mermaids

The primary purpose of this blog is to share my sewing adventures, but some of my regular life slips in from time to time. I started sewing before I started school. My first projects were clothes for my dolls made with scraps from my grandmother’s sewing. She was too busy trying to keep a family clothed and fed to offer much in the way of instruction. The main lessons were “don’t sew/cut your fingers because we can’t afford the doctor bills” and “if it is wrong, rip it out because close enough isn’t good enough.” Sewing allowed me to create the things I could never afford to buy in a store.

I was married in 1990 to a guy I refer to as “Hubski.” I tease him that he married me because I could offer him custom made shirts. He is quite tall with very long arms. It was a new experience to have long sleeve shirts that actually covered his wrists. In 1993, J was born and my world changed forever. I enjoyed motherhood so much that less than two years later, C was added to picture. Having two boys did not stop me from sewing. For many years, I made all of their clothes.

Hubski and the two boys have always been very supportive of my sewing. Whenever we moved, finding a space for my sewing room was a always a priority. The three of them have trekked through countless fabric stores with me, carrying bolts of fabric or matching thread for me. When Hubski travels for work, he looks for interesting fabric stores. When I am stressed, they all agree that I need to spend some time in the sewing room.

When I am not sewing, I also enjoy reading. There are stacks of books all around our house because the boys love reading too. In my “spare” time, I work as a substitute teacher for a middle school. It was suppose to be a part time job, just a few days a month. Apparently, not many people are willing to spend their days with 11-14 year olds. I could work almost every day if I wanted to. However, I try to limit myself to 3 days a week on average. At first, I was not so sure about middle school, but it has grown on me. Once the students trusted me enough to let down all their bravado and affectations, I discovered that they can be quite enjoyable.

Out of respect for my family’s privacy, I am careful about what I post. Because I work with other people’s children, I am careful about work related posts. I do not feel I have the right to splatter details of other people’s lives all over Blogland. So, sorry, there won’t be any juicy, embarrassing stories here. It will lots of sewing, books, and little glimpses of other things.