Why Do I Sew? Why Do You Sew?

   As I was going through my email this morning, I came across a post asking : "Why do you sew?". I found that interesting. It made me sit and think while I was sipping on my morning cup of coffee. I asked myself--why do I sew? Where did this desire come from? Why do I like it so much???? Before I knew it, one cup of coffee turned into 3 cups of coffee. I was doing a lot of thinking on this one.

   I think that I have always been around sewing to some extent. When I was younger, my mother had a beautiful sewing machine. She was always sewing skirts and dresses for herself. She would often make dresses for me with matching ones for my dolls. I always loved that she did that. My mother did many other crafts also. From her, I learned a few of them. As I grew older and then on my own, I would keep on with those crafts or eventually come across some new ones and try my hand at it. For a long time in my teenage years and early adult hood, I loved to Crochet and to do Cross Stitch Embroidery. These kept my hands busy while I was raising my children. I never really felt a desire during those years to sit and learn sewing. I wish I had, my mother would have been a great teacher.

   It wasn't until after the death of my mother, that I turned to the sewing machine. I truly believe that in all of my grief and sorrow that I was led to my first grown up machine of my own. Maybe my mom was helping to sooth my grief from heaven. I remember weeks after the funeral- my husband wanted to take the kids and go see his parents in Long Island. I was very depressed and lost in my own thoughts and feelings. I just could not bring myself to driving over 8 hours and then spend a week with happy people. It just was not something I could wrap my head around. I had been surrounded by people who were so heart broken for me and my family. I had so many people stopping over to help in any way. There was a constant flow of people in and out of my house for weeks. So, when my husband decided to travel, I thought--OK, I need this quiet time. I need this time to just be.

   So I did. For the first few days, I just sat outside in my yard and looked out at the woods. Silently thinking. Going through all of my emotions. Talking to all of nature and venting my grief. Eventually, I had decided to go in the car and go towards the mall. For what ever reason, I found myself walking into a Joann Fabric Store. I felt like I was on auto pilot. I went straight back to where all of their sewing machines for sale where. At that time- the Viking Dealer was there. I walked up to the dealer and spoke with her at length. She showed me all of the different machines and what they could do. I was amazed!!!! Well....... an hour or so later, I walked out with a new purchased sewing/embroidery machine. I remember sort of being in shock all the way home with this new machine in the back seat of my car.  I could not believe that I bought it. I did not know how to sew--I could not even sew a straight line. I also could not believe how much I spent on this machine. It was seven thousand dollars. I never discussed this with my husband. I figured he would find out about it once he came home.

   The next few days that followed, I poured myself into the machine. I read the directions. I put thread in it, did the bobbin, put fabric under the needle and then pressed on the foot petal. Away it went! I fell deeply in love with the sound of the machine. I started to frequent the Joann Fabric store and buy all sorts of fabric and different color threads and stabilizers. I found out that I loved the embroider aspect of my machine, but....that I loved to quilt. That was the beginning of a beautiful relationship. I soon discovered Quilt shops, Quilting magazines, On line sites, You Tube videos, etc.....

   Flash forward to the present. I am now the "Black Hat Quilter". I have 14 different sewing machines-many are vintage. I own a wonderful Serger Machine. Best of all--I own my Long Arm Machine. I have been retired for a year now from Nursing. I have loved every moment of stepping into my studio to create. I would never have thought this would be the path that I would follow. Who would of thought that in the deepest despair of sorrow and grief for the loss of my mother--that I would find sewing and sewing would find me and together- I would heal. It has been wonderful and beautiful every step of the way. I feel totally blessed. I know in my heart that my mother is aware of my sewing and that I am feeling better-though I still miss her greatly. I believe she is with me and watching me sew and she is happy with that.


   So with that being said...... I wonder about everyone else. How did you come to sewing? How did you acquire your sewing machine? Who influenced you??