The last couple of days have been… interesting. To say the least. Tomorrow will be quite a milestone in my life.
Which is funny. My card that I drew for this post feels like some twisted compromise. Because I’ll be scratching something off my bucket list. And it just may be a little further in the opposite direction from any retreat. 😉
I guess the surprise will be posted on my blog for Saturday. Neener Neener! ;)~
But let me show you a little bit about… yesterday. My passion for sewing takes me down some curvy roads.
Patterns are really expensive now. The thought of cutting off two other sizes… or… even sticking straight pins in them. I don’t know about anyone else. But for me… it’s like scratching on a chalkboard.
To begin with… just cutting out the pieces and ironing each one is a chore. But that’s just the beginning for me.
Because I transpose pieces… according to size… onto a medium strength interfacing. That consists of a whole lot of marking… fighting with keeping everything lined up… before cutting out pieces again!
For me… it’s worth the time and investment… of the investment in a pattern. I’m still left with options for all the sizes available… down the road.
Besides… the Interfacing is stronger than the actual pattern. Sticking straight pins through that doesn’t bother me. When it becomes worn… I’ll just transpose another one!
I watched The Neverending Story II… and Return To Me by the time I made it to this point! By then… it was 10:09pm.
It was around 11:30pm when I called it quits… after ironing that fabric and laying it out to fit pieces so I could cut off the excess for additional pieces.
So buying a pattern comes with a commitment to a whole day for me. The good thing about that is… I can cut out fabric pieces and get sewing a lot sooner than it takes me to transpose patterns!
Right?!
I dunno. Cut out… what fabric pieces?
Exactly.
I do a wide straight stitch across cut ends to stop fraying… before they go into the washer. Fabrics have to go through a prewashing. And then they have to be folded.
And then there’s all the ironing before laying out the double-layer of fabric for pinning pieces to cut out.
Let’s not forget… driving and shopping for the fabric… and all the other notions needed. Interfacing… thread… ribbon… lace… other trims… buttons… elastic… bias tape… snap tape. And that’s just for the garments.
Sewing supplies have to be stocked up and replaced as well. So… it’s always a work in progress. It takes a strong commitment of time… and money.
But the finished handmade garments… they last a LOT longer. When somebody has put the investment into high-quality fabrics and threads… you get that garment that you can count on having around for those hand-me-downs to dress your future kids… or grandkids… nieces… nephews… you get the picture!
And let me encourage you to go take a gander online… to check out the prices on fabrics by the yard. It will blow your mind. Until you go into the chain stores and start going through the prices of kids’ clothes… the quality of the fabrics… the quality of the sewing.
On a personal note…
I am very scattered these days. In a good way. Taking care of many areas of my life… all at once. A great deal of mental and emotional sorting.
Sewing helps me take care of much of the sorting. I think about things while I’m working on projects.
And even with all that… I’m washing dishes… changing the linens on my bed and throwing the used set in the washer. Picking up around the house. Setting up a pot of Beef Soup to cook a couple hours.
And then those moments come. Out of nowhere. I’m in the middle of doing something… and here he comes. I can feel him!
So I take a break. And give what I can. With love.
My Morning's Heart 