This week, my friend and neighbor called me and asked if I could help her with some sewing. They had a family wedding, which was luau themed, and her family all had to be wearing tropical prints. She had bought fabric and wanted to make wrap skirts for her 4 girls and herself. But she doesn’t sew. She had handed out fabric to different people, and asked me if I could do just two skirts for her smallest girls. Now, I’m not a seamstress by any stretch of the word. Yes, I can sew. I have sews some dresses, curtains, etc., but I don’t use my sewing machine every day. But–sew a hem, maybe an elastic waist? Sure, I can do that. So, I sewed a simple elastic skirt, then took it over to see if it fit right before I did the other one. You would have thought I had hand woven the fabric and sewed it with golden thread, to see their reactions. They were thrilled. So, I whipped up the other skirt (seriously, it took about 1/2 and hour) and took it over.
Yesterday she called back again. She had asked another friend to just hem up the edges of the other three to make wrap skirts, but it was too much fabric and too stiff and it wasn’t falling right. So she came over, we figured out how much to cut off to make it the right length, and to make one of them not so bulky. I think it was four cuts and four seams. Again, so much appreciation. She went on and on about what a great talent that is to be able to sew (a straight line) and what a wonderful friend I was to help her. She even insisted on paying me $20. I felt undeserving of her gigantic praise.
In a smaller way, John also shows his appreciation. As I was helping him use the potty this morning, he was going to watch his hands, and he noticed that there was a new soap. (Not the lovely brown sugar and fig from Bath and Body works/smelly kind that Ryan can’t stand, but a different foamy kind.) John said, “MOM! There’s new soap! And there’s no polka dots! Thanks!” He doesn’t like the scrubbing micro-beads. This family is pretty picky about their soap, I guess.
But it’s nice to be appreciated, isn’t it?
Knowing how to sew can come in very handy sometimes. I’m glad you learned hot somewhere.
I appreciate you for your funny blog and fun personality that makes book club so enjoyable.
You’re amazing! I wish I could sew a straight line, and would be tickled to be able to sew an elastic waist! I appreciate how everyone who knows you assumes, since I’m your sister and we look alike, that I must be as amazing, witty, creative and fun as you are.