Stitched

Although sewing is a lost art in our culture today, it was once a much practiced and necessary component. I’m sure you’ve heard the old proverb “A stitch in time saves nine”. It means a little effort now prevents more work later. Those who first spoke it were literally referring to stitches, knowing it’s best when you first tear something to take a few minutes and repair it. Otherwise it will only tear more, costing you more time and the need for more stitches later.

It’s a timeless truth that  procrastination often requires more work in the long run. I find it ironic that this (and other proverbs with similar messages) have endured, and yet we seem to be getting lazier as a race. I include myself in this, of course, as some of my best work has been produced at “the last minute”.

[Rabbit Trail] That reminds me of this paper I wrote in University, I believe it was during my second year (which was actually my first Senior year, but that’s a different trail altogether). The class was called Paradise Lost and was supposed to be a Senior “capstone” course, focusing on John Milton’s epic poem of the same name. (By the way, an epic poem is a lengthy narrative poem [tells a story], ordinarily concerning a serious subject and containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation.) We spent three months reading and discussing it – and I honestly don’t remember any of it!

I do remember writing the main paper for the course, which I uncreatively titled “Milton’s Paradise”, which was due on a Wednesday morning at 11. The reason I remember the day and time is because I wrote the entire thing that very morning – 15 pages in about 2.5 hours – and got a B+. As I said, some of my best work has been done at the last minute. Not the course of action I would advise for anyone else, but for me, sometimes it paid off to waste some stitches!

Just for fun, here’s how the paper started:  “The ideas of the earthly paradise held by Milton and his contemporaries reflected several centuries of acceptance, rejection, and interpretation of earlier myths, theologies, and literature. In Paradise Lost, Milton sought to understand the beginnings of man and his world – the development of knowledge, religion, government, marriage, and family – and to relate these beginnings to later history.” [End Rabbit Trail]

I imagine one of these days I’ll go back and read that paper again, probably find several much needed edits and change it, and maybe even re-read the poem since I have a feeling I never actually read it the first time around. But not today. If you’ve managed to stay behind me while we traveled that trail, we’re back to the second week seven prompt “stitched”. I believe we left off with an old proverb and some irony. I love irony. Too many Rabbit Trails today!! Must resist.

I also mentioned that sewing is a lost art. That’s not to say it’s never done anymore, just that it’s not as necessary or commonly used as it used to be. We now have fancy machines – and I don’t mean the ones we have in our craft rooms – that can put together an entire outfit in less than five minutes.

Personally, I haven’t yet begun to explore sewing. I have two machines, both were given to me, that are in working order. One of them is a “Jean Machine” capable of sewing through denim. A jean quilt would be awesome – I love weight when I sleep! I also have four drawers (in a cardboard dresser) FULL of fabric:

   

These are a few of the piles (organized by color, of course). I could make a lot of really fun things with all of the colors and patterns I have. Two sets of fabric came altogether, with instructions, to make some pretty awesome quilts. I just need to get started! I know how the machines work, in theory, I just haven’t gotten my craft room organized enough that I feel able to start this new adventure. Story of my life, to be honest – always waiting for something more before I can do this or start that. What a waste of stitches!