Years ago, when my grandma’s hands got too arthritic for her to be able to use her sewing machine anymore, she asked me if I wanted it. I think she asked me because I had already dabbled in some of her other hobbies (crochet and baking) and she figured that maybe I would take up sewing too. Unfortunately, her sewing machine is sitting in a box in my basement, the same place I put it when I brought it home from her house.

I’d like to say it’s a lack of spare time that prevents me from using it, but truthfully, attempting to learn this skill is highly intimidating to me. As a child, I remember watching my grandma turn knobs and open covers, removing and inserting tiny spools, threading single strands through this hole and that latch. It looked extremely confusing. I am fortunate enough that my 89-year-old grandma is still around, and that as I embark on this endeavour, I can reach out to her for help. I also plan on using YouTube videos, initially for help with the machine set-up, materials I’ll need, etc. and then later on (hopefully) for tutorials on the actual sewing part.

(Quick side thought on YouTube and the way it’s revolutionized DIY. My dad has always been really handy and has done lots of different projects himself, such as bathroom renovations in his house, adding a whole addition on to the cabin, and smaller projects like TV stands and tiny furniture for his granddaughter. Pre-internet, his method and process was very “trial and error”; now, he uses YouTube to learn how to build and fix things, eliminating a lot of the “error” part from the guess and check method of past years. Of course, he still has a pretty solid foundation of experiential knowledge that helps him be successful in these types of projects, but platforms like YouTube have really expanded what he’s able to do and the ease in which he can do it. I know all of this is obvious, but it’s still pretty wild if you stop and think about it for a while!)

I chose this for my learning project because it is one of those things I’ve been meaning to do but have kept putting off. This assignment is giving me the push I need to give it a go. I think it would be really cool to be able to mend/hem basic articles of clothing, but also, after much practice, I’d love to be able to sew something from a pattern or even create something of my own. My goal for this learning project is to go from I have no idea how to use this machine to I can sew from a pattern. At the end of the day, I think it’s a pretty practical skill as well as one that will be challenging enough to be worth it. Here goes nothing!