years, my new, three-year-old sewing machine has languished in isolation in the corner of my dressing room, barely noticed.

With the passing of my mother-in-law two weeks ago, I inherited her sewing table.  It’s nifty, too!  I will be taking my brand-new sewing machine from its isolation cell and installing it in the table this weekend. 

I am wondering if I have the energy to tackle actually putting thread in the machine for the first time and giving her a go.  As I thought about that, I began again to really want to sew.

Here’s the problem.  Years ago (like thirty + years ago), when my son was little, I did a tiny bit of sewing.  I made costumes for our church’s annual Harvest Party (warrior angel, Pharaoh, Samson) and I made a Peter Pan costume for son’s starring role in the elementary school play.  The Peter Pan costume took two starts from scratch…had to purchase fabric for it twice but, by golly, it got made! It took me two weeks—at least I had the foresight to start early for once.

In other words, I have only piddled around at sewing on things that did not require actual skill, and this was a long time ago.  I do not really have a clue on how to sew.

So, now I am faced with this three-year-old new sewing machine with its own handy-dandy table.  The sewing juices that led me to buy that machine in the first place are beginning to flow again.  The trouble is that I don’t want to learn how to sew—I just want to already know how to sew, to just sit down and do it.

Yes, this is lazy, I know, but it is also a function of time scarcity.  I don’t have a lot of discretionary time…work, trying to sell a house, etc. are just overwhelming.  I really don’t have time to learn how to thread this machine (no idea) or know about “thread tension” (what?).  I do not want to have to resort to actually reading the manual or any of the various “Sewing for Dummies” books I bought when I got the machine—also unopened, as reading manuals is just not something I generally do.  Besides, those books have scary words in them, like “selvage” and “interfacing.”  I just want to already know how, dad-gum it!!  (Small temper tantrum, here).

But, I am resolved to learn this skill at least to the point that I can hem napkins (I ought to be able to do straight lines if I can figure the thread thing out…), and I will keep you posted on that progress.  I will omit any photos of bursts of frustration devolving into temper tantrums on the floor--bound to come.

Another skill I have worked at since our last blogging is writing poetry (hang with me, here, there is a tie-in).  I began with composing limericks, and one of the first was about my abiding ambition to learn to sew.  This was in 2017, about the time I purchased this machine.  Here it is:

STITCHING WITHOUT CONFIDENCE
My ambition right now is to sew
All my own perfect clothes, don’t you know?
The idea I so love,
But when push comes to shove,
Would I ever let what I made show?

Here is a picture of the illustrated, framed poem, which will hang over my new sewing table, housing my new sewing machine. 
As you can see, I did not take the time to learn to write poetry and draw, either!  But that has not stopped me in these endeavors, so I hope to put that reckless resolve to use in sewing, too. 

I will keep you posted.  Right now, I am overwhelmed at the thought of thread tension, which in my case refers to tension for me, not the thread, itself…

As you can see, I have to take things in stages.

And we will talk about the three-year-old unused Cricut machine in another post.  Sheesh!  C

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