Why Do You Sew?

It’s a question I’ve been wondering for a while now, practically my whole life. Why do you sew? Even the definition of sewing doesn’t exactly make it sound all that exhilarating. 

Wow…riveting.
But let’s dive a little deeper. My early experiences with sewing, probably like most of you, weren’t particularly memorable. I specifically remember making, or being forced to make, a basic pillow case in home economics class in the 7th grade. While everyone around me seemed to be destined for project runway, I lagged pretty far behind the rest of the herd. I mean, I understood the concept: Press the pedal. More for faster. Less for slower. I was even enamoured with the hum and speed of the machine. It allowed my 12 year old brain to daydream, like I was driving a race car. My finished product however, was a bungled mess of bobbin thread and broken dreams. It looked like a fabric store sneezed and I was left holding the tissue. So, dejected and honestly a little embarrassed, my disdain for sewing was allowed to blossom. Growing up in a family owned sewing machine business you can probably imagine how that could prove to be problematic. More on that in a moment…but let’s revisit the question at hand.

Why do you sew? You see,  it wasn’t until I got to the second definition of sew that things started to make sense.

I found it interesting, the “(something)” being in parenthesis like that. So I mentally removed the seemingly optional filler word, and I discovered what might be the answer to my question.

“Attach to something”

Through the years following my pillow case fiasco, I’ve had the privilige of meeting many of you…sewers? Sewists? Oh that’s a different topic for a different day. Anyway, I started to realize there was more than a hum and a foot pedal to this whole sewing thing. It’s done far more for me than hem my jeans and replace my buttons. My family is closer than ever before because of sewing. I’ve learned more about myself, my limitations, and sometimes my temper because of sewing. There’s a kinship, a lifestyle, a bond, a friendship, and family all rolled up into the life of a…sewperson? That can’t be right. Anyway, so why do you sew? I guess for me it’s to…attach to something.