Normal channels for keeping boredom at bay being impractical, inaccessible , even dangerous in this strange new world, I’m thrown back onto my own resources. I did grow up in the pre-television, pre – internet era, so “Find something to do “- a phrase straight from my mother’s mouth when I complained of boredom , now popped into my mind. But what? I’ve been steadily painting little 6″ x 6” panels to establish a daily habit, and I love doing that.
It isn’t quite enough, though, to make my cup runneth over, so a rip in my favorite bottom sheet inspired me to buy a sewing machine. Never mind that I gave up sewing decades ago, after making a few maternity dresses and Halloween costumes for my little boys. My friends thought it was a scream that I wanted to buy a sewing machine to repair a sheet, but look, I get to feel a little bit virtuous, I think. I’m saving all the energy that’s required to make a new one.
However, many models of sewing machines were out of stock!! Yes, my newly reborn desire to sew seems to be spreading like a wildfire in California. Many models were out of stock. I was not long deterred, though, and found a nice little portable Singer, brand new, for $75.00.
The machine soon arrived, and I realized I had to buy a sewing table to put it on. No problem. Found the perfect one at Wayfair, not too expensive. Whoops! Boxed up, needs assembly. Son can do it on the weekend. Great. And I do have a few sewing materials that I’ve been carrying around in a shoe box for years. It contains some ancient spools of thread, needles in various sizes, some straight pins, scraps of material, buttons, and the prized, old fashioned scissors my mother handed down to me. They don’t make scissors like that anymore. Heavy, keen-edged and efficient. Not a lot, but still, enough to make a start.
All set up, ready to be threaded. But, hey, this model has an automatic threader! Oh, goody!! My eyesight not being what it once was, I thought this was good news. Anyone who has ever tangled with an automatic threader on a sewing machine will now be laughing hysterically. No manual included, they don’t do that anymore. You have to look it up online. So I found it. Pages and pages, in three languages. There must be an easier way, I thought.
I did find a video demonstration of how to use the automatic threader. Yippee. However, as even the demonstrator had to try several times before succeeding, I began to despair of the wisdom of buying a sewing machine at all.
It’s been sitting there for a month now. Accusing me, shaming me, calling me lazy and imprudent, the sheet, laundered, in a pile next to it, asking me to please fix it.
To be continued. I think.