I made a thing!

A useless thing! But I made it!

Ages ago (probably a few months) I got a broken sewing machine off of FreeCycle. It had belonged to the previous owner's mother before her, so it's an old school tank of a machine.* I wanted to make sure it didn't sit around unused for years, so I immediately took it to a local sewing and vacuum shop and had it repaired (at higher cost than I was expecting, but oh well). And then I brought it home and stared at it for a few months.

This evening I Googled "how to use a sewing machine," and perused the manual that came with the machine. The guy who had fixed it left it threaded with a wee amount of thread and a quarter full bobbin--oddly enough, in the exact same color and weight of the only sewing-machine sized spool of thread I happened to have. I left the thread on the bobbin, but did teach myself how to remove and reinsert it, and then how to load the main thread (mostly by paying close attention as I unthreaded it). And then I sewed up some scraps of denim I had laying around from when Dave cannibalized one pair of jeans to patch another. I made a sort of a bag. A completely useless, not-sized-right-for-anything bag. It's beautiful.

I didn't expect to be able to just sit down and do it so easily. It's not the first time I've used a sewing machine, so I wasn't starting from zero, it's just that it's been something like 17 or 18 years. Not quite like riding a bicycle, but easier to remember than I'd thought. I obviously still need more practice before moving onto real projects, but I'm quite pleased, all things considered.

* The back of the manual for the sewing machine says, "What's new for tomorrow is at Singer today!" Among the "Exciting products from Singer," it advertises a "Finest Quality Color Television in walnut-veneered cabinet will entertain you with rich, true color or crisp, clear black and white picture. Big 168-squre-inch-viewing area, time-saving automatic degaussing system and immediate hook-up are just a few of the many features you'll enjoy." Also, the "Deluxe Portable Stereo Phonograph with solid-state circuitry has an automatic four-speed Garrard record changer that shuts off after the last record has played. Miniaturized speakers can be played in their compartments or separated to over 20 feet. Weighs only 19 pounds. Can be operated electrically or on battery power."