Back to Basics

A Hobby

Necessity is always the mother of invention.

When the my girls were young, I loved to walk around malls and admire the frocks. But the pretty frocks were not cheap. It was creating a big hole in the pocket. So, the idea was created.

 Learn to sew. 

I sewed. Really did it. It was a pleasure to see the girls in pretty frocks of the same cotton threads. Church members noticed and commented. I even went to the extent of sewing for the little cousins and during the Lunar New Year, grandma Lau smiled from ear to ear. Yes, it was fun then.

The children enetually grew and looked at my sewing with criticism. That I had grown old-fashioned and not in trend. So, my sewing grew not so popular and it took my interest away.

On top of that, school pressures piled up and I had to discard the hobby.

When you sew without a relaxed mind, the clothes may not turn out fine.

So I left the hobby.

Retirement also creates pressure when everyone asks you that pertinent question :

What are you doing to yourself?

Rest and relax .

Doing nothing is also doing something.

This answer does not seem to satisfy.

My grown up children give me pressure too.

Ma, do something.

Dad says I will be senile if I keep getting myself hooked to Chinese dramas.

I am still collecting my thoughts and finding directions, People around me are impatient to know what is my next course of action. Can't just relaxing and doing nothing be a good enough answer?

It has only been a month without work. They make me feel as though I have retired for years !

To cut it short, I forced myself to pick a piece of fabric and recalled my past experience and find a reason to sew. Going through left overs in my closet, I chose a piece and cut.

 That's my favourite cotton. Combining them in various ways to create a frock.

Getting the right size is a guessing task.

 Oh, the familiar ruler, chalk and paper cuttings. The old sewing machine is still performing its function albeit all modern machines give better service. Trimmings make a frock pretty. Imaginations create even prettier ones. Who says baby frocks are easy to sew? They are so small and it's a skill to deal with them.

So ancient right? But some ancient machines are still good, I especially love this model because I love to control it with my feet. The motorized ones do not give me that confidence. But I suppose it's a matter of skill acquisition.

 Do you like my creation of baby frocks? The last one was sewed 25 years ago.

These frocks have rekindled an old interest again.

Last night was a night of dreams; peter pan collars, sailor's collars, buttons, lace ...

How long will my interest hold again?

The only downside is that I need a pair of new glasses for near reading and sewing. The challenge of threading that needle is real. I may not feel old but my eyes tell me otherwise...

Reorientation.