There are a lot of things in life that I’m sure many of us wish we were better at. From sports, to music, to building and fixing things, it seems like some people simply have a natural talent for specific tasks, while others need to work hard to achieve any sort of progress.
Growing up, my mom always had piles of fabric and many sewing projects on the go. If I wanted a last-minute Halloween costume, she could easily whip something up. When I decided I wanted my high school graduation dress to be something unique, she made that too.
Through many attempts, and even two years of living with my grandma who ran her own sewing business in her basement for more years than I can remember, I still struggle whenever I take out my own sewing machine.
While my mom and grandma used much more professional looking machines than I would ever be brave enough to attempt, it’s taken me a while to become even somewhat proficient with my cheap Walmart sewing machine that I bought on sale a few years ago.
At the moment, that machine is sitting in the closet, in need of a new needle, since I somehow managed to snap it and puncture a hole in my thumb just a few weeks ago, while attempting to make some sort of random handmade project.
When the feeling hits, I often find myself purchasing piles of fabric, and more often than not, that fabric somehow finds its way to my mom’s house, where she usually puts the last stitches into my ideas, making them much more of a reality than I ever could. Once in a while I do manage to finish a blanket or two for my kids, which they love unconditionally, until I get the next urge to buy hundreds of dollars worth of fun, colourful fabric.
After my last shopping trip, the fabric I purchased didn’t even make it into my house before my mom grabbed it from the truck and took it home with her. While I’m sure she still has some faith left in my abilities, it goes to prove that she’s also accepted my inabilities.
While I’m sure there are many people out there who only learned how to sew later in life, it’s clear that the natural genetic ability to sew and create things with a needle and thread skipped a generation. Even though I had interest as a child to make doll clothes, pillows, and bags, I was just never any good at it.
Plus, the challenge of now living in a house full of boys who always find the best scissors in the house and destroy them while using them for tasks that would be better suited to a saw, simply adds to my frustrations.
And so at this point, I’ve mostly given up on the idea that I will ever be good at sewing. Instead, I’m hoping that I can tap into some other genetics, and find some success outdoors, gardening.
Now that we have plenty of space in our yard to grow things, I hope this is something I can get good at, and enjoy. So far the only challenge I run into seems to be Mother Nature.
