When Chris surprised me with a sewing machine for Christmas, he also made sure I had lessons because I haven’t touched a sewing machine since 8th grade home-ec.  Even then, my friend, Tim, finished sewing my pillow for me.  So yeah, “thanks for the lessons, babe!”

There were only four of us in the class, and I was the only one that didn’t know how to thread a bobbin, or my machine.  When my teacher was explaining to some of the other ladies how their high-tech machines could secure a stitch with a button (or something like that), she turned to me and said, “You’re gonna have to sew backwards.”  I got very wide-eyed and nervous, “I have to sew backwards?!”  And then she clarified that I didn’t always have to sew backwards…and began to understand how “beginner” I was.  She was careful with her words after that.

Although, she is definitely one of those people that has a lot to say–a lot of things that make people, or maybe just me, uncomfortable.  Like when before the class even started, “Oh yeah, my husband is not going to be happy I spent $900 on sewing software today.  That’s why he’s not going to know!”  What am I supposed to say?  I just said, “Oh?  Yikes.”  To which she responded, “Ah, he won’t know I run the books.”  And then later she dropped some more money talk when she proclaimed a carrying case for her machine–which is DOUBLE the size of any of ours–costs about $300.  When the store manager came over to say a few words to us and give us some tips, she made sure he knew that she already told us every word he just said.  And to top it all off, she said “assessories” instead of “accessories.” like 100+ times.  UNCOMFORTABLE!  But to her credit, she knows what she is doing (even if she does let you know it quite often) and she did a great job at teaching me some basics.

By the end of class, I had my bobbin all ready (I’m sorry, I know zero sewing terms!), I had my machine threaded, and I even sewed a straight line AND secured the stitch!  I have three more 3-hour classes, and she assured me by the end I would “be a pro”…and then she corrected herself, and said I would “well, have a good idea what you’re doing.”  We all had a good laugh.

I came home, to a baby sound asleep, a clean house and a husband waiting to snuggle.  I fell asleep while we watched The Terminal, and sewed all night in my dreams.