Sew Cool!

I learned how to use a sewing machine today (1/9/2019)!  For some of you, this is no big deal and seems completely underwhelming.  For me, this was very exciting! Knowing how to use a sewing machine is just one of those “things” I felt I should know.  In junior high, my classmates and I took home economics (focused on food prep) and typing (I am proud of the fact that I am a very good typist due to my 7th and 8th grade typing classes), but we did not have sewing as part of the curriculum.

Libraries aren’t just for books anymore.  A library can be a place where one learns to use a sewing machine!  Really! Where I live, I am just a few miles away from two great, public libraries which have a reciprocal relationship.  One of these libraries has what is called The Launch Pad. As stated (or, more specifically, cut and pasted) on the website,  “The Launch Pad is your space to explore, play, create and collaborate. Embark on a journey of discovery and possibility through hands-on learning where all you need is your imagination. Curiosity starts here.”    Sewing machines are just one of the many “non-book” items in there. (I plan to learn about and share with you more really cool Launch Pad experiences in the future. No spoilers.)

I had a one-on-one teaching session on how to use the Janome Magnolia 7330!  I was like a kid learning how to play with a new toy! This thing is programmed with 30 stitches, built in needle threader, speed control slider, and more!  I am sure that if I sat there with the instruction manual, I would have figured out, slowly and with frustration, how to use this machine. Fortunately, though, I had a personal instructor for this — it made all the difference!  The library does offer programs for group certification sessions, but none of them fit my schedule. (You need to get certified before using the machine for other sewing programs and projects.) Did I get special treatment because I am a local celeb?  Ha! No one there knew me. How, then, did I obtain such special, private, one-on-one tutoring? Wait for it…I filled out a form. WOOHOO! It makes sense. It is in the library’s best interest if the patrons use what it has to offer.

Jenn was great and very patient.  (You can probably guess that Jenn was my fabulous instructor.)  Learning something one step at a time when there is no rush or obligation can be so enjoyable!  I was learning to use this machine simply because I wanted to. There was no time-sensitive element.  There was no urgent need to learn to sew ASAP. Granted, had I done this in the fall or early winter, I may have felt obligated to use my new skill to make holiday gifts, and, honestly, I would have felt an urgency to perfect my skills and would have feared making mistakes due to the time component.  There is no such pressure when doing this in early January!

As a sidebar, if any of you try using this machine (I have never used any other sewing machine, so I don’t know if I can generalize what I am about to say), make sure that your glasses are clean, that your eyes are open, and that you are not over caffeinated.  Some of the initial steps in the set-up, especially threading the needle, take some good focus and still fingers. It worked out well that I did not drink coffee prior to my session.

Back to playing with the machine.  I was doing just that–playing. Have you ever seen a little kid pressing ALL of the buttons on ANYTHING?  This was similar, but probably not quite as noisy. When there are 30 stitches incorporated into the machine, and it is set up so that more than half of them are available with the press of a button (doing the other stitches involves replacing one presser foot with another.  (If “presser foot” means nothing to you, don’t worry. One piece simply needs to replaced with another for the machine to make a certain set of stitches.) Using my two little pieces of pink flowery material, I moved them back, forth, and around making lots of little stitches of all designs and sizes!  At times, I would go slow and steady. Next thing you now, I was revving up that speed control slider and racing down the swatch! That little bit of speed triggers a bit of an adrenaline rush! Then, there is the focus to slow down so that you don’t stitch off the cloth. Now that I think of it, I should have tried that just to see how to get back on track.  

As a bonus, this was all quite relaxing, too.   There was no rush. There was no obligation. I knew that help was available if I got stuck, and I knew that if I forgot everything, I could again get help.  

I hope to put my new skill into action soon and see what I can create!  It will be something small and basic like a hand warmer or cup cozy. At this point, anything more advanced would just be an exercise in making ugly modern art.

Do you have an interest in something?  If you get the chance, give it a try. See what resources are available to make it happen.  Check out programs at your local library, school, or community center. You don’t need to set lofty goals for everything you do; learning a new skill for fun does not obligate you to master it if you don’t want to make that commitment.  Learn for fun, and feel free to use what you learn however you would like! Just enjoy!