Sew I Can’t Sew

And everybody knows thanks to a gleeful announcement in a video today. Low blow except it wasn’t. I know I can’t sew – and I don’t care – here’s why.

I love it.

I love everything about it. I love going into the fabric store and taking in the colours, the smells, the beautiful pieces of other people’s work. I love looking at those beautiful quilts hanging from the walls, and daring to hope that one day I will be able to make something so beautiful.

Recently, I went to a quilt show. It was glorious. But after I finished looking at all the quilts and hangings, I went to my car and cried my eyes out. I felt like I would never, in a thousand years, be anywhere near that good – so what is the point of even trying?

Because it brings me joy to try. It gives me hope that I will get better. It brings me friends who encourage me and who teach me new things.

Jenny Doan from Missouri Star Quilt Company once said in a video “If someone checks whether you iron your seams the same way on the back of your quilt, they are not your friend.” And that is true. If you judge my seams, you are not my friend, and your words today prove just that.

I have wonky seams. My zippers never go in right I always go off the edges. I used to videotape weddings in my 20’s and we always used to say if we made a mistake or something went array “Don’t worry we’ll fix it in post” meaning post production. I think this same way if one of my seams is off, if I didn’t quite cut that piece straight – I’ll fix it in post – binding hides a myriad of sins.

None of us, except those quilters who had their spectacular pieces on display, are perfect. Even they will go straight to the seam that didn’t quite line up correctly.

Nothing is perfect. Nor should it be.

It’s not how I sew that matters. It matters that I try harder every day to be better. Not just at my sewing, but everything I do. My writing, my puppets, my relationships, my work, my finances, my housework (I totally suck at that). Are you going to judge me for it? Then you are not my friend. Friends embrace our weaknesses and strengths and where one is weak, another is strong and together, my puppets, we bring each other forward.

This site is for those who sew wonky seams, who don’t know how to put those zippers in and don’t want to ask in ‘that’ group for fear of being shamed for being a beginner at over 50 years of age or wherever you are in life – just wanting to learn something without judgement.

Puppets can’t sew and everybody knows. But we are going to teach them how to anyway – cos it’s going to be fun and our lives are short – so let’s just laugh a little at ourselves and our puppets and get up and try every day until we can’t.

Carry on – and let fear guide you forward to action.