I Sew!

I know most of you that know me well are shocked!
But truly I did this!  Ain't it cute!

I'm sure my sewing teacher from NOJH is rolling over in her grave.  I admit to not loving sewing, but something has bit me and I think I might just like it.  A few years ago I went with a friend for the day to the local quilting/sewing guru.  Paradise may be a small little town, but we really do have a sewing expert here.  She does fabulous work and is kind enough to share all her talents with anyone who will just ask.  Well Erin was there to pick up a few things, and we ended up staying for hours.  We looked at everything she'd been doing and talked and talked and talked.  It was a great day.  I admit to being a little interested, but not enough to actually start some projects.  All sewing projects just look hard.  A lot of cutting, and precision, and I just don't do that.  My most creative moments involve a hot glue gun, not a sewing machine.  Well as we were getting ready to leave, the sewing guru looked at me and asked what project I was doing at the moment?  When I replied, "I don't sew." I got hell from this woman.  In a loving short of way:)   I was reprimanded for not loving my children enough to sew them a blankie, or even a pillow case for Christmas.  Her final words to me were these............."You should be ASHAMED!"  They will forever be burned in my head.  I was ashamed.  Who doesn't pay enough attention in Jr. High Home EC. to not be able to sew?

I had good intentions when I first got married.  One day while walking through the DI, I ran across the exact minty green sewing machine my mother owned.  I at least knew how to thread that thing so I bought it.  $25 to be exact, and now I could say I was a true woman.  James' mom gave me a great tackle box filled with sewing notions for my birthday, and even a pair of Gingher scissors with my name engraved on them.  I tried to sew.  It was expensive, and finally after my dad told me how my child looked like an orphan in the pants I had sewed him, I put the machine away.  It hid in the dark cavern of our little rental home for years.  Finally we moved into our new home up the road and the sewing machine never made it here.  I don't know where it went.  No one will admit to actually putting it in the DI pile, or even taking it out of it's misery.  It just magically never appeared in my shiny new house.

I haven't missed it.   Sorry to say, but I haven't.  It's tension was never right, and I struggled every time I used it.  This year though my two oldest children begged for a sewing machine.  Emma especially.  My friend Erin has been nice enough to let us use her machine when we've had a Home EC. project, but James thought it was high time we had a proper machine.  So for Christmas the Clawson family received a shiny new, perfect tension-ish, sewing machine.  The kicker here though is I've used it!!!  I've actually sewed something.  The first task was the giant rips up the back of James jeans.  Staples just weren't cutting it any more.  So I sewed them up.  James was so thrilled!!!  He thought I was amazing!!   His bakery jeans will now make it through a few more projects at least.  The next project though is the one I'm exceedingly proud of.  An apron!!!!

Yeah!!  It's so stinking cute!!  And quick, and easy.  It was touted as being the "1 Hour Apron".  I will admit to it taking me more like 2 hours, but I figure there's a learning curve that I'll get pretty soon.  But I am so proud.  I wore it all day yesterday, and even to bed:)  Just kidding!  I'll have to let you know how my next project goes though.  I bought all the fabric online yesterday, and I'm excited to get started.  Wish me luck!  Let's hope this bug doesn't disappear anytime soon:)