Today I am super excited to share one of my favorite sewing friends with you! I first met Deanna at The Sewing Summit in Salt Lake City last year, and despite the miles that separate us now, we manage to “talk” online nearly every day. This lady knows how to get real.
Thanks Maris, for inviting me to share why I sew! I’m Deanna, and I blog at Sew McCool.
When I was a child, I wanted nothing to do with sewing.
I remember long (well, seemingly long) trips with my mom to the local fabric store. The drawers of patterns, the books…it was all so boring to me.
Sewing seemed like something only “moms” did. And I wanted to be so much more than a mom. I was going to change the world somehow…some way…something that didn’t involve staying home and doing something as drab as sewing.
(sorry Mom.)
I’d love to say I had some deep, life-long desire to create garments and quilts, but as I mentioned, that’s simply not true. The sewing bug didn’t hit me until my later 20s.
So…..why do I sew now? You know, beyond simply liking it?
Here are 5 reasons I sew. Do you have any in common with me?
1. I minored in art in college, where I drew lots of nude figures. After college, I couldn’t convince random strangers to strip for me so that I could draw them…so I needed a new hobby.
Okay…I’ll be honest…I never asked anyone to do that. ‘Cuz I’m a little quirky but I’m not a freak. Asking people to strip so you can draw them is weird. Most of the time. I think. Right?
2. I really suck at any sport that involves catching, hitting, or throwing a ball, but I still love doing something fun with a group of friends.
Team sports? Not me. I have zero depth perception. Or maybe it’s just poor eye-hand coordination. Or something.
(Though I’m not bad at ping pong because I played a lot of that in college.)
Sports camps? No way! A quilt retreat? I’m there, baby.
3. I’m a bit of a control freak.
Can’t always control my kids. Can’t control my husband (why won’t he splurge for that diamond necklace anyway?) And my new dog peed on a $72 pattern grading textbook when I wasn’t looking.
But fabric? Yeah, baby. I can control that. Sometimes we think we can’t…but we can. I can match points in a quilt top, topstitch with precision (well, much of the time), and press a crisp seam until it sings. And if I do it wrong? I can take it apart and start over.
By the way, I’m still trying to get the odor out of my grading books, since it smells like dog urine (it’s in a bag with baking soda. Fingers crossed). Pass along any suggestions if you have them. Please. “Eau de canine urine” is not my perfume of choice.
4. Sewing is my form of therapy.
I know many of us feel this way. In my case….I have a family member with a mental illness that has been at times maddening, and at other times, heartbreaking. Apparently there’s no card for, “sorry so-and-so has been been in a mental health facility for a week.” I assume there isn’t such a card, because no one who knew about the hospitalization sent one.
(Get on it, Hallmark, okay? You usually find the words when others can’t. And no one seems to have the proper words for discussing mental illness.)
I’m not much of a drinker, and I wouldn’t steal this family member’s meds. And I don’t feel like spending an evening a week talking about these issues in a “sharing” setting, because I’d rather not think about them all the time. So when I feel a little sad, or even feel a little sorry for myself, I either sew, work with ribbon, or run. (not run away, mind you….though I’ve considered it…just, you know, “run.”)
5. I like to show off.
This is a little hard to admit, but don’t we all want to show off – just a little? C’mon. I’m sure a part of you likes to show off. Since I can’t play basketball in front of a cheering crowd, why not show off an outfit I made for myself or one of my daughters? I like compliments. I don’t need them always…but now and then, yeah. It feels good when someone says, “You MADE that????”…and they mean it in a good way.
Thanks Deanna, for sharing the story of your sewing journey. I can’t wait to see what you are going to create next!
Happy sewing!
Maris
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Deanna McCool writes for sewmccoool.com. If you enjoyed this post, you’ll enjoy reading 6 things never to say to someone who sews. To make sure you don’t miss a fun post, please follow SewMcCool by e-mail or check out SewMcCool on Facebook.