Hitting the wall

I've about had my fill of this *prepping the house for sale* business.  Although we swore this wouldn't happen again, here we are, replacing things like faucets that we could have been enjoying ourselves.  This week is the big quilt festival in Chicago, but I'm in Indy because of a doctor's appointment (routine, but a 3 month wait) and a number of house-related issues.  It's probably for the best (though I will be there next year.)  I've been hauling so much fabric to the Project Linus lady that she's starting to look at me funny.  I certainly don't need to be hauling more into the house.  (Full disclosure, several Superbuzzy packages have recently been seen entering with the mail.) 

This morning I decided I'm done...no more yardage shall be displaced!  I am also reclaiming some free time.  Honestly, over the last month all of my time at home has been devoted to weeding through *stuff*...clothing, photos, personal ephemera, the kids' (lifetime) accumulation, magazines (the worst!), art supplies, linens, toys & games, etc., etc., etc.  All heavily laden with memories and emotion.  I'm done.  Which doesn't mean the job is totally completed, but close enough to cry uncle.  And head back to the sewing room for a break.

While cleaning, I came across some vintage Singer sewing booklets, in which I found these 'Tips on Preparing Yourself for Sewing.'

"Prepare yourself mentally for sewing. Think about what you are going to do...never approach sewing with a sigh or lackadaisically. Good results are difficult when indifference predominates. Never try to sew with a sink full of dishes or beds unmade. When there are urgent household chores, do these first so your mind is free to enjoy your sewing. When you sew, make yourself as attractive as possible. Put on a clean dress. Keep a little bag of French chalk near your sewing machine to dust your fingers at intervals. Have your hair in order, powder and lipstick put on with care. If you are constantly fearful that a visitor would drop in or your husband will come home and you will not look neatly put together, you will not enjoy your sewing as you should."

The doors are locked and M is in Chicago for the week.  I'm heading to the sewing room with not the slightest pause at a mirror!

Comments

[gray la gran]

that's fantastic! somewhere in my knitting archives, i once found an ad that used "the professional clicking" sound as a selling point for metal needles.
and come to think of it, in all the pictures of sewing and knitting ... the "moms" are always very put together.
instead, i just shove aside one mess to make way for the other ... i often knit and sew in my pj's. singer would be very disappointed in me.

[Vicki]

Do your locked doors mean that mean you WON'T be wearing powder and lipstick?
; )
Have a nice, well-deserved break in the sewing room.

[Siri]

Beds made? Dishes done? Put together? There would be NO sewing or knitting done around here if we waited around for those other things to get done.
Thanks for the good laugh!

[schnoobie]

Bwaaahaaaa!! I think I've read that same advice about sewing. Hil ar ee ous!!! I think the same author also wrote a bit about how to be the perfect wife. I strive to acheive both on a daily basis. NOT!
Don't feel so bad about missing the Chicago Quilt Show.. It's a loooong story but misery loves company.......and I won't be going either. Enjoy your YOU TIME!!!

[rachel]

Thanks for a good laugh. If I wore lipstick while sewing I would just get it on the pins I hold in my mouth.

[Alex]

How mindless and irresponsible of you, Jan! Go, get that face done, you'll see, it feels much better...
Thank you so much for sharing this, it is quite amusing.
About "weeding through stuff": Honestly, I get a stomach ache by just reading about it. This confrontation with all those memory laden things is something I cannot deal well with. It's so painful to let go. Best done in a hurry so you won't be able to "savour" it to the fullest. I've been avoiding your blog lately a little because this getting rid of stuff is giving me cramps.
Enjoy sewing!!!

[Chris]

Thanks for the laugh at those instructions!! You definitely sound ready for a break. :)

[JudyC]

Well that does it! I've found the reason for my sewing slump...I didn't fix my makup and put on a pretty dress! How could I have forgotten!

Seriously, don't stress over the house. I would show you pictures of how this place looked when we bought it but your eyes would burn from your head. I look at the walls..not the furnishings and "stuff". No one buys a museum.

[Thimbleanna]

Thanks for sharing such fun! Now I know why my sewing lately has been so haphazzard -- guess I need to get cleaning and don some makeup! I can fully sympathize with you missing the quilt show this year -- I've been busy every year since it started and finally this year I'm able to go! VBG.

[Molly!]

What, you're not putting on a clean dress before sewing like you used to?

[Jane]

How things have changed! Boy oh boy, it's needs to be a really special occasion for me to get the powder and lipstick out!

[di]

That's a fantastic set of tips for sewing.. Indeed things do seem to have changed somewhat, although the thought does occur that maybe I need to stop bothering with household chores in order to find some time to do some sewing...

[Lily]

I love those 'old-fashioned' tips to fellow women (hmmm, think that's an oxymoron but anyhoo)! My parents have a set of books from the 60s called 'It's a Man's World' - full of little tips on how the wifey must service her husband's needs! Pah!

Good luck with the rest of your house prepping and I hope your sewing didn't suffer from not having your lippie on!

[Rebecca]

Oh that is brilliant and now I know why I sew wonky seams, off to put on some lipstick, straight seams here I come....

[Ruth]

My best friend and her family are currently dealing with the same thing ... they are planning to put their house on the market next month, and are busily painting, etc. -- doing all the things that have needed doing and that they now won't be around to enjoy. (They live in Chicago, BTW ... are you looking in the city or suburbs?)

I think the author of that booklet would be slightly alarmed by the frenzied state I sometimes get into when knitting ....

[Cindra]

If I looked in the mirror before I sewed I would never make it to the machine.

[Kathie]

Well that's going to be a new resolution for me--do get dressed up nicely before starting to sew. And don't forget the lipstick. Where did those people GET that STUFF from? Reminds me of the tips of Christian modesty in dress we got from the nuns before high school prom.

[kathy]

Oh my goodness, that gave me a HUGE laugh.

[africankelli]

I know this makes me crazy, but how I would love to live by those words!

[Tonya R]

Those Singer hints are a hoot. If I bothered to do all that stuff on the list I'd never get around to sewing. Glad you're making progress with sorting and prepping the house for sale.

[Tanya Watanabe]

That is hilarious but in many ways I wish I could be that way too! Not always with threads in my hair, on the carpet, in the food! I wish I could invite people into my cozy sewing room without a care! No way!

[Kate]

Ha ha! I always sew barefoot, and when I oh-so-occasionally am wearing shoes, the pedal feels all wrong underfoot. I can't even imagine what it would be like to sew in pumps!

[Kelly]

No way! I have the same book, and just posted about it the other day! Aren't they wonderful? I only have the three I show on my blog; do you have any others in the series?

[lori]

I have to agree with Siri!! if i have to wait to do all that --- i would never get to sew.

[Kay Gardiner]

Oh Jan, that is just priceless. How did women survive? How?

I shall never approach my sewing with a sigh. Never ever.

xoxo Kay