I like making things: Compared to my blogging friends I am just a pretender

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Compared to my blogging friends I am just a pretender

I haven't been posting much at all lately but I read all the blogs I follow every day faithfully. I feel like such a pretender because I hardly make anything these days. A lot of it is circumstance but have to admit that some of it is lack of mojo.

I did manage to sequester our neighbour's son and two of his friends to bring my treadle machine cabinet over from the workshop and upstairs into my sewing room on Monday. It got wet from the rain in the process so I have left it until today so it thoroughly dries out.

Today, hopefully, is the day I get it all set up. First I have to give the rest of it a good polish and oil the machine again. I am hoping all the repairs I did to the cabinet hold up and it will be a go.

I am excited to do this and this has been the first time lately I have felt motivated. I love making things so much that I feel guilty for feeling happy when everything around us is not going so well.

I think this is why I haven't been making things and I have to work to get over this silliness.

I was somewhat inspired also by a video I saw this morning of Josh Turner's 90 something year old grandma playing her piano at the Grand Ole Oprey. I am sure she has faced a lot in her life but she was up there playing like a champ. God bless her.

If she can pursue her love of the piano then I am sure I can pursue my love of making things.

2 comments:

Carol- Beads and BirdsApril 6, 2017 at 9:01 AM
Your blog title really caught my attention. I think I knew what it was going to be about and knew I would relate to this post. The thing that is wrong with your thinking is "compared to my blogging friends". I used to do that. Almost feel guilty that I was enjoying seeing what they all were accomplishing while I had nothing to show. Everyone goes through a dry spell. God knows you have a lot of other things to occupy your mind. What I have found is that while others spend great time creating, I am STILL creating even if I am slower about it. It can be overbearing to try to fit big projects into a time like this. Try thinking smaller.

Best wishes for your husband's health.
xx, Carol
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As in the words of Thumper: If you can't say 'nuffin nice don't say 'nuffin at all.

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I started this blog in 2011: Ever since my Mum taught me to knit at the age of about six or seven I have made things. Back then it was doll clothes. I was also inspired by Mrs Levitt an elderly lady who had a sewing room in a conservatory type room on the back of her house. I would sit and watch her in awe as she sewed.

When I was a child living in England the school system was such that you started at 5 years, did two years in Infant School, then four years in Primary School then five to seven years in Secondary School, depending on whether you chose to stay on after fifth form to get qualifications to go to University. I can't remember much of the Infant school other than making the standard square doily thingy from fabric that had holes in it so you could embroider patterns into it. A bit like the modern day cross stitch fabric but with bigger holes and spaces to make it easy for small hands to use. I also remember with great joy getting a toy sewing machine one Christmas which sewed only chain stitch but I did make doll clothes on it and that was before I started Primary school. I do have very vivid recollections of Primary school and having sewing and knitting lessons. In Primary school I knitted gloves and made a dress from scratch hand sewing it all.

Secondary school continued on with sewing by which time I had progressed to using full sized sewing machines and was making more intricate skirts and dresses. My parents bought me a proper sewing machine when I was thirteen. I used that same machine right up until I emigrated to Canada at age forty six years.

I have always had a fascination for sewing machines and knitting machines. I bought my first knitting machine at around age twenty one from an ad in a newspaper for twelve pounds. I had absolutely no idea what one was just that I wanted one. I trundled on the bus to the address in the advert and handed over my twelve pounds having absolutely no idea what I had really bought. Fortunately it came with a manual. It was an aged Knitmaster, very basic and I loved it. I wore it out. Next was a Brother push button one which I didn't keep because it was at a time in my life when things were difficult. Later on in my life, around forty, when things were better I bought a brand new Brother punchard machine with a ribber attachment. I loved it and made many things. Life took a different turn, I moved countries twice and along the way, regrettably I sold it.

Now, through the universe's blessing I now have another machine. It is a vintage one because they stopped making them early 90's but works perfectly and I love it. So I decided to make this blog to document my knitting progress and include sewing projects.

In 2013: we embarked on a new hobby, leather-work. My husband got started with it and it drew me in. It is something we can do together. We have a workshop so have plenty of room to work. We added another workbench for me to work on in 2013. We already had one but we were tripping over each other both trying to work at it. We only make things we want to make. It is strictly a hobby. We made some things for our good neighbours who help us out a lot. I am also working on Christmas presents. So this blog now incorporates the leather-work. Knitting and sewing will always be my first love though.

Fast forward to 2023 and now age almost 75 years. I have seven sewing machines, four knitting machines, several ribber attachments and a garter carriage for one of the machines. I am blessed beyond words, but I know that I have more than enough machines to keep me going in my lifetime so I don’t think I will be adding to my collection any time soon……….unless a nice embroidery machine manifests itself very cheaply.

I am a Brit living in the USA, sometimes I spell like a Brit and sometimes like an American. Sometimes I use slang and even make grammatical errors. I blog for the pleasure of it and to record my endeavours in the event that my memory fades, as I am sure it will with more age. I will be able to look back and remind myself of the things I have made along the way. So please forgive my mistakes when reading about my life making things here in the hinterlands and I hope you get as much enjoyment from my blog as I do from reading the blogs I follow.

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Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Compared to my blogging friends I am just a pretender

2 comments: