I hemmed a pair of jeans this weekend. By hand. By myself. And it only took two days, a YouTube video on constant repeat, and erasing from my memory every past attempt at sewing I’ve ever experienced.
To get an inkling of just how horrible I am with needle and thread, consider this. In eighth grade, I almost flunked home ec because I spent the entire semester trying to finish the first assignment. I was still working on the blob of wadded cloth that was supposed to be an apron while everyone else was designing tote bags, dresses, skirts, and all manner of crafty creations. When we were getting ready to move our family to Colombia, someone told me it would be handy to know how to make clothes for my children. So, I took two Bishop sewing courses, guaranteed to equip even the most inexperienced and inept students with stupendous skills. My instructor examined my final project from the second class, a pitiful blue “dress” for my two-year-old daughter with lopsided sleeves, a puckered neckline, and a sash that fell off - and offered me a refund. Over the years I had other traumatic run-ins with loose buttons and ripped seams and eventually gave up trying.
One of my goals for 2022 is to learn new things. So, when I bought a pair of jeans on sale that were too long, the first weekend of the year seemed like a perfect time to try to alter them. I found a video “How to Hem Jeans (by Hand) | Keep the Original Hem | Easy Hemming Tutorial Sewing for Beginners” and went for it. I measured and folded and pinned. I threaded a needle and made back stitches and whip stitches and tied knots. I cut and trimmed and turned and pressed. I walked around last night with a huge grin on my face insanely proud as I admired my handiwork.
To get an inkling of just how horrible I am with needle and thread, consider this. In eighth grade, I almost flunked home ec because I spent the entire semester trying to finish the first assignment. I was still working on the blob of wadded cloth that was supposed to be an apron while everyone else was designing tote bags, dresses, skirts, and all manner of crafty creations. When we were getting ready to move our family to Colombia, someone told me it would be handy to know how to make clothes for my children. So, I took two Bishop sewing courses, guaranteed to equip even the most inexperienced and inept students with stupendous skills. My instructor examined my final project from the second class, a pitiful blue “dress” for my two-year-old daughter with lopsided sleeves, a puckered neckline, and a sash that fell off - and offered me a refund. Over the years I had other traumatic run-ins with loose buttons and ripped seams and eventually gave up trying.
One of my goals for 2022 is to learn new things. So, when I bought a pair of jeans on sale that were too long, the first weekend of the year seemed like a perfect time to try to alter them. I found a video “How to Hem Jeans (by Hand) | Keep the Original Hem | Easy Hemming Tutorial Sewing for Beginners” and went for it. I measured and folded and pinned. I threaded a needle and made back stitches and whip stitches and tied knots. I cut and trimmed and turned and pressed. I walked around last night with a huge grin on my face insanely proud as I admired my handiwork.
This morning, as I pulled on my jeans, I thought about other difficult things that lurk at the beginning of this New Year. The pandemic still rages with thousands of new cases reported every day and I live in a state filled with anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers who refuse to follow any Covid protocols whatsoever. The news is rife with reports of racism, injustice, hatred, abuse, and political upheaval. The ice caps are melting, wildfires are raging, and weird weather is occurring worldwide. My social media feed is filled with misinformation and outright lies about all of it. It’s enough to make a grown woman cry.
But this grown women just hemmed a pair of jeans. Anything is possible. So, I’m going to look for whatever kind of needle and thread are needed to help mend the mess we’re in and do what I can to repair and remodel and reconcile and renovate. It’s the first Monday of 2022. Let’s see what we can fix this year.
But this grown women just hemmed a pair of jeans. Anything is possible. So, I’m going to look for whatever kind of needle and thread are needed to help mend the mess we’re in and do what I can to repair and remodel and reconcile and renovate. It’s the first Monday of 2022. Let’s see what we can fix this year.
Find more of my ruminations on life, healthy living tips, effective strategies to improve fibromyalgia symptoms, methods to reduce toxic chemical exposure from common household products, and recipes and resources for creating a personalized healthy living plan in my book, Practical Priorities for Fibromyalgia Recovery. Available at your favorite bookstore and on Amazon. Buy paperback.
Find more of my ruminations on life, healthy living tips, effective strategies to improve fibromyalgia symptoms, methods to reduce toxic chemical exposure from common household products, and recipes and resources for creating a personalized healthy living plan in my book, Practical Priorities for Fibromyalgia Recovery. Available at your favorite bookstore and on Amazon. Buy paperback.
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