Starting a sewing adventure

   I can crochet. I can do cross-stitch. I can do a little embroidery.

But I can’t sew. And I want to.

A little background: when my mother still sewed, she was a wonderful seamstress. She could make anything—dresses, blouses, shirts, pants, quilts—and did it beautifully. As a child, I watched her sew and imagined that one day I would do it.

When I was 14, my mother let me take a sewing class through the local recreation department.



Here I am at 14 sewing in class.



I managed to make a drawstring skirt. But I remembered nothing afterwards about how I had accomplished it.

Flash forward 30 years. I decided I wanted to give sewing another try, so my husband bought me a great sewing machine for Christmas in 2007.

My sewing machine.

I managed to push through my procrastination and anxiety and learned to use the machine. I made some pillows and cut out blocks to make a little quilt. I didn’t do a great job, but I was learning.

Then things went south for my mental health—I went through an episode of depression and extreme anxiety, the worst anxiety and fear that I’d ever experienced. And the cover stayed on the sewing machine.

It’s been sitting downstairs in the basement in my work area ever since. But I periodically thought about it and kept telling myself that some day I would learn.

Last week, for reasons I still don’t understand, I felt the need and the energy to go downstairs and clear away the things I’d stacked around the sewing machine. I made room on my worktable. I dusted everything.

And Sunday night I sat down and loaded up a bobbin and rethreaded the machine.

It wasn’t easy. I didn’t remember how to do it, so I had to follow the instructions in the user manual, some of which I didn’t understand. Larry helped me and we finally got it done.

I took out fabric and looked over some patterns I have.

I decided to make an apron for Larry since he does more cooking than he used to do. It won’t be a feminine apron—I’m using material covered in a Virginia Tech motif. Virginia Tech is his alma mater.

Fabric with a Virginia Tech theme.

I’m going to try this. I know it won’t be perfect. I can’t guarantee that it will even be good. But something in me wants to try.

I’ve again pushed through the procrastination and the anxiety. I don’t know if it’s therapy, medication or both, but I’m feeling more like doing things.

And I want to make something for my husband.

Do you sew or do other crafts? What was the last thing you made, or what is your current project? Does anxiety or depression ever get in the way of enjoying your activities?