Warning: This Post is About Sewing

I am going to talk about sewing. I know many of you, if not most of you, would rather get a root canal than sew something. I think it's kind of interesting that I love to do something that most people abhor. Hmmmmm, what does that say about me? What is wrong with me? I know people who have confessed to me that sewing projects have made them cry or that they have had nightmares about sewing. I understand that sewing isn't for everyone. But why do I love it so much?





I am creative. It is like air to me. It is a need plain and simple. It is a part of who I am. If I wasn't sewing I would be doing something else. I have to do something creative everyday or I feel like I am going to go crazy. For me doing something creative is meditative. It can't just be a craft, the kind that is in a kit that you just follow the directions and glue together (although that is fun too, it's just not therapeutic for me). I know people have asked me how I have the time to sew so much. The answer is I make time for it because I need it. I don't sleep much anyway.

To me sewing clothing is like solving the most fantastic puzzle. Getting something flat to fit around something with so many dimensions. It takes a lot of ingenuity. I used to hate sewing. My mother would try and teach me and I had no interest. I thought only old people sewed. It wasn't until after I was married and had just become pregnant with my first child that I took a sewing class. I was feeling very maternal and it was my last semester before transferring to a different school. I had taken all of my prerequisites and really just needed some extra units. It was the single most useful class I took in college. By the time the semester was over I could sew. It was like someone had taught me to read. It actually changed my life.



Sometimes I feel very solitary in my hobby. There just aren't many people who sew any more. Most people I know who sew, sew stuff like quilts. I love quilts but to be honest I love making clothes a lot more. I like looking at quilts and snuggling up under them but not making them. I would love to make friends with an 80 year old seamstress. All that wisdom and experience. It would be like a treasure trove. I guess the next best thing is my favorite website Burdastyle. It is a sewing website, and the main focus is clothes. All of the patterns are copyright free. Not to mention that but you can ask for help if you are stuck on a project. People post how-tos. And people all over the world are on it. I just downloaded instructions for drafting my own chudidar (Indian leggings) created by a girl who lives in India. Everyone is so complementary and nice when they comment on something you made. You have people on there who have just sewn their first project to people who are fashion designers. The best sewing website in existence.





My love of sewing has led to an unhealthy attachment to my sewing machines, especially my antique featherweight sewing machine. It is old and is half the size of a normal machine. It looks more like a toy then a machine but I have never sewn on anything with as straight and even of a stitch as that little tiny machine. And it runs so smoothly. If I had to put in order the things that I love it would go God, family, friends, featherweight, cat. This picture is exactly like mine.

My mom gave it to me one year while I was visiting. I had to take it as a carry on because I didn't want to check it. When I went through security of course I had to take it out of the case. The security guard, who was a woman probably younger than me, had me take it all the way out and set it on a table then she called over all the other female security guards. I thought maybe I was in trouble. I knew when they started eeewwwwing and aawwwwing and saying things like "That is the cutest machine I have ever seen," that I was going to be just fine.

So what are you passionate about? This doesn't include God, our country, freedom, religion, family, etc. These are all a given. Everyone is passionate about those. I mean other things that you really love to do that brings fulfillment. It could be having perfectly organized closets, or writing, or cooking, or reading, genealogy, or anything. I would love to hear about it.