Today was spent being happily occupied. I was busy sewing most of the day sans a trip to the dollar store, post office, and bank in town. From 8 o’clock until 12 noon, I worked on making more fabric masks. This afternoon, I was back at it again, with the exception of playing with our dog in the backyard. But, while I was sewing, my thoughts turned to why this activity was making me so damn happy! I was really enjoying myself – really – to the point, I was almost giddy! These are the reasons I came up with:
I am enjoying having a purpose.
I love all the fabrics that there are to choose from, pick, and use.
I get to order pretty things (fabric) online and get FREE shipping!
I am excited when pretty things (fabrics) arrive!
I feel needed.
I feel appreciated and valued.
I am using a skill that I haven’t used in very long – so long that I have forgotten I enjoy it.
I am using my grandmother’s sewing machine, a 1969 Sears Kenmore. It makes me feel close to her and appreciate her skill (which was so much more than mine is now).
I am of a generation who possesses the skill to sew and I am proud of that!
The thing about the task of sewing is as easy or hard as I choose to make it. The mask pattern I chose is easy. So, I have been able to do a nice job despite my hiatus from being a seamstress. The engineer or designer in me allows me to look objectively and examine my product for any areas of potential improvement. This is truly part of me. No matter whether I am writing lesson plans, implementing a lesson, making jewelry, or writing my blog, I always look for ways to improve. It is part of being reflective and, I suppose, part of being a perfectionist.
I even laughed when the sewing machine fell apart on me early this afternoon! The thigh lever that one uses to run the machine instead of a foot pedal fell off in the middle of a mask! Ordinarily, this would make me angry and frustrated, sending expletives out into the empty room, informing anyone who was nearby that I was mad. Not today! I laughed out loud!
I got on the floor to see under the machine. I knew this attachment had been loose, but now it was off completely! I either had to fix it or stop sewing for the day. At first, I attempted to screw it back into place after I found where it had fallen from. The hole or the screw is stripped – the threading is worn or gone and will not hold in the hardware. I tried but was unsuccessful. I was still smiling at myself AND my perseverance.
Okay. I knew that there was a foot pedal in the seat of the chair that goes with the machine. I got it out. then, I went back under the machine to see how and where it would be connected. I found the spot, crawling under the machine and laying on my back, using my phone as a flashlight, I unplugged the thigh pedal and plugged in the foot pedal!
Success!
Now, I just had to try using it! Success, again! I was able to continue my mask making with the merriment I had experienced before.
I’m learning a lot about myself during this pandemic. What I’m learning are really not things I did not already know about myself, but more likely some clarity about what makes me tick and why.
Sewing?! It’s been a good thing! And, provided me with a happy time!
Odd, but true!
The Apples in My Orchard 