As I sit here, working on this new project, I am reminded of a former patient, long since past.
This lady, a lovely Quaker, was one of the most amazing needlewoman I have ever met. Never even owned a sewing machine, all her work was done by hand.
I remember one day telling her about a dress I was hemming and the problem I was having. I just couldn't get the hem straight.
So she asked me to bring it on my next visit and I did.
For the following week, after giving my lady her morning care (medication, bath and dressing and then breakfast) I showed her the dress I was working on.
She shook ed her head, clucked her tongue and then pulling out the ripper from her apron pocket, she began ripping the hem out.
I wanted to cry. All my hard work. Gone.
But I also asked for her help and she was giving it. By ripping out the hem all together.
She then, patted the seat next to her and began to teach me the proper way to hem a garment.
"The secret, my girl is straight pins. You can never use too many straight pins!."
As I watched, each pin looked like a metal stitch in the cloth.
"Tiny stitches, straight lines, straight hems."
So I went home with a new assignment; finishing the pinning and do the stitching.
Tiny stitches.
Tiny stitches are slow going. You can't hurry.And yet the hem remain straight.
So, the next week, I showed my patient-teacher my work.
She smiled and patted my hand.
Straight pins. Tiny stitches.
That was almost thirty years ago.
"That is how we grow in G-d, my girl," My lady told me. "Slow, tiny stitches. When we go wrong, G-d rips out those mistakes and allows us to redo, to learn from them. Not throw the garment away."
I thought about this a few days ago when I made a huge mistake.
No, I didn't throw away the cloth; I just ripped out the stitches and redid the work.
And it looks so much better.
Shalom:
After showering and dressing for the day, I decided to work on a small quilt. While I lost much material and well as my sewing machine to Hurricane Sandy, I did find batting for a crib size quilt. Years ago I found a beautiful piece of cloth that depicts an Victorian x-mas in shades of white and blue. A great quilt for a child from newborn to maybe toddle size, I thought it might fetch me a decent price.
Since my sewing machine got water logged and is no more, this project will be done by hand. I rather like sewing by hand. It is how I first learned to sew; my grandmother holding my hand as I held the needle, her helping me work a bit of cloth.
Later, in fourth grade, when we first stitch on brown paper towels, moving up to cloth. In fifth grade, we were big girls as we moved to Singer Sewing machines.
So as I work on this new quilt, trying to balance Monti on my lap, I pray for the child that will hold this quilt.
Shalom:Today is a quiet day. While Mark is at the unemployment office, I am working on Yosef's quilt and quite determine to finish it this week. It is going to look a little different than I first started, but I also think the outcome is better.
Today is also my friend Debbie's birthday. We have a tradition of getting together for each other's birthday since we became friends years also. And when I married Mark, he was blessed to be added to the mix. This year, because of the car accident, Debbie and Sturat brought my birthday party to me. This year is is so cool that Mark is here to join in the fun. Debbie has been wanting to learn the Hebrew prayers, but being blind, there are no Siddur, (prayer books) for her to use. But I did find The First Steps of Hebrew Prayer on CD, so that will be our birthday present to Debbie. Sinc they both like Starbucks, we are getting them the Holiday blend for Hanukkah along with the Hanuakkah mugs.If they haven't sold out yet.Speaking of coffee....
This is a picture of Debbie and Sturat at Mark's surprise birthday party a few years. They are one of the sweetest, loving couples I know.
