Hopes and Seams

In one of her podcasts, Brene Brown said that to combat the current woes of the world we must do things without purpose. We need to play or get lost in something in which time slips away easily; meaning our entire beings are in a complete state of enjoyment.

The only time when time has slipped away from me is when I’m with my children or when I’m sewing. And only one of those brings a smaller amount of stress – you guess… 

So, I've bought another sewing machine. This one was advertised as compact and lightweight but still up for the challenge of a thicker stitch. As I rode the high of the idea of a new machine I measured the only spot in our sailboat in which the machine could go: a 12 x 7 x 13 area right next to our bed in the forward v-berth.

After a few glasses of wine the other night, I confessed my impulse buy to my husband who sat on our companionway stairs and laughed. We also have a very expensive Sailrite machine that sits across the dock in a closet on our neighbor's houseboat. The Sailrite is gigantic, heavy and difficult to pull out and put away when I have the itch to stitch. I asked my husband to not tell the neighbors about my new machine. And then I began to justify my purchase. 

"I just want to sew some napkins!" I said. My husband again just laughed and I turned back to my phone and was soon lost in the possibilities on Pinterest: baby bibs, zipper pouches, dresses for my daughter. I also loved the idea of making fabric bookmarks.

As I try to keep my new purchase a secret, I'll confess here about my projects and my progress losing myself in an activity that is supposed to be purpose-less. We'll see how it goes. At the very least, I'm hoping for some respite from the 2020 stress and maybe some fabric coasters or a new shoulder bag. 

Note: I'm also excited to be back to this blog after a long hiatus. (Maybe 11 years?) I, the lingering liveaboard, did go back to boat life and I am continuing to live it with two children, a handy handsome husband, and two sewing machines (that I hope to put to good work). Looking forward to catching up with all of you!