A Simple Seamstress

I got my sewing machine back in 1980 when I first moved to Arizona.

It was cheap and it was basic - a simple Singer sewing machine.

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{Instagram caption = "Sewing + Gummy Bears = Happy Curtains"}

This simple sewing machine has seen its share of activity in 33 years. I’ve made curtains, quilts, dolls, doll clothes for Carrie's Cabbage Patch Kid, tote bags, this-that-and-the-other, and it’s been my trusty friend along the way.

When my mother-in-law passed away a few years ago, her collection of sewing machines was up for grabs but I had no need for a contraption that had that many dials and knobs and features. I’ll stick with what I know and love, I thought. I’m kind of simple that way.

A couple of weeks ago, my little sewing machine had a hiccup and I had to take it in for repair. As I pulled it out of the carrying case, the sweet repair shop lady with a thick German accent noted, “Oh, dat’s an old one!”

“Uh…do you think he can fix it?” I asked, now just a little worried.

“Oh, Honey, he can fix just about anything,” she replied with confidence. Thank goodness.

When I went back to pick up my sweet little Singer, there it was, all cleaned up and shiny and looking like a brand new machine. There were a few other customers in the repair shop that day, and I overheard a conversation of someone going on and on about a certain-kind-of-thread, how it always jams her machine when she sews on a certain-kind-of-fabric, even though she does these certain-kinds-of-adjustments. “Wow,” I thought, “I have no idea what she’s talking about.” I guess I’m just simple like that.

And then came that wave of self-doubt - those thoughts that crop up from time to time and tell me that I’m mediocre - I’m good at a whole bunch of stuff but not an expert at any of it. That I’m a very basic seamstress and in all my years of sewing {on a machine since I was eight years old}, I’m still not totally sure what that darn tension adjustment is for.

I paid for my sewing machine repair and loaded it into my car. As I drove away, I thought about Presley and the quilt I made for her this past year. I thought about the dolls I made to donate, and the other gifts I’ve sewn and given over the years. I’m pretty sure that none of those recipients have given one thought to the kind of sewing machine I used to make their gift, or whether or not I knew how to adjust the tension.

And if they did, I’m pretty sure they'd
still love me for being simple like that.
♥
Today I'm linking up with my good friend Sian
for her monthly meme: Storytelling Sunday.
{You can read more stories by clicking here.}