Satisfaction

I've been doing this repairs-and-alterations thing for the dry cleaners over two weeks now. It was a little rough at the beginning, figuring out what to do with each piece, but like bike riding, the skills are coming back to me after a long hiatus. I've made a few mistakes, spending waaaaay too much time on some things, when I should have done something simple and quick, but overall, the satisfaction at having done a good job is immense.

Yesterday, I dropped off the latest batch of clothing, and sat in the back room of the dry cleaners with my sewing machine, working on a tricky piece of repair on a silk lingerie nightie. I usually do my sewing at home, but I needed to turn in the things that were due anyway, and wanted to consult with my manager, Johanna, on the nightie. The edges were fraying, and needed to be repaired with a serger, because a regular sewing machine will chew up the fragile edges, but I don't own one, and can't afford to invest in one right now. But I got this idea of using dissolvable interfacing to stabilize the edges while I zigzagged the edges. Wa-lah!! Worked like a charm. Then, when I was leaving, a woman came into the shop, needing a pair of business slacks hemmed up 9" (she was kind of short, and the pants had come with extra length so they could be hemmed for anyone), so I sat down with my machine, cut off the extra fabric, measured, folded the edges, and sewed a blind hem (you can barely see any stitches from the outside). 30 minutes, start to finish, and it looked professional. I handed them back to Johanna, and I was very satisfied with a job well done.

I can understand the appeal of getting yourself out of the house to go to work, where even a simple job can be satisfying if you do it well. Unlike raising children, which is complicated, messy, tedious, and very frustrating at times. Not to mention, terrifying when they wander off down the street while you're sitting in your craftroom. Close your eyes and put your hand over your heart. Sigh...