Category Archives: Domestic Blitz

In which we don our aprons and putter about the house.

Domestic Blitz

The sewing adventures begin

… and promptly end.

I read through Sewing 101 and Bend-the-Rules Sewing on Saturday, and I spent a little while this weekend gathering supplies for Project Seamstress. By this evening I had everything I needed to start on my first project.

It took me a little while to figure out how to wind the bobbin, but I was very proud of myself when I finally made it work. Then I moved on to the next step: Putting the bobbin in its little home. I looked closely at the diagram and then at the sewing machine. And I looked again. And again. And the little latch I was supposed to pull never appeared.

Apparently whomever is in charge of bobbin-case installation over at the sewing machine factory took the day off the day my machine went through the assembly line. The bobbin case just isn’t there. Now, I will be the first to admit that I can be a flibberty-gibbet, so I called Rockford over to examine the diagram before I panicked. He confirmed it. My poor little bobbin is homeless.

So Project Seamstress is on hold for awhile, until my replacement bobbin case arrives.

Domestic Blitz, Flotsam / Jetsam

Rain, insect invasions and sewing

  1. I’ve been hearing distant thunder all afternoon. The storm finally made its way here, and it’s a good one. It’s raining so hard, the trees across the river are hazy. Poppy has been napping for almost two hours now. That’s usually her limit, but with the rain falling on the metal roof, she might be down for another half hour or so.
  2. There’s a wasps’ nest outside one of our windows, and the little beasts have been slowly infiltrating the apartment. Marsha T. Cat has done a valiant job dispatching them — she’s on the prowl as we speak — but I still think I’m going to have maintenance take care of the nest.
  3. I read over the sewing machine manual today and was left quite overwhelmed. So I looked up basic sewing classes in the area. If one of them fits into Rockford’s schedule (so he can be home with Pi), I think I’ll sign up for one.
Domestic Blitz

Sewing is FUNdamental*

I’ve been threatening for awhile to learn how to sew. I’ve been seeing a few projects online that I really liked, and then I found the very sewing machine I’d had my eye on at Big Lots. It must have been fate.

According to clinical psychologist Dr. Robert Reiner, “sewing (and other ‘hands-on’ activities such as painting, drawing and music) not only stimulate creativity, they also help develop patience, perseverance and problem-solving skills.” Butterick is using that to sell sewing as a kids activity, but I could use some patience, perseverance and problem-solving skills, too. I could also use a new toiletry bag and a totally awesome ball gown.

*I stole that from Butterick. They’re a hoot, aren’t they?