Sew Sew Good

Sewing feels like a lost art, and I am so excited to see all the reels and TikToks highlighting everyone’s thrift store adventures. Repurposing and reusing things? Yes, please! I have had so much fun with it.  I’m especially thankful that my mom taught me how to sew. It started with what I assume it started with for many of you: the button.  Why is that our first sewing project?  Maybe when we become adults, we decide we don’t want to sew on those little buttons anymore, so we teach our kids how to do it instead. That way, we don’t have to!  I have to wonder about all the buttons I sewed over the years. Do you think my dad purposely cut them off just to give me a chore to do?  I guess I’ll never know.

This weekend, I took on another sewing project. I reached into my closet and found a jacket that I’m pretty sure I bought off the clearance rack and hardly ever wear. I started thinking about what I could do with it that would be cute, get my creative juices flowing, and give me a little quiet time. No scrolling. No worrying. No fretting over the things I can’t control.  Just creating something.  So, off on a mission I went. Salvation Army, here I come! I found the cutest little kids’ T-shirt that I knew would be perfect.  I came home, got out the sewing machine, the pins, and the rotary cutter, and started working on my project.  Notice I didn’t say tape measure.

Years ago, I had the opportunity to participate in something that will always be close to my heart. It came from the Gallup Organization—yes, the same place that does all those polls. It was called StrengthsFinder, and you take a test that identifies your top five strengths.  One of mine is ACTIVATOR.  We often describe it as ready, fire, aim strength.  So, needless to say, measuring is not really my thing. And honestly? I don’t mind!  I love the idea of jumping in, figuring things out as I go, and seeing what happens. Sometimes it works beautifully, and sometimes, well, we learn something along the way.

I got the project finished and looked at it with pride. Then I noticed something.  The buttons.  Specifically, the one that had just fallen off.  Oh, how I don’t love sewing on buttons as an adult! But somehow, that little button was just what this project needed.  I mentioned it to Stuart, and he said, “Why don’t I 3-D print you some?”  Um, yes, please! What an amazing investment that printer has become!  And here come the buttons!

It took me right back to when I first learned to sew. It reminded me of all the cool projects I’ve worked on over the years and how much joy I’ve found in creating something with my own two hands.  And it helped me realize something once again.  Sometimes, we need to remember the things in life that make us happy.  The things that quiet our minds, spark our creativity, and remind us of who we are. The things that help us step away from the noise, even if just for a little while.  We spend so much time worrying about the things we can’t control. Sometimes, we just need to pick up something we love and enjoy the moment right in front of us.  For me, this weekend, that meant an old jacket in my closet, a little thrifted  T-shirt, a sewing machine, and some soon-to-be 3-D-printed buttons.  And you know what?

Sometimes, the simplest things in life are just sew sew good.  I am so glad I got that little reminder this weekend.