14 November 2007

post-purse

today, i wasn't going to go to the second of the three purse-making classes (cuz i've only gotten about 5 hrs of sleep in 96 hours); but i went anyway cuz i knew that i wanted to make sure that i was there to catch it all.  my mom is a seamstress, i grew up with 7 industrial sewing machines in my dining room; so i know lots in theory, but in practice?  well, my mother threatened to break each and every bone in my fingers if i ever sewed.  she had great intentions, cuz she didn't want me to end up working at a sewing factory like she and her mother and all the women in my family did.  it makes for a hard life.

so it was with great trepidation i sat behind a table-top personal single-needle today to attempt to actually sew my purse that i cut out yesterday.  lots of ripping of seams, lots of questions, lots of shaky moments of cringing cuz the more i concentrate on my poor coordination, the worse it gets.  but if i speed thru, not paying any attention, then things are a sloppy mess.  so, i have to find the happy medium.  which is trickier than ya might think.

there was a woman that just would not, but should have, shut her ever-complaining mouth because no one wanted to hear it.  she had a huge problem with me and my using the machine the facility lent to me.  she had her own machine, but she didn't bring it (altho every other person there did cuz the instructor bid them to do so).  she would directly ask me anything, but she whined and bitched so much so that when she finally did leave, the others remarked that they felt so bad for me.

they knew that it was the first time ever for me to actually use a sewing machine and i was terribly nervous without having the woman nattering at me, around me, about me.  the thing is, the class?  free.  the materials?  free.  the child-care provided for her obnoxious whiny spawn?  free.  the entire thing, every aspect of the whole affair?  free, Free, FREE.

when she swept from the room, the tension level dropped and the laughter and fun began.  the instructor stayed after and explained lots of stuff for me, helped me to get what was what, assured me, and then i stayed there and took my time, but steadily worked on my purse.  and it is all but finished.  and i really enjoyed it.  and when i ran into my instructor at the grocery store six hours later (just post-purse), i happily crowed with a sense of self-pride.

look, ma, a purse!

2 comments:

  1. I am so happy for you! Reading your entry was sad and encouraging. I understand your Mom not wanting you to do the same things as she, her Mom and other family members had to do. That is a hard life. But, on the flip side sewing CAN be fun, as you have experienced Ü.

    As you wrote I saw the great strides you made to make it this far, and it's something to be proud of! In no time you'll be sewing like a pro Ü.

    I'm sorry that woman made it harder on you as far as making you more nervous with her whining. I hope she will behave a lot better next class, or not come back at all.

    When you get a chance please take a picture of the purse you made. I'd love to see the finished product Ü.

    HUGS~Donna

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  2. Well Deb, I'm glad the other women in the class had enough sense to know she was a whiner and a PITA.  Glad too, that you sat down to a sewing machine for pleasure.  :)  Now, let's see if we can get you some pleasure out of that sewing machine.

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