The Sewing Machine

I'm not a crafty person. I love reading design blogs, but I almost always skip over posts that involve three intimidating letters: DIY. I balk at any craft-based projects my kids bring home from school. I'm not that mom.

I'm not proud of this. I have always admired men and women who create: carpentry, art, crafts, sewing. To be able to take materials, work with them, and craft them into something beautiful and useful to enjoy, a tangible thing, is a skill I have coveted but never really made any effort to develop.

My mother was my first example. She knows how to sew, and through my life I've seen her make a variety of creations, from curtains to clothing. She has also repaired many a torn garment, for both me and my children, who always knew if something needed to be mended, they should "save it for Oma." She is not a professional seamstress, but her ability to sew has been such a handy and useful skill that has blessed our family and others in many ways over the years.

At some point I must have expressed to my mom my desire to follow in her sartorial footsteps, because a few years ago she bought me a shiny new sewing machine. I was thrilled to receive it, but at the time I was living in DC and didn't really have anyone to teach me, so I left the machine in its box and put it down in our basement, where it sat unopened. When it came time to pack our crate for Mozambique, I threw the machine in there, with hopes that someday I would put it to use. Then when our create arrived in Pemba (about ten months after we moved to Mozambique), I stored the still unopened box up in a closet, where it stayed for more than a year.

But recently as I watched several friends here working on sewing projects, I got the itch. Why not me? I thought. Could this be the year that I finally learn to sew? I have three close friends in Pemba who are excellent sewers, and I thought, surely one of them would be willing to teach me. But then one left for the States to have a baby. Another has been in and out of town, and when she is here, she's been busy renovating a new home and a ministry center. That left Susan, my IMB teammate, who had casually mentioned at least once or twice that she'd be willing to give me and/or my girls sewing lessons.

Then came the push that I needed. Judah asked me to help her with an optional project for homeschool: a "simple" DIY face mask. I told Judah that I couldn't make any promises, but I would get out my machine and at least try. So that's what I did. As I opened the box, I noticed on the side of it the picture of a smiling woman and promises like "EASY TO USE." So how hard could it be? 

The box that gave me false hopes!

But as I began looking at the instructions to figure out how to thread it, I quickly realized that the box had deceived me! I tried my best to follow the instructions, but I could not figure out how to make it work. Tabitha and Gracie offered to help (often, when it comes to crafts, they get the hang of things more quickly and easily than I do), but I didn't want them to do anything that would damage the machine, so I told them no. The more I tried, the more frustrated I grew, until I finally fumed, "I'm sorry, Judah, I tried, ok?" and huffed away in anger. A shining example of poise and patience to my girls!

Thankfully that's not the end of the story. The next day my teammate Amanda came over, and when I recounted to her the previous day's debacle, she offered to have a look at the machine with me. She didn't have much sewing experience, but it was more than mine, so maybe if we put our two brains together we could figure out how to thread the machine. And to my surprise and satisfaction, we did just that. It truly was pretty simple, and I'm not sure why it was so difficult for me in the first place. Then Amanda and I decided we would approach Susan and ask if we could take her up on her offer of sewing lessons.

The following week, Judah's teacher, Ina, announced that she wanted to do a few other sewing projects with the students who had been coming to her house for an unofficial, informal school time that she was offering during the COVID school shutdown. I asked Ina if she would be willing to allow parents to come for the sewing lessons, and she agreed. So not long after that, I accompanied Judah to Ina's house, my sewing machine in tow. Ina welcomed me and showed me the basics of the machine (she had one very similar to mine). Then she patiently walked me through every step. And at the end of my sewing session, I walked away with my very first sewing creation: a reversible face mask!

Learning to sew in Ina's lovely yard

My first project, not perfect but not bad!

Soon after that triumph, Amanda and I had our first sewing date at Susan's house. We decided that we wanted our first project to be a simple wrap skirt for our daughters' American Girl dolls. Susan had already made several beautiful outfits for the dolls, so she had a pattern for us to follow. While I think Susan was a little surprised at how clueless we were about sewing (What exactly is bias tape? the difference between a seam and a hem? Remember to put the foot down!), she never made us feel like morons but was gracious and patient with us throughout the afternoon as she guided us step by step. And in that one afternoon, we were able to finish adorable little skirts to present to Olivia and Noa (the dolls).

Noa in her new skirt

Easy and cute!

Since then Amanda and I have visited Susan's house weekly for sewing sessions. So far I have made a tote bag, a skirt, another couple of face masks, and a pillow sham (so simple!). 

Tote bag ...

... that folds up to carry to the market in a purse or other bag

Replacing a pillow sham that had a stain

I still have so much to learn. Sadly Susan and her husband will be leaving in a few weeks to retire to Arizona, so we want to soak up as much time and sewing wisdom from her as we can before she goes.

With Susan and Amanda at our sewing date
(Amanda and I happened to match that day;
Susan changed into her black to join the party)

Susan and my mom in many ways remind me of the excellent woman lauded in Proverbs 31. Since I studied that chapter several years ago, the words about that woman have inspired me. So many of the verses about her describe her ability and efforts to create: "She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands" (v. 13), "she puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle" (v. 19), "she makes bed coverings for herself" (v. 22), "she makes linen garments and sells them" (v. 24). My oldest daughter, Tabitha, is named after a beloved New Testament woman who made garments for the poor (Acts 9). If, as these Scriptures indicate, sewing is a skill that can be used to bless family, friends, and the needy, then I'm so thankful I didn't give up after my initial face-mask fail.

I'm still not a crafty person. But now I can say that, thanks to the help of friends and most of all to my mom, who served as my first example and believed in my potential enough to give me the gift of the sewing machine all those years ago:

I know how to sew!