Monday, August 9, 2010

sewing tears

The finished table cover.
Look to the right at my gorgeous, professional-quality table top cover -- hand-sewn to perfection. ... Ok, I am having one of those crazy pregnancy dreams again. See below for the actual story.

This blog post has been brewing for several days now. I've been planning to get to it, but alas, here I finally am. I was reminded a few days ago of just how human I really am. I would love to log into my blog and type away an award winning post about how all of my crafting projects turn out to be masterpieces.

I found this photo of the cruel merciless machine.
Sewing on the floor -- s
mart, eh?
Instead, I find myself here laboring over the keyboard, painfully eyeing my new enemy just a few feet from me on the floor. This heavy white contraption with a name tag of Kenmore mocks my every glance. Some may refer to this utterly disgraceful piece of equipment as a sewing machine -- I refer to it as my arch-nemesis!

Battles with sewing machines aren't a new thing for my family. It runs in our blood. I became a little more like my mother when my battle began a few days ago. I'm not sure if my mom and I both purchased our sewing machines from the same cursed batch, but both have led to tears.  It may just be the pregnancy hormones, but I fussed at mom because we had a miscommunication about how I was supposed to sew something, and I cried about the mishap afterward. Now I understand why she despises sewing.

Even Penny felt my pain.
I haphazardly made it through one small sewing project (just don't check to see if the seams are straight!). When explaining my struggles afterward to mom with this project, we had a good laugh over what led to my (far) less than perfect creation. I guess it is safe to assume that sewing pins to hold the fabric in place would have been an intelligent investment!
The project - to sew a small table cover to hide
this table top. Got a great deal on it at
Hobby Lobby! Paid $24 for a $70 table.

In reality, I realize I cannot blame any sewing machine for my inabilities. The last time I truly sewed anything substantial was a pair of boxers in home economics class my freshman year of high school (nearly 12 years ago). And let me tell you - they were nothing to write home about. So I stand by my response when my mom questioned me many years ago on how I will sew, cook, iron, etc. for my family when I don't have the skills to do so -- let momma do it. When Natalie gets here, I will make sure she knows how much better Nana is at sewing so she can run to Nana and ask her to make her Halloween and school play costumes. Oh what fun Nana will have! (Better her than me, right?)

On an unrelated note -- I think it is safe to officially say now that I am over being sick! In the past few weeks, I've only gotten sick two or three times. I'm feeling like my old self again - except for this crazy feeling in my belly that feels like an organ pulsing sporadically.

3 comments:

  1. LOVE this post! Don't give up--sewing takes practice and time like anything else. It really makes you appreciate things you buy so much more, huh? PIN away-I am a huge believer in the "more pins the merrier!" Also, just take some scrap fabric and practice different stitches. Get to know your machine-she is almost like a beating heart OR so I have been told. :)

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  2. I am sure Nana will love making anything Natalie Elisabeth wants. I tried to sew. Made a few costumes, but I am definitely challenged!

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  3. LOL! I know how you feel!! I have a Singer, and it drives me CRAZY! I only bust it out a couple times a year, and feel like I have to re-learn it all over again. I actually wrote little notes and tips in the instruction book, so I'd remember exactly what to do.

    You'd think remembering to put the foot down would be pretty straightforward, but I've forgotten more than I'd like to admit, and it results in a tangled, horrid mess!!

    Here's hoping you have better luck than I!

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